Author: Seth Barnes

Floyd McClung R.I.P. – He Showed Us ‘God-Space’

Written by Seth Barnes on June 8, 2021. Posted in Faith & risk. 4 Comments on Floyd McClung R.I.P. – He Showed Us ‘God-Space’

Floyd McClung, a disciple of Jesus Christ and a hero to many, moved his residence to heaven a little over a week ago. An author and speaker, he founded ministries in Amsterdam and...

Be Loyal to People, Not Organizations

Written by Seth Barnes on June 4, 2021. Posted in Community and Covenant. 11 Comments on Be Loyal to People, Not Organizations

Many of us have become deeply cynical about the organizations that fill our world. Here are the headliners: The press Churches Government Many of us perversely even distrust those...

This Refugee Story Took 41 Years to Tell

Written by Seth Barnes on May 26, 2021. Posted in Refugees & Crisis. 4 Comments on This Refugee Story Took 41 Years to Tell

I had a remarkable conversation with our air conditioner repairman today. I asked him about himself. He said, “I’m Benjamin. I came here from Laos.” I asked,...

Lake Atitlan – A Place to Birth New Dreams

Written by Seth Barnes on May 19, 2021. Posted in Dreaming. 9 Comments on Lake Atitlan – A Place to Birth New Dreams

I came to Lake Atitlan in 1975. I had been depressed for most of my high school years. I didn’t know who I was or where I was going. I was on a missions trip with 25 other...

What Does Jesus Teach About Missions?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 13, 2021. Posted in Missions. 31 Comments on What Does Jesus Teach About Missions?

Jesus’ last words to his disciples were to give them a mission. “Go and make disciples of all nations,” he said. (Matt. 28:19) “You will be...

I Lost My Courage & Had to Fight to Get it Back

Written by Seth Barnes on April 29, 2021. Posted in Courage. 10 Comments on I Lost My Courage & Had to Fight to Get it Back

Last night on my iphone I accidentally deleted a file called “Courageous Living” a list of eight ways to live courageously. I went to sleep thinking “How do I retrieve...

Witnessing a Miracle as God Heals a Racer

Written by Seth Barnes on April 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 12 Comments on Witnessing a Miracle as God Heals a Racer

It’s easy to be a skeptic in America. But as Elina Landin reports, seeing is believing. She witnessed God heal her teammate. Here is her report. The first day we got to Guatemala,...

The Fruits of Patient Living Can Be Ours

Written by Seth Barnes on April 14, 2021. Posted in Better Living. 6 Comments on The Fruits of Patient Living Can Be Ours

Once we were with friends driving to the Deer Lodge restaurant in the North Georgia mountains. I had heard about its big steaks. As we ascended the mountain, we marveled at the...

On the task of not being a victim

Written by Seth Barnes on April 5, 2021. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 13 Comments on On the task of not being a victim

A friend wrote me to say, “I disagreed with a young person and she told me that I caused her even more trauma than she already experience and that I am insensitive and...

How Revival Started in Cuba

Written by Seth Barnes on March 18, 2021. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 2 Comments on How Revival Started in Cuba

For 29 years Castro’s communist regime Cuba shut down religion. The worst region was Matanza. But in 1988, a great revival came to a small town called Madruga. From there...

My Amazing Matthew 10 Experience in Cuba

Written by Seth Barnes on March 10, 2021. Posted in Journeys. 14 Comments on My Amazing Matthew 10 Experience in Cuba

In 1995, I felt the Lord saying “Go to Cuba.” I set up a trip through a contact who knew Cuba well. But he hadn’t been in touch with me, so I was nervous. I had to fly through...

Resisting the Nazis to Save a Life

Written by Seth Barnes on February 28, 2021. Posted in Courage. 6 Comments on Resisting the Nazis to Save a Life

This morning I was listening the On Being podcast with Ariel Burger, the author of Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom. Burger shared a beautiful story about his son’s...

Why Young Men Need Initiation

Written by Seth Barnes on February 23, 2021. Posted in Intergenerational connection. 2 Comments on Why Young Men Need Initiation

Life is hard. We enter the world screaming, live 80 years and then spend our last years in some nursing home. To live is to cope with a series of losses that are an inevitable part...

Pilgrimage is About What You Leave Behind

Written by Seth Barnes on February 17, 2021. Posted in Journeys. 8 Comments on Pilgrimage is About What You Leave Behind

In the months ahead, coming out of a season laced with virus and death, we so desperately need a pilgrimage. We need a chance to really reset our lives, to leave a life of claustrophobia...

The Matthew 10 Process For Getting to Intimacy

Written by Seth Barnes on February 9, 2021. Posted in Journeys. 5 Comments on The Matthew 10 Process For Getting to Intimacy

Who doesn’t want intimacy with God? Many people doubt that it’s even possible, but not those of us who follow Jesus. He modeled a life of intimacy and asked us to do...

Why Should I Go To Nigeria?

Written by Seth Barnes on January 16, 2021. Posted in Kingdom Dreams. 13 Comments on Why Should I Go To Nigeria?

Lagos, Nigeria – What comes to mind? “Isn’t that where travelers get bags stolen at the airport?” Doesn’t the State Dept say: “Reconsider travel...

How To Help a Parent to Die Well

Written by Seth Barnes on January 12, 2021. Posted in Wounded healers. 36 Comments on How To Help a Parent to Die Well

Saying goodbye to my dad was one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done. It took a year. He was in horrible pain. He was losing everything that he held dear and he...

pilgrimage girl looking over mountain path

Shedding the Stuff That Weighs You Down

Written by Seth Barnes on January 7, 2021. Posted in Lordship. 3 Comments on Shedding the Stuff That Weighs You Down

Politicians wield power, but the political world is messy. And the temptation to look to it for answers is tempting. For most of my life I’ve been a news junky. But the news...

6 Ways to Reboot Your Brain in 2021

Written by Seth Barnes on January 5, 2021. Posted in Better Living. 2 Comments on 6 Ways to Reboot Your Brain in 2021

2021 is going to be a good year for many of us. Millions will receive the vaccine. Others will learn the prophylactic and curative power of Ivermectin in combating covid (see recent...

window looking out to lake and mountain scene

Appreciating the Gifts of 2020

Written by Seth Barnes on January 1, 2021. Posted in Redemption. 2 Comments on Appreciating the Gifts of 2020

Goodbye 2020. You were a complicated year. You brought disease, conflict and unwanted change. You locked us down and shut us up. You showed us ourselves at our worst. So, good riddance....

The Spiritual & Physical Benefits of Fasting

Written by Seth Barnes on December 30, 2020. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 12 Comments on The Spiritual & Physical Benefits of Fasting

As the new year approaches, I think about fasting. I don’t like it, but I know I need it. Our society offers us too much of everything – food, entertainment, activities...

Beautiful Questions to Ask in 2021

Written by Seth Barnes on December 29, 2020. Posted in Debriefing. 3 Comments on Beautiful Questions to Ask in 2021

It’s the in between time. Time to take a last look into that maelstrom that was 2020 before shutting the door on all that wanted to make us miserable and kill us. The fact...

What Do Old Journals Say About My Life?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 28, 2020. Posted in Debriefing. 6 Comments on What Do Old Journals Say About My Life?

I have made a habit of journaling for most of my life. In the attic I keep a box spilling over with old journals – my life converted to ink. So often, as we reflect on our...

A Christmas Story From This Morning

Written by Seth Barnes on December 24, 2020. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 8 Comments on A Christmas Story From This Morning

I’ve never been any good at stuffing Christmas stockings. This morning, I went to the salvage store to buy some stocking stuffers for Karen thinking, “At least when...