Author: Seth Barnes

What I’d do differently

Written by Seth Barnes on April 27, 2012. Posted in My Life. 5 Comments on What I’d do differently

Cambodia’s Killing Fields was the greatest social justice cause of my generation. When the call went out to help the hundreds of thousands of Khmer refugees pouring into Thailand,...

Julian’s miracle

Written by Seth Barnes on April 26, 2012. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 5 Comments on Julian’s miracle

Julian Bonnet’s back was deteriorating. The doctor said that unless he got a special surgery to stabilize it, he would be paralyzed for life. The problem was that the surgery...

When God doesn’t heal…

Written by Seth Barnes on April 25, 2012. Posted in Faith & risk. 10 Comments on When God doesn’t heal…

Eleven years ago our family celebrated Thanksgiving in McDowell County, West Virginia, one of the poorest places in the country. We visited families in five different homes, took...

4 Practices of servant leaders

Written by Seth Barnes on April 24, 2012. Posted in Leadership. 6 Comments on 4 Practices of servant leaders

Our nation’s religious and political leaders continually disappoint us with their scandals. At work, many of us are stuck in jobs we don’t like following leaders we don’t...

We need change

Written by Seth Barnes on April 23, 2012. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 4 Comments on We need change

In the past, when I lost my job, the change made me take a hard look at who I was and where I was going. When our kids went off to college, the atmosphere in our house changed. When...

Here’s a cure for AIDS

Written by Seth Barnes on April 21, 2012. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 19 Comments on Here’s a cure for AIDS

I believe in a God of miracles. This post by AJ LeVan tells you why. James is a man of great faith. A man who prays fervently – on his knees. A man who cherishes the Word...

Feedback

Written by Seth Barnes on April 20, 2012. Posted in Improving yourself. 2 Comments on Feedback

The elephant in the room was that George was self-centered and sometimes ill-mannered. He didn’t fit in with the rest of his team. At dinner he would get in line for food first....

Divisive people

Written by Seth Barnes on April 19, 2012. Posted in Lordship. 21 Comments on Divisive people

If you look out on the web, you’ll find a whole category of bloggers (you know who you are) who are self-appointed “defenders of the truth.” Every religion has...

What do you do with good news?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 18, 2012. Posted in Culture and Faith. 2 Comments on What do you do with good news?

What do you do with good news? I’m an “early adopter.” When I hear about something that I know will benefit others, I tweet it and talk about it. When something...

Guilty or not guilty?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 17, 2012. Posted in Culture and Faith. 10 Comments on Guilty or not guilty?

Where does our sense of justice come from? We all have an innate sense of what’s OK and what’s not. And it’s usually pretty refined. I was on jury duty last week...

Releasing your disciples

Written by Seth Barnes on April 16, 2012. Posted in 42nd Generation. 7 Comments on Releasing your disciples

Miguel Santiago came to me as a gift – a messy one at 19, to be sure, but a total gift. His youth leader, John Alford, had poured into Miguel until he knew that Miguel’s...

Looking for God in a messy situation

Written by Seth Barnes on April 13, 2012. Posted in A broken world. 11 Comments on Looking for God in a messy situation

I had my 12 Angry Men moment this past week. Every five years I seem to get a jury summons. In the past I’ve been able to avoid sitting on a jury by boldly sharing my views...

Explaining your faith to strangers

Written by Seth Barnes on April 12, 2012. Posted in My Life. 6 Comments on Explaining your faith to strangers

I’ve got jury duty this week. And I can’t talk about it. Basically, anything I say publicly must be cloaked in a shroud of secrecy so as not to prejudice the case. I...

Grace and Honor

Written by Seth Barnes on April 11, 2012. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 8 Comments on Grace and Honor

Sid is great at honoring his superiors. He is deferential to a fault. He knows what’s expected of him and he does a great job of living up to those expectations. Unfortunately,...

You’re not all that

Written by Seth Barnes on April 10, 2012. Posted in Living Free. 3 Comments on You’re not all that

Of all the paradigms that define us, perhaps the most universal and deep-seated is the paradigm of exclusivity – the one that says we’re more special than others. The...

We were made for community

Written by Seth Barnes on April 9, 2012. Posted in Community and Covenant. 3 Comments on We were made for community

Our children may be grown up, but when you come to the Barnes house, usually you’ll find people there. We love to do life with people. Yesterday we had several families over...

We need a scapegoat

Written by Seth Barnes on April 6, 2012. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 4 Comments on We need a scapegoat

I’ve got a friend who borrowed something of mine and wrecked it. He promised to fix it, but hasn’t. It will be costly to fix. And now, every time I think about him, the...

Starting a Pinterest NOT OK Board

Written by Seth Barnes on April 5, 2012. Posted in A broken world. 10 Comments on Starting a Pinterest NOT OK Board

Yesterday, encouraged by Talia, I started a Pinterest Not OK board. You can see it here. There are things that bother us in the world. And usually we can do something about them...

Tuesday evenings, here’s how I disciple guys

Written by Seth Barnes on April 4, 2012. Posted in How to Disciple. 5 Comments on Tuesday evenings, here’s how I disciple guys

I get together with a group of young men on Tuesday evenings. We talk about issues that are important to them. I may do some teaching if it’s relevant. I may give advice if...

Learning to trust God

Written by Seth Barnes on April 3, 2012. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 14 Comments on Learning to trust God

Five years ago I posted about something we all struggle with – trusting God. Paradoxically, we encourage one another by sharing our struggle. I probably have more questions...

How did Jesus walk?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 2, 2012. Posted in Radical Living. 10 Comments on How did Jesus walk?

Sometimes we make following Jesus too complicated. So here’s a quick devotional thought on this fine spring day for those of us who aspire to follow him. Jesus said, “Follow...

This boggles my mind

Written by Seth Barnes on April 1, 2012. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 19 Comments on This boggles my mind

On weekends, if I blog at all, I try to bring you the raw reports of how the battle for the kingdom of God is going around the world. This week, it’s the sex-trade, which it...

Life as an outsider

Written by Seth Barnes on March 30, 2012. Posted in Community and Covenant. 6 Comments on Life as an outsider

We have outside cats and inside dogs. We love the dogs more. We used to have an outside dog named Abby. Life as an outsider was harsh. The winters were cold. Inside, dogs were getting...

book cover to The Art of Listening Prayer

Is your relationship with Christ personal?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 29, 2012. Posted in Listening prayer. 4 Comments on Is your relationship with Christ personal?

Get a Free eBook: Do you want to grow closer to God in your prayer times? I’ve written a free guide called The Three Day Listening Prayer Devotional and I’d love for...