Author: Seth Barnes

Stopping short

Written by Seth Barnes on March 28, 2012. Posted in Discipling. 8 Comments on Stopping short

Jesus took three years to help his disciples see the world and see themselves differently. And even then, at the end, they were blowing it. As Jesus hung on the cross, they were...

Where the gospel is spreading fastest

Written by Seth Barnes on March 27, 2012. Posted in The Holy Spirit is on the move. 4 Comments on Where the gospel is spreading fastest

Our teams in India are inevitably blown away by their experience. Taryn Neurohr’s story is typical: Our first night in one of the villages, we were all together when we came...

Why we need our hearts broken

Written by Seth Barnes on March 26, 2012. Posted in A broken world. 3 Comments on Why we need our hearts broken

Have you had your heart broken lately? It’s important that you do. It helps us to look like Jesus. America is such a comfortable place – and who doesn’t like...

Understanding your spiritual weaknesses

Written by Seth Barnes on March 23, 2012. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 5 Comments on Understanding your spiritual weaknesses

Michael Mangis, a Wheaton College professor, wrote about the correlation between temperament and spiritual weaknesses. He looked at the tendencies of the four basic personality...

Which hills will you die on?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 22, 2012. Posted in Courage. 8 Comments on Which hills will you die on?

In WW2, when the allies would target a Pacific island held by the enemy, the high ground was everything. Take Iwo Jima, for example. Mount Suribachi was the Japanese stronghold....

Update on the Son of God orphanage

Written by Seth Barnes on March 21, 2012. Posted in Haiti. 8 Comments on Update on the Son of God orphanage

It’s been several months since the story broke about the Son of God (SOG) orphanage in Haiti. As you may recall, SOG had to be closed in the wake of evidence that the family...

The need to be right

Written by Seth Barnes on March 20, 2012. Posted in Improving yourself. 9 Comments on The need to be right

Have you ever had a friend who seemed to argue with you all the time? If you’re from New York City, the answer is going to be yes. As Johnny Carson noted, “Anytime four...

A community of passion

Written by Seth Barnes on March 19, 2012. Posted in Community and Covenant. 9 Comments on A community of passion

Every year I get together with a group of my old college friends. In the past we’ve flown to interesting places and done touristy kinds of things, but as we’ve gotten...

The Hunger Games and you

Written by Seth Barnes on March 16, 2012. Posted in Courage. 2 Comments on The Hunger Games and you

In my household, I can’t ignore The Hunger Games. My five girls (including Karen) are fans of the book. And all are eagerly looking forward to the movie that opens in a week. It’s...

Writing Andrew Shearman’s book

Written by Seth Barnes on March 15, 2012. Posted in 42nd Generation. 4 Comments on Writing Andrew Shearman’s book

Years ago when I heard Andrew Shearman’s message about the 42nd generation, I thought to myself, “This needs to be a book.” Two problems immediately arose: a) Andrew’s...

We need a sense of purpose to live

Written by Seth Barnes on March 14, 2012. Posted in Better Living. 5 Comments on We need a sense of purpose to live

The most important thing you need to make it through life is a sense of purpose. Without purpose, people lose their inner spark, their will to live. You see this dynamic manifest...

Youth pastors must disciple!

Written by Seth Barnes on March 13, 2012. Posted in Youth Ministry. 6 Comments on Youth pastors must disciple!

For the last couple of decades, I’ve been calling youth ministers to focus on their central calling – discipling young people as Jesus did his disciples. The problem...

The value of hard work

Written by Seth Barnes on March 12, 2012. Posted in Better Living. 4 Comments on The value of hard work

I’m going to see my best friends from college this week in Florida. We’re all very different. Two doctors, a couple of businessmen, an airline pilot, a JAG officer, and...

More dancing, laughter and healing

Written by Seth Barnes on March 9, 2012. Posted in The Holy Spirit is on the move. 5 Comments on More dancing, laughter and healing

We need more dancing, more laughter, more healing. Life was meant to be rich with kingdom encounters. That’s why I love to shine a light on the stories that people like Vanessa...

Edit the voices in your head

Written by Seth Barnes on March 8, 2012. Posted in Simplicity Liberates You. 5 Comments on Edit the voices in your head

Writing from the Paris airport with French being spoken all around me, I can think a little more clearly than back home. I don’t speak French, so it’s just background...

Ryan’s miraculous healing

Written by Seth Barnes on March 7, 2012. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 16 Comments on Ryan’s miraculous healing

I first met Ryan Hughes outside the Catalyst conference last fall. His story is so amazing I had to share it. “In 2007 I got laid off from my job with Delta based out of Tel...

Getting to brokenness is good

Written by Seth Barnes on March 6, 2012. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 11 Comments on Getting to brokenness is good

On the World Race, there is a stop on the journey where no one wants to go. We don’t advertise it in our brochures, yet almost everyone seems to go there. It’s the place...

Losing your voice

Written by Seth Barnes on March 5, 2012. Posted in Finding your call. 15 Comments on Losing your voice

I was reviewing the long, tedious process of editing my book, Kingdom Journeys. I’m finally satisfied with it. But a couple of times during the four year writing and editing...

Rwanda: Finding hope in a hopeless place

Written by Seth Barnes on March 3, 2012. Posted in Revival. 2 Comments on Rwanda: Finding hope in a hopeless place

The Bible tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” We need to do the same. One of the best examples of the devil’s...

Coming from a place of low trust

Written by Seth Barnes on March 2, 2012. Posted in Faith & risk. 9 Comments on Coming from a place of low trust

Multiple times today I ran across a situation where I could see someone who was coming from a place of low trust. They were stuck. It wasn’t a good place for them. You felt...

Mixed motives

Written by Seth Barnes on March 1, 2012. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 9 Comments on Mixed motives

Chick-fil-A coupons cause people in my family to drive out of their way. People will go out of their way for food. You can read the story of a crowd chasing Jesus for free food in...

Getting bold faith

Written by Seth Barnes on February 29, 2012. Posted in Courage. 2 Comments on Getting bold faith

Where does bold faith come from? For one thing, our faith has to be personal before our boldness has authenticity. Growing up, I was anything but bold about my faith. I said I had...

Becoming a safe person

Written by Seth Barnes on February 28, 2012. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 13 Comments on Becoming a safe person

“I don’t hate you, Seth” said the man who had been designated as my mentor. “Well, that’s a comforting thing to establish!” I thought to myself....

Healing on the World Race

Written by Seth Barnes on February 27, 2012. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 5 Comments on Healing on the World Race

Stephanie May had never seen anything like it. Nothing in her World Race experience prior to India had prepared her for the more than 30 people she saw God heal through their prayers. When...