Author: Seth Barnes

What is your sphere of influence?

Written by Seth Barnes on June 24, 2011. Posted in Leadership. 4 Comments on What is your sphere of influence?

What mysterious force does Justin Bieber wield that 45 million teenagers and a few adults watch this video about praying (and making a difference in the lives of hurting people)?...

Evangelism has fallen into disfavor

Written by Seth Barnes on June 23, 2011. Posted in Culture and Faith. 7 Comments on Evangelism has fallen into disfavor

Somehow evangelism has gotten a bad rap. I hear statements like, “We can’t go door-to-door; we don’t have the gift of evangelism.” What gift of evangelism?...

When friends die

Written by Seth Barnes on June 22, 2011. Posted in Wounded healers. 12 Comments on When friends die

Half an hour ago at 6:10 a.m., my phone rang. It was Estie with the news that our friend had died. I’m going to wait to talk about what our friend meant to the Barnes family...

Fighting pure evil, finding grace

Written by Seth Barnes on June 21, 2011. Posted in Fighting your enemy. 3 Comments on Fighting pure evil, finding grace

I’m halfway through Unbroken, a book about an amazing man, Louie Zamperini. His plane was shot over the Pacific in 1943. He floated 47 days, battling sharks and hunger, only...

Join me on a vision trip to Cambodia

Written by Seth Barnes on June 19, 2011. Posted in Cambodia. 5 Comments on Join me on a vision trip to Cambodia

Somaly Mam was nine when she sold into a brothel in Phnom Penh. Her life became a nightmare, but eventually she got out. So many girls never do. Something must be done to help them. The...

Help stop the sex trade

Written by Seth Barnes on June 17, 2011. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 5 Comments on Help stop the sex trade

Melinda Guerra was one of the Lord’s best gifts to me in the past year. A little over a year ago, I posted a tweet asking if anyone wanted to help me establish a ministry...

You’re either a sponge or a spigot

Written by Seth Barnes on June 16, 2011. Posted in Improving yourself. 6 Comments on You’re either a sponge or a spigot

I just cleaned a pan in the sink a half an hour ago. Went back and now there it was dirty again! It had fried egg-gunk on it this time. So I turned on the spigot and washed it a...

Get in a van and just go

Written by Seth Barnes on June 15, 2011. Posted in Journeys. 7 Comments on Get in a van and just go

Some of you need to do what Tracy Chapman sang about in Fast Car: You got a fast car I want a ticket to anywhere Maybe we make a deal Maybe together we can get somewhere You gotta...

Why does God hang out with flaky Christians?

Written by Seth Barnes on June 14, 2011. Posted in Culture and Faith. 9 Comments on Why does God hang out with flaky Christians?

God keeps a different group of friends than I would keep. Of course there are those of you who love him the best you can and we’d probably share you as friends. But I put his...

We need to share our stuff

Written by Seth Barnes on June 13, 2011. Posted in Living Free. 7 Comments on We need to share our stuff

A lot of us are carrying baggage that we need to share, but we don’t know how. I don’t know about you, but this was true for me for years. If someone had just helped...

Who will fill the hole in her heart?

Written by Seth Barnes on June 12, 2011. Posted in Poverty. No Comments on Who will fill the hole in her heart?

Philip Cron is a young man from West Virginia who Karen and I coach on the World Race. He shared the following story from Swaziland: “One night before worship we had gotten...

Golfing 180 holes in 1 day for 36 orphans

Written by Seth Barnes on June 11, 2011. Posted in Orphans. 1 Comment on Golfing 180 holes in 1 day for 36 orphans

Elijah Bene has been dreaming for years of building an orphanage in his hometown of Beira, Mozambique. 36 orphans need a home and Elijah wants to build them one. Daniel and Becky...

What would you say to yourself 10 years ago?

Written by Seth Barnes on June 10, 2011. Posted in Improving yourself. 13 Comments on What would you say to yourself 10 years ago?

Get in a time machine with me and go back ten years. You arrive in 2001 – a year that brought a great deal of change. The World Trade Center is still standing; maybe we all...

Graduates, it’s not about you

Written by Seth Barnes on June 9, 2011. Posted in Culture and Faith. 9 Comments on Graduates, it’s not about you

Mike Paschall shares how God spoke to him a while back: “It’s been about you to this point. When can it be about us?” Profound question. When can we join God...

Uncertainty is the birthing room of faith

Written by Seth Barnes on June 8, 2011. Posted in Faith & risk. 8 Comments on Uncertainty is the birthing room of faith

Over in the Sudan, Uche is trying to organize a conference a few days from now for the young people of Yei. Never mind that they have no money to pay for it and that Uche doesn’t...

God made us to party & fight

Written by Seth Barnes on June 7, 2011. Posted in Radical Living. 13 Comments on God made us to party & fight

We’ve completed our fourth after-party on the heels of Talia’s wedding and I think it’s biblical. There was the debrief party, then the brunch party with the in-laws...

A wedding to remember

Written by Seth Barnes on June 6, 2011. Posted in My Life. 23 Comments on A wedding to remember

A day that we’d imagined in our hearts became a reality yesterday. It was a wedding for the ages. Our extravagant God provided magical touches both small and grand. From the...

Welcome to the wedding banquet

Written by Seth Barnes on June 4, 2011. Posted in My Life. 12 Comments on Welcome to the wedding banquet

Tara, Connie and Kristen have been creating a magical wonderland on our lawn for Talia and Joe’s wedding banquet. I’ll welcome our guests to the banquet with some words...

Necessary change vs. the march of folly

Written by Seth Barnes on June 3, 2011. Posted in Leadership. 7 Comments on Necessary change vs. the march of folly

Newsflash: We’re moving Talia and Joe’s wedding start time from 4 pm to 6 pm. We’re experiencing record heat here in Georgia and rather than baking our guests in...

Let’s celebrate the people we love

Written by Seth Barnes on June 2, 2011. Posted in Blog Community. 17 Comments on Let’s celebrate the people we love

I love witty birthday cards. I read “However old you are is the new 30,” and I chuckle. Not because it’s true, but because I wish it was. Even cheesy or sappy cards...

Falling in love

Written by Seth Barnes on June 1, 2011. Posted in Living Free. 18 Comments on Falling in love

Joe loves Talia and knew he would before he ever really talked to her. How did that happen? I don’t really understand it, but the net result these six months later is that...

7 steps to re-setting your father relationship

Written by Seth Barnes on May 31, 2011. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 7 Comments on 7 steps to re-setting your father relationship

This week we welcome my mom and dad into our home. We’re excited to see them. Not that it was always that way. In high school, they were probably ready for me to get out of...

Reasons to be thankful today

Written by Seth Barnes on May 29, 2011. Posted in Blog Community. 7 Comments on Reasons to be thankful today

I don’t know about you, but my life is complicated and often over-full. And the rush of it all can push me toward anxiety. Knowing this about me and others like me, God encourages...

Focus on ministering to the meek & desperate

Written by Seth Barnes on May 28, 2011. Posted in Poverty. 3 Comments on Focus on ministering to the meek & desperate

Iris Ministries has experienced an incredible explosion of fruit since the floods that rocked Mozambique 11 years ago. Rolland and Heidi Baker have steadfastly focused on intimacy...