Author: Seth Barnes

Finding strength to do hard things

Written by Seth Barnes on May 27, 2011. Posted in Courage. 11 Comments on Finding strength to do hard things

Israel Partridge is an ordinary person who was available to God for extraordinary duty on April 27. He came upon this Huddle House in Alabama right after a tornado had wrecked it....

Did God set this whole thing up to lose?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 26, 2011. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 19 Comments on Did God set this whole thing up to lose?

The Late Great Planet Earth was all the rage when I was a kid. It contained convincing proofs that we were living in the last days. Hal Lindsey’s book was a bestseller. We...

There must be pain in discipleship

Written by Seth Barnes on May 25, 2011. Posted in Discipling. 5 Comments on There must be pain in discipleship

One of the problems with discipleship in America is that we’ve removed the pain. We want to run around and put a pillow under rear-ends. And by keeping everything safe, we...

Who will roll away the stone?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 24, 2011. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 4 Comments on Who will roll away the stone?

Jesus came to set the captives free. Of course we’re not in prison, so we figure, he came for the people behind bars, right? But the fact is, there are many different forms...

Networking to help your kingdom dream

Written by Seth Barnes on May 23, 2011. Posted in Kingdom Dreams. 4 Comments on Networking to help your kingdom dream

A group of us led a Kingdom Dreams workshop in Atlanta this past weekend. Afterwards we went to Stone Mountain and sang songs and talked (that’s Lilly and Caleb in the pic). Best...

I’m not dead yet!

Written by Seth Barnes on May 21, 2011. Posted in Culture and Faith. 16 Comments on I’m not dead yet!

One of my favorite scenes from The Holy Grail is where the old guy proclaims, “I’m not dead yet!” It’s 5:01 pm and I’m still here. And so is everybody...

Here’s my last blog post

Written by Seth Barnes on May 20, 2011. Posted in A broken world. 20 Comments on Here’s my last blog post

If the prognosticators are right, I may not be around tomorrow. FamilyRadio.com says this: “The Bible guarantees that tomorrow [that’s today, the 20th of May] is the...

There’s no such thing as unopposed spiritual progress

Written by Seth Barnes on May 19, 2011. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 9 Comments on There’s no such thing as unopposed spiritual progress

Here’s something I believe that a lot of people find controversial in this modern age: You have an enemy who hates you. If God’s dream is to see you free, then your enemy’s...

I’ve been working on a book

Written by Seth Barnes on May 18, 2011. Posted in Journeys. 46 Comments on I’ve been working on a book

Many of us feel like we have a book inside us, but first we have to have something to say. If it’s nonfiction, then somehow readers need to find it valuable. And if there’s...

Too much success too fast

Written by Seth Barnes on May 17, 2011. Posted in Identity issues. 9 Comments on Too much success too fast

The Millennial generation needs more failure. It’s a paradox that too much success in the short-term can impair your long-term prospects, but it’s true. American young...

Failure is often a gift of God

Written by Seth Barnes on May 16, 2011. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 16 Comments on Failure is often a gift of God

As a younger man, I used to look at my failures and misinterpret what God was doing. When I was fired from my first job, I saw that as me failing – a demotion. What I see in...

More than bystanders

Written by Seth Barnes on May 14, 2011. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 2 Comments on More than bystanders

Jesus calls us to himself, first as bystanders, as witnesses of his glory. We get to see what he does, and we worship him for it. But ultimately, he’s calling us to join him...

Life is short – make it count – pt. 2

Written by Seth Barnes on May 13, 2011. Posted in My Life. 8 Comments on Life is short – make it count – pt. 2

Yesterday I planned to have a slow day. I also hoped to be decadent and watch an episode of “Modern Family” at work. I stumbled downstairs looking for coffee. My little...

Face the wave that would destroy you!

Written by Seth Barnes on May 12, 2011. Posted in Courage. 9 Comments on Face the wave that would destroy you!

Are you facing a difficult situation in life? If so, how are you responding? Alanna Foxwell lived in Japan for most of her life. Yesterday she told me about Susumu Sugawara, a 64...

Free missionary care resources

Written by Seth Barnes on May 11, 2011. Posted in Missions. 5 Comments on Free missionary care resources

There are a host of great free resources on the web for those helping send or for those going as missionaries long-term. Here’s a list: Missionary Care The most thorough list...

Popularity is overrated

Written by Seth Barnes on May 10, 2011. Posted in Identity issues. 7 Comments on Popularity is overrated

I was never popular in high school, but I was very aware of the social order and the categories that I didn’t fit in. “Hmmm, let’s see, not going to run for student...

We need more apprentices

Written by Seth Barnes on May 9, 2011. Posted in Discipling. 3 Comments on We need more apprentices

Our chief job as parents is to disciple our kids. Academics, sports, extracurricular activities – all are secondary to the task of passing a living faith on to our children....

20-somethings under pressure & depressed

Written by Seth Barnes on May 8, 2011. Posted in Finding your call. 1 Comment on 20-somethings under pressure & depressed

A recent article in the Guardian shows us that 20-somethings are struggling to cope in a world that seems rigged against them. New research show that surprisingly high numbers are...

Change injustice one life at a time

Written by Seth Barnes on May 7, 2011. Posted in A broken world. 6 Comments on Change injustice one life at a time

Many of us are motivated to fight injustice. We hear about human trafficking, AIDS, or orphans and we want to change the situation. But usually that change will not happen at a...

5 prisons we live in

Written by Seth Barnes on May 6, 2011. Posted in Living Free. 4 Comments on 5 prisons we live in

During our debrief in Bucharest, Mike Paschall shared about the prisons we live in. When you walk into these prisons, you can live there a long time thinking it’s normal. 1....

It’s Cinco de Mayo – what are you celebrating?

Written by Seth Barnes on May 5, 2011. Posted in 42nd Generation. 7 Comments on It’s Cinco de Mayo – what are you celebrating?

Karen and I just returned from a long trip away from home and we’re celebrating today. The fact that it’s Cinco de Mayo, makes it official. It’s a day set aside...

We all start out funny and awkward

Written by Seth Barnes on May 4, 2011. Posted in Finding your call. 4 Comments on We all start out funny and awkward

Sean was talking to our squad one spring night in Bucharest. We’d had a good day and worship was flowing. Sean is an exhorter and was finding his rhythm. He was calling them...

Inheritance is hard to talk about

Written by Seth Barnes on May 3, 2011. Posted in Reaching Your Destiny. 3 Comments on Inheritance is hard to talk about

The night before my grandmother sold her estate, I got a call from the family. “The family heirlooms are going to disappear in a public sale. Can you drive there and get the...

Father of 13 gives his life to save family in Alabama

Written by Seth Barnes on May 1, 2011. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 12 Comments on Father of 13 gives his life to save family in Alabama

What a heart-rending story of a father’s sacrificial love this week. This comes from a blog by Doug Phillips. Tom Lee was a man who always had a sparkle in his eyes and a Gospel message...