If you’re stuck, ask questions
If you’re in a tough place and can’t see the way out, your natural reaction may be to:
complain
or find reasons to justify your thinking about the mess you’re...
Author: Seth Barnes
Coaching you through a challenge
Getting through tough spots in the road is hard enough, but not understanding the nature or importance of the problem you face makes it so much worse. A good coach will clarify what...
Kingdom journeys turbo-boost faith
Jesus pioneered the practice of short-term missions. His whole ministry was a journey, an extended mission trip. He left home at age 30 and wandered village to village for three...
Is a kingdom journey a spiritual discipline?
For a while now I’ve been writing a book about kingdom journeys – the pilgrimages we go on to grow spiritually. I call them “kingdom journeys” because they...
Battling demons in Kenya
For some reason, many evangelicals in America have little experience exercising spiritual authority with their enemy. Stories like this one last week from Tricia Wegman can help...
Kingdom Dreams: An update
Dennis Gable is going to launch a ministry to young people in Flagstaff, AZ. Kristen Paulick is headed to Cambodia to adopt four children. Jennifer Smith is reaching out to homeless...
The paradox of position and power
I have a nice house, two cars, and my kids went to college. Furthermore, I am a boss and have the power to hire and fire people. Am I in spiritual danger? If you look at Jesus’...
5 traits of a great discipler
Discipling has to be a two way street. You bring your piece to it. Your disciple brings her piece. It’s the call and response we’ve observed in Jesus’ model. ...
God wants to give you more spiritual authority
Here’s a question you don’t get asked every day: How much spiritual authority are you able to wield?
Over the last twenty years the Lord has slowly grown me up in this....
How to live a significant life
With Talia and Joe getting married soon, there’s the prospect of grandchildren at some point. And, although Karen and I have raised our five children, in a way, having grandchildren...
Welcoming new people into your family
Our friends already knew and loved Joe Bunting (Talia’s future husband). We’d welcomed him as an honorary family member last Thanksgiving. It was not hard to celebrate...
Uche is coming to America
Who says virtual relationships can’t go deep? On Friday a man I’ve never met, but who has become like a son, is coming to America. His name is Uche Izuora. He lives in...
Calling: Where love and pain intersect
Jennifer Smith went through a horrific phase of her life where she was an addict and homeless. After giving her life to Christ and going on the World Race, she felt a calling to...
Do you have an orphan spirit?
John’s family looked normal. Both parents had good jobs. Sure, they’d divorced, but growing up, he had all he wanted. But inside, John didn’t feel like a priority....
Dying on Mt. Mckinley and meeting Jesus
When I went to South Africa in 2004, I met Dini Esterhuizen, director of a ministry called Alabanza. One evening at her camp, she told me the most amazing story. 26 years earlier,...
Life is short – make it count
The fact that life is short and our end unpredictable is underscored multiple times in the Bible. For example there’s 1 Peter 1:24: “All people are like grass, and all...
My life is a mess and I need to change
On a balmy evening in the downtown Matamoros plaza, palm trees rustled overhead in the breeze and peddlers hawked their wares. The two men I was translating for and I were tempted...
Intimacy precedes fruitfulness – part 2
The key question of our lives is “Who am I?” But we didn’t happen by accident; we’re created beings. So, it’s a question that can only be answered...
Intimacy precedes fruitfulness
Steve Basden gave up a successful career at UPS to chase after God and his call. That led him to AIM. He’s part of the team that sends out thousands around the world. I have...
Talking to a killer in a Matamoros jail
Jorge was 32 years old when I visited him in a Matamoros jail. The angry bruise on his forehead and his cracked ribs testified to his recent failed escape. Sitting in the prison...
Judge people by their fruit, not their words
Just back from 11 days in Romania and Spain. We coached 39 World Racers and taught 20 students at a leadership school. Along the way, we’ve helped them get a world view, forge...
The battle for your heart
What has your heart? How do you protect your heart? Many of us say we’ve given our hearts to Jesus, but have we really? Have we allowed the things that touch his heart to impact...
Mapping your heart’s journey
Have you ever stood back and tracked the journey that your heart has been on in life? To illustrate what I’m talking about, here’s a synopsis of my heart’s journey:
When...
‘Do you want to see the Father?’
Ten years ago in West Virginia after a long day of leading the project, Eric Retterbush said to Clint, “We’ve got to go running before we go to sleep tonight.”
It...