Author: Seth Barnes

Where are tomorrow’s missionaries?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 28, 2010. Posted in Mobilization. 5 Comments on Where are tomorrow’s missionaries?

The study I referenced in yesterday’s blog showing a 40% drop in empathy among young people should be an alarm bell for all American Christians who care about missions. Empathy...

A 40% drop in empathy in college students

Written by Seth Barnes on October 27, 2010. Posted in 42nd Generation. 12 Comments on A 4012 drop in empathy in college students

Rhett Smith brought a recent study to my attention. It shows a big drop in empathy among young people. “We found the biggest drop in empathy after the year 2000,” said...

Does the ‘prayer of salvation’ save you?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 26, 2010. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 25 Comments on Does the ‘prayer of salvation’ save you?

Tim Keller says, “Most decisions for Christ are not conversions. They’re commitments to get into a process.” Now if you grew up like I did, in a home where family...

The Stirred Conference

Written by Seth Barnes on October 25, 2010. Posted in Revival. 3 Comments on The Stirred Conference

250 people are arriving this Thursday (10/28) in Gainesville for a conference AIM is sponsoring called “Stirred.” They’ll be in tents, houses, and hotels. The conference...

3 year-old sex slave 2 years later

Written by Seth Barnes on October 24, 2010. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 5 Comments on 3 year-old sex slave 2 years later

Two years ago, I shared the shocking account of a three year-old in the Philippines who had been sold for $60 to become a sex-slave. He was going to be trafficked to Japan. At the...

Sampson didn’t die

Written by Seth Barnes on October 23, 2010. Posted in Eswatini / Swaziland. 3 Comments on Sampson didn’t die

Scott Borg has invested himself in Swaziland. He runs AIM’s operation there. His heart has been planted there. This week he wrote a blog post that helps explain how he’s...

Spiritual authority needs practice

Written by Seth Barnes on October 22, 2010. Posted in Lordship. 6 Comments on Spiritual authority needs practice

The last couple of blogs have dealt with the issue of spiritual authority. One thing I’ve seen is that it is complicated. For one thing, we confuse the exercise of spiritual...

Spiritual authority or spiritual abuse?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 21, 2010. Posted in Lordship. 14 Comments on Spiritual authority or spiritual abuse?

“I didn’t grow up in the church at all and my very first experience of a mentor relationship was a youth pastor who wanted to be my spiritual father etc. I didn’t...

By whose authority do you do these things?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 20, 2010. Posted in Lordship. 17 Comments on By whose authority do you do these things?

I was jogging with a disciple recently. We were talking about some people he’s discipling who were going to plant a church in a new city. Jesus sent his disciples under authority...

6 ways short-term missions change lives

Written by Seth Barnes on October 19, 2010. Posted in Short-term missions. 10 Comments on 6 ways short-term missions change lives

Here are six ways that a short-term mission trip can change your life: 1. Short-term missions change your worldview We in America are notoriously provincial. We think our way is...

5 things to look for from your counselor

Written by Seth Barnes on October 18, 2010. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 6 Comments on 5 things to look for from your counselor

I got the following from Michael Hindes: 2 Questions As a pastor, I referred a number of people to christian counseling. Yet I have criteria for counselors that also must be vetted....

Kids saying: ‘I need a father’

Written by Seth Barnes on October 17, 2010. Posted in Orphans. 2 Comments on Kids saying: ‘I need a father’

This video by Charity Powell moved me. God repeatedly says that widows and orphans are on his heart. They should be on ours too. Once he asked me, “Who will be that one’s...

Parents, send your kid on a mission trip

Written by Seth Barnes on October 16, 2010. Posted in Short-term missions. 6 Comments on Parents, send your kid on a mission trip

Here’s me sharing why I think it’s so important for parents to send their children on mission trips. It was one of the best things Karen and I did in raising our children....

Sonya’s story needs to be told

Written by Seth Barnes on October 15, 2010. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 8 Comments on Sonya’s story needs to be told

For the last year I’ve had a little side project: raise up a team of young women to go to Cambodia and help rescue the “bar girls” out of their life of horror....

The future is unknowable – commit anyway

Written by Seth Barnes on October 14, 2010. Posted in Reaching Your Destiny. 15 Comments on The future is unknowable – commit anyway

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison Too many people want to keep their options open and...

All churches need wineskins

Written by Seth Barnes on October 13, 2010. Posted in Church. 6 Comments on All churches need wineskins

Yesterday’s blog about prayer times as wineskins got me thinking about the church. In writing my thoughts, my intent is to encourage you, even if doing so may feel a little...

Prayer times as wineskins

Written by Seth Barnes on October 12, 2010. Posted in Prayer. 11 Comments on Prayer times as wineskins

A group of us have committed to take at least an hour to pray. And one of our group wrote to say, “It’s been a challenge for me as well to not see this as a legalistic practice....

How do you find a Christian counselor?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 11, 2010. Posted in Dealing with junk in our lives. 5 Comments on How do you find a Christian counselor?

After an earlier blog post on the 10 decisions before going to a counselor, a blog reader asked “now, do you have the 10 steps to finding a trusted counselor?” The answer:...

The Timothy principle

Written by Seth Barnes on October 10, 2010. Posted in How to Disciple. 5 Comments on The Timothy principle

To disciple, you have to do life together. In fact, as you journey through life, it’s usually a good idea to bring along those whom you’re discipling. J. Lee Grady wrote...

The one hour prayer experiment

Written by Seth Barnes on October 8, 2010. Posted in Prayer. 15 Comments on The one hour prayer experiment

It seems that if you like to pray, you fit into one of two categories. Either you prefer to take blocks of time to pray, or you tend to pray through your day. Scripture tells us...

The time is short – here’s how short

Written by Seth Barnes on October 8, 2010. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 5 Comments on The time is short – here’s how short

When Billy Graham spoke to our Wheaton College chapel over 30 years ago, his sermon title was “The Time Is Short.” At lunch today, my friend said, “We have maybe...

How do I grow in my faith?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 7, 2010. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 3 Comments on How do I grow in my faith?

Most of my life I seem to be fighting an internal battle between my desire for comfort and God’s call to act in ways that put my comfort in jeopardy. And I’ve learned...

The story of your life

Written by Seth Barnes on October 6, 2010. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 10 Comments on The story of your life

I was reading through Genesis this morning. Amidst the genealogies, I noticed the stories – the stories of a few men and the way they responded to God’s desire for relationship. ...

His power shows up in your weakness

Written by Seth Barnes on October 5, 2010. Posted in Vulnerability and me. 12 Comments on His power shows up in your weakness

Vulnerability is defined as “capable of being physically or emotionally wounded.” I wrote a blog on vulnerability and asked, is it a good or a bad thing? The Bible says...