Author: Seth Barnes

The budget deficit is a moral issue

Written by Seth Barnes on March 23, 2009. Posted in Culture and Faith. 6 Comments on The budget deficit is a moral issue

It is normal for parents to want to take care of their children. Most of us who have children want to provide them with a good education if we’re able. Animal mothers in the...

Pioneering ministry in Eastern Europe

Written by Seth Barnes on March 22, 2009. Posted in World Race. 2 Comments on Pioneering ministry in Eastern Europe

Karen and I are vacationing in the Caribbean now and then will be heading to Romania for a debrief with our World Racers. What’s great about the World Race is that the whole...

Desperation on the streets of Bangalore

Written by Seth Barnes on March 21, 2009. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 3 Comments on Desperation on the streets of Bangalore

My heart is always breaking for these terrible situations we see. Twelve year-old orphans raising their younger siblings in Africa, people scavanging the dumps of Manila for scraps,...

God sometimes breaks your heart

Written by Seth Barnes on March 20, 2009. Posted in A broken world, Writing Blogs and Books. 18 Comments on God sometimes breaks your heart

A number of years ago I wrote a book that I’ve never published. It’s called “Revolution of the Broken Heart.” It’s a book of stories about how God...

True joy needs true grief

Written by Seth Barnes on March 19, 2009. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 10 Comments on True joy needs true grief

When Henri Nouwen says “joy and sorrow are the parents of our spiritual growth,” he’s hit upon a huge issue. Grief exists with joy on a continuum. Try to limit...

Finding great board members

Written by Seth Barnes on March 18, 2009. Posted in Leadership. No Comments on Finding great board members

My first experience with a nonprofit board was in the Dominican Republic. I was 23 and still wet behind the ears. I worked as a consultant for Opportunity International and they...

How to start a board of directors

Written by Seth Barnes on March 17, 2009. Posted in Leadership. 14 Comments on How to start a board of directors

This is a follow-up to the blog about boards from a few days ago. I’ve seen a lot of bad boards in my day. I was fortunate to be seared by the experience of seeing several...

How mentors grow young leaders

Written by Seth Barnes on March 16, 2009. Posted in How to Disciple. 1 Comment on How mentors grow young leaders

How does a mentor grow a young leader? The most important factor in the mix is that the young leader has got to want it and begin pursuing the mentor – seeking his help. It...

The Jesus I never knew

Written by Seth Barnes on March 15, 2009. Posted in The Holy Spirit is on the move. 2 Comments on The Jesus I never knew

Dave Brown is in Cambodia on the World Race. He’s teaching Cambodian teenagers and is finding his world turned upside down. He shares the following story from the classroom: this...

Criteria for developing a nonprofit board

Written by Seth Barnes on March 14, 2009. Posted in Leadership. 4 Comments on Criteria for developing a nonprofit board

This morning in 45 minutes the Adventures In Missions board of directors will have a Skype teleconference board meeting. They are a great group. They and their predecessors have...

The economic crisis is a huge opportunity

Written by Seth Barnes on March 13, 2009. Posted in Kingdom Reality. 5 Comments on The economic crisis is a huge opportunity

The current economic crisis has got a lot of people running scared. I contend that as unemployment rises and people become more worried, our opportunity as followers of Jesus has...

When you’ve got nothing left to give

Written by Seth Barnes on March 12, 2009. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 9 Comments on When you’ve got nothing left to give

Shanda Dodd, one of our racers, shares the following blog of her experience in Swaziland. Shanda is built for speed. She takes on what the race dishes out...

You were made for his presence

Written by Seth Barnes on March 11, 2009. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 10 Comments on You were made for his presence

Chloe is an afterthought in the Barnes family. Back when the kids were growing up in the era of a feline population explosion that got out of hand, Chloe was the lone survivor. In...

Discipling should not look like this

Written by Seth Barnes on March 10, 2009. Posted in Discipling. 10 Comments on Discipling should not look like this

I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder about school. Teachers were usually monotone and uninteresting. The classroom venue was built for efficiency, but didn’t hold my...

What is Christian art?

Written by Seth Barnes on March 9, 2009. Posted in Culture and Faith. 14 Comments on What is Christian art?

God is a creator and he made us in his image, as creators. We need to exercise that privilege more. I just googled “Christian art.” A modern pencil drawing, “Joyful...

A tribute to the grandmothers of Swaziland

Written by Seth Barnes on March 8, 2009. Posted in Eswatini / Swaziland. 4 Comments on A tribute to the grandmothers of Swaziland

We need to honor grandmothers. If you have one, today would be a great day to do that. They often carry more on their shoulders than we will ever know. In Swaziland, they are carrying...

Waiting on a dream for five years

Written by Seth Barnes on March 7, 2009. Posted in Eswatini / Swaziland. 5 Comments on Waiting on a dream for five years

What does a dream look and feel like when you’ve dreampt it for five years, only ever seeing it with the eyes of your heart? And then one day, one great day, it comes true...

Confronting a man-pleasing spirit

Written by Seth Barnes on March 6, 2009. Posted in Identity issues. 3 Comments on Confronting a man-pleasing spirit

Some of us care too much about what other people think of us – their opinion matters more than it should. If they say something negative about us, we’re devastated;...

Young men who have blessed me

Written by Seth Barnes on March 5, 2009. Posted in Discipling. 11 Comments on Young men who have blessed me

One of the best things you can do in life is to give yourself away to the next generation. Although I’ve been fortunate to mentor and disciple a lot of guys closer to my age,...

Deep disappointment with your father

Written by Seth Barnes on March 4, 2009. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 20 Comments on Deep disappointment with your father

After yesterday’s semi-humorous blog, I’m back on the serious side today. But bear with me; I’m writing about an issue that we all face at one time or another and...

How NOT to come off a fast

Written by Seth Barnes on March 3, 2009. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 21 Comments on How NOT to come off a fast

When you hit my age, the doctor sends you to a specialist who looks around in your intestinal tract for anything that might be pre-cancerous. It’s a rite of passage of sorts. So,...

Swazi women’s retreat changes lives

Written by Seth Barnes on March 1, 2009. Posted in Eswatini / Swaziland. 2 Comments on Swazi women’s retreat changes lives

Last week I wrote a blog about how women are the answer to Swaziland’s biggest problems. They just need to be able to lean on one another. For five years I’ve been waiting...

Muslim nearly martyred for converting to Christianity

Written by Seth Barnes on February 28, 2009. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 3 Comments on Muslim nearly martyred for converting to Christianity

This is the story of Edward Sheko in his own words. Edward grew up Muslim in Malawi. When he converted to Christ, it nearly cost him his life. Tara Bruce, a Racer, interviewed him...

I’ve been chasing the American dream for 40 years!

Written by Seth Barnes on February 27, 2009. Posted in Reaching Your Destiny. 11 Comments on I’ve been chasing the American dream for 40 years!

Here’s one of my favorite stories about how we settle for a life of success instead of a life that counts. God spare us from this fate: Rick Smith was a VP of a large pharmaceutical...