Author: Seth Barnes

Praying for the dead to be raised

Written by Seth Barnes on January 15, 2009. Posted in Radical Living. 563 Comments on Praying for the dead to be raised

Andru Ball died four days ago and lies in a mortuary in Virginia Beach. You can read Andru’s obituary here. He was a wonderful young man who went on numerous mission trips. What’s...

When you fail as a leader

Written by Seth Barnes on January 14, 2009. Posted in Leadership. 5 Comments on When you fail as a leader

In my last blog I talked about the importance of self-leadership and I compared it to riding a bicycle. To lead others you have to lead yourself. I had a good friend read the blog...

How to lead yourself

Written by Seth Barnes on January 13, 2009. Posted in Leadership. 9 Comments on How to lead yourself

It’s taken me a while to become comfortable in my own skin as a leader. I’ve always had a leader role, but I haven’t always performed well. I’ve always wanted...

Top 13 blogs of 2008

Written by Seth Barnes on January 12, 2009. Posted in Living Free. 9 Comments on Top 13 blogs of 2008

According to my stat tracker, these were the thirteen most popular blogs of 2008. Ten of the thirteen blogs below are about something specific – usually an event – while...

Andrew & Seth dream about church

Written by Seth Barnes on January 11, 2009. Posted in 42nd Generation. 27 Comments on Andrew & Seth dream about church

While the church around the world is booming, in the west, we often find ourselves back on our heels wondering where we went wrong. But the church is God’s instrument for...

Girls trading sex for food rescued in Swaziland

Written by Seth Barnes on January 10, 2009. Posted in Eswatini / Swaziland. 4 Comments on Girls trading sex for food rescued in Swaziland

I’m excited to break the fast today. We’re going to go get some pizza at Little Italy and give God thanks for food! Nothing like a fast to make you appreciate whatever...

Your prayers made a difference!

Written by Seth Barnes on January 9, 2009. Posted in Prayer. 3 Comments on Your prayers made a difference!

One of my pet peeves is people who ask for prayer and never report back about what happened. So I’m devoting this first week of the year to letting you know about the difference...

3 year-old sex slave: The good news

Written by Seth Barnes on January 8, 2009. Posted in Sex Trade and Sex Trafficking. 7 Comments on 3 year-old sex slave: The good news

This week I’m following up on some stories where you, our blog readers, have made a difference. Too often we feel impotent in a world full of pain, when the reality is that...

Dealing with a bad attitude

Written by Seth Barnes on January 7, 2009. Posted in Better Living. 24 Comments on Dealing with a bad attitude

WARNING – If you’re hoping for inspiration, you’d do better to move along to someone else’s blog today. I’ll be back to normal tomorrow. How are those...

Philadelphia Inquirer discovers World Race

Written by Seth Barnes on January 6, 2009. Posted in World Race. 3 Comments on Philadelphia Inquirer discovers World Race

Just did this interview with a newspaper in Philly about the World Race: Two coworkers embark on a trip of faith 11 countries, 11 months for missions and thrills Posted...

Allan’s story: A very happy ending!

Written by Seth Barnes on January 5, 2009. Posted in Poverty. 4 Comments on Allan’s story: A very happy ending!

This just happened. After I posted my update, Marisa posted her own more detailed update. You really owe it to yourself to read the other three installments. What a wonderful Christmas...

Starting a fast & updating Allan’s story

Written by Seth Barnes on January 5, 2009. Posted in Poverty. 4 Comments on Starting a fast & updating Allan’s story

The fancy juicer Karen gave me for Christmas stands gleaming on the counter. We have assorted fruits waiting at the ready and we’re beginning to prepare to focus on quieting...

Join me for a week of fasting & reflection

Written by Seth Barnes on January 4, 2009. Posted in Prayer. 17 Comments on Join me for a week of fasting & reflection

2009 is upon us; though, we’re still scrambling under the weight of all that 2008 brought. And if you may find yourself still in coping mode, let me encourage you not to miss...

Inheriting a widow

Written by Seth Barnes on January 3, 2009. Posted in Justice issues. 3 Comments on Inheriting a widow

It’s a new year. I’m in the midst of sweeping out the musty corners of the closets in my spirit. There is mold and dust that accumulates in my life when I keep...

Radical living in a comfortable world

Written by Seth Barnes on January 2, 2009. Posted in Radical Living. 15 Comments on Radical living in a comfortable world

It’s a new year, time to take a fresh look at the focus of this blog. I’d like to solicit your input on two fronts: a) Is this blog working for you? Where else do...

Breaking comfort addiction in the new year

Written by Seth Barnes on January 1, 2009. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 11 Comments on Breaking comfort addiction in the new year

Happy New Year! I hope your party last night was fun, and even offered you some solace in a world that is looking rougher all the time. Thomas Hobbes described life as “nasty,...

Apply the 80/20 rule to improve your life

Written by Seth Barnes on December 31, 2008. Posted in Leadership. 13 Comments on Apply the 80/20 rule to improve your life

It’s 2009 tomorrow – time to get to work on those self-help projects! Here’s the best one I know – apply the Pareto Principle. The Pareto Principle states...

Atheist says: ‘We need more missionaries’

Written by Seth Barnes on December 29, 2008. Posted in Missions. 8 Comments on Atheist says: ‘We need more missionaries’

Just spotted this article by Matthew Parris in the Times Online. It’s a great contrarian point of view. Missionaries have done a lot of good and have gotten a bad rap for...

’08 Year-end giving

Written by Seth Barnes on December 28, 2008. Posted in Radical Living. 2 Comments on ’08 Year-end giving

It’s been a wild year financially for many of you. Some of you have taken huge losses in the market or in your real estate holdings. As we approach 2009, it’s time...

Barnes Christmas ’08

Written by Seth Barnes on December 26, 2008. Posted in My Life. 5 Comments on Barnes Christmas ’08

Things are always fun at the Barnes house. It was a good Christmas. Our children are all grown up now. Here we are on the porch.

Looking for Jesus in Disguise (part 3)

Written by Seth Barnes on December 25, 2008. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 7 Comments on Looking for Jesus in Disguise (part 3)

Here’s a twist, a Christmas story playing out in real time in Eldoret, Kenya. Marisa Banas updates us on what happened when she felt God asking her to take as her son a...

Looking for Jesus in Disguise (part 2)

Written by Seth Barnes on December 24, 2008. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 6 Comments on Looking for Jesus in Disguise (part 2)

On Christmas we celebrate the magic of the incarnation. In yesterday’s blog I asked “what if Jesus returned to earth, once more in disguise?” The story...

Finding Jesus in disguise

Written by Seth Barnes on December 23, 2008. Posted in Amazing God Stories. 4 Comments on Finding Jesus in disguise

Jesus came to earth in disguise. In 30 plus years, few recognized him as the son of God. “Who do you say that I am?” He asked. And the answer came back, “a prophet,...

Awake during a heart transplant operation

Written by Seth Barnes on December 22, 2008. Posted in Spiritual Formation. 3 Comments on Awake during a heart transplant operation

One of my favorite things to do is to see God dramatically change a person, transplanting his heart of compassion for their own self-focused heart. Ian Schumann is going through...