Author: Seth Barnes

Dream Again: Free E-book to Jumpstart 2020

Written by Seth Barnes on December 31, 2019. Posted in Dreaming. 57 Comments on Dream Again: Free E-book to Jumpstart 2020

So many people seemed interested in the year-end debriefing tool I offered last week, I thought that I should offer a next step. A while back, I put together a short tool...

Debriefing Your Year – here’s a free gift

Written by Seth Barnes on December 20, 2019. Posted in Debriefing. 154 Comments on Debriefing Your Year – here’s a free gift

Yesterday I was with a couple who just returned from two years overseas. It was a tough assignment. I asked them, “Has anyone debriefed you?” Difficult assignments and...

A Church Planting Explosion On the Other Side of the World

Written by Seth Barnes on November 3, 2019. Posted in Missions. 7 Comments on A Church Planting Explosion On the Other Side of the World

In the village of Bajikaln, Lukas, a believer from a nearby village, began sharing the Gospel on a visit. Within months, nearly 40 people showed up to hear more. Rooms became...

You’re Never Too Old for Ministry

Written by Seth Barnes on October 7, 2019. Posted in Finding your call. 8 Comments on You’re Never Too Old for Ministry

Peggy Scott is in her 70’s, but she’s not done. Peggy has a heart to help people. She needed to find her niche. Like a lot of people, she needed a specific opportunity...

Don’t Let Your Disability Define You

Written by Seth Barnes on September 23, 2019. Posted in Dreaming. 14 Comments on Don’t Let Your Disability Define You

Our daughter, Leah, has battled adversity all her life. She has had to struggle in ways that break our hearts as parents. At the same time, our family recognizes that all...

How We Started Global U

Written by Seth Barnes on August 27, 2019. Posted in Innovation. 12 Comments on How We Started Global U

I’m a starter. Georgia governor Nathan Deal joined me and my daughters to break ground on our new AIM headquarters. I’ve been breaking ground all my life. For the last...

How to Continually Surprise People with Joy

Written by Seth Barnes on August 17, 2019. Posted in Better Living. 7 Comments on How to Continually Surprise People with Joy

The level of our public discourse is divisive and crazy-making. Turn on the news and you’ll find yourself filled with anxiety. Kailey Mattarella has found a way to fight back....

How One Boy’s Story of Survival Shows the Future of Missions

Written by Seth Barnes on July 6, 2019. Posted in Missions. 14 Comments on How One Boy’s Story of Survival Shows the Future of Missions

In 2004, Pilo Vilane was a 14 year-old boy in the most dangerous country on the planet – Swaziland. Most of the adults in Nsoko, the community in which he lived, had died...

We Need Fresh Reminders of God’s Power

Written by Seth Barnes on May 23, 2019. Posted in My Life. 5 Comments on We Need Fresh Reminders of God’s Power

My life changed when in 1979, as a 21 year-old, I went to Thailand to help with the refugees from the Killing Fields. That’s an old photo of me teaching refugees to raise...

3 Things Meant By: ‘Having a YES in your spirit’

Written by Seth Barnes on May 16, 2019. Posted in Lordship. 5 Comments on 3 Things Meant By: ‘Having a YES in your spirit’

When candidates for the World Race apply, we look for one thing more than anything else. We want to know if they have a YES in their spirit. To grow spiritually, people need to say...

Asa Barnes: A Summary of My Dad’s Life

Written by Seth Barnes on April 26, 2019. Posted in My Life. 53 Comments on Asa Barnes: A Summary of My Dad’s Life

My dad, Asa (“Ace”) Barnes, died this past Monday, April 22, 2019. He was a husband to Jean and a father to me, Liz, Christy and Nate. Ace was born on January 30, 1933...

Should We Celebrate the Loss of Innocence?

Written by Seth Barnes on April 2, 2019. Posted in Abandon. 9 Comments on Should We Celebrate the Loss of Innocence?

One day Andrew Shearman said something to me that stopped me in my tracks, “We need to celebrate the loss of innocence.” Celebrate the loss of innocence? Why? Aren’t...

How to Transfer Your Inheritance to Your Kids

Written by Seth Barnes on March 8, 2019. Posted in Culture and Faith. 28 Comments on How to Transfer Your Inheritance to Your Kids

I’m concerned about inheritance. Inheritance is the giving of what is valuable from one generation to the next. My kids are grown and my parents are dying. I’m at a stage...

Enter This Passion Project Competition & Change the World!

Written by Seth Barnes on February 7, 2019. Posted in Dreaming. 9 Comments on Enter This Passion Project Competition & Change the World!

We’re sponsoring a competition to help you change a corner of the world and bring your dreams alive. The Global Passion Project is easy to enter. And if you win, it could...

How Do I Get Over My Father Wound?

Written by Seth Barnes on January 8, 2019. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 10 Comments on How Do I Get Over My Father Wound?

My dad is paralyzed and is slowly dying in a nursing home. I’m his primary caregiver and see him almost every day. But our relationship has been hard and complicated. I don’t...

Invest in High-Leverage Projects in 2019

Written by Seth Barnes on December 31, 2018. Posted in Debriefing. 11 Comments on Invest in High-Leverage Projects in 2019

I spent the first hours of this morning reflecting. I looked back on my last year in order to make adjustments that will help me in 2019. Richard Rohr gives this advice: “John...

My Poem: Seeking The Blessing of a Father

Written by Seth Barnes on December 19, 2018. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 22 Comments on My Poem: Seeking The Blessing of a Father

I thought about what I could give you that might be a gift this Christmas. Maybe a small piece of my often over-protected heart? Maybe the story of how I’ve sought my dad’s...

If Something Can’t Be Done Well, Should You Do It?

Written by Seth Barnes on December 7, 2018. Posted in Faith & risk. 10 Comments on If Something Can’t Be Done Well, Should You Do It?

Anything I’ve learned to do in life, I began doing poorly. It’s the way we learn. Think about the things you’ve mastered that you failed at initially: Talking –...

What Did Jesus Believe About Short-Term Missions?

Written by Seth Barnes on November 13, 2018. Posted in Short-term missions. 35 Comments on What Did Jesus Believe About Short-Term Missions?

Why do we do short-term missions (STMs)? There are many answers, but the best is that, as disciples of Jesus, we should try to do what he modeled and taught. We don’t...

God Wants To Teach Us to Fight

Written by Seth Barnes on November 6, 2018. Posted in Fighting your enemy. 9 Comments on God Wants To Teach Us to Fight

What a paradoxical world we live in. The fight between conservatives and liberals plays out on TVs every day. We see school shootings and synagogue shootings, 297 in America this...

5 Keys to Being a Good Neighbor

Written by Seth Barnes on October 30, 2018. Posted in Culture and Faith. 8 Comments on 5 Keys to Being a Good Neighbor

At the County Commissioners meeting last week, there were a lot of neighbors who were mad at us. Mad at me in particular, mad at my son, and mad at Adventures In Missions. We have...

7 Discipleship Principles

Written by Seth Barnes on October 16, 2018. Posted in Discipling. 12 Comments on 7 Discipleship Principles

Principle of Ministry. Ministry happens when God, you, and the world intersect. Understanding each positions but does not empower you for ministry. The Holy Spirit does that. Principle...

You Can Change Your Family’s Future

Written by Seth Barnes on October 10, 2018. Posted in Intergenerational connection. 16 Comments on You Can Change Your Family’s Future

What do you think: Can we can change the course of our family’s history by the way we live? Is this true in your experience? I’m living out the struggle every day...

The Upside of Brokenness

Written by Seth Barnes on October 2, 2018. Posted in A broken world. 4 Comments on The Upside of Brokenness

In America, we design for obsolescence and throw away broken things. It costs more to fix stuff than it does to just get it new. We treat people that way too. When people get old,...