Why I raise support
Happy New Year, folks.
I’ve been a Missouri Tigers football fan since high school and will be cheering them on today in the Cotton Bowl. I hope you’re relaxing somewhere...
Author: Seth Barnes
Barnes family 2007 year-end report
It’s the last day of the year. It’s so important in the hurly-burly of modern life that we take time to look back and reflect on what has happened to us and what it means....
Church in Africa: Myth, magic, and reality
Here’s an excerpt from an article in Christianity Today about the myth and magic of church in Africa. Unless you go, it’s hard to tell one from the other. In my experience,...
Time to ditch a broken discipleship model
This past week I blogged about Willow Creek’s recent expensive, comprehensive study of the effectiveness of their programs in discipling people. You’ve got to applaud...
How the church should respond to disaster
In the days following Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, we had the chance to respond as Jesus would have.
70 AIM interns, some staff and I drove to...
Here’s a way to help the neediest orphans
Still looking for a way to give back this year? Consider giving to AIM’s orphan ministry. The following is from Ericka Bennett:
She was a beautiful little girl, probably...
Our lake disappears & reveals a hidden past
I hope you had a good Christmas. We sure did – entertaining a number of visitors. Unfortunately, visiting Gainesville these days ain’t what it used to be. Two miles...
Christmas 2007 at the Barnes house
Christmas 2007 at the Barnes house
Yes, the festivities are underway here this morning. Here the Barnes girls are waiting in their pajamas on the steps to see what goodies await...
The Widow’s mite
The following story happened to me in 1991. I’ve written a book of stories like this one called “Revolution of the Broken Heart.” One day maybe I’ll publish...
Willow Creek confesses wasting millions on programs
Willow Creek is in many ways the flagship for the Evangelical megachurch model. It pioneered the seeker-sensitive, program-based way of doing church. Now, in the same way that, toward...
A good mission trip should disturb you
From World Racer Sean Smith:
Have you ever heard a musician sing/play a song in the way you feel?
Sir Frances Drake wrote this prayer in 1577. I take such delight in it because he...
Trust – ways I’ve undermined it as a leader
Here’s the final blog in a series on trust-building.
Sometimes it’s the things I didn’t do as a leader that undermined trust the most in organizations I’ve...
Trust – how to earn it & keep it
This is the third in a series on trust-building in leadership.
Trust is the glue that enables people to function well together. Because we want to create a workplace that is safe...
Trust-building: Job #1 for leaders
Second in a series on trust:
Arabic cultures are notoriously low-trust. Turn your back on your neighbor and he may stab you. Convert to Christianity and it’s your family’s...
Leaders must build a culture of trust
One of a leader’s top jobs is to build a culture of trust. Can I tell you something? If you are a leader, this is one of the hardest things you will ever do.
Let me illustrate...
What Would Jesus Buy?
Here’s a movie just out in limited release called “What Would Jesus Buy?” This review, partially excerpted from the Chicago Tribune, describes it well.
“What...
Millennials proving Mr. Rogers was wrong
Mr. Rogers was wrong. He meant well, but we parents ran with the “you’re special” message and now the coddling virus continues to eat away even after young people...
How to raise radical kids: A Thanksgiving story in the mountains
I turn 50 in six months. Our kids are grown, and despite the odds, have turned out well. Other parents want to know, “How did you do it?” Well, we loved ’em and...
Adopt a terrorist
When Jesus said, “love your enemies,” was he talking about terrorists? Do we have to love them, too?
A new organization, Adopt a Terrorist for Prayer (ATFP), challenges...
Richard Rohr: A conversation
I met Richard Rohr at a retreat center in Atlanta for an extended conversation in 2006. I’d read a few of his books and found his insights profound. Meeting him was a treat....
Those on the margins give us life
Henry Nouwen says, “Those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be!
“Thus, we are called as members of the Church...
YWAM shooter heard voices – whose were they?
By now you’ve seen the news reports – the YWAM shooter, Matthew Murray, was kicked out of a missionary training program five years ago for strange behavior, and talked...
Celebrating Leah’s life
Let me tell you about my daughter, Leah. She’s our youngest child. She turns 18 this week and we’re celebrating her life. Yesterday, dressed to kill, the Barnes women...
What does a disciple look like? Jeff Goins
I have several married men and about five young men whom I disciple – Jeff Goins is one. (Incidentally – I count on them to seek me out – I can’t track them...