Author: Seth Barnes

A Marshall Plan to reach young people

Written by Seth Barnes on October 21, 2007. Posted in Intergenerational connection. No Comments on A Marshall Plan to reach young people

Michael wrote me in response to a blog I posted on the pro’s and con’s of VBS ladies: What if budget were not a a big issue, a church actually prioritized reaching the...

A generation frustrated with Christianity

Written by Seth Barnes on October 20, 2007. Posted in Culture and Faith. 2 Comments on A generation frustrated with Christianity

I received an email update a few weeks ago from the Barna Group about a generation frustrated with Christianity. I meet these kids all the time; they are desperate for something...

My dream could happen tomorrow

Written by Seth Barnes on October 19, 2007. Posted in Mobilization. 10 Comments on My dream could happen tomorrow

I’ve got this dream of a generation waking up and changing the world. Tomorrow, at The Call in Las Vegas, it may begin to become a reality that you can watch in real time at...

We are stewards of our children

Written by Seth Barnes on October 18, 2007. Posted in Parenting. 3 Comments on We are stewards of our children

So many people go thru life feeling like failures. For them, having kids is kind of like a “do-over.” It’s a chance to live out their dreams vicariously. Soccer...

Everybody follows somebody, who do you follow?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 17, 2007. Posted in Discipling. 6 Comments on Everybody follows somebody, who do you follow?

“Everybody follows somebody. Who do you follow?” Rob Bell asks in Velvet Elvis.At about 28 years-old, when my mom asked me the question, “Do you have a mentor?”...

Orphans wept

Written by Seth Barnes on October 16, 2007. Posted in Orphans. 7 Comments on Orphans wept

Every now and then I read a blog that just wrecks me and haunts me. Here’s one from Stephanie Fisk, whose heart is breaking as she touches the broken around the world in this...

Why do we need a pilgrimage?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 15, 2007. Posted in Abandon. 1 Comment on Why do we need a pilgrimage?

We are forever in process, wrestling to narrow the gap between our ideal self and the humdrum self who is stuck checking off today’s To-Do List. Many of us feel trapped by...

Whimsy vs. the dreadful tick

Written by Seth Barnes on October 14, 2007. Posted in Fathering & Men's issues. 2 Comments on Whimsy vs. the dreadful tick

From my son Seth’s blog: My mom thought he was getting old. “He’s not getting old, Karen,” my dad responded. “Yeah,” I chimed in. “This...

Do you believe in fate?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 13, 2007. Posted in Portraits of Disciplers. 1 Comment on Do you believe in fate?

A couple weeks ago, I asked Don Rock, who recently came on staff with AIM about his connection to us in his college days. This was his reply: “I do not believe in a fate that...

Dealing with cynicism about the church

Written by Seth Barnes on October 12, 2007. Posted in Church. 12 Comments on Dealing with cynicism about the church

If you look over the blog I wrote about my angst-producing experience with churches, you’ll see that Debbie, a blog reader and a mom of an AIM participant, recently took me...

Are your enemies intimidated by you?

Written by Seth Barnes on October 10, 2007. Posted in Fighting your enemy. 1 Comment on Are your enemies intimidated by you?

An old friend wrote me an email last week saying that something I’d said when I spoke in her church years ago remains lodged in her brain and has continued to goad her to get...

Faith is like white-water rafting

Written by Seth Barnes on October 9, 2007. Posted in Living Free. 5 Comments on Faith is like white-water rafting

The life of faith is risky. It looks more like rafting thru Class 4 rapids than sitting in a canoe on a placid lake. The World Race took Brady Denger to Victoria Falls to put this...

Delhi orphanages: How to get involved

Written by Seth Barnes on October 8, 2007. Posted in Orphans. 820 Comments on Delhi orphanages: How to get involved

If you would like to help the orphans of New Delhi, here are some options. If you know of others, please send me their URLs and information about them and we’ll add them to...

Saved from a life of comfort

Written by Seth Barnes on October 7, 2007. Posted in Comfort and Pain. 5 Comments on Saved from a life of comfort

Last month, we emailed this out to tens of thousands of people. It’s the essence of why we send young people out on a pilgrimage to find themselves in Christ. We’re banking...

Young men wrestling with pain

Written by Seth Barnes on October 6, 2007. Posted in Discipling. No Comments on Young men wrestling with pain

Andrew, Kyle, Rusty, Clinton and Scott are all macho guys living life to the full. I love the way these guys are struggling with pain on the World Race, which isn’t just a...

My Cambodian translator escapes the killing fields

Written by Seth Barnes on October 5, 2007. Posted in Cambodia. 5 Comments on My Cambodian translator escapes the killing fields

Today my son, daughter and parents are all either in or near Cambodia, a country whose fate has intersected that of my family for years (see my last two blogs). It reminded me of...

My family’s cycle of redemption in SE Asia (Pt. 2)

Written by Seth Barnes on October 4, 2007. Posted in Cambodia. No Comments on My family’s cycle of redemption in SE Asia (Pt. 2)

Continued from My family’s cycle of redemption in SE Asia One of the most heart-rending side effects of the war was the genocide that subsequently occurred in Cambodia, where...

My family’s cycle of redemption in SE Asia

Written by Seth Barnes on October 3, 2007. Posted in My Life. 1 Comment on My family’s cycle of redemption in SE Asia

It’s a lovely Indian summer day, and sitting on our porch with a mug of coffee nearby, a computer on my lap, and my partners in ministry on my mind is a great way to spend...

Pastors need to become spiritual directors

Written by Seth Barnes on October 2, 2007. Posted in Spiritual Coaching. 2 Comments on Pastors need to become spiritual directors

I have a lot of empathy for youth pastors and pastors. Here are these people who have a huge heart for helping others to grow spiritually and they get put in a system that teaches...

Obedience to God thru listening prayer, Pt. 2

Written by Seth Barnes on October 1, 2007. Posted in Listening prayer. No Comments on Obedience to God thru listening prayer, Pt. 2

As I stated in yesterday’s blog, learning to listen to the Lord’s voice and then obey him is the most important thing we’ll ever do in life. I love watching young...

Tired of waiting for God to speak

Written by Seth Barnes on September 30, 2007. Posted in Listening prayer. 85 Comments on Tired of waiting for God to speak

Get a Free eBook: Do you want to grow closer to God in your prayer times? I’ve written a free guide called The Three Day Listening Prayer Devotional and I’d love for...

Obedience to God thru listening prayer

Written by Seth Barnes on September 29, 2007. Posted in Listening prayer. 2 Comments on Obedience to God thru listening prayer

Learning to listen to the Lord’s voice and then obey him is the most important thing we’ll ever do in life. We derive everything of any long-term value from that –...

Finding your identity in Christ

Written by Seth Barnes on September 28, 2007. Posted in Identity issues. 2 Comments on Finding your identity in Christ

Yesterday’s blog was about how to deal with an authority figure who puts you down. Today, I want to touch on the importance of acknowledging your identity–who you really...

When an authority figure puts you down

Written by Seth Barnes on September 27, 2007. Posted in Identity issues. 3 Comments on When an authority figure puts you down

A friend called me up this week looking for prayer and some counsel. An influential person in his life thinks he’s a liar and is making life very difficult for him. He feels...