Adam Barnett

Heard a Heartbeat! (Well, I didn't)

Andrea had an ultrasound this week and heard a heartbeat!  I was a great husband and DIDN'T MAKE IT.  I was stuck for almost 2 hours on I-35... it was closed down due to the ice while I was on it.  But WOW!  I'm a little overwhelmed at the power and creativity of God!  I can't wait to meet our little one, but until then, Andrea and I continue to pray that every single heartbeat of our child will be glorifying to the Lord!   

10th Win!

So maybe the Thunder aren't having a franchise-best season, but it is still a BLAST having an NBA team in Oklahoma City.  We had really good seats (below) at the game last night as they beat the Nets and tallied their 10th win this season.  It was also great to see former OU star and one of the NBA's best bench players, Eduardo Najera.  I loved watching him at OU when I was younger!

World Mandate

I'm in Waco, Texas right now with Andrea and nine of our mission team leaders. World Mandate is an incredible conference to help you gain global perspective and respond to God's call on our lives to seek souls.

I just spoke with two elderly sisters from Iran that shared with the entire conference. They have seen first-hand many Muslims in the Middle East come to follow Jesus. One of them asked where I was from and when I said, "Oklahoma," she responded with a puzzled look on her face. Sort of funny to see foreigners try to figure out where Oklahoma is. I promise them it's on the map!

Pray for the nations this week. God is stirring things up across the globe and he wants us to be a part of it!!!

Modern Slavery

I have a wonderful friend, Kelsey Snapp, who has a fire in his belly to eliminate slavery across the globe.  Some people sit around and have "passion" for something but never do anything about it.  Others, like Kelsey, step forward in faith and trust that God will use them to do huge things.  This is just one of the many reasons I admire Kelsey. 

Kelsey has started an organization called 1865 Continued: the fight against modern slavery.  (click the link to view the website)  On his website, Kelsey shows you ways that you can respond to the slavery issues around our world and get invovled.  You can also learn more and find resources on their site.  The have a "Pledge" that you can sign showing your desire to join the fight against modern slavery to whatever degree you feel led.  Click here to sign the pledge.  

Things will change much quicker if more people will get involved.  Will you?

Gonna Be a Daddy!

My sweet wife, Andrea, is pregnant!!!  We are expecting a little one this August and have been able to see the heartbeat already at our first ultrasound.  We are so excited and we both are extremely impatient (we want our baby to be here now!)  We can't wait for this little one and we ask that you join us in praying that every heartbeat of our little one will be for God's glory!

My wife has a new blog that you should check out.  She is writing about the pregnancy, posting pictures and of course, telling funny stories.  CLICK HERE to see it. (We had to break the news to Molly and Lily, our weiner dogs, and the story is a pretty funny one!)

If you're a parent, post a comment and tell me the best bit of advice you have for us.  We'll take all we can get! 

Emotional Boost and Physical Pain

Even though we were in Branson for no more than 32 hours, it was good!  Hanging out with my good friend and mentor, Ward Wiebe, always challenges and refreshes me and also "sets me straight."  I come home with excitement and zeal... something that tends to suffer when you get in a routine. 

I got to play basketball yesterday with a bunch of younger, faster and stronger guys at the K-Institute.  Talk about people being equipped to go change the world!  They were a great group of people and it was a blast to meet and connect with them.  I can barely move my left leg though due to a brutal collision with another guy's knee. 

I also got to spend time with Jonathan and Becca Nimrod, two of the coolest people in the world!  They are the Executive Directors of Kids Across Africa in Rwanda.  Please click the link to check out their website.  Also, if you are looking for something extra to give financially to, I can assure you that this is a ministry that will reach, encourage, change and serve thousands of children in Africa.  It is a ministry that I believe in, especially because of how much I believe in it's leaders.  You can click here for info on giving online. 

Don't Waste Your Life

I just finished "Don't Waste Your Life," by John Piper.  Rather than cover details in his book, I'm simply going to quote some of the challenging things he says in his book.  It is a very great text and I encourage you to read it if you're ready to challenge your view of the real purpose(s) of this life. 

"Now we see that every experience in life is designed to magnify the cross of Christ.  Or to say it another way, every good thing in life (or bad thing graciously turned for good) is meant to magnify Christ and him crucified."

"The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.  When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

"What you love determines what you feel shame about.  If you love for me to make much of you, you will feel shame when they don't.  But if you love for men to make much of Christ, then you will feel shame if he is belittled on your account."

"Daily Christian living is daily Christian dying.  The dying I have in mind is the dying of comfort and security and reputation and health and family and friends and wealth and homeland."

"The world is not impressed when Christians get rich and say thanks to God.  They are impressed when God is so satisfying that we give our riches away for Christ's sake and count it gain."

"One of my aims is to explode the myth of safety and to somehow deliver you from the enchantment of security.  Because it's a mirage.  It doesn't exist.  Every direction you turn there are unknowns and things beyond your control."

"God delights in being trusted and enjoyed.  It shows his value.  And when we remind ourselves that none of these undeserved blessings could be ours apart from the death of Christ in our place, every heartbeat of joy in God becomes a boasting in the cross."

Slinkie

This is hilarious, but let me preface this by saying that all people are valuable and important, ultimately making this quote inaccurate.  But, it's still hilarious. 

"Some people are like Slinkies... they're really good for nothing, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."

Simple Mathematics

I'm really not gifted in math, but I've been thinking about something this week.  Bob Stoops makes about $2.7 million/year at OU, not including random incentives (an annual raise of $150,000.00).  This season, he received another $3 million for completing his 10-year contract.  People are complaining... "What does a college coach need that money for?"  Ok, I agree... I'm not so sure than any of us need that much money, but let's consider if Bob "deserves" that kind of salary.  Let's pretend that the average season ticket is $75.00/seat (I know seats cost in hundreds, but about 20% of the stadium is cheap student seats).  $75.00 x 84,000 seats = $6,300,000 per game x 6 home games each season = $37,800,000 x 10 seasons (sold out) under Coach Stoops = $378,000,000.  Not to mention the fact that everyone who has season tickets donates each season between $500 - $1 Million/year.  So, let's pretend it's an average of $750.00 donation x 84,000 seats = $63,000,000 x 10 seasons = $630,000,000.  Add the ticket sales and the donations together and you get a whopping $1.008 Billion.  (and this doesn't include the sales of food, chairbacks, etc!!!).  So, if Bob doesn't deserve what OU's paying him, you and I don't deserve our cup of coffee this morning.  So, my verdict: pay the brother.  He deserves it!

Got Jesus?

I am reading John Pipers, "Don't Waste Your Life" right now and loving it.  One part early in his book talks about if we reject Jesus, we reject God.  He says that, "Jesus is the litmus test of reality for all persons and all religions."  In all the places I've traveled and the many people I've met, I've delt with this many times.  For example, as I've shared the gospel with Hindus, they will consider Jesus as "a" god (lower-case) instead of "the" redemption and reconciliation between us and God.  And of course, Muslims consider our God the same, but believe Jesus was just a prophet.  Jehovah's Witness, Mormon... on and on.  But, consider what scripture says about Jesus: 

"The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." (Luke 10:16)

"No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

"Whoever doesn't honor the Son does not honor the Father..." (John 5:23)

"If God were your Father, you would love me." (John 8:42)

"Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)

"Everyone who doesn't abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God." (2 John 9)