Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 149
July 25, 2018
Memory Eternal!
The ancients kept the stories of their past alive through storytelling and through communal memory. It was just expected that a young person would memorize the tales of the tribe so that he could pass on this communal memory to the next generation. Now don’t laugh, but when I think of this, I think of the perfect illustration of this fundamental idea of human self-knowledge from a movie! The movie is “Enemy Mine” and in this science…
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July 24, 2018
Are You Connected?
I confess to being both addicted and often overwhelmed by daily news headlines. I am an information junkie and have my daily routine of reading different sites and news aggregators that (I hope) keep me informed about my world. From politics to disasters, to cultural and social trends, to even local news events, I find it both informative and instructive to learn about my world. After all, I am called to be a shepherd…
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July 23, 2018
Led Astray By Dumb Idols
Alexandre Solzhenitsyn once said, “We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.” I wish I had learned this earlier in my life. I would have avoided some painful idolatries. But we humans are slow learners. And over and over again we come to the end of what we thought we could not live without and discover all too late that we certainly could live without it. We idolize the fantasy…
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July 20, 2018
Steadfast AND Active!
“He’s steady as a rock!” With those words, the person giving the reference for this potential hire gave a strong and satisfied look to the potential employer. And she was right. The guy got the job. You see, everyone wants stability. But is that enough? After all, graveyards are “stable!” What if there was a way to live a life that was both Stable AND Dynamic? Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?…
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July 19, 2018
Not Seeking My Own Advantage
So, what’s it going to be – your way or our way? I guess your answer will depend on how you see yourself. If you think of yourself by yourself then self-interest is going to trump community interest. But if you think of yourself as in community then your choices have to be measured against the needs of the many and not merely your own interests or comfort. But, do you see…
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July 18, 2018
Not Tempted Beyond Your Strength
My grandmother assured me many times when I was young “The Lord won’t put anything on you that you can’t bear.” As I became an adult, I questioned that wisdom many times in my life. But, what do you know, I’m still here! And yet, I would be less than honest if I didn’t also say events and troubles in my life have left their scars. But it is also true that…
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July 17, 2018
Kept Under Restraint
One of the most difficult realities I’ve had to face as an adult, as a priest, as a husband, and as a father is the waking up to the reality of the complexity of each human person I encounter, including myself. This continuous process of discovery has me regularly seeing places of spiritual progress and immaturity in my heart first of all. All leading to the unmistakable conclusion that the taming of…
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July 16, 2018
Woe to Me if I Do Not Preach
It’s just who I am. I remember my time at an Evangelical Protestant school for my undergraduate degree, and the 2 years of homiletical (how to give a sermon). It was a bit grueling and my professor was particularly tough on me. One day, I was walking with another seminarian and he overheard our conversation. He stopped me and said, “Brother Powell, you are a preaching machine!” I chose to take that…
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July 13, 2018
At His Feet
There is a story about a great man. He had searched the world over for wisdom. He had gone to gurus, and sought out great religious leaders and learned philosophers. But still, his heart ached for more. Sure, he learned great and awesome ideas and heard wonderful words, but still, he felt empty from the searching. Discouraged, he cried out to God “Lord, where is true wisdom? Where is true knowledge of…
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July 12, 2018
What Makes You Unclean?
My dear bride has a hard and fast rule for my two girls: “Wash your hands!” You see, my wife is a trained elementary school educator and part of that training has to do with hygiene. Teaching children to wash their hands before they eat, after they play, and after their potty breaks is all part of having healthy children. It’s a good thing. And once again we see the parallel between the physical wisdom of…
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