Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 154
May 21, 2018
Watch Out for Short Cuts
“I know a shortcut!” And with that, me a my buddy promptly got lost going to a friend’s house! You see, I remember the days before GPS! Yes, I’m THAT old. By the way, are you aware that we now have a generation growing up that will never know what the world was like before the smartphone and GPS tracking? I wonder where they will take “shortcuts?” We all face the temptation…
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May 18, 2018
Don’t Settle for Half!
It was frustrating not having the whole story. It felt like I was on a bridge that was only half finished. No matter how hard you try you’re never going to cross a bridge half built. And yet we all too often make final decisions about small and big issues in our lives without the “whole story” and when this happens we often discover we’re at a dead end! Look at our…
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May 17, 2018
He Ascended Into Heaven
Today is the Feast of the Ascension, and this Feast begs the question: What is this whole ascending from the Mount of olives all about? Why didn’t Jesus just “POOF” disappear and go to the Father’s side? Why all this theatrics? It is almost axiomatic that any truth or tradition sufficiently removed from its Source or Cause tends toward superstition and nostalgia. And given enough time and thoughtlessness, it can even become…
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May 16, 2018
Sons of the Light
Christ is risen! On this Apodosis (Leavetaking) of Pascha, may God grant us faithful hearts until next Pascha! Stumbling around in the dark isn’t just a problem for me when I’m looking for a midnight snack (as if I really needed that!), but is a perfect metaphor for my life lived without the Light and wisdom of the faith to protect me from bad choices and missed opportunities in my life! I…
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May 15, 2018
Strange Things
Christ is risen! Have you heard about the most recent outrage that’s all the rage nowadays? It’s called “cultural appropriation.” That’s where somebody uses the cherished cultural expressions of another culture. The recent dust up about a young lady wearing a Chinese dress to her prom when she wasn’t Chinese is an example. But what if it was necessary to use the particulars of another culture to communicate Good News to them?…
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May 14, 2018
Expediency
Christ is risen! Someone once said “Cowardice asks: Is it safe? Expediency asks: Is it politic? Vanity asks: Is it popular? But Conscience asks: Is it right?” We move through our everyday life, facing choices; some big and some small. Mostly they are small choices, but those small choices add up to a way of life that, when the big choices in my life confront me, I act as I have in…
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May 11, 2018
Rules, I Hate Rules!
Christ is risen! “They have to keep the rules, just like us!” Yeah, that’s true. We should all be held to the same standard. But wait a tick, have you kept the “rules” you expect others to keep? I know it’s hard to get your mind to shift from “what should be” to “what is,” but that’s what our lesson requires today. And there’s the rub, dear ones. But what if the…
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May 10, 2018
Setting Right Priorities
Christ is risen! It was a moment of truth. You know what I’m talking about; moments in your life that really reveal your inner character. That’s where I was, and I failed! It took me a long time to admit it, but when I finally did, it was like a huge weight fell off my shoulders. Our choices, our interests, our focus, reveals important information about who we are. Our priorities tell…
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May 9, 2018
Its True Whether You Like It or Not!
Christ is risen! We live in the day and age where most people much prefer to see “gray” everywhere instead of “black and white.” In fact, the very notion that there could be anything that was that clear, that uncomplicated, that cut and dry is a terrifying thought to most. After all, if there are truths that are “black and white” or actual settled wisdom, then that may mean I have to…
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