Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 168
November 8, 2017
Bind on Earth; Bound in Heaven!
I’ve heard this so many times: Why can’t I find love? What’s wrong with me? The expectations of some fairy tale notions wound us and wound our children. And that, dearest, is precisely the evil one’s intentions. Because the end result of these fantasies is the depressing lie that there is no such thing as love, and that always leads to “there is no such thing as God.” Game, set, match kingdom…
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November 7, 2017
Imitators and Examples
“Early is on time. On Time is late. Late is unacceptable!” These were my words, but they were coming out of my daughter’s mouth! She was giving a friend of her’s a hard time about being late to dance practice. We don’t “do” “Greek time” or “Country time” or any other ethnic excuse for being late in our house. That’s not how we treat other people or ourselves. Needless to say, I…
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November 6, 2017
Freedom From Anxiety!
Well, the truth is I was worried (OK, actually worried and scared). I had never faced anything like this before and all I had ever heard was this situation was serious. And it was. But as I stood there waiting to face the music I so dreaded, I noticed something. My anxiety and fear were making things worse. These emotions and feelings were clouding my judgement, and that was dangerous. You see,…
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November 3, 2017
You Are More Valuable Than Sparrows
It scared me to death! I was convinced something was lurking in the dark in my room, and I wasn’t about to shut my eyes! After all, it was only my constant vigilance and watchfulness that was keeping whatever was “out there” away from me, right? Imagine my surprise when sleep finally took me and I woke up the next morning unharmed! Such is the life of a 7 year old whose…
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November 2, 2017
Prayer = Watchfulness!
My daughter sits in front with me in the car many times as I drive. And she is old enough now to notice that daddy sometimes has a challenge with patience with other drivers! She’s learned my “triggers.” Well, yesterday, she looked over at me when a person in front of us didn’t move when the light turned green and she said “that person isn’t paying attention, is she daddy?” It’s tough…
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November 1, 2017
The Paradox of Generosity
There’s one sure way for any politician to get an applause line in a stump speech. All he or she has to do is say “I support our troops!” And rightly so. The brave men and women who serve in our military perform a vital function in the preservation of our liberty, and we, as a nation, should always show our gratitude for their sacrificial service. The truth is freedom isn’t free,…
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October 31, 2017
Phoebe, A Deaconness
The old saying is “You can pick your friends, but you’re stuck with your relatives.” Oh the volumes that have been written about dysfunctional families! Family dynamics is one of the most interesting aspects of psychology to me because when I look at my own family I see a tapestry of joy, love, confusion, pain, good choices, bad choices, and a whole lot more. In other words, like most families, we have…
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October 30, 2017
The Delusion of Pride
There is a powerful word in the wisdom of the Orthodox Faith that acts as a real warning to you and me. It is the word “prelest.” It literally means “the state of spiritual delusion or deception.” This is a great spiritual illness in the teaching of the Church and is to be recognized and dealt with as quickly and as often as possible in relationship to a spiritual father. St. Ignatius…
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October 27, 2017
All AND Nothing
Ever heard the saying “It’s all or nothing!” This perspective says you have to choose in life to be all in oir get all out! But I wonder how far we can really push this insight. I think there’s something better for those of us who follow Jesus Christ. I prefer “All AND Nothing.” You see, life really is made up of choices and perspectives and priorities. And, to be sure, there…
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October 26, 2017
THE Primary Relationship!
What is it about close relationships that either blind you or enlighten you? What I mean is, I’ve known folks who were so close to someone else that they were absolutely blind to that other person’s faults. I’ve seen it get so bad that the two people were so enmeshed with each other that they really were their own worst enemies when it came to other friends and relatives. There’s nothing like…
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