Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 170
October 11, 2017
Can You Keep Your Faith?
The headlines read like a series of horror stories to many. Mass shootings and infectious diseases break out and we wonder about our own health and safety. War rages in the Middle East and radical Islamic groups are ethnically cleansing the Christians and other minority groups, even killing children because “they may grow up and seek revenge against us.” Religious citizens in America are confronted with the reality that they are growing…
The post Can You Keep Your Faith? appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 10, 2017
Excellent
Every time I hear the word “excellent” I think of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons and it makes me smile. Or, I can go back down memory lane in my mind to “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Either way, that word has a way of triggering several nostalgic images in my head. But the word also conveys all my training in marketing and business as well. It seems we are always striving…
The post Excellent appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 9, 2017
Moved To Compassion
“Daddy, when will the leaves change colors?” With that, I knew I was entering into the time when my 8 year old was beginning to understand the changing of the seasons. “Do they call it ‘Fall’ because the leaves fall on the ground?” Wonderful! I confess a deep love for Fall, mainly because of my childhood growing up in the rural American South. I also confess an ontological connection with the soil…
The post Moved To Compassion appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 6, 2017
Derail Your Doubts
She said this to me with such painful expression. I had really let her down by wondering aloud if another one of our mutual friends was really going to follow through on what he promised to do. I can still hear the pain and disappointment in her voice “you ‘doubting Thomas!'” So what is it about doubt that derails confidence? Well, past experience is a powerful image of future performance. It isn’t…
The post Derail Your Doubts appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 5, 2017
The Way to Do Family
It’s no secret that family life is filled with challenges. To be honest, I don’t think we’ve seen the real fallout of all the societal experiments we Americans have engaged in since all these movements have been demanding this or that change in society. One of the interesting, if unintended consequences, of these movements is the growth of interest in young men and women in ancient religion. For instance, the Roman Catholic…
The post The Way to Do Family appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 4, 2017
He Who Loves His Wife Loves Himself
To say that marriage is a hot topic today would be an understatement. But, you have to understand that the motivation for all this controversy about marriage today isn’t new. And it isn’t about equality or fairness or even compassion. It’s about attack. It’s about the real, yet unstated goal of some (after all, if they were honest about what they really wanted hardly anyone would support them) to actually make the…
The post He Who Loves His Wife Loves Himself appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 3, 2017
Provoked!
What provokes you? Politics? Religion? Race? Inequity? Violence? Chaos (OK, this one is a personal provocation!)? No matter what might provoke you to action, if you allow the provocation to be your primary motivation, you are sure to always be provoked. You see, provocation is a “result”, not a motive. And learning what is behind the reaction is key to being able to discern if the reaction is appropriate or not, healthy…
The post Provoked! appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
October 2, 2017
I Am The Chiefest of Sinners
He was actually bragging about being the best at being the worst! I’m not kidding! I sat in front of him staring in absolute disbelief in what I was hearing. I was lamenting the shallow commitment of my own heart to the rigorous practice of the Faith, when he chimed in that “his people” were even more shallow in the practice of the Faith. I would bring up examples of my own…
The post I Am The Chiefest of Sinners appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
September 29, 2017
Is Gentleness Weakness?
There’s one word that those who know me best would NEVER use to describe me: Gentle! I don’t know if it’s my “creative” use of language or just my deep suspicion of spineless mediocrity, but I am rarely what you might call “gentle.” I tend toward the “over-the-top” and brash black and white mindset of a hard nosed conservative, former police officer, by-the-book rule keeper. So, do you still love me? And…
The post Is Gentleness Weakness? appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
September 28, 2017
Where Do Your Desires Take You?
I stood line line for what seemed like hours, but my friends and I REALLY wanted tickets to this concert. I mean we really did! We wanted them so bad that standing outside for hours, missing other events, and even getting a little hungry didn’t stop us from doing what we had to do to get those tickets! And we did and we loved the show! It really is amazing what price…
The post Where Do Your Desires Take You? appeared first on Faith Encouraged.
