Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 50
February 23, 2022
The Hard Work of Baring Your Soul
Everybody seems to have the same dream at one time or another. For me, it was a dream where I had a big presentation in front of a large crowd, and in my dream, I forgot my pants! Embarrassed and humiliated, I ran off stage wondering how I could have made such a mistake! All of us fear being humiliated and embarrassed. It’s a natural fear and it uncovers ( forgive the…
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February 22, 2022
This Week’s Homily – The Sunday of the Prodigal Son
Approaching Great Lent, the Church gives us the wisdom of the Story of the Prodigal Son. We are challenged to escape the spiritual slavery of either ignoring the brokenness of my life or being so obsessed with my mistakes that I am gripped by guilt and shame. We will escape these twin slaveries by being honest about our lives in a way that makes us run to the mercy of God to…
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Divine Dust
“By the time we got to Woodstock…” Sorry, in advance for putting that song in your head for the rest of the day. But there is one quote more from that famous Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young song I want to share: “We are stardust, we are golden, we are caught in the devil’s bargain, And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.” It turns out there is real science…
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February 21, 2022
The Paradox of Trusting God
It’s a paradox. A paradox is a concept that we humans, especially we humans shaped and formed by post-Enlightenment secularism, have a hard time grasping. Paradox makes us uncomfortable. It feels like a “problem” to be “solved.” That’s why we humans stumble over paradox. You know what I mean, don’t you? It’s like what Jesus said when He taught that to save your life, you must lose it, and to be a leader, you…
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February 18, 2022
Grace For Every Stage of Life!
“I wish I were older!” Those were my words to my mother when I was a teenager and longed for the “freedom” of being an adult! If I only knew then what I know now! Bills, taxes, responsibilities, ugh! Can I take it back and go back to being a teenager again, please?!? Well, of course, I can’t. At least I shouldn’t. But too many in today’s culture really have refused to…
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February 17, 2022
Don’t Be Ashamed to Repent!
St. John Chrysostom declares “Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people confide in me that they don’t go to confession because they are ashamed. What a brilliant trick of the evil one! The very medicine that would cure your heart sickness is the one thing you’re most afraid to do. And, of course, folks tell me they don’t want me…
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February 16, 2022
Where Is the Promise of His Coming?
Waiting has never been my strength. I’m the kind of person who would ask the Lord for patience and then add “and please give it to me right now!” Yep, that’s me, alright! But there is great wisdom in learning to wait. In fact, one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to teach them how to be patient and wait for opportunities when they are ready for them.…
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February 15, 2022
Of Your Own Free Will
It seems we humans never tire of talking about Freedom. But what is freedom? During a dark time in human history slavery of one form or another was the norm in human societies. Our own nation, The United States, fought a war with ourselves over this blight on human history. We even now have “Black History Month” in February of each year to raise awareness of the contributions to our common history…
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February 14, 2022
Me and Jesus Got Our Own Thing Going! Really?
In 1972 America was experiencing an amazing movement among young people called “The Jesus Movement.” Jesus was the “hero” of a lot of the youth of the day! And I was right there in the middle of it. At 12 years old and about to step into my teenage years, I was a big participant in the new “Contemporary Christian Music” of “The Second Chapter of Acts,” “Andrae Crouch and the Disciples,”…
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