Barnabas Powell's Blog, page 8
July 7, 2023
Your Faith Has Made You Well!
Have you ever thought about all those people Jesus healed during His ministry here on earth? They were so happy, grateful, and changed. In some cases (the illness of leprosy) they were now free to rejoin society, be reunited with their families, and finally, get their life back. They went on to live their lives. Some became great saints of the Church. And every one of them eventually died. Hey, why do…
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July 6, 2023
There’s Family, and Then There’s FAMILY
My folks at the parish make fun of me a bit when I talk about how much I love being a Southerner. I regale them with stories from my family and how my grandfather taught me to hunt and about growing up in the suburbs of the South and seeing snow for the first time and how my SDouthen culture is so beloved by me for so many good things it instilled…
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July 5, 2023
“ALL” Things? Really? Yes, All Things!
I remember the look on his face when I told him that Orthodoxy is “maximalist, not minimalistic.” And then I reminded him of years of government promotion of the “minimum daily requirements” of this or that vitamin to be healthy. He slowly began to understand what I meant when I added “We don’t treat spiritual illness with an aspirin. We use the full dose of timeless wisdom.” The light turned on in…
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July 4, 2023
Divided Against Yourself
“E Pluribus Unum” Out of the Many – One. This is the motto of the United States of America, a republic founded in 1776 after a war of Independence from the British Empire. Of course, now the story of the founding of our Republic has come under fire in the last several years by those who “want to change the narrative” of the beginning of our country. They argue that “really, the…
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July 3, 2023
The Positive Power of Wisdom
I confess I’m a bit of a rebel at heart. Maybe it’s my Southern American heritage, or maybe it goes further back in my lineage from my Welsh and Irish ancestry, but wherever it comes from, I tend to eventually have “complicated” relationships with authority. And what makes that more amazing is I started my adult work life as a police officer, one who “enforces” the law! But maybe it isn’t so…
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June 30, 2023
Like Men Sentenced to Death
There’s a wonderful little video running around the internet making fun of those who claim the original apostles and followers of Christ were all lying to get ahead. They lied about the resurrection so they could be powerful. Well, if that were true, they were a bunch of idiots, because every one of them, with the exception of St. John, died a martyr’s death. They were hunted, beaten, jailed, hated, driven from…
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June 29, 2023
I Boast About My Weaknesses – The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
Henry David Thoreau said, “If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.” I like that. But what if my mind was so reoriented that I can even boast about my weaknesses? This is the invitation of the wisdom of the Faith. The truth is most of us who were raised with an expectation of decorum, dignity, and virtue were…
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June 28, 2023
But They Are Supposed to Be Christians!
Otto von Bismarck once said, “There are two things you don’t want to see being made – sausage and legislation.” Why do I want to add “Because both are usually unhealthy.” I find this also applies many times to the inner politics in churches. Too many times it isn’t a pretty picture. All too often this describes the backroom politics of any organization. Watching how some groups work to lead their organizations…
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June 27, 2023
The Jealous Type
Are you the jealous type? I guess with me, it all depends. I am jealous of my time. I am jealous of my schedule. But other than that, I can’t say I really struggle with jealousy. Oh wait, if I’m honest, I do have to admit I do get jealous when someone is being recognized for their work and they forget to mention me! That’s so embarrassing to admit. But I do…
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June 26, 2023
Only A Remnant Will Be Saved
Sometimes, when I read the Bible, it really is hard to understand and it sometimes strikes me as God being “unfair!” Is it bad that I say that out loud? But when I read that “God has mercy on whomever He wills and he hardens the hearts of whomever He wills” I am initially confused and concerned. Good! That’s a good sign! But be ready to have tour paradigms exploded and challenged…
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