Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

When I was just learning about the Orthodox Faith, I was struck by the wisdom of fasting from certain foods. You see, I had been raised to think that a fast was no food at all, just water. And I would hear stories of Pentecostal pastors "fasting" for a month or even 40 days and…

Perspective changes everything. Just take for example the modern tendency to hold up the anti-hero as someone to be admired or at least respected, and sometimes, even cared for. This is especially true in several contemporary television series. From Tony Soprano to Walter White of Breaking Bad fame, it seems our modern media is desperate for…

Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American poet of the early 20th century, wrote a wonderful poem called "Sympathy" and the third stanza is powerful in its pathos and beauty and heart-breaking truth: I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, When he beats his bars and would be free; It…

The American astronaut Buzz Aldrin once said “Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time.” And, of course, this reminds me of the old saying in comedy, “Timing is everything.” It really is amazing when all the elements of time, opportunity, ability,…