Fr. Barnabas Powell, Author at Faith Encouraged Ministries

Conflict Reveals Important Truths

BlogJuly 28, 202319Views 0Likes 0Comments

It seems we humans have an ingrained "love" of fighting, defending ourselves, and drama. We are really good at it. Just look at the conflicts that are raging today in our world. We seem to love to fight, and that, in itself, should be a sign of deep brokenness in us. Our impulse to fight,…

Learn To Compete According to the Rules

BlogJuly 27, 202317Views 0Likes 0Comments

I love a line from the Paraklesis to our parish saints, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene: "We entreat you, O Martyr of Christ, who with Nicholas and Irene for His sake competed according to the rules: Save us from injuries by our unruly opponent, through your earnest prayers to our tender-loving Lord." The good Monk…

The Path To Wise Living

BlogJuly 26, 202311Views 0Likes 0Comments

It took me a long time to finally get my mind and heart around the profound difference between wisdom and legislation. For most of my life, I spent most of my time being a rule keeper. After all, I was the firstborn son. I was responsible to obey the rules. I was supposed to be…

An Old Story Still True Today

BlogJuly 25, 202313Views 0Likes 0Comments

"...of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna..." At every liturgy, at the end of every prayer service, the priest remembers the grandparents of Jesus, the parents of the Theotokos! If something like this is repeated long enough, we humans start experiencing it as the familiar "noise" of prayer. The dangers of…

Preaching the Paradox of Freedom

BlogJuly 24, 202312Views 0Likes 1Comment

It’s just who I am. I remember my time at an Evangelical Protestant school for my undergraduate degree, and the 2 years of homiletical (how to give a sermon). It was a bit grueling and my professor was particularly tough on me. One day, I was walking with another seminarian and he overheard our conversation.…

True Healing at Jesus’ Feet

BlogJuly 21, 202314Views 0Likes 0Comments

There is a story about a great man. He had searched the world over for wisdom. He had gone to gurus and sought out great religious leaders and learned philosophers. But still, his heart ached for more. Sure, he learned great and awesome ideas and heard wonderful words, but still, he felt empty from the…

The Temptation of Shallow Self Awareness

BlogJuly 20, 202314Views 0Likes 0Comments

"Shove me into shallow waters, before I get too deep." This was a popular song in the 1980s espousing the "virtue" of shallow living. "I don't want to get too deeply insightful about myself. I'd rather be shallow." I get it. Doing the work to truly know yourself is hard and scary! Because IF you…

The Poison of Doing Right with a Wrong Heart

BlogJuly 19, 202312Views 0Likes 0Comments

“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” You can almost hear the sneer in this question to Jesus in the passage for today! And, frankly, it’s a good question. You see, as a Church, we Orthodox place a great deal of confidence in the consistent witness of the Faithful through the centuries.…

The Merciless Mastery of Undisciplined Passions

BlogJuly 18, 202312Views 0Likes 0Comments

I know it is a bit “old-fashioned” and it may be hard for those of this generation to understand, but the timeless message of the Faith is that we are called to battle and tame the passions SO THAT they are our servants and never our masters! So what are the passions? Some may say…

Woman, Go In Peace

BlogJuly 17, 202318Views 0Likes 0Comments

Listen to this quote from Fr. Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory, "Man was created priest of the world, the one who offers the world to God in a sacrifice of love and praise...Priesthood, in this sense, is the very essence of manhood, man’s creative relation to the “womanhood” of the created world." Notice the "gender" language,…

Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

Fr. Barnabas Powell

Conflict Reveals Important Truths

Learn To Compete According to the Rules

The Path To Wise Living

An Old Story Still True Today

Preaching the Paradox of Freedom

True Healing at Jesus’ Feet

The Temptation of Shallow Self Awareness

The Poison of Doing Right with a Wrong Heart

The Merciless Mastery of Undisciplined Passions

Woman, Go In Peace

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