Most of us know the German legend about Faust and his deal with the devil. Faust is a bit of a con man but he's unhappy with his life so he sells his soul to the devil in exchange for unlimited earthly knowledge and pleasure. Of course, the story doesn't end well and is meant…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
One of the most vivid memories of my childhood was a punishment I received for making a mess in the basement of our house when I was just a boy. But this is what made it so memorable. The truth is I was always a kid who took the rules seriously. Of course, this didn't…
A wise man once said "You only get out of life what you put into it. Don't expect more until you do more." Wow. That's something to let echo in your head a bit and see what kind of insights it produces in your own life.
Of course, that's the purpose of wisdom. Not to be…
"She made me do it." This was the "excuse of my daughter when I asked her why she hit her sister! Wow, that's a lot of power to give to someone else!
It seems we humans have a particular gift for shifting the blame to someone else when we make mistakes. We also seem to…
Phillip James Bailey, an English poet of the late 19th century, once said: "Let each man think himself an act of God; his mind a thought; his life, a breath of God; and let each try, by great thoughts and good deeds to show the most of heaven he hath in him."
One of the…
Shakespeare's Hamlet has a character named Polonius and Shakespeare has him utter those now famous words "For the apparel oft proclaims the man." And then, of course, there's the famous business advice "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have!" All this focus on apparel makes one wonder if men are unaware…
February is Message Month at Faith Encouraged Ministries. Let us hear from you!
"Dear Fr. Barnabas, I just wanted to express my gratitude to you, once again, for everything that you do. For the past three years my wife, son, and I have been learning about the Orthodox Church, and this coming Sunday we will finally…
"To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time to every purpose under heaven." The Byrds lyrics were taken, of course, from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the First Testament. It is the gift of time, granted to us by God, where our lives play out.
It is also…
"Make your words sweet. After all, you may have to eat them!" Great advice, and perfect for one who is embarking on a spiritual journey of disciplined and purposeful faith.
You see, our words are icons of our hearts. That's why paying attention to our words is part of any spiritual discipline to become the…
I love the look on my daughter's face when I tell her "You can do what you want to do AFTER you do what you have to do." Training a child (or, for that matter me!) to delay gratification is one of the most important life lessons any parent can give a child.
This basic…