Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
The Christian Church has been around a long time! And the place it's existed the longest is the place where it first sprang up. The Church is, at it's heart, a Semitic Faith, an Eastern Faith. And that's because the Christian Church is the fulfillment of the promises made by God…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
It's been an Incredible YEAR! Thanks be to God!
I am So Grateful to God for this Season,
and I wanted to drop you and your family a note to wish you a blessed Feast of the Nativity.
And to thank you for showing interest in Faith Encouraged Ministries this year!
It's been an amazing 2016! We released…
As uncomfortable as it may sound it's just impossible for me to be saved. Of course, that begs the question "What do you mean by 'saved'?" And that is the question, isn't it?
In my old way of thinking being saved meant not going to hell when I died. Or, to put a more positive spin…
"I don't believe in God." "OK" I told him. "Tell me about this god you don't believe in." This young man began describing Zeus. You know, a god who is vindictive and angry; who punishes the mortals with the lightning bolts of pain and sorrow. This god tries to control humans through threats and rewards.…
"You are so blessed!" Those were the words said to the lady who had just gotten a big raise at work! And, it was true.
But there is a danger here. In many cultures and even religions, the idea that to be rich is to be favored by God is a popular belief. This notion says…
Platitudes can be absolutely infuriating when you're suffering. And, usually, a person in pain hears things like "Oh, just trust God" or "into each life a little rain must fall" as uncaring dismissals of their very real heartache.
To be sure, most folks mean well, but deep in their own hearts they are afraid of getting…
Ever heard someone say "I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst?" Yeah, me too. In fact, I've said it! And the truth is it's never happened, the worst I mean. That thing that I've feared the most has never happened. And yet, isn't it amazing how our minds can conjure up these "worst…
Give the Gift of Eternity this Christmas!
Here's Fr. Barnabas talking about his new book "A Faith Encouraged" with Bobby Maddex - http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/exlibris/a_faith_encouraged
Here's a tool you can use to keep your faith active between Sundays. It's also available as an eBook at Orthodox Christian Ebooks - http://www.orthodoxchristianebooks.com/a-faith-encouraged
This makes a great last minute Christmas gift for yourself…
I love to eat. And what makes matters worse, what I love to eat is all the "comfort foods" I grew up with as a child. If you know anything about Southern cooking, you know we love to fry things! Anything! Everything!
But the longer I live and the more I learn, I'm discovering that this…
A great quote today: "We're often afraid of looking at our shadow because we want to avoid the shame or embarrassment that comes along with admitting mistakes."
Shame is a powerful motivator in our lives. We feel shame at failures or bad choices and we try to hide that shame from others and ourselves. We are…