Isaac Newton once said "Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things." How I resonate with that. Simplicity is the enemy of confusion and chaos. I'll never forget the story of a Third world visitor to the US being overwhelmed by her first trip to an…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
It's one of (if not the) fastest growing forms of Christianity in the world, and it's the movement I came from when I converted to Orthodoxy so many years ago. I'm talking about the Pentecostal movement. And one of the most distinctive aspects of Pentecostalism is something called "speaking in tongues." Every month I get…
"Oh, come on. You know good and well I didn't mean that the way you are taking it!" Frankly, I couldn't get over that this person so misunderstood me. It almost felt like it was on purpose to discredit what I was saying. After a few deep breaths, and a dialing back my wounded ego,…
Why do people stop practicing the faith? Why are we seeing so many young people abandon the faith of their youth? Countless studies have been done trying to answer this question. Every time I travel to speak around the country in parishes big and small, I get asked this question as well. And there are…
"To honor and obey." I remember hearing much howling about this phrase even years ago as the feminist movement became predominant in our culture. For a woman to have to "obey" her husband was insulting, demeaning, and needed to be removed from the ceremony. "We are equals" was the battle cry.
And you know what,…
Sunday, August 14th, join Fr. Barnabas and his special guests Fr. Nicholas Louh of ASt. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Jacksonville, FL. and his Presbytera Dr. Roxanne Louh, a clinical psychologist, and we hear from this dynamic couple how they see their ministries working together for the glory of God.
That's tomorrow night at…
As much as we might hate it, conflict isn't bad. It's just not pleasant. But if the highest "good" in our lives is to avoid unpleasantness, then we are headed for either eternal delusion or a rude awakening.
I'll go even further and say that conflict is necessary for a "happy" life! Yep, if you're…
So, what's it going to be - your way or our way? I guess your answer will depend on how you see yourself. If you think of yourself by yourself then self interest is going to trump community interest. But if you think of yourself as in community then your choices have to be measured…
My grandmother assured me many times when I was young "The Lord won't put anything on you you can't bear." As I became an adult, I questioned that wisdom many times in my life. But, what do you know, I'm still here!
And yet, I would be less than honest if I didn't also say…
"We have an eye witness." Well, that got his attention. You see I was helping with an investigation with a recent spate of home burglaries in the area and we had caught a suspect in one of the neighborhoods where this was happening. This young man had been very successful in avoiding being seen or…