George Bernard Shaw once famously said "Youth is wasted on the young." What he meant by that is when we have great strength and potential, we are still too immature to take full advantage of our possibilities, and when we gain the wisdom of the years, we tend to have less energy and even less…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
One of the most fundamental marks of maturity is the clear and unmistakable realization that actions have consequences. Ideas have consequences because they become actions. And avoiding consequences is always a sign of immaturity.
No wonder our modern world is struggling, as it has always struggled, with the consequences of ideologies and actions. And we see…
Through all of human history, humanity has conceived of the "perfect" society and each time we humans have endeavored to build it, it turned out to either fail or become a nightmare. In 1787, the Founding Fathers of the United States met in Independence Hall in Philadelphia to hammer out the Constitution of the United…
Our modern world seems to run on violence. And it seems that everyday the news is of more violence there and more violence here. From college campuses arguing over speech and "safe zones" and "trigger warnings" to the very real violence of terrorism all meant to disrupt and destroy. And can we even talk about…
Join us Sunday night for an all new Faith Encouraged LIVE on AncientFaith.com. Fr. Barnabas is going to be talking about allowing our faith to inform our priorities, especially during this time of the year as we prepare for the Feast of the Nativity with the Nativity Fast! We will also share some exciting news…
"Daddy, I don't have any friends!" It was a heartbreaking moment in the life of my daughter's young life, and it broke my heart for her. She was learning a lesson that we all have to learn: "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer…
The myth of Narcissus is legendary. Narcissus was a man who was exceptionally handsome and knew it. And his actions reflected his utter disdain for those who loved him. He walked through life proud of his appearance and dismissive of those who admired him. Nemesis watched Narcissus and how he treated those around him and…
No matter how hard we try to pretend, we live in the real world. Philosophies and worldviews may try to shield us from this cold, hard truth. But, try as they might, they only succeed in stealing real life and real time from us. Why is this truth so hard for us to accept?
You see,…
Let's face it; we all have to deal with unpleasant realities. You know the situations I'm talking about: those moments in life when there either a difficult confrontation that has to happen or a struggle with bureaucracy or just a difficult relationship that has to end or change. It's just not fun. It's scary. It's…
October was Clergy Appreciation Month! Did you know that? Those of us in the clergy did! Of course October is also International "Walk-to-School" month, so don't get too excited!
Seriously, there is something powerful about appreciation. But there is something insidious about seeking appreciation. What a fine line it is to encourage the good virtue…