Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

It was suppose to be a surprise, and it sure was. You see, I told her I couldn't make it to her recital. Her little face fell and she was disappointed. But, at the last minute, my plans got changed and I was able to make it. You should have seen her face! Talk about…

Sometimes what's best for us isn't really apparent in the middle of our journey. It's only later we discover that an event, though difficult at the time, actually turned out to be the best thing for us. As the old country song says "They hindsight 20/20..." This coming Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost, the Descent…

My grandfather was my hero. Growing up, he was such a strong figure in my young life that I almost thought of him as something other than a mere human. He was an Atlanta police officer and would sometimes bring his police car home and let me sit in the front seat and turn on…

All too often we spend our lives waiting for that perfect moment when everything's going "right" and all around me is positive and affirming. And, the longer we live, the more disillusioned we become because that "moment" seems to never come! Oh, to be sure, there are flashes of "just right" in our lives. Those moments…

Today is the Feast of the Ascension, and this Feast begs the question: What is this whole ascending from the Mount of olives all about? Why didn't Jesus just "POOF" disappear and go to the Father's side? Why all this theatrics? It is almost axiomatic that any truth or tradition sufficiently removed from its Source or…

Christ is risen! On this Apodosis (Leavetaking) of Pascha, may God grant us faithful hearts until next Pascha! Stumbling around in the dark isn't just a problem for me when I'm looking for a midnight snack (as if I really needed that!), but is a perfect metaphor for my life lived without the Light and wisdom…

Christ is risen! (only a few more days for that Paschal Greeting! The Feast of the Ascension arrives Thursday!) The old saying is "timing is everything." How true! There have been moments in my own life when the timing has been off, very frustrating. This is especially true when you have a dream or even an…

Christ is risen! Have you ever heard of the story of the donkey who saved a prophet's life by talking to him? And you thought your dreams were strange! Seriously, this powerful story in the First Testament is worth your time! Read the whole story in Numbers 22. To make a long story short, Balaam is something…

Christ is risen! Wow, we humans are an insecure lot! The pharmaceutical companies have exploded with growth providing Americans with "medicine" to help us overcome all kinds of diseases of the psyche. But, instead of eternally medicating symptoms, what if we could do the harder work of getting to the root of the problem in our souls?…

Christ is risen! Always looking for a shortcut! He was a dear friend. He was a pal and I loved the man, but he was notorious for always looking for an angle, a shortcut, a way to get preferential treatment. Sometimes it was great, but most of the time he just came across as a self-centered…