Fr. Barnabas Powell, Author at Faith Encouraged Ministries

Created To Be A Copycat! Sunday Homily

BlogDecember 7, 202216Views 0Likes 0Comments

The hunger hardwired into each of us for community or intimacy AND the opposite fear of intimacy are at the root of our internal and even external conflicts in our lives. Until we understand how to tame our desires and our natural tendency to mimic others is solved in our following Christ, we will continue…

Wage the Good Warfare

BlogDecember 7, 202216Views 0Likes 0Comments

Let's face it, we live in a society that has exalted radical uncertainty to a virtue. Where the "really sophisticated" people pride themselves on being able to "see all sides" of an issue without ever coming down clearly on a position. Modern thinkers fear being labeled "fundamentalists" or "close-minded" and fear this so strongly that…

St Nicholas, the Servant-Leader

BlogDecember 6, 202221Views 0Likes 0Comments

“I’m their leader! Which way did they go?” I have a cap with two bills on it, one in the front and one in the back with that slogan on it. It’s funny because it’s so often true. Leadership is always such a rewarding and challenging calling. In fact, if you could get most leaders to…

All Things

BlogDecember 5, 202219Views 0Likes 0Comments

I remember the look on his face when I told him that Orthodoxy is "maximalist, not minimalistic." And then I reminded him of years of government promotion of the "minimum daily requirements" of this or that vitamin to be healthy. He slowly began to understand what I meant when I added "We don't treat spiritual…

The Flattery of Imitation

BlogDecember 2, 202218Views 0Likes 0Comments

One of the Substacks I read regularly is Common Sense, and recently they had an article by Luke Burgis entitled "Why Everyone Wants the Same Thing." It was absolutely brilliant. Sadly, it's behind a paywall but the gist of the article is "Human beings are expert imitators (mimetic comes from a Greek word meaning “to…

TRADITION!

BlogDecember 1, 202213Views 0Likes 0Comments

What do we mean when we use the word "tradition?" To many, especially the millions of American Christians formed and shaped by popular Christianity, it is usually seen as a negative. You know, the "traditions of men" that Jesus warned us to avoid (see Mark 7:8-9). For others, formed by various religious and cultural traditions,…

How Do You Use Media in the Church?

BlogNovember 30, 202215Views 0Likes 0Comments

Recently a pastor in a Protestant denomination called The Church of the Nazarene ask me to be with him on his podcast as he explored using media and live streaming in the Church. He had been watching our sermons on Faith Encouraged TV on YouTube and reached out to talk to me. I enjoyed the experience…

Giving Tuesday!

BlogNovember 30, 202213Views 0Likes 0Comments

Wow. Thank You! Our Giving Tuesday participation launched our End-Of-Year Campaign off to a great start! Thank you to everyone who participated! But it isn't too late to give! Our Campaign runs until the close of the year. Did you know that most non-profits make the majority of their operating budget during the months of November and…

St. Andrew – The First Called

BlogNovember 30, 202215Views 0Likes 0Comments

I've been saying "Orthodox on Purpose" for so long that sometimes I wonder if I've grown deaf to the wisdom behind the words. After all, the danger for any minister is to keep all the words of his purpose and forget the meaning behind them. Terrifying! But I've discovered that most of us struggle to…

Discovering What Motivates You

BlogNovember 29, 202210Views 0Likes 0Comments

George Elliot once said "Selfish, a judgment readily passed by those who have never tested their power of sacrifice." That's so true. Most of the time selfishness in my own life flows from those moments when I was afraid that I'd disappear if I truly gave of myself. Of course, those are also the times…

Author page: Fr. Barnabas Powell

Fr. Barnabas Powell

Created To Be A Copycat! Sunday Homily

Wage the Good Warfare

St Nicholas, the Servant-Leader

All Things

The Flattery of Imitation

TRADITION!

How Do You Use Media in the Church?

Giving Tuesday!

St. Andrew – The First Called

Discovering What Motivates You

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