Author: Fr. Barnabas Powell

Fr. Barnabas is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, Georgia. He is also host of Faith Encouraged Live on Ancient Faith Radio and author of the Faith Encouraged podcast.

We All Need A Guide

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! One of the best business writers out there now is a man named Simon Synek. His book “Start With Why” revolutionized my thinking about how to motivate people and how to have the stamina to stay consistent and focused in achieving goals. One of my favorite quotes from Synek is “There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.” Of course, younger people don’t remember the days when…

Your Silver Perish With You!

· Fr. Barnabas Powell 2 Leave a Comment on %s
Christ is risen! They say that you can’t buy happiness. Well, that’s a bit subjective, because some folks are very happy for a short time when they spend money. There is even a genuine psychological disorder that deals with folks who are addicted to spending money. So, I guess it all depends on how you define “happiness.” Of course, there is nothing more infantile than reducing a good life to how “happy”…

The Enemy is Fear – Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Fear makes us do foolish things and it causes us to miss out on what God has for us. Fear makes us less than who we really are. But when we face fear and confront fear and not allow fear to stop us, we are given the amazing revelation of the Victory of Jesus over that which makes us most afraid – death. The Myrrhbearers and Joseph and Nicodemos all confront the…

Outside The Gate of the City

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! I spend most weekday mornings driving my daughter to school. She is used to me getting in the car, turning off the radio, and having a conversation all the way to school. “How did you sleep?” “What did you dream about?” “What’s going on in your life?” Eventually, one of the questions kicks off my “morning sermon” as she delightfully calls it. And this morning was no exception. Our…

There Is A Price For Being Stiff-Necked

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is Risen! “That boy is so hard-headed he wouldn’t even notice a rock hitting him between the eyes.” My grandmother had a way with words, but I’ve known people like this; so set in their ways that not even plain evidence would move them to change their ways. They were frozen in their thinking. Of course, that’s the danger of not being teachable or even open-minded enough to change your mind…

The Shock of Inescapable Consequence

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! OK, THAT got my attention! Bill was notorious for falling asleep in Mr. Thompson’s Lit class. To be fair, the class was right after lunch and all of us sometimes struggled to “stay focused” during some of Mr. Thompson’s lectures, but he really worked hard to keep things lively and to make the class both informative and fun. He was a good teacher. Well, this late and warm Spring…

Escaping the Slavery of Vanity

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! T.S. Eliot, one of the 20th century’s major poets, said: “And they write innumerable books; being too vain and distracted for silence: seeking everyone after his own elevation, and dodging his emptiness.” It strikes me as significant that an author would write something like that. And, in my heart of hearts, it strikes me as painfully accurate, especially during this time of societal chaos and deepening social divide. But…

What Shall We Do With These Men?

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! It almost seems unbelievable to think that our society could actually get to the place where we say that someone has outlived their “usefulness” and withdraw medical care from them because they aren’t “worth” saving for society. And yet, we are creeping dangerously close to that mindset becoming not just acceptable but applauded! And all of this in the name of “compassion” and “loving.” So, how did we get…

Cast ALL Your Cares On Him

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! “Take a vacation,” he said. Sure, I’ll take a vacation, but how? I’m busy. There are things that have to get done. People are depending on me. People expect me to be available to them. I HAVE TO work! Sound familiar? Yea, I know, we Type A personalities tend to have a “Superman” complex, or, worse yet, a “messiah” complex! We are supposed to “save the world.” and yet,…

True Repentance Refreshes the Soul

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen! I like this quote: “A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.” Yep, I bet you know that feeling of being so fed up with the everyday activities of life that you say “STOP!” And yet, why is it that too many of my vacations have been as stressful or more stressful than my regular schedule? It’s because an actual “refreshing”…