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.

Hey, That’s AGAINST The Rules!

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What’s the difference in rule-keeping and wisdom? Turns out this distinction is the most important change of mind we humans have to face if we are ever going to be able to embrace the message of the Orthodox Faith! As a former police officer, I remember well having to memorize the rules of the road so that I could ENFORCE the rules. Of course all these laws were on the books for…

Getting Back What You Gave Away

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You remember this, don’t you: “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t come back, it never was.” While I find this sentiment a bit saccharine for my tastes (I have a deep suspicion of sentiment since I am convinced it is more akin to emotional “candy” than actually helpful to my life), there is an element here worth exploring. We…

Unforgivable!

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A popular show (on PBS no less) is Downton Abbey. And that’s a bit surprising to me since we Americans seem to always be gripped, al least in our rhetoric, with this notion of egalitarianism. But this popular show is very much about the clear stratification of “classes” and the “drama” of etiquette and class. In that society, a violation of what is “acceptable” can be an “unforgivable” mistake that scares one’s…

We Got Trouble….

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I love the old musical “The Music Man” and one of my most favorite scenes in when that old con man Harold Hill begins to spring his trap on the good folks of River City by pointing out they have a pool hall in their little town, and we all know that that spells “Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool!” You see, Harold…

Friend, How Did You Get In?

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It’s not just my recurring dream (nightmare, really) but it has been found to be a common dream for much of humanity. You know the one I mean: I’m standing in a fancy party with either my pajamas on or no pants! In other words, I am NOT dressed for the occasion. How embarrassing! And that’s why this is such a common dream of we humans. We fear being embarrassed! And why…

Do You Love Me?

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I’ll never forget seeing “Fiddler on the Roof” for the first time! “If I were a rich man….” “Tradition! Tradition!” But one of the most moving moments was when Tevye, being confronted with the “new” way his daughters were finding a husband (actually choosing for themselves! The HORROR!), asks his wife of so many years “Do you love me?” What follows is an amazing tender moment for a couple who have had…

Deceived!

· Fr. Barnabas Powell
He was slick and I was young. He was offering me “a great deal” and it was only a 12 month contract. I was young and naive and I signed. It was too expensing; it was a lousy deal, and it was an annual contract that automatically renewed! And I was snookered! It took me months to finally extricate myself from this “great deal!” But that’s the nature of deception. Deception hides…

What You Treasure Reveals Where Your Heart IS!

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I’ve always been both inspired and disturbed by the Lord’s words “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This passage has always struck me as an immediate “gut check” no matter when I confront it. And that makes sense because the whole purpose of the phrase is to “arrest” you in that moment for a quick inventory and inquiry “Do you know where your heart is?” And the…

By What Authority

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You’ve heard me say this before if you’ve been reading a while: Being shrewd isn’t necessarily the same as being wise. And the reason is an evil man can be shrewd and calculating, but only a good man can be truly wise. Now that doesn’t mean that shrewdness is always evil. Far from it. Our Lord told His disciples in Matthew 10:6 “…be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” And He…