Author - Fr. Barnabas Powell

A Stranger They Will Not Follow


I was a nervous wreck! A 15 year old teenager with his best buddies were sneaking into a movie theater without paying! I can hear the voice of my mother in my head "Young man, you carry your family name. That should make you think twice about doing things...

Doing the Hard Work of Communion


There seems to be a cottage industry that has developed in America all surrounding the notion that modern life is lonely. It seems this sense of loneliness flows from the notion that we are to be "self sufficient" and not "need" anybody to help us. We live in a...

Blessed are the ….


A dear priest friend of mine is on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and other holy sites in the area. Recently he and his fellow pilgrims came to the final resting place of Lazarus, the man the Lord raised from the dead. And that got me started thinking about...

Radical Communion


Here's something I saw on the internet (so it must be true) the other day: "Fall in love with someone who doesn't make you think love is hard." I could see many of my friends see this and go "aww, isn't that sweet?" And many people I know would...

I Want to GO!


I want to go with you! My daughters love to go places with daddy. It doesn't really matter where I'm going; they just like to tag along. And that makes sense. After all, daddies buy candy! There's something comforting about being with Another Who is stronger than you and seems to...

Ask Anything!


"All you gotta do is rub that lamp!" "Mr. Aladdin, sir, what will your pleasure be. Let me take your order, jot it down. You ain't never had a friend like me!" So sue me, I'm in a "Aladdin" kind of mood today! But seriously, isn't it a wonderful fantasy...

A Little While?


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...

When the Spirit Comes


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...

None Greater


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...

Let Not Your Heart be Troubled


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...