tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276854142024-03-23T13:44:52.872-04:00Sober JoyBeauty will save the World!Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-81033045010516050122008-11-09T12:59:00.004-05:002008-11-09T13:13:33.494-05:00"Hey Chuch"They were living in a tent with 100 or so other people, all displaced by Hurricane Ike in Galveston Texas. She and her little sister and their mom had lost their home in the storm and they were being sheltered at the Red Cross tent city set up in the aftermath of the third most devastating hurricane in American history.She couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8 years old, blond headed, and dirty. Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-87299852732030186452008-08-24T11:30:00.004-04:002008-08-24T11:45:33.666-04:00BBQ(kudos to Orthodixie blog for the You Tube file!)Here's a bit of a diversion from my normal posts, but having been contemplating the serious, Southern, issue about BBQ, I thought I'd share this with my friends.Southern BBQ is one of the greatest gifts of Southern culture to the world. Regardless where you might come down on the argument about sauce or no sauce, vinegar, mustard based, or tomato Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-32668730724625863092008-08-01T20:52:00.003-04:002008-08-01T21:00:01.515-04:00JOURNEYS TO ORTHODOXY PODCASTWell, dear readers, here is the podcast I recently did with Jacob Lee of Icon New Media about my journey to Orthodoxy.I will be interested ing your reactions. Please feel free to share this with whomever you feel it might be helpful/interesting.BBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-91522961248798841782008-07-05T13:40:00.004-04:002008-07-05T14:25:10.216-04:00Icon New Media InterviewHello Gentle Readers,Well, the never ending quest to share the wonderful events and people in the Orthodox Church marches on!Here's the premise: There are so many good things happening and so many wonderful and dedicated people working in the Orthodox Church in this present day that it is a shame that more people don't know about this! The result is that while all these wonderful things are Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-77192828319927999972008-06-30T01:33:00.002-04:002008-06-30T01:45:58.009-04:00"DRESS UP" ORTHODOXYDear Readers (both of you! :-))Below is a response I recently wrote to an announcement about "two new Orthodox parishes" being established in the Baltimore area. It turns out that these are two Old Catholic groups wanting to advertise themselves as "Orthodox."The reality of our current situation here in America is that of religious "entrepreneurial" chaos. In other words, every man can do what isBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-33458045206296864372008-06-17T11:32:00.003-04:002008-06-17T11:46:54.415-04:00David Bentley Hart and Where was GodGentle readers,Your absent blogger/seminarian is intrigued with some swirling thoughts of late.First is the concept of beauty. I am of the increasing opinion that Dostoevsky was right "Beauty will save the world."Second is the increasingly strong and alarming thought concerning the destructive and deeply heretical teachings of Calvinism, particularly the Calvinistic notions concerning sovereigntyBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-35007942851458824882008-06-05T10:04:00.002-04:002008-06-05T10:09:39.190-04:00Press ReleasePress Release Powell Completes First Year of Seminary A Shocked Barnabas Powell Finishes His Freshman Year at Holy Cross Brookline, MA 4 June 2008: With final exams behind him, Barnabas Powell finds himself at the end of his first year at seminary at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. The school, located on a beautiful campus in Brookline, Massachusetts (near Boston and just minutes Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-33696870587223445972007-11-20T22:55:00.000-05:002007-11-20T22:58:30.349-05:00HAPPY THANKSGIVINGBy the way, I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration this year!Connie, little Alexandra, and myself will be flying to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow to celebrate the holiday with my godson and his wife. We will also get to spend some time with family and friends while we are there.Please pray for us as we fly on such a busy travel day, and know we are so grateful for your prayers.Much love Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-171453226293725162007-11-20T22:28:00.000-05:002007-11-20T22:55:34.231-05:00THE TEXT! I am honored to be taking the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans from Fr. Ted Stylianopoulos during this semester here at Holy Cross.Fr. Ted has been teaching at Holy Cross for over 30 years and has also agreed to be my spiritual father while I am here at Holy Cross. It is an honor.One of the reasons for this is that Fr. Ted's little blue Orthodox prayerbook that he edited and published many Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-25012011797754601412007-11-12T11:09:00.001-05:002007-11-12T11:33:55.187-05:00PROSPERITY AND POVERTYA recent article in the LA Times asked the question "Is Prosperity a Blessing from God, or a Crime?" In it the writer talks about mega-church ministries where the pastor drives a Rolls-Royce, lives in a mansion, and owns a private jet.Having come from that world of Evangelical media ministries and having seen close up the challenges this lifestyle can bring, I was mesmerized by the writer's Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-8688029805915727632007-11-05T09:28:00.000-05:002007-11-05T09:49:15.859-05:00A RETURN AND A PRAYERWell, dear ones, if there are any of you left out there, I wanted to let you know that I will be posting again to Sober Joy in the next few days.Life has been hectic and full with the first semester at seminary. I have neglected writing because I wanted to get acclimated to our new surroundings and to observe a period of silence so I could foster a student's heart.Not sure if I've succeeded, but Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-18672877042216090172007-08-18T20:53:00.000-04:002007-08-18T20:58:31.721-04:00NEW ENGLAND IS BEAUTIFUL THIS TIME OF YEARWell, we have arrived in beautiful New England to begin seminary next month! And my first comment to my dear bride after we unloaded the truck was "WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?!"Seriously, it is just now hitting me concerning the magnitude of this leap of faith, but what joy to know we do not leap into the dark, but into the Light Himself.Any test of faith is bound to involve fear and second thoughts,Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-59940436256616503832007-08-03T16:25:00.000-04:002007-08-03T17:57:43.787-04:00BLOGGER ON THE ROADDear Gentle Readers,I know I haven't updated much since my grandmother's funeral, but life has been hectic preparing for the move to seminary in Boston.It will even get more infrequent for the next few weeks, but I will try to drop in some notes from the road.We are going to visit my family in Atlanta next week and Connie's family in Greenville the following week, then its off to Holy Cross were Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-4009135674697032982007-07-20T13:15:00.000-04:002007-07-20T18:12:31.404-04:00SYMPHONIA AND SADNESS A recent writer in the combox asked me to say more about the Orthodox understanding of "symphonia" in regards to humanity being in communion with God.As I thought about this, my mind immediately went to the very present and real experience of grief over the recent falling asleep (do not read "unconscious") of my maternal grandmother, a woman that still, and always will, exert a strong influence Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-34193549535035760702007-07-12T04:35:00.000-04:002007-07-12T05:04:18.265-04:00MEMORY ETERNALGeorgia Story Moore fell asleep in the Lord Wednesday, July 11, 2007 after a prolonged illness. Her two daughters were by her side.I appreciate the kind prayers offered for my maternal grandmother over the last several days. Thank you.Mawmaw (as she was affectionately called) was born in 1917 and lived her whole life in North Georgia. She was a child of her time, and knew both love and sadness asBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-52538807181495011572007-07-02T14:15:00.000-04:002007-07-02T14:20:23.634-04:00Prayer RequestGentle Reader,I have just learned that my dear grandmother, Georgia Moore, has been taken to the hospital emergency room. She is something of a hero in my life, and while I ask God for mercy, I also realize that she has been bedridden for almost 4 years with various physical ailments.Please pray for God to grant us the freedom of His merciful will.Thank you.BBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-36433408520816882262007-07-02T13:39:00.000-04:002007-07-02T14:14:03.440-04:00THE DISCARDER AND THE KEEPER!As I mentioned in a recent combox response, I am a "thrower-awayer" and my wife is a "oh that has sentimental value so I'm going to keep that receipter!"It drives me nuts! :-)This usually comes out when we are either doing "spring" cleaning (which, for me, is every 3 months!) or like now, when we are preparing to move.I am amazed at how much "stuff" we have accumulated and how well we've hidden Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-24910538446292128102007-06-27T15:53:00.000-04:002007-06-27T16:21:24.190-04:00THE BURDEN OF SPIRITUAL PARENTINGI have five (5) godsons. The other day one of my godsons called to tell me that another acquaintance of mine had become a catechuemen and this person was saying how much I had influenced their decision to explore Orthodoxy.My godson then started naming off all the people he knew of whom I had influenced to look at the Orthodox Church.As I listened to this precious man speak, my heart began to Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-44378411564260846662007-06-20T14:55:00.000-04:002007-06-20T15:20:32.496-04:00THE LONG GOODBYEWell, gentle reader, the time for departure for the Powell Family is approaching. The reason for this post is at the urging of a dear friend. His insistence has overcome my reluctance.Our parish, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Ft. Lauderdale, will be holding an appreciation dinner for us this coming Sunday and they are establishing a fund (The Chuck and Connie Moving Fund) to help us withBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-68095219927763474312007-06-13T16:55:00.000-04:002007-06-13T17:17:38.008-04:00ABBA LAURENCE - MEMORY ETERNAL!Dear and precious readers,I have just learned of the falling asleep of a very important person in the story of my own journey to Orthodoxy - Father Laurence Mancuso, the founder of New Skete Monastery.I could write literally pages of stories about Abba Laurence and how he affected my life, but I won't waste your time.I will only say that a rag-tag group of refugees from Evangelicalism washed up Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-19659901736820299652007-06-07T12:58:00.001-04:002007-06-07T13:39:40.262-04:00SOME RANDOM THOUGHTSIn just a few weeks my little family will be packing up and heading to Boston for seminary. I wanted to get down some random thoughts of late that might help you all know how to pray for me at this chaotic time.First, my contemplation about the Church has morphed into a contemplation about Personhood. After reading several posts on Fr. Stephen's blog and some other discussions among some Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-66732959269175016222007-05-31T13:07:00.000-04:002007-05-31T13:29:32.304-04:00CHRIST BECAME MAN......so that man might also become man. This interesting take on an old Orthodox saying by Bishop KALLISTOS Ware of Britain came home to me today more than ever as I listened to a popular radio program host lament the sad state of a sense of connectedness between people in this modern age.The radio host/commentator went on and on about how we moderns don't know our neighbors. We don't know how to Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-76930305970341610672007-05-25T13:00:00.000-04:002007-05-25T13:47:49.529-04:00THE SPIRIT DESCENDSIt took me becoming Eastern Orthodox for me to appreciate the Feast of Pentecost. As a former Pentecostal pastor, I never gave much thought to the actual Feast of Pentecost, even though it was the Pentecostal event in the life of the Early Church that we, as Pentecostals, looked back on as the foundation for our particular brand of religious experiences.But as an Orthodox Christian, I now see theBarnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-16952690088732713372007-05-21T12:24:00.000-04:002007-05-21T12:40:12.410-04:00O ABSALOM, MY SONIn studying the Old Testament, one reads many stories of heroism, courage, and honor, but one also reads of murder, rape and revenge. One of the most moving stories is the story of King David and his son, Absalom. While we could deal with the story in depth, suffice it to say that the brilliant and gifted son of King David dies, and the king, when he learns of the death of his son, gives us one Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27685414.post-51988968930587217102007-05-17T12:53:00.000-04:002007-05-17T13:35:21.289-04:00OF UNITY AND DIVISIONToday marks a milestone in the life of the Orthodox Christina faith here in America and around the world. After 80 years of schism the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia based mainly in the United States, sign a reunion document restoring eucharistic communion between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Church Abroad.Some see this as the last healing Barnabas Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08584837837292068637noreply@blogger.com1