Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Jesus called James and John “The Sons of Thunder.” That’s because they had a short fuse. They would cloud up and rain all over you in a New York minute. When a Samaritan village did not show them proper hospitality they wanted to call down fire from heaven and destroy the entire population! That’s a normal reaction. When people are rude to us,...

God’s opinion of the atheist is so clear that even the atheist can understand it. He says, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) Why does God, in all the Bible, make this one statement on atheism and thereafter dismiss the subject? It’s because the foolishness of atheism is so self-evident that no other comment is nece...

Does going to church matter? Let’s ask Henry Brinton, former pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia. He once wrote of a U.S. president’s church attendance, “Politically, church attendance is a sign of integrity. If the president says he’s a Christian, then going to church shows that he doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the w...

I loved the 2010 movie “True Grit.” For one thing, I liked the music, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” But the main reason was the acting of then fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld who played the part of Mattie Ross. When they started filming, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon used a lot of curse words. So, little Hailee started a “bad boy ja...

Years ago a man called our church office wanting me to do the wedding of his daughter.  When he found out I was going to be on vacation that week he said, “Why do preachers need a vacation? The devil never takes one.” I thought to myself, “If I didn’t take a vacation every once in a while I’d be as mean as the devil.” &nb...

On average, there are 123 suicides every day. Although suicide rates are highest in many of the poorer countries in the world, even those countries that have solved most of their economical and social problems still suffer from epidemic levels of this terrible scourge.  Almost everyone agrees that suicide is wrong. But why is it wrong? The Bible gives us the ans...

When Billy Curry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers it was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream. He had always wanted to play for the famed coach Vince Lombardi. At the first training camp Lombardi said to the players, “Men, around here, our priorities are three and in this order:  God, family, and the Green Bay Packers.”  Then, Curry remembers,...

Depression is one of the most common of all emotions. It comes to all of us occasionally. It can range from mild and temporary to severe and prolonged. There are times when we just have the blues for a day or two, and there are other times when it seems as though the light of life has gone out. When it comes to depression I know what I’m talking about. I’...

Walt Garrison, who once played running back for the Dallas Cowboys, was asked if he ever saw Coach Tom Landry smile. He replied, “No, but I’ve only been here six years.” Landry, of course, had a great sense of humor. But he was usually so absorbed in the management of the game he was coaching at the time that he seldom showed any emotion, including...