Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Once we buried a young lady who was only 21 years old. She was killed in a head-on collision while on her way to church. The night before the funeral, my daughter asked why God allows things like this to happen. I wish I knew. Things like this have puzzled saints, wise men, and philosophers since the world began. There is simply no one easy answer as to why tra...

Our greatest fear is the fear of death. Some have even proposed that the fear of death is present in our mental functioning at all times. Melanie Klein, the British psychologist, adds that the fear of death is at the root of all human anxiety. Another famous physician once said that the fear of death is rooted in three things: fear of pain, fear of separation, and fe...

O. Henry, the famous short story writer, was dying. The nurse thought the end had come and began lowering the shades of the windows. Opening his eyes and seeming to understand what was happening, he said, “Let up the shades! I don’t want to go home in the dark!” Since Jesus came, nobody needs to go home in the dark. The Scriptures declare that Jesus...

1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; 3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the...

I once traveled to a little country cemetery in North Texas for the funeral service of a dear friend. The little community was like a thousand others. It was once alive with people, but today only an isolated farmhouse punctuates the horizon here and there. The old school has long since been torn down. The little country church is still there, but no one meets in it a...

After the funeral is over, our grieving friends often face their most difficult times. Before, during, and immediately after death sympathy flows like a river. But a month or two later, when loneliness and loss make their strongest impact, friends are needed more than ever. Here are some things you can do to help your grieving friends after the funeral is over. 1. S...

Death is real. People die and their bodies are buried in the ground. That much we see. As Christians we believe that there is going to be a resurrection of the body at the end of time (John 11:24). The question then is this: “What happens to a person between death and the resurrection?” The Bible speaks clearly concerning this matter. It tells us that at d...

I like funerals! I don’t mean I enjoy them. I mean that I approve of them. I came to that conclusion after burying a person without one yesterday. It was one of those cold, gloomy winter days where the clouds hung like a wet sponge over the earth. They seemed to be waiting for someone to reach up and squeeze the rain out of them. The wind cut to the bone as we s...

When a small child or infant is suddenly and tragically taken in death, natural questions arise. “What happens to an infant who dies? Is the child saved? Will the parents see the child in heaven?” Yes! When a child dies before he reaches the age of accountability, that child is safe. He is with Jesus in heaven. And if you are a Christian, one day you will...