Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

This small book is written principally for the large number of small churches that are plateaued and declining and for young pastors just beginning their work or bi-vocational pastors who are pressed for time. It is a quick read but not a quick fix. It deals with the basics—visionary leadership, building fellowship, praying, preaching, pastoring, visiting, and h...

Ours is not a religion of payback. It is of grace. However, out of gratitude we do owe the Lord something. This psalmist understood that spirit of thanksgiving.   Psalm 116 is a peculiarly personal song. It is personal testimony of one man who was seriously ill and almost died. The Lord heard his prayer and delivered him. He now writes this psalm of gratefu...

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when...

I read somewhere the story of a group of teenagers who broke into a department store one night. They didn’t steal or destroy anything. They just had a wonderful time switching price tags. The next morning customers were puzzled and delighted to find fur coats selling for $5.00. Cold cream was priced at $150. A silver service was marked $1.75 and a pair of ladies...

Someone asked John D. Rockefeller how much money it would take to satisfy a person. He wisely replied, “Just a little bit more.” Every one of us must be on guard constantly against that greedy, selfish spirit that makes money a god and things the supreme desire of life. To save us from the slavery of materialism, the Lord commanded us to use our possessio...

Edward Gibbon, the English historian, defined history as “the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.” You need not read very far in history to see that there is much truth in this analysis. While in sports, technology, and a few other areas man has made magnificent advances, in personal and international relations his record is one of...

Two friends chanced to meet on the street one day. One said to the other, “Friend, how is it with your soul?” His friend replied, “You know, I’ve been so busy lately I had almost forgotten that I had a soul.” In the early 18th century, the Church of England was spiritually dead. Thomas Carlyle described the period as “soul extinct,...

Ethel Waters, the beloved America gospel singer, was converted at the age of 12. Then due to some unfortunate circumstances in her life she did not stay in the church or close to the Lord for many years. She was 61 years old before she came back to him. She renewed her relationship to the Lord at a Billy Graham crusade in 1957. She said concerning that experience, &ld...

I once saw an ad in the Houston Post that read, “Divorce only $95.00.” Then it gave the office hours and the toll-free number to call for help. The people who placed that ad should be sued for false advertising. Ninety-five dollars won’t begin to touch the cost of divorce. It may cover the down payment, but we will all be paying for the div...