Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Nothing in our lives is more important than our thoughts. Writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once explained, “Sow a thought and you reap an act, sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character.” Every person’s character is ultimately shaped by his thoughts. The Bible says the same thing in another way: “For as a man thinketh in hi...

William E. Gladstone, the great statesman of England, once said to E. DeWitt Talmage, “Talmage, you talk about the questions of the day. There is only one question, and that’s the question of religion in the home. Settle that and you will settle all questions.” There have been many changes in our world since those words were spoken but they are still...

Does God ever send sickness and death to people? He has the misfortune of being blamed for almost everything bad that happens. Whenever tragedy occurs, there is usually some well-meaning but misguided person who calls it “the will of God.” That’s too much! Most such things are not from God but from Satan. He, not God, is the author of suffering and...

Since World War II, the number of American psychiatrists has multiplied astronomically, so as to indicate the disorder of many American lives today. Multiplying the number of psychiatrists is not the answer to our problems. Dr. J. A. Hadfield, one of England’s foremost psychiatrists, once said: “Speaking as a student of psychotherapy who, as such...

Faith is an absolute need for modern man. Most people do realize that scientists live by faith. They accept information by faith. No scientist has ever seen an electron or proton, yet we all believe in these atomic particles. We have all the faith in the world in what our trusted textbooks tell us is truth, even though we know that those same textbooks are being const...

William James, the famous American educator, said, “No man has graduated from the school of life until he has been well tempted.” Temptation is one of the common denominators of every life, so let's look at it more closely.  What is temptation? It is an enticement to do evil. Evangelist Billy Sunday said, “Temptation is the devil peeking throug...

We live in a world of words. What we call “a cold war” is principally a war of words. There are famous words about conquering more by the pen than by the sword. Words can wreck, words can revive, words can ruin, and words can restore. The right word at the right time can be very valuable. The wrong word at the wrong time can be very costly. The Bible says...

In a few short years, we have gained a material abundance in America that surpasses anyone in history, yet we have become among the most lawless and violent nations among free people. Our cities are torn by riots and violence. Thousands are killed, thousands more injured, and property losses approach billions of dollars. Leaders around the world have long been calling...

Peace is not the natural state of humanity. War is as old as civilization. This is a characteristic peculiar to human beings. Murder within the species on an individual or collective level is a phenomenon known only to us. The reason for this is the fact that people are sinners. The human heart is filled with greed, hate, jealousy, and self-interest. I believe that m...