Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had g...

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Of all the words that Luke wrote none have captured the hearts and minds of people quite like verse 7, chapter 2, when he said, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, a...

In addition to a balking media, Christmas has long been under attack among Protestants as it has not been since the Puritans outlawed its observance in both England and America in the 17th century. Religious radicals as well as a growing number of responsible church leaders have advocated dropping Christmas from the Christian calendar. One of the most frequently made...

Have you ever stopped at a motel late at night to get a room and the clerk said to you, “I’m sorry, we have no vacancies”? Overbooked, overcrowded, no room for you. That very well may be what happened that first Christmas. The innkeeper simply had an overcrowded inn and there was no room for Jesus to stay. What Jesus experienced in that first century...

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Introdu...

Dr. Pat Thomas, my dear friend and one of Tyler’s finest physicians, told me of a little girl who was asked shortly after Christmas, “Did you get all you wanted for Christmas?”  She replied, “No!  But it wasn’t my birthday!” She had learned at an early age one of life’s greatest lessons: Life did not revolve around...

Loneliness is one of the most common and most devastating emotions of life. Loneliness is being the new kid at school and nobody knows your name. It’s moving to a new town and leaving all your friends behind. It’s your parents going through a divorce and you don’t know which one you’re going to live with. It’s coming home to an empty hous...

Almost forgotten now - seldom ever recalled – is the Christmas Day of 1914. The First World War was in its first years, and as Christmas drew near, the thoughts of men of both armies, facing each other across the dead strewn “No Man’s Land,” turned towards home. Home where the Christmas trees were gaily decorated amid the warmth and love of the...

With the commercialization of Christmas, its real meaning is often obscured. If we aren’t careful, the tinsel and the wrappings will blot out the star and the straw of Bethlehem. What is the real meaning of Christmas? • Christmas is for family. The song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is more than just a perennial favorite. It is the de...