Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Years ago in a church I pastored, we had a faithful member. She was there every time the doors were opened. In a previous church she had been the president of the Women’s Missionary Union. As the leader of that ministry she had often led that church to pray for missions—for the conversion of the heathen and for the church to send missionaries to distant la...

Charles Drew was one of the great black American surgeons and scientists. He made a principal contribution to the American Red Cross blood program in learning and discovering that blood plasma, as opposed to whole blood, was not only acceptable but preferable in blood transfusions. Up until his time, if you wanted a blood transfusion, you could use only whole blood. W...

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;...

Sometime ago a survey was conducted asking people which was the greatest problem—ignorance or apathy? Sixty-five percent of the people said, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Apathy means “no feeling.” It is the opposite of sympathy, which means to “feel with.” One of the greatest problems we have in our world toda...

How do we serve God? Once when Jesus was talking about feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the sick, and helping those in trouble he said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). We serve God by helping other people. Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and visiting th...

Somebody asked Billy Graham about the many converts who came to his revivals, “Will they last?” He replied, “You might as well go to the hospital in the maternity ward and ask that same question about the newborn babies you see behind the glass.” “Will they last?” The answer is “no” unless somebody loves them, feeds them...

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...

A light is not to look at but to look by. It does not exist to draw attention to itself but to help us to see other things more clearly. It is this basic quality of light that led Jesus to say to his followers of all ages, “You are the light of the world.” What did he mean?  The world is groping in spiritual darkness and cannot find God. It is the pu...

Occasionally one hears the complimentary statement, “He is a Christian and a gentleman.” The expression throws a shadow across our modern brand of Christianity. The implication is that a Christian is not necessarily a gentle person. In all likelihood all of us could relate a case or two to bear out the point. Most of us have to work for years to wear off...