Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

It has been said that the average American’s life can be summed up in three words: hurry, worry, and bury! We are all busy people. We are pulled in a thousand different directions, and a multitude of causes bid constantly for our time, energy, and influence. We are drawn by civic, social, domestic, charitable, and religious demands. In the midst of this busy ag...

Bob Gibson, star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–75), once spoke about the rough and rugged life of a famous athlete. After telling of many unpleasant experiences with the fans, he said, “I don’t like crowds—and fans, except for a very few, are all fair weather.” I suppose every famous person knows how fickle the crowd can be. J...

One of the secrets of the great life of the apostle Paul was that he learned how to forget. He did not spend his time looking at his successes or his failures. Rather, he kept focusing on the future and pressing toward the mark of Christian maturity (Philippians 3:13). This is one of the secrets of any great life. It was the brilliant mind of Aldous Huxley that came...

With the New Year coming up, most everybody is getting in on the act of making a few New Year’s resolutions of their own. Here are some of my own sideline suggestions for New Year’s resolutions. Be it resolved: To Get More Out of Church: That you won’t try to call playing golf on Sunday your “church time” any more than you would call...

I once read the following definition of anatomy given by a very small boy.  “Your head is kind of round and hard, and your brains are in it. Your neck is what keeps your head out of your collar. Your back is always behind you no matter how quick you turn around. Your fingers stick out of your hand so you can throw a curve ball. Your feet are what you run o...

One of the greatest needs, but most difficult disciplines to establish in the Christian life, is the habit of daily Bible study. I once read what Leland Wang, a dedicated Chinese Christian, said helped him develop this discipline. He wrote: 1. Carrying a Bible or New Testament in my pocket wherever I go. Verses can be read in spare moments. I always have the word of...

Troubles take many forms in our lives. Sometimes they take the form of illness or death. Sometimes they take the form of financial losses or disappointments. Whatever their form, troubles do come and it's our attitude toward them that is most important. Trouble can make us bitter or better, depending on our attitude. How are we to react to problems? I offer thre...

You know it is tragic to see a person [grow, excel] in one area and not grow in another. Some of you remember reading about Babe Didrikson Zaharias, perhaps the greatest woman athlete ever to live in America. In 1932 she won gold medals in the Olympics in the hurdles and in the javelin throw. She was not only a great track star, but she was an All-American twice as a...

I talked with a businessman this past week who made an investment some time ago. At the present time, he is getting back every month as much as his original investment. Do you know what he said to me? He said, “I wish I had been able to put more into it.” If you ever look at life as the kind of investment that brings back to you according to what you put i...