Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Joseph Parker tells the story of the little watch that was not content to serve in the pocket of his master. It kept watching Big Ben on the tower there in London and thinking, “Boy, how I would like to be the place of prominence. How I would like to be upon that tower. If I were up there, then I could serve all of London. I wouldn’t have to stay here in t...

Buckner Fanning, pastor of the Trinity Baptist Church, San Antonio, said that early in his ministry that he was preaching a revival meeting at one of the churches in Bogalusa, Louisiana. In the last service of that revival they asked a young man who had not been a Christian for a long time to give his testimony. As he stepped out on the platform Buckner said it was as...

The story is told of a woman who said to the evangelist D.L. Moody after he preached on the thief on the cross, “Do you mean I have to be saved like that poor crook?” “No, you can go on to hell if you want to,” Moody replied. “But if you are going to be saved at all, you come like this fellow came.” The real people of God are those...

I’ve been impressed as I’ve studied Christian history to see God so very oftentimes use ordinary people—those people who seem most unlikely to be used—to do his great work. All of us have heard of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great preacher of another generation. He spoke to 5,000 people every Sunday morning and 5,000 people every Sunday night....

A wealthy member of a small congregation invited the preacher home for lunch. And after lunch they went for a walk through this man’s vast ranch. They saw the lush green meadows, the fat cattle, the fruit trees, and beautiful buildings and after they had looked at all that this man owned, the rancher turned to the preacher and said, “You said today that al...

There are some things in life that are priceless. Money cannot buy them and poverty cannot take them away. One of these is a virtuous woman. Proverbs 31:10-31 describes such a lady. The writer asks, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Rich indeed is the man who has a virtuous wife. Fortunate beyond measure is the child who h...

1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love the...

Our world is victimized by bigness. We seem to be conscious only of the monumental. We are impressed with big salaries, big cars, big houses, and big people. Perhaps as never before we need to be reminded that little things mean a lot. Let it never be forgotten that glamour is not greatness, applause is not fame, noise is not influence, prominence is not eminence. Th...

I do not only believe in the inspiration of scripture, but I also believe in the application of scripture. We are obligated to practice as well as to preach the inerrant word of God.  It seems to me that a lot of people are busy espousing their positions on the scriptures without having submitted themselves in obedience to the scriptures. If we take seriously th...