Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Someone said, “God made the country, man made the city, and the devil made the small town.” He could have had your town in mind. Most people at one time or another contribute to the spread of idle gossip and groundless rumors. Rare indeed is the person who will let such information end with his hearing. While most people participate in rumors about others...

Dr. Bill Hinson, the chaplain at Baylor University, told of a salesman friend of his who was driving through the back roads of Missouri some time ago when he came upon a little country gas station/grocery store. It had a gravel driveway and just one gas pump in the front. While the attendant filled his car, he turned and walked into the little grocery store. The store...

When Robert Burns on his deathbed spoke to his beloved nephew, he patted his well-worn Bible and said, “Read the Book and be a good man and when you come to the place where I am now, you will know that that’s all that’s important.” The Bible is the Magna Carta of human rights. It is the sailor’s compass. It is the shepherd’s staff....

Fast Lane Magazine once conducted a poll among 400 men between the ages of 18 and 34. Their question was, “Other than yourself, what person would you like most to be like?” In response to the question, number one on the list of those polled was Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North. Number two was President Ronald Regan. Number three was Clint Eastwood, and tie...

Fulton Sheen, the late Roman Catholic bishop, once proposed that since America had a Statue of Liberty on the East Coast, the country should establish a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast. It was said that during the years of his presidency Harry Truman kept on his desk a sign that stated, “The buck stops here.” It consistently reminded him that h...

Milton Cunningham tells that when he was in Africa, he was seated at a banquet table with the Litunga of Barotseland and members of his family. The Litunga was one of the paramount royal chiefs of Africa. His kingdom was in the western providence of Zambia. Milton says, ”I was seated next to a young African lady about 20 years old who was a member of the Litunga...

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...

Jesse Jackson said some time ago that we sometimes allow our children to “eat junk and to watch junk and listen to junk and to play with junk and to talk junk, and then we wonder why they grow up to be social junkies.” To that I would add that we sometimes allow ourselves as well as our children to think junk. If we are continually focusing on junk in ever...

One of the greatest athletes who ever lived was the legendary Bobby Jones, the golfer. One of the things that characterized him was his absolute honesty in playing the game. In fact, on one occasion in a crucial match, he accidentally moved the ball as he was addressing it with his club. Though he moved it just a fraction, and though he was out in the rough and no one...