Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Introduction Our world rocks from a pleasure explosion! According to a leading news magazine, Americans will spend an estimated $913 billion dollars on movies, music, and sports this year. This preoccupation with pleasure takes on many diffe...

1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Introduction In his book Li...

  20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your na...

The supreme argument for prayer is Jesus Christ. He lived the most meaningful life ever lived. The fact that he relied so very much on prayer as a source of strength and guidance is the one unanswerable argument for us to rely on prayer also. The person who would live a happy, meaningful, and victorious life must also learn the secret of prayer. The equipment of pray...

Many people in and out of the church think of the Christian faith as gloomy, sad, and dismal. I do not know where this idea came from, but it certainly didn’t come from Jesus. The Pharisees didn’t think of him that way. They called him a glutton and a wine-bibber. He had a reputation for enjoying life. Tax collectors didn’t see him as dull either. H...

Roger Babson, who was for many years America’s foremost statistical expert and adviser on financial affairs, saw parallels between his church and the exchange on Wall Street. He said, "In Trinity Church I can exchange my fears for courage, my worries for faith, my nervousness for patience, and my selfishness for justice, kindness, and the things that really coun...

Several years ago somebody sent me a card. On the front of it was a simple saying: “Enjoy life.” And on the inside these words: “This is not a dress rehearsal.”  This is life. You are living it right now. And if you aren’t enjoying it, if you aren’t finding meaning in life right now, there is a great possibility that you will...

I walked into a hospital room several years ago and the patient was dying with cancer. He knew it and I knew it. It was obvious when I stepped into the room that he had been crying. He brushed the tears off of his cheek and said, “Come on in, preacher. Let me explain why I am crying. I want you to know that my relationship with God is in good order. Everything i...

Some time ago, a man came to Norman Vincent Peale to share with him the problems of his life. The man was the manager of a hotel. He had a nervous breakdown early in his life, and he was afraid that he was about to have another one. He began to share all of his problems and his burdens with Dr. Peale. The more he shared those problems and burdens, the more uptight he...