Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

I read sometime ago in Reader’s Digest an article that was encouraging people to be creative in dealing with various problems. And it suggested that if you go to a hotel and the innkeeper says that they do not have any room, rather than just turning and walking away, use your imagination. The article said that most hotels always save a few extra rooms for specia...

I read somewhere of a story about a group of teenagers who broke into the department store one night. They didn’t steal or destroy anything. They just had a wonderful time switching price tags. The next morning customers were puzzled and delighted to find fur coats selling for $5. Lotion was priced at $100. A silver service set was marked at $1.75 and a pair of...

Does going to church matter? Let’s ask Henry Brinton, former pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia. He once wrote of a U.S. president’s church attendance, “Politically, church attendance is a sign of integrity. If the president says he’s a Christian, then going to church shows that he doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the w...

I loved the 2010 movie “True Grit.” For one thing, I liked the music, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” But the main reason was the acting of then fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld who played the part of Mattie Ross. When they started filming, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon used a lot of curse words. So, little Hailee started a “bad boy ja...

Years ago a man called our church office wanting me to do the wedding of his daughter.  When he found out I was going to be on vacation that week he said, “Why do preachers need a vacation? The devil never takes one.” I thought to myself, “If I didn’t take a vacation every once in a while I’d be as mean as the devil.” &nb...

When Billy Curry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers it was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream. He had always wanted to play for the famed coach Vince Lombardi. At the first training camp Lombardi said to the players, “Men, around here, our priorities are three and in this order:  God, family, and the Green Bay Packers.”  Then, Curry remembers,...

Walt Garrison, who once played running back for the Dallas Cowboys, was asked if he ever saw Coach Tom Landry smile. He replied, “No, but I’ve only been here six years.” Landry, of course, had a great sense of humor. But he was usually so absorbed in the management of the game he was coaching at the time that he seldom showed any emotion, including...

Knute Rockne was one of the greatest football coaches ever. In his 13 years at Notre Dame, his teams won 105 games, lost 12, and tied 5. He never had a secret practice. In fact, he sometimes put up a sign for visitors that said, “Secret practice. Come and bring your notebooks.” On one occasion when an Army scout missed a train connection and didn’t...

If we aren’t careful in this materialistic world, we can be misled by appearances and blinded by unseen values. For example, the scriptures say, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold" (Proverbs 16:16). German philosopher Immanuel Kant said, “Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.” A well-ordered life, one that’...