Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

There are many people who see no need of going to church. They say, “I can be just as good a Christian by staying home, so why attend? This question deserves an answer and I have it.  First: We should go to church to worship God. This is by far is the most important reason for church attendance. We do not go to church just to hear a sermon or to see o...

Is life worth living? Obviously many people don’t think so by the way they waste it. Some waste their life suddenly by suicide, while others waste their life by degrees through alcohol or narcotics. They feel that life has no aim, no purpose, no meaning. Life is worth living. It was created by God and, like all things he made, “It was good.” Million...

Bishop John Reed told about two sailors who arrived by boat in England. Their first night ashore, they went into a bar and drank themselves silly. At the end of the evening they walked out of the bar unsteady on their feet. Looking into the dense London fog, they were unable to find their way back to their ship. Then they saw a gentleman coming into the bar. Unknown...

Trouble knocks a lot of nonsense out of us. It often knocks us off our high-horse and onto our knees. It's then that it reminds us of our need of God.   The instructions on some medicine bottles say, “shake well before using.” That’s what God has to do to us sometimes. He shakes us to make us usable.   American novelist Thornton...

On average, there are 123 suicides every day. Although suicide rates are highest in many of the poorer countries in the world, even those countries that have solved most of their economical and social problems still suffer from epidemic levels of this terrible scourge.  Almost everyone agrees that suicide is wrong. But why is it wrong? The Bible gives us the ans...

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,...

During India’s mutiny against Great Britain 1857-58, British soldiers were camped outside the city of Delhi when the commander gave the order for his men to attack the city. Medics began to move among the troops to determine who among them was fit for battle. A young soldier lay wounded and as the medic looked at him, he pled, “Sir, please don’t dec...

There is an old western painting of a rugged wagon train that has been drawn into a circle for the evening. The men are gathered around the campfire, and the wagon-master has some maps spread out before him. On the map is a heavy black line that traces the zigzag course they have followed. They have swung a little to the left, then south, but always toward the west.&n...

In his book, Trial by Ordeal, Craig Parshall tells of a conversation between Tess and Kevin. A homeless man has died and Kevin felt no responsibility for him. Then Tess reminds him of A Christmas Carol by Dickens where a ghost comes to Scrooge’s door and tells him, “Mankind is your business.” Then she tells Kevin, “This man is a part of your r...