Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

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,...

Depression is one of the most common of all emotions. It comes to all of us occasionally. It can range from mild and temporary to severe and prolonged. There are times when we just have the blues for a day or two, and there are other times when it seems as though the light of life has gone out. When it comes to depression I know what I’m talking about. I’...

A teacher told her class to list the Seven Wonders of the World. The generally accepted group consists of: The Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon, Panama Canal, Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Great Wall of China. One little girl was having trouble making her list so the teacher asked if she could help. The little girl said...

Violence is no new thing. Cain, first mortal man of natural birth, killed his own brother in a jealous rage. God, knowing his heart, warned if he didn’t deal with his anger it would end up destroying him. And, it did. Anger will do that to anyone. The fact that we usually turn to the church for answers in times of crisis indicates that we know this is basically...

You are one in a million so why bother to vote, to speak up, to get involved, or to commit yourself? The German author Hans Habe tells us why. He said, “The world is one percent good, one percent bad, and 98 percent neutral. That’s why what individuals do is so important.” The tragedy of our world is neutrality. Most people want to play it safe. The...

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah. Introduction No 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...

Dan Bagby, a fellow pastor, once asked his seven-year-old daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. That’s a hard question for a seven-year-old to answer. Her answer was even more surprising. She said, “I want to be like my brother.”  He was fourteen at the time. Then she added a word that Bagby didn't even know she knew: “...medioc...

We all have certain abilities, and what we have we ought to use to the maximum. Paul “Bear” Bryant was the legendary coach of the University of Alabama and Texas A&M. He said there are four types of players:  those with ability and they know it; those with ability and they don’t know it; those who don’t have ability and they know it;...