Paul W. Powell Legacy Library

Many years ago when the Baltimore Ravens were the Baltimore Colts I saw them play the Houston Oilers in a thrilling exhibition game. The score seesawed back and forth until, with one minute and 15 seconds left to play, the Oilers got the ball and methodically moved down the field to score and go ahead. Only 30 seconds were left when they kicked off and it looked as if...

The most important thing about suffering is not why it happens, but how we respond to it. Attitudes, not answers, are the keys to triumphant living. To know why suffering comes does not ease the pain or heal the hurt. But if we respond to it correctly, it can make us better regardless of its cause. How we respond to suffering is entirely up to us. We do not get to ch...

St. Augustine wrote, “God had only one Son without sin; he has no sons without suffering.”  Likewise, the Apostle Paul, one of God’s most faithful servants, had to live with intense physical pain. Three times he asked God to relieve it but it was not taken away. However, he does not surrender to a negative attitude of self-pity. There is no not...

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...

The old proverb says, “It’s an ill wind that blows no good.”  When the storm winds of life blow your way, when trouble comes, when you experience suffering, look for the good in all of it. It is not always easy to see, of course. When Winston Churchill, the man who led England safely through World War II, was then defeated in the election of 19...

In the midst of all the rebellion, lawlessness, disorder, and crime in our world, some people are asking, “Is God at work in today’s world or has he abandoned it altogether?” Jesus once told the story of a man who planted a seed in the ground and then he went on about his daily activities. All the time that he was carrying on the normal activities o...

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...

Over the triple doorways of the Cathedral of Milan, Italy, there are three inscriptions spanning three beautiful arches. Over the first arch is sculptured a cross and with it the words, “All that troubles is but for a moment.” Over the left arch is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath it are the words, “All that pleases is but for a mo...

William Wilberforce, the British statesman and reformer, at the end of his life confessed to his son Henry, “I’m in a very distressed state.”   “Yes,” Henry replied, “but you have your feet on the Rock.” When times of distress and trouble come, and they come to all of us, it’s time to check your foundation. W...