Grace for a Wretch like John Newton
Author: Susan Verstraete

It must have been cold in John Newton's study as he prepared his sermon during the last week of December, 1773. From his second-floor retreat, Newton could see the church at Olney, England, where he would preach on New Years' Day.

Hard Work: The Spurgeon Way
Author: Jim Elliff

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the renowned preacher of London in the 1800s, was not only a gifted leader, but was a hard worker. By the time most pastors write a few emails, wrestle with the dates for VBS and read the junk mail, Spurgeon would have completed a mountain of tasks.

Heavenly-minded, Courageous John Bradford
Author: Steve Burchett

What would inspire a man to fearlessly preach Christ and offer words of hope in the minutes just before he was burned to death on a stake? Consider the life, and death, of John Bradford.

Herbert Brown: The Anointed Stutterer
Author: Steve Burchett

How to Ascertain the Will of God
Author: George Mueller

From George Muller's Narratives "Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever that may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is."

I Leave the Costing to You—Darlene Deibler Rose
Author: Susan Verstraete

The last words Russell Deibler would say to his young wife were, “Remember one thing, dear: God said He would never leave us nor forsake us.”

I Never Made a Sacrifice : Hudson Taylor, Missionary to China
Author: Susan Verstraete

From his conversion in his teens, Hudson Taylor had a deep passion for God and desire to serve him as a missionary in China.

If Darwin Could See Us Now
Author: Daryl Wingerd

Were he alive today, Charles Darwin, an honest and objective scientist, would recognize that his theory of evolution has been disproved by his own stated criteria—the discovery of many plants, animals, and birds that are irreducibly complex.

Isaac Watts - Rejected Suitor
Author: Susan Verstraete

Isaac had butterflies in his stomach as he paced nervously around the room. Today was the day he would meet Elizabeth Singer for the first time. Several months ago Elizabeth, a noted poet in her own right, wrote to tell Isaac how moved she was by his work. Isaac replied, and through the next several months of correspondence the two fell in love—there was even talk of marriage.

John Bunyan: Blessing God for Affliction
Author: Susan Verstraete

"Like the tearing of my flesh from my bones."

That's how John Bunyan described parting with his family after their brief visits with him in prison. Each time they walked away, John was reminded of the great difficulty his incarceration imposed on them, especially on his blind daughter, Mary. "What sorrow you are likely to have as your portion in this world!" he wrote. "You must be beaten, must beg, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand other calamities, even though I cannot so much as bear the wind blowing upon you."