Category: Biography

William Whiting Borden: The Millionaire Who Wanted to be a Missionary

I was hoping to be inspired during some downtime as I sat in the missionary guesthouse on a recent ministry trip in Africa. In the biography section of their library, I found a book by Warren Wiersbe entitled Victorious Christians You Should Know. One of the...

When Jesus Speaks: Following New Covenant Commands

When Eric Liddell (1902-1945), the famous Scottish Olympic runner of “Chariots of Fire” fame, dedicated his life to working with the Chinese as a missionary, he still could outrun most of us. His daughter recalls that he once caught a hare on foot for supper. But...

What Did George Muller Think About the Bible?

George Muller loved orphans. By the end of his life in the late 1800’s, he had housed over 10,000 in Bristol, England. Remarkably, throughout his ministry he made needs known only to God. Muller’s ultimate desire for destitute boys and girls was not just to provide...

Vying for the Title “The Chief of Sinners”: Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest had a mean temper. He loved to gamble, often winning and losing thousands of dollars in a single evening. He made his fortune as a slave trader and was a leader in the Ku Klux Klan. He cursed, was given to violence and...

The Morning Star of Wittenberg: Katharina von Bora Luther

The reformer Martin Luther said he married for several reasons: to make his father happy, to rile the pope, make the angels laugh and the devil weep, and to seal his testimony. He made no mention of romantic love; in fact, one of Luther’s biographers suggested...

The Gospel Your Works Are Preaching

In Corrie ten Boom’s famous biography, The Hiding Place, she tells the story of her Tante (Aunt) Jans, a stern, commanding woman who lived with the ten Booms in their family home. Everything about Tante Jans was no-nonsense. She dressed in black from head to toe in...

The Most for the Most Unhappy: Pastor and Philanthropist, Andrew Reed

On the day of his ordination, Andrew Reed must have known that he wouldn’t have an easy ministry. His first pastorate was with the New Road Chapel in East London, and the church had fallen on hard times. The once-vibrant congregation had dwindled to only sixty...

The Little Girl with Big Feet: Dr. Shi Meiyue

Mr. and Mrs. Shi knew that their daughter would never marry because of her big feet. Friends and neighbors commented on them constantly, and the other children teased little Meiyue whenever she ventured outside. Shi Meiyue was a descendent of one of the most aristocratic families...

The Foreign Devil Who Baked Virginia Tea Cakes: The Irrepressible Lottie Moon

John A. Broadus called Charlotte (Lottie) Diggs Moon “the most educated woman in the South.” She came from a wealthy family, had a successful career in education and was rumored to have an offer of marriage from one of her professors. So how did this four-foot,...

The Remedy of Self-Sacrificing Service: The Ministry of Susannah Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon was only nineteen years old when he was called to be the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel, the church Susannah Thompson attended occasionally with friends. She was singularly unimpressed when she first heard him preach. The eloquence and powerful sermons of the...