Category: Biography

Isaac Watts – Rejected Suitor

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...

If Darwin Could See Us Now

In a recent U. S. District Court decision, Judge John Jones ruled that intelligent design is a theological argument and not science. This religious belief, he said, is “masquerading as a scientific theory” and has “utterly no place in a science curriculum.” I cannot delve into...

I Leave the Costing to You—Darlene Deibler Rose

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.” That was on Friday, March 13th, 1942, when Russell Deibler was taken from the cottage where he, his wife, Darlene,...

How to Ascertain the Will of God

From George Muller’s Narratives I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are...

Heavenly-minded, Courageous John Bradford

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. John Bradford lived in Britain in the 16th century. He was...

Hard Work: The Spurgeon Way

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...

Grace for a Wretch like John Newton

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, just as he did every...

Going Where the Need Was Greatest: The Story of Elizabeth Wilson

I can imagine Elizabeth Wilson turning over the calendar page at the end of another year and softly sighing. Perhaps she caught a glimpse of her gray hair in the mirror and wondered if she had been mistaken all these years. Perhaps God never meant for...

“With Skilled, Kind Fingers that Did Not Tremble”: The Story of Dr. Eleanor Chesnut

Eleanor Chestnut was born in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1868. Her father left the family about the time Eleanor was born. When she was three, her mother died, too, leaving her in the care of neighbors. Eleanor grew up knowing that she was a charity case and a...

A Helper Suitable for Francis Schaeffer

Edith Seville was ready for a fight. The announced topic for the young people’s meeting in her liberal Presbyterian church was “How I know that Jesus is Not the Son of God, and How I Know that the Bible is not the Word of God.” The...