Category: HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY
The Mysterious Ways of God in the Life of Emily Chubbuck
Emily Chubbuck wanted to be a missionary—at least, that’s what she wanted when she was about 12 years old. The exciting reports from some of the first missionaries from the United States, Adoniram Judson and his young wife, Ann, captured the imagination of the whole country,...
Robert Chapman: Famous for Love
Early in Robert Chapman’s ministry, his friends were not impressed with his preaching. They told him to give it up. Chapman replied: “There are many who preach Christ, but not so many who live Christ. My great aim will be to live Christ.”1 Chapman did become...
Selina, the Less-than-Perfect Servant
Selina was discouraged. The evangelist John Wesley, her friend, had assured her that it was possible for Christians to attain a state of sinless perfection in this life. Try as she might, the strong-willed and devoted Selina could not accomplish this lofty goal. She felt her...
Serempore Sorrows: Finding Courage in Catastrophe
William Carey’s associates at the Serampore Mission in India were unsure how the fire started. Perhaps it was a workman’s hookah or even arson. Regardless, the long building that housed the translation work burned to the ground. At times flames shot 25 feet into the...
Setbacks
George Frederick Handel’s career was afflicted with setbacks. Twice bankrupt, he had fallen out of favor with audiences, and financial woes mounted. With such strains upon him, he plunged into the task of writing “Messiah”. Servants reported that for the 24-day duration of the project, his...
Still Faithful: George Muller’s Prayer-hearing God
The living, eternal Lord always came through for George Muller. He cared for over 10,000 orphans throughout his life in Bristol, England, but he made his needs known only to God. He believed God answered over 50,000 of his prayers. One of Muller’s hopes in trusting...
The Conversion of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
The great nineteenth-century English pastor and evangelist, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was converted to Christ as a young man on January 6, 1856. In Spurgeon’s own words, it happened like this: I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and despair until now had it not...
The Child of So Many Tears
For years, Monica’s second son was a source of staggering grief to his mother. Her oldest son was exemplary and her daughter was devout. But her second son, Augustine, the most gifted of her children, was also the biggest disappointment. At 16, he stole fruit from...
The Boy Who Rode His Bicycle to Eternal Life
The missionary did not want to leave, but to stay would have meant risking not only his own life, but also the lives of his people. Mao Tse-Tung, the communist leader of China, had ordered that all missionaries (or “spiritual aggressors,” as he called them) must...
The 95 Theses of Martin Luther
On October 31st, 1517, Dr. Luther nailed the 95 theses on the Wittenberg castle church door. These points of discussion were immediately distributed across the German countryside and soon over the whole European continent. Martin Luther would develop his views further as time went on. Here...
