Category: HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY
Marching on to a Better Land
“La, me, child! I never thought anybody would care enough for me to tell of my trials and sorrows in this world!” That was Charlotte Brooks’ response when she heard that her friend, Octavia, planned to write the story of Aunt Charlotte’s life for publication. Both...
Lessons from the Friends of William Cowper
Any way you look at it, the poet William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”) had a difficult life. His mother and five siblings died by the time William was six years old. He was sent to a boarding school where an older student abused him. As an adult...
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,...
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...
