In 1519, Martin Luther took the little German village of Grimma by storm. He had recently become somewhat of a national icon for having taken on the famous Dr. Eck in a seriously heavyweight theological disputation in Leipzig. The relatively unknown German monk was catapulted to stardom overnight and became the poster boy for a transformative new […]
If you were an athletics superstar, would you walk away from that role to do something self-sacrificing? What if you inherited millions of dollars—would you give it all away and live very simply? Charles Thomas Studd, a 19th-century Englishman, did both! C.T., as he was known, was born into a wealthy upper-class family, the third […]
Based on Genesis 39 She had all that any 19th-century BC Egyptian woman could ever hope to have—beauty, a wealthy and powerful husband, and a life of ease. Her husband, so long as she continued to please him, could afford to showcase the gem of her beauty in a setting of luxury where she was […]
Exhausted, Private Desmond T. Doss sank to his knees on the barracks floor next to his bunk and began talking to God like he always did before sleeping. The day had been overwhelming, and he needed strength to cope with his new, rough companions—their cursing, tempers, filthy jokes, and bullying. Thud! A military boot narrowly missed […]
After tempting Adam and Eve to sin, Satan claimed the earth as his and styled himself the prince of this world. Having conformed to his own nature the father and mother of our race, he thought to establish here his empire. He declared that men had chosen him as their sovereign. Through his control of […]
John Huss’s eyes drifted from the paper in his hand to the quiet landscape of Hussinetz, Bohemia, that autumn day in 1414. His mind thought back to the bustling capital city of Prague, where stood his own dear Bethlehem Chapel. There, every week, he had boldly preached God’s Word to hungry souls in their own […]
When we read the book of Acts, the names of Peter and Paul dominate its headlines. Minor characters show up for a time, then disappear into the records of heaven. Yet without those minor characters, Christian history would have been quite different. The apostle Barnabas is one of those minor characters who significantly influenced Christian […]
Imagine that a hostile nation which worships its supreme leader has just won World War III. Your country has been destroyed, and most of your family and many of your closest friends have been lined up and shot. You and a few friends, however, are among an elite group of young captives selected for future […]
In 1759, Kingston upon Hull, or just “Hull,” in Yorkshire County, England, was situated far enough off the beaten track to be little known. But on August 24, an unusually tiny and frail baby was born there who would one day put his village on the map and make the Wilberforce name known around the […]
“If I am ever killed by someone, you or the children must administer justice,” 16-year-old Di Yay’s father told his mother. Little did Di Yay realize that he would soon be staring at his wounded father, blood flowing from a bullet that had pierced through his forehead to his neck. “Dad, what happened to you? […]