January 21. Peter Muhlenberg. When Peter was in his early twenties and a mere deacon, a family friend suggested Peter might make a good missionary to Native Americans. But Peter’s father vetoed the idea and said Peter might ‘turn Indian sooner than turn the Indians Christian.’”  But Peter knew how to work hard. When he […]

January 20. Hiram Rhodes Revels. Revels was a US citizen, never a slave, not the son of slaves. In fact, there was no history of slavery in his family. Still, some history books refer to him as a freedman—an emancipated slave. It just wasn’t true.  Today’s story takes place immediately after the Civil War, when—for many people—prejudice and slavery were life-and-death issues.  Revels stepped into history […]

January 19. James Tour. James was already brilliant when he entered college. But he didn’t know everything. He didn’t know Christ, and the language of the Christians around him started out confusing, but he soon became intrigued.   James is still brilliant. He is now a nanotechnologist and a Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, and Professor of Computer Science.   In 2008, James won the Feynman Prize in […]

January 18. Eric Protzman. Eric knew God—in a way, loved his family, and thought life would be fair. How do you think that worked out?  Life is unfair; God can turn your pain into his purpose.  After Eric watched his grandfather suffer eight long years of the degradation of dementia, Eric told God, “I’m out.”  His grandfather, Dr. Weston, had been a surgeon who had restored—to many […]

January 17. Antony the Great. According to theologian Athanasius, when Antony was about 20, the devil afflicted him with boredom, laziness, and phantoms of women, which Antony overcame by waging a war of prayer.  After fifteen years of this battle, at 35, Anthony withdrew from public life and lived in absolute solitude in an abandoned Roman fortress, where people tossed food to him over the wall. Still people found him. Over the years, many people had flocked […]

January 16. Malcolm Gladwell. In 2013, Malcom published David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. Throughout the first year of research on this book, he collected examples of people’s disadvantages turning into advantages.  For example, many American presidents and British prime ministers had lost a parent in childhood. A young shepherd boy beat the giant Goliath.  Malcolm spent time in […]

January 15. CI Scofield. On this date in 1909, Scofield published the Scofield Reference Bible. He had started out as an attorney, and President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him US district attorney for the District of Kansas. But when ugly rumors emerged about bribes, thieving, and forgery, Scofield resigned and left the area.  He was a man with many gifts and one enormous problem. […]

January 14. Deano Sargent. Deano was a man who loved God, loved his neighbor, and loved to farm. He was a faithful man. A faithful man who did the job at hand, cared for the people at hand, and didn’t worry himself about getting to the top. Here’s his story.  When you value God’s people, […]

January 13. CT Studd. CT was considered England’s most outstanding cricket player. By the time he was 16, he was an excellent player, and he played all through college and became famous throughout England.  Full of energy and courage, CT walked away from cricket, left Cambridge, to preach the Gospel in China. CT had many, many major […]

January 12. Richie Parker. Richie is a mechanical engineer. About his life, he says, “I’m thankful that I don’t have arms.” And he means it. Without arms, he’s earned a Masters of Business Administration and Engineering degree. Without arms, he became a star in auto-racing design. Without arms, he’s now using his education and his experience to help others […]