A Life of Redemption
Chuck Colson died last Saturday.
I've been doing a lot of thinking since that time about Chuck.
What a life story he had.... Marines. Law School. Nixon Administration. Felon. * Patriot. Accomplished Author. Cultural Commentator. Evangelical Leader.
But, his life after the * ?
What a turnaround!
“(Chuck) was living proof of the transformative power of Jesus Christ. Chuck went from the highest levels of government power in the Nixon White House to the tragedy of a jail cell. There he gave himself fully to Christ, found his true calling and emerged a new man. He was one of the greatest Christian apologists of our time, an intellectual giant dedicated to the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. His commitment to God and country was second to none.”
As we all seek to leave a legacy behind in this world, keep Chuck’s life story in mind. No matter how far you might feel you have sunk, or how worthless you may feel you are, it is never too late to turn your life around, start anew and make a difference in this world.
Enjoy your weekend…
mh
numbers 6:24-26
Quotes from Chuck Colson:
** Loving God - really loving Him - means living out His commands no matter what the cost.
** May the Christian church never be regarded as a special interest group. We're here because we love our neighbor.
** The church does not draw people in; it sends them out.
** The Bible's power rests upon the fact that it is the reliable, errorless, and infallible Word of God.
** You cannot live your life other than walking in the truth. Your means are as important as your ends.
** Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that's where our hope is in this country. And that's where our hope is in life.
I've been doing a lot of thinking since that time about Chuck.
What a life story he had.... Marines. Law School. Nixon Administration. Felon. * Patriot. Accomplished Author. Cultural Commentator. Evangelical Leader.
From Prisoner to Servant of Prisoners.
I have a few of Chuck's 20-some books - "The Faith", "The Good
Life" and “Burden of Truth”. Haven't had opportunity to read them
yet. Maybe I'll move at least one of them
up on my "to read" list. However, I was on his e-mail list and
received the text of each day's Breakpoint message around 10:30 each morning.
Usually ended up reading it as I was eating my lunch. Most of the time, it was
a really great read – lots of good material to think about. And, I always did enjoy hearing his gruff yet
inviting voice on WBGL when I'd happen to be in the car at the time Breakpoint
was airing.
This guy was rough in his pre-prison years –
some of what I’ve read this week about Chuck:
-
"I would walk over
my own grandmother if necessary" to get Nixon re-elected, Colson once
said.
-
In 1973, Time magazine
said Colson "was probably more disliked, as well as feared, than any other
White House aide ... If Colson actually performed half the various acts of
which he has been accused, he was easily the least principled of all Nixon's
associates."
-
He was Richard Nixon's
"hatchet man," the president's "evil genius," who by his
own admission was "ruthless in getting things done".
-
"He was extremely
aggressive in trying to get Nixon's policies and programs passed, as well as
for his politics to succeed. He was very bright, very able, and fairly
expedient. He didn't have strong moral qualms about what he was doing."
As you saw, there's an * in my opening paragraph
above. Something very big happened in Chuck's life at the point of that *.
He found Jesus. And what an incredible
life-changing moment that was.
His life up to that point might have been
considered by many to be an utter failure… an incredible disaster… an absolute
waste… the jerk of jerks.But, his life after the * ?
What a turnaround!
After serving seven months at Maxwell
Correctional Facility in Alabama, he founded the Prison Fellowship to push
prison reform and provide religious opportunities for prisoners. For the rest of his life, Colson worked to
bring Christian messages and Bible study to prisoners and their families.
Some of what I’ve seen written this week about
his post-prison life:
-
Time magazine named Colson
one of the 25 most influential evangelical Christians in America in 2005.
-
"Chuck became the
'William F. Buckley' of the evangelical movement."
-
"He was the least
ego-driven and one of the most friendly, kind people I've ever known."
-
“Unlike the Pat
Robertsons or Jerry Falwells of the evangelical movement, Colson never sought
the limelight.”
-
"If there were an
evangelical Mt. Rushmore, Chuck would be on it."
One of the most incredible things (IMHO) that
Chuck has been involved with in the last few years is THE MANHATTAN
DECLARATION. If you’ve not heard about
this, please link here and read: http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/13534-the-manhattan-declaration
Such an amazing turnaround! An excellent example/illustration for all of
us of the transforming power of Christ when He is invited into the heart of a
sinner. Senate Republican leader Mitch
McConnell said in a statement last week, "(Chuck) lives on as a modern
model of redemption and a permanent rebuttal to the cynical claim that there
are no second chances in life.” AMEN!
The words of Gary
Bauer.....“(Chuck) was living proof of the transformative power of Jesus Christ. Chuck went from the highest levels of government power in the Nixon White House to the tragedy of a jail cell. There he gave himself fully to Christ, found his true calling and emerged a new man. He was one of the greatest Christian apologists of our time, an intellectual giant dedicated to the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. His commitment to God and country was second to none.”
As we all seek to leave a legacy behind in this world, keep Chuck’s life story in mind. No matter how far you might feel you have sunk, or how worthless you may feel you are, it is never too late to turn your life around, start anew and make a difference in this world.
Enjoy your weekend…
mh
numbers 6:24-26
Quotes from Chuck Colson:
** Loving God - really loving Him - means living out His commands no matter what the cost.
** May the Christian church never be regarded as a special interest group. We're here because we love our neighbor.
** The church does not draw people in; it sends them out.
** The Bible's power rests upon the fact that it is the reliable, errorless, and infallible Word of God.
** You cannot live your life other than walking in the truth. Your means are as important as your ends.
** Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that's where our hope is in this country. And that's where our hope is in life.
