Dear Friends,
Chuck Colson, once known as the hatchet man for President Richard
Nixon, has always had a special place in my heart. His book Born Again, has
remained one of my all-time favorite books.
Chuck, a "Semper Fi" man, rose quickly through
the Marine Corp to become the youngest captain in its history. He enjoyed a
successful legal career before entering politics, becoming one of the most
influential members of President Richard Nixon’s cabinet.
As a member of the Nixon administration, he had a reputation
for being willing to do whatever was needed to support the president, even if
it meant ruthless, unethical, and illegal behavior.
But God got a hold of his life and radically transformed it. His
coming to Christ and the changes this decision made in his life story are
remarkably told in the book, Men and Women and the Secrets of Their
Greatness, by Eric Metaxas which I am now reading.
Influenced by Tom Philips, CEO of Raytheon, who came to know
Christ at a Billy Graham crusade and reading C.S Lewis’ book Mere
Christianity, Colson turned his life over to Christ. While best known for
birthing Prison Fellowship, and Project Angel Tree, a ministry in which
Christmas gifts are given to families in the name of those incarcerated, Colson
has left behind a legacy of significant ministries that continue
today
What particularly caught my attention in reading Colson's
story was his final word regarding his funeral wishes: "I want my funeral
services to be joyful. I don't want people to be sad because I believe with
every ounce of conviction in my body that death is but a homecoming, and that
we'll be in the presence of God. It's the culmination of life. It's a
celebration"
Chuck's funeral was no sad, somber or solemn occasion; it was
a celebration, a homecoming. He knew that to be "absent from the body
was to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8), and because he did,
he left planet earth smiling in the face of death.
One day death will call us home. Those like Chuck, who have
confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will enter into eternal
life. They will discover that death in not a period but a conjunction, for a
believer does not stay dead when he dies, for death can never
destroy what is eternal.
Romans 14:8 assures that we are on the right side of victory
for "If we live, we live to the Lord; And if we die, we die to the Lord.
So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." In Christ, we are
winners in life and in death, and I'll take that promise any day.
Yours in faith and friendship,
Tom
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