Charles Colson 1931-2012

                Upon learning of Richard Nixon’s enemies list, Vice-President Gerald Ford said, “anyone who needs a list to keep track of their enemies has too many enemies.” The man who created the list and then used it as a list of people for the president to get even with, died earlier this month: his name was Charles Colson.

                Colson was, in a lot of ways, the modern day Apostle Paul. He spent the first half of his life screaming about the bad guys and the last half of his life spending hundreds of teaching and ministering in prisons. Who was Charles Colson?

                He was born Charles Wendell Colson in October 1931 and after receiving a B.A. from Brown University in 1953, became a Captain in the Marine Corp. He never got to hang out with what I would call ‘Blue Collar’ until 1973, he was always an officer, or a partner in a law firm, or as was the case in Washington, Special Counsel for the President.  The title meant that he would go to the White House with Nixon in 1969 and just be paid for hanging out with the guy, which BTW, is the ONLY way I would have hung out with Nixon.

                It was Watergate that ended one life and began the start of his real one.

                I have always tried to see something beneficial that happened in every presidential administration. To be honest, there are some I am studying with a microscope in hopes of finding something. In the Nixon case, it was Colson.

                He came from a very puritanical background and was absolutely convinced he was incorruptible. The 205 days he spent in prison convinced him otherwise.

                His other life began in 1973 as he awaited sentencing. A friend gave him a copy of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. As he read, Colson began to see his arrogance, his piety, his sin. He was to have served up to 7 year sentence, but it was commuted. That was the first example of God working in my Brother Chuck’s life. He promised his fellow prisoners he would not forget them and thus began, in 1976, Prison Fellowship Ministries.

                For 37 years, Colson ministered to the prisoners, telling his stories, letting them know that we are all sinners, but also that we are all forgiven.

                He also over the years wrote 30 books. I know that Colson was a lawyer, but he explained theology better than more theologians. His thought process was a lot like mine, so his conclusions gave me a few “well, Duh,” moments and have brought me along in my faith.

                Charles Colson, thank you for your work for the Kingdom. I’ll thank you in person later.

Random Thoughts

I’m most comfortable outside my comfort level-which would be funny if it weren’t true, but consider the following.

1-I have a stutter-it’s slight and I’ve learned how to control it, so of course the subject I picked for my Bachelor’s Degree was Communications. I’ve learned what words trigger it, so I either trick my brain as it were before I say them, or I choose different words altogether.

2-I have an aversion to guns. I don’t hate them; I just don’t feel comfortable around them: so of course I enlisted in the army. I grew up in the south and the Drill Sergeants assumed I was weaned deer hunting. I’m also not a fan of violent movies-unless the violence drives the plot, which is rare. So picture a 40 year old with an aversion to guns and violence standing in the middle of 18-24 year old trying to blend in.

 

When I was a kid, I learned the verbal patter I now have by watching old movies.

I thought Groucho Marx was the funniest person that was ever-ever. I believe I can still quote most of his lines from any Marx Brothers movie. I don’t remember which one of their movies I first saw, but I remember the local PBS station every Saturday during the summer playing a Laurel and Hardy, a Marx Brothers, or W. C. Fields. These were treasures to a fat kid with no friends, and I developed the timing that unknowingly became me. I didn’t set out to become a Julius, a Bill Dukenfields, a Stanley Jefferson, or Groucho, W.C. Fields, and Stan Laurel respectively. My mustache is not made of grease paint, but I’m able to go into a whimsical wordiness that would woo. Thanks Groucho.