I remember 1973 when Watergate was a daily news topic. It proved to be an interesting time to be a college student in Dr. Robert McChesney’s political science class.

Fast forward 20 years to 1993 in Pittsburgh at a Billy Graham Crusade. Chuck Colson was invited to share his testimony  20 yrs after Watergate and more importantly 20 years after his surrendering his life to Jesus Christ.

Chuck Colson had been heavily involved with illegal Watergate thefts and had fallen from high political power and influence to a low of incarceration in prison.

Colson’s words brought hope then and still do now.  His message: “I thank God for Watergate, and I thank God for prison, because through that experience I came to know what it is to have a day-in and day-out relationship with the Living God, Jesus Christ. And I’ve discovered, over these last 20 years as I reflect back on it, the three most important things have come from it: Freedom, Meaning, and Hope.“

Colson explained those three lessons. Freedom from guilt and sin was more important than freedom from prison. Meaning is not what you do but what Sovereign God chooses to do through you that matters in life. Real hope is not in government but in the power of God working in the hearts of people.

He related, ” I wouldn’t trade the worst day of the last 20 years for the best day of the 40 years preceding it, because I know Jesus Christ is true.”

According to this former marine, fallen top White House aide, ex-felon, best-selling author, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, and hopeful born-again Christian, you, too, can experience freedom from guilt and sin, meaning when you surrender yourself to God, and “hope in One Who was raised from the dead and Who lives today, the Hope of Glory, Jesus Christ.” (CC)

(Visit prisonfellowship.org for info about Prison Fellowship Ministries, which now serves in 117 countries. To learn more about Chuck Colson’s life and beliefs, read BORN AGAIN or any of his many books.)