Hi friends,
On this episode of Divine Intervention, we talk about what God is doing in the prison system. Our three special guests are Founder of Prison Fellowship and former Presidential Aide to President Nixon, Chuck Colson, current Prison Fellowship CEO Jim Liske, and prison minister Tony Loeffler of Solid Rock Ministries.
Prison Fellowship Founder Chuck Colson
More than 35 years ago, Charles W. Colson was not thinking about reaching out to prison inmates or reforming the U.S. penal system. In fact, this aide to President Richard Nixon was "incapable of humanitarian thought," according to the media of the mid-1970s. Colson was known as the White House "hatchet man," a man feared by even the most powerful politicos during his four years of service to President Nixon.
When news of Colson's conversion to Christianity leaked to the press in 1973, the Boston Globe reported, "If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everybody." Colson would agree. He admits he was guilty of political "dirty tricks" and willing to do almost anything for the cause of his president and his party. In 1974, Colson entered a plea of guilty to Watergate-related charges; although not implicated in the Watergate burglary, he voluntarily pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the Daniel Ellsberg case.
He entered Alabama's Maxwell Prison in 1974 as a new Christian and as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges. He served seven months of a one-to-three year sentence before being released. But Colson never really left prison. Haunted by the desperation and hopelessness he saw behind bars, Colson knew he had to do something to help the men he left behind. In fact, he had a promise to keep.
In 1976, Colson founded Prison Fellowship, which, together with churches of all confessions and denominations, has become the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families, with ministry taking place in 113 countries around the globe.
Colson sensed God's calling to comment on the culture through the written and spoken word. He has written more than 30 books, which have collectively sold more than five million copies. His autobiographical book Born Again was one of the nation's best-selling books of all genres in 1976 and was made into a feature-length film.
Colson continues to be a sought after speaker, cultural commentator and one of America's staunchest defenders of Christianity.
Prison Fellowship CEO Jim Liske
Jim Liske joined Prison Fellowship as CEO in July 2011. He comes to PF after serving for nine years as the senior pastor at Ridge Point Community Church in western Michigan. Under Jim’s leadership, Ridge Point began a para-church organization that helps newly released prisoners deal with addiction recovery challenges, find employment, and transition back into the community.
Jim grew up on a family farm in Michigan, where he gained a strong work ethic and a firm foundation in the Christian faith. He sensed a call to full-time ministry as a young man and in 1986 earned a master’s of divinity from Denver Seminary in Denver, Colo. Since then, he has led churches and organizations in the United States and Canada. Jim is the husband to his beloved Cathy with whom he is raising two children, Allison and Joshua.
The Solid Rock Prison Ministry Founder, Tony Loeffler
Tony Loeffler is a singer, songwriter, producer, and recording artist. He has released 14 albums on the L&A Records label.
Taking his music message into the prisons for 38 years throughout America, Uganda, Switzerland, Ireland, England, Iceland, France, India, Canada, Iceland, Domincan Republic, Brazil, Trinidad, Bahamas, Tortolla, and Cuba, he has performed for over 900,000 inmates. His life has spanned from a "skid row” bum in Chicago, IL to receiving Presidential recognition for some of his musical works.
Tony is the president of the Solid Rock Evangelistic Association in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. He is well respected and has been interviewed on radio and TV stations throughout the world concerning his extensive work in the prisons and with the poor.
Click the links below to hear the amazing testimonies of these three fascinating men, and hear what the Lord is doing in the prison systems of the world!
Download DI # 122 Colson-Liske-Loeffler FULL SHOW
Download DI # 122 Colson-Liske-Loeffler Pt 1
Download DI # 122 Colson-Liske-Loeffler Pt 2
