Chuck Colson was known as the most ruthless man in Washington. As Nixon's Special Counsel, he would do whatever it took to destroy the president's enemies. "I'd walk over my own grandmother to re-elect Richard Nixon," he once said. Nobody doubted he meant it.
Then Watergate happened, and Colson's world started collapsing.
The Friend With a Book
In the middle of the crisis, Colson visited his friend Tom Phillips — the CEO of Raytheon. Phillips had recently become a Christian, and Colson noticed something had changed. Phillips seemed different. Calmer. More grounded. Less afraid.
That night, Phillips read aloud from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity — specifically the chapter on pride, "The Great Sin." Lewis's words cut through every defence Colson had built. Pride was the anti-God state. Pride was the cancer at the core of every power play Colson had ever made.
The Driveway
When Colson got back to his car, he couldn't drive. He sat in Tom Phillips' driveway and wept. For the first time in his life, the man who'd walk over his own grandmother felt the full weight of what he'd become. "Take me," he prayed. No eloquent words. Just surrender.
Colson gave his life to Christ that night in 1973.
What Came After
Colson served seven months in federal prison for Watergate-related charges. Behind bars, he saw the broken lives of men nobody cared about — and felt God calling him to go back. He founded Prison Fellowship, which became the world's largest prison outreach, operating in over 120 countries. He spent the rest of his life fighting for the people society throws away.
The most ruthless man in Washington became the most compassionate voice for prisoners in the world. Because one friend read him a chapter from a book.
What This Means for You
Tom Phillips didn't preach at Chuck Colson. He read him a book and let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer a friend isn't your words — it's someone else's. Know what book might crack them open. Then read it out loud.