The Good Life Small-Group Special Edition [Paperback]

Charles Colson (Author), Harold Fickett (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2006

The Good Life searches for answers to the questions we all ask: Who am I? Why am I here? How can I make my life count? Reflecting on his own story and the stories of others, Chuck Colson examines the beliefs and assumptions that make up the fabric of our lives. In this edition, there is additional material that relates to a worldview campaign that is presented by both Rick Warren and Chuck Colson called Wide Angle: Framing Your Worldview. Foreword provided by Rick Warren.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The well-known story of Charles Colson's transformation from President Richard Nixon's "hatchet man" who was "incapable of humanitarian thoughts" to founder of the Prison Fellowship Ministries and internationally recognized Christian author and speaker is a triumph of God finding a man and a man finding God. His 1973 conversion to Christianity was followed by a guilty plea to obstruction of justice and a seven-month prison sentence in 1974. He founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976, fulfilling a promise made to fellow inmates that he would "never forget those behind bars."

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Special edition (December 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414311494
• ISBN-13: 978-1414311494
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Good Life" - A Good Read, June 28, 2007

By 

Alan L. Chase "Al Chase" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Good Life Small-Group Special Edition (Paperback)

I had an interesting interchange of e-mails this past week with a first-time reader of The White Rhino Report. He was put off by some of the spiritual content of the Blog, and he made the following statement: "I suppose I am a bit uncomfortable with executives leading with their spirituality as a business differentiator. It is not that I have a problem with spirituality. It is just presenting it as a distinction."

I respect the opinion of this reader, but would like to respond briefly. I have made a choice to offer in The White Rhino Report my thoughts on a wide variety of topics - leadership, sports, books, movies, theater, faith, world travel, etc. In this Blog, there is no hermetically sealed boundary between personal and professional, because in my life there is no such barrier. Professional colleagues are often friends, and friends are often colleagues. The readership of this Blog is diverse, and I assume that regular readers scan the title of a posting or read the first paragraph or two and then decide if they wish to invest more time in reading the entire posting. I also assume that when I write about spiritual maters that are personal to me, some of my readers, whose perspective on faith is different from my own, may choose to ignore what I have written, privately disagree or choose to share their disagreement in the former of a comment or e-mail to me.

I think it is a fair statement that anyone who knows me well, knows that faith is integral to my life, but that I do not beat people over the head with Bible verses nor do I use my faith in an exclusionary way. Having laid on the table this issue, let me offer some brief thoughts on a book I have just finished reading, and found to be valuable and thought-provoking.

Chuck Colson has written over twenty books since his surprising bestseller, "Born Again," written in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Following his release from prison, he founded and has run for over thirty years a successful ministry called Prison Fellowship. For almost ten years, I was a member of the staff of Prison Fellowship and came to know and respect Chuck Colson's commitment to justice, informed by his Christian faith. Colson has one of the keenest minds I have ever encountered, and his faithful service for over three decades to prisoners and their families around the globe has silenced most of his early critics who were convinced that his talk of religious conversion on the heels of his Watergate conviction was a cynical attempt to garner sympathy. On the contrary, Nixon's notorious "hatchet man" has hewn an impressive path through the forest of prison injustice and has emerged as a thought leader within the Christian community on issues of applying faith to social problems.

"The Good Life," written in collaboration with Harold Fickett, represents Colson's reflections based on thirty years of wrestling with how to apply his faith to his own personal struggles and those of society. In Colson's own words, here is the theme of this book:

"In one sense, this is a thematic memoir - the rest of the story after "Born Again." It includes reflections on my own life, some joyful, some painful. It recounts some of the crucial moments in my life and the lessons I've learned from them. I hope it also reflects my personal pursuit of what we all want - to live a life that matters, a life of significance.

Please don't think that this book is a grand summing up by a senior statesman who means to impress you with his accumulated wisdom. No. This book is for seekers - seekers of any kind, of any or no religious faith. That may surprise you. Anyone who knows about me knows that I'm a Christian. I have deep and abiding convictions, and I can hardly claim to be a neutral observer. But I am a seeker too. My search led me into Christianity, and since ten it has driven me to uncover more fully the truth that we are meant to know and live." (Page xv)

Colson weaves together in a very compelling way stories of men and women who have come to his attention - some personally and some indirectly - who have struggled mightily with question of meaning and purpose in life. "The lack of peace within our hearts spurs us on a quest for the meaning of life - a command imprinted on `unextinguished souls.' Pope John Paul II sums up the matter elegantly: `One may define the human being, therefore, as the one who seeks the truth.'" (Page 10)

Despite the fact the Colson writes from an unabashedly Christian perspective, I feel confident in recommending this book to thoughtful persons of all religious persuasions - or lack thereof. The author's look through the lens of thirty years of searching for ever deepening understanding of truth is helpful to anyone who sees herself or himself on a similar quest.

Enjoy.

Al

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars so loosely connected to Wide Angle Bible Study, March 14, 2011

By 

Just another listener "another listener" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good Life Small-Group Special Edition (Paperback)

... that you can skip buying it and reading it. Members of my church group were disappointed that this book contributed so little to the Wide Angle Bible study. We could have saved some time and money.

I don't say that it is a terrible book. I say that it is a strange choice for Wide Angle Bible study.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Good Life, October 5, 2011

By 

Paul L. Vicalvi "Occasional fisherman" (Branson, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Good Life Small-Group Special Edition (Paperback)

The Good Life, by Chuck Colson, is an excellent book if you want to read and honestly think about the world and how we fit into it. Colson has made mistakes in his life--really big mistakes--and he has paid the price. Yet this book shows how he and many others have risen up from the ashes of their mistakes and trials, with God's help, to become productive, positive human beings. The book is filled with stories of people who have stood on the moral high ground, not allowing the troubles or trials of this life to destroy their God given purpose. A must reading for those who truly seek to understand a Christian world view.