Chuck Colson, eternal rejoicing for a cheerful culture of life warrior

From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.
St Teresa of Avila

There is nothing worse than a depressing culture warrior.
Sure the battle is a losing one (on this side of Heaven) and the enemy, in the space of two generations,  has won over the great majority of formerly Christian institutions (media, education, entertainment) but we have no reason to be gloomy, Christ has overcome the world. Our side wins the battle and rejoices eternally with the angels and saints in the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Which is part of the reason why I loved listening to Chuck Colson's  "Breakpoint" commentaries. He was upbeat, he acted as though it was actually Good News he was sharing. He was never judgemental and gave me, a Catholic, no reason to believe he thought my Faith consigned me to hell.I even had hopes he would swim the Tiber one day.
 His cheerful stories and exhortations in his inspirational show put the wind back in my sails and reminded me to fight the good fight with charity in my heart, and  a smile on my face. Chuck Colson was far from a TV evangelist, however, he was not out for popularity, never shying away from speaking the truth in love, as when he joined the Manhattan Declaration.
Prison Fellowship was an outgrowth of lessons Chuck learned in prison for his involvement in the Watergate scandal, and he kept the lesson of humble dependence on God ever before him, never forgetting where his strength came from.

God grant Eternal Joy to Chuck, and welcome him home with the words, "well (and cheerfully) done, good and faithful servant". We will miss you, Chuch Colson, as CS Lewis said, Christians never say goodbye. See you on the other side.
Rick and Karen Santorum were personal friends of Chuck Colson and made the following statement:

"Karen and I were deeply saddened to learn about Chuck's passing. Over the last few years, both in and out of public life, I've had the opportunity to get to know Chuck and have admired him and his commitment to living out his faith.

"Chuck was a humble man who learned from his own frailty to care for the 'least of these,' especially prisoners. His work to bring Christianity to those who were in their darkest days changed the lives of many.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Chuck's wife Patty, the entire Colson family and the community at Prison Fellowship Ministries during this very difficult time. Chuck was a patriot, who loved his country and loved serving his God, and we are all a little better off for having known him."