It was my last day working with Chuck Colson. He sat behind his desk reviewing the syllabus for the seminar, "Get Ready to Soar!" We were saying goodbye, which meant that "Get Ready to Soar! would not be taught in the "in prison seminars" or the "Washington Seminar" any longer. He knew that it was in my mind to go back into counseling. He knew that I also wanted to continue doing the seminar. What Chuck said as he laid the syllabus on his desk top surprised me, "Paul, if you are able to get this seminar going, it could turn the world upside down!" Chuck was always one for understatement.

I had indeed seen things happen during this program that I had not seen before. "Get Ready to Soar!" had already been instrumental in affecting the lives of thousands of people while it was conducted under the auspices of Chuck Colson's organization. One prison inmate enjoyed it so much that he postponed his release date to complete it. However, Chuck's hopes did not come to pass. I never felt justified in taking credit for the seminar's success. It likely had more to do with his celebrity than it had to do with me. I would like to think the Holy Spirit had something to do with it. In any case, I became so busy counseling and with radio ministry that continuance of the seminar never materialized in the years that followed.

These days, the program has been restructured. Instead of a 35 hour program spread over five days, it now is conducted in one day -- usually a Saturday. It seems to have lost none of its force. It is as much of an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit as it ever was. Since less time gives it sharper focus, perhaps it is even more effective.

That focus is a refreshing concept of God the Father and how he reveals himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The kernel idea is that with a developing intimacy and union with the Father through his Son, we become enabled to master the complexities and pressures of life. Intimacy with our Creator causes us to transcend the negative, neutralizing pressures of living on earth and elevates us to soaring through life instead of stumbling through pain.