The God of Goose Quills

"The devil hates goose quills, and, no doubt, he has good reason; the writer's pen blessed by the Holy Spirit has damaged his evil kingdom greatly.” – C.H. Spurgeon

I can remember sitting in a recliner in my in-laws’ den and reading Chuck Colson’s little-known second book, Life Sentence, as if it were yesterday. I simply couldn’t put it down. By the time I had finished reading all 306 pages, I knew that God was irresistibly and irrevocably calling me into full-time prison ministry.

For the next 35 years, I served as a missionary to prisoners across North America and Africa, using the international language of sports to share the gospel with an estimated 500,000 inmates in more than 400 different correctional institutions… and approximately 30,000 of them made professions of faith in Jesus Christ.

After almost dying of COVID in 2021, God released me from full-time prison ministry so that I could concentrate on reaching at-risk youth before they got into trouble with the law. I also pastor a small church that God led Deanna and me to plant two years ago in our RV and manufactured home community.

If God could use one book to ignite a spiritual spark in me that resulted in tens of thousands of decisions for Christ, just imagine how many souls have been saved through the rest of Chuck Colson’s writings… or Chuck Swindoll’s… or Charles Stanley’s… or R.C. Sproul’s… or J.I. Packer’s… or John Piper’s… or yes, Charles Spurgeon’s.

So now you know why Satan hates goose quills, #2 pencils, and BIC pens… as well as the men and women who use them to reach the lost and encourage their fellow saints.

“See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!” Galatians 6:11 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President

P.S. I have a very limited supply of the three books I wrote (Unconditional Surrender, 2007; Difference Makers, 2009; and Consumed by Christ, 2011). Please email me at dale@risktakersforchrist.org for a free copy).