ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 25, 1997 TAG: 9701280101
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID BRIGGS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former presidential aide Charles Colson has swung from the inner sanctums of political power to the lows of a jail cell and back again to the peak of evangelical notoriety as the head of a successful prison ministry.
The Bible verse that has kept him going? Philippians 4:11-13, in which Paul says he has ``learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.''
During World War II, Diet Eman helped shield Jewish people from Nazi arrest in occupied Holland until she and her fiance were placed in a German prison.
Comparing her plight to that of King David when he was forced to hide from King Saul, Eman said she found hope in the Psalms, particularly Psalm 27, which begins: ``The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?''
The reflections of Colson and Eman are part of a new book - ``Lamp Unto My Feet: A Verse-a-Day Devotional'' - in which 365 Christian leaders share their favorite Bible verses.
Baptist Press Editor Art Toalston gathered the reflections during the past four years from Christians in various fields, from ministry to entertainment.
Some familiar verses show up frequently.
The favorite verse of the Rev. Billy Graham is the favorite verse of country music star Roy Clark and actor Roy Rogers:
``For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.''
John 3:16, Graham says, was taught to him by his mother when he was a child.
``Whatever the color of a person's skin, whatever language he or she speaks, God loves that person and is willing to save him or her,'' Graham says. ``To me, that is marvelous.''
Fred Rogers, the star and creator of television's ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,'' derives inspiration from the passage in 1 Corinthians that speaks of God's foolishness being wiser than human wisdom.
``Whenever I write a script or a song or walk into the studio for a taping, I pray, `Let some word that is heard be thine.' That's really all that matters,'' Rogers writes.
Throughout the book, nearly all of the most compelling biblical reflections come from personal experiences.
Robbie Maroney, an Oklahoma City real estate agent whose husband died in the bombing of the federal building, never knew her husband to mark up his Bible.
But when her pastor went through her husband's Bible after the bombing, he found a typed-out copy of Jeremiah 29:11 placed at the same point in the Bible, like a bookmark.
Now the passage that was meaningful to her husband, Mickey, holds great meaning for her as she copes with the tragedy.
The verse reads, ``For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.''
She believes her husband is in heaven.
``All things happen for a reason; it's his plan,'' she writes. ``We can't really say why - sometimes we want to - but we just have to remain faithful in whatever challenges come our way.''
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB