In the wake of two years of political mud-slingin’ comes a story of a politician of integrity. Chuck Colson, in his Breakpoint Commentary highlights the life of Quie, former farmer, naval aviator, state senator, congressman, and governor of Minnesota. His story is told in a recently released book by Mitch Pearlstein, Riding into the Sunrise. [See at Amazon]. A man of integrity, his character was put to the test early in his congressional career. Shortly after arriving in Washington as a junior congressman, he was invited by a senior House member to go to Europe to examine farm policies. Al was enthusiastic about the opportunity, until he learned that two of the Congressman's beautiful young secretaries would be going along on the trip; but he was told they "wouldn't be doing any secretarial work." Only a few months into his congressional term, Al challenged the senior member's impropriety, telling him that if the secretaries went on the trip, he would not go. Well, Al stayed home.
Chuck Colson was personally impacted by his integrity. He tells the story: “Seven months into my prison term, I was facing some family crises that were terrible. Al called me and told me about a law that might allow him to serve out the rest of my sentence. Al said he was going to see President Ford the next day and ask him, if he, Al, could serve the rest of my prison sentence. I was speechless.”
How does a man like Al Quie cultivate this type of integrity? The book reveals his “secret.” For years, Al starts off every day with prayer, devotional literature, and time in the Word. As he meditates on the passage, he notes any inconsistencies between his life and what he’s reading about. Al explains, “What I say and do all have to be in harmony with each other. And when it isn’t, I tackle the inconsistency.”
Washington needs more men like Al Quie. More businesses, communities, homes, churches, need men and women like Al Quie. Will you be one of them?
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