Steve McQueen =
was a Hollywood bad boy and headstrong thrill-seeker, drawn to drugs, =
women, fast cars, and motorcycles. At the height of his stardom in the =
1960s and ’70s, Steve McQueen was at the top of his game, yet the =
“King of Cool” was still searching for something more. With =
an alcoholic mother and a string of abusive stepfathers, McQueen had =
always wanted a real dad in his life—someone to look up to. He =
found a father figure in his flight instructor, Sammy Mason, who =
answered his countless questions about faith and told him about the =
perfect Father, God Himself.
Little by =
little, this leading man in The Great Escape stopped running to escape =
God. Three months after McQueen and his wife started attending =
Mason’s church in California, McQueen invited the pastor to lunch =
and asked another round of questions. Could he really be forgiven? What =
does it look like to follow Jesus Christ?
With a slew of =
fictional movies under his belt, this actor wanted to know the truth. It =
was during that lunch that the pastor, Leonard DeWitt, asked McQueen =
about his own beliefs, and McQueen shared that he had trusted Christ a =
few weeks back. He had a new purpose and an ever-softening demeanor. =
Six months =
later, in late 1979, McQueen was diagnosed with cancer. Although he =
wanted to live, friends and family could see he was also at peace. When =
he died, he said, he knew where he was going.
On Nov. 3, =
1980, four days before his death, one of McQueen’s wishes came =
true. He’d wanted to meet evangelist Billy Graham for some time, =
and on that day, Mr. Graham paid him a visit. The pair prayed together =
and talked about the afterlife, and McQueen told him how his faith in =
Christ helped him deal with the cancer. At the end of their meeting, =
Billy Graham left McQueen his personal Bible, the name “Billy =
Graham” printed on the front and all.
Inside, he =
wrote the date, along with a message: “To my friend Steve McQueen, =
may God bless and keep you always.” He signed his name, along with =
a reference to a Bible verse, Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of =
this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion =
at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Billy =
Graham’s Bible became McQueen’s most valued possession. He =
died on Nov. 7—Billy Graham’s 62nd birthday—and was =
found clutching that Bible.
Before his =
death, McQueen said he wanted to tell more people about God. While he =
grew weaker physically, he grew stronger spiritually, and wanted others =
to know where that strength came from. God began something wonderful in =
McQueen’s life—a total transformation—and has =
continued impacting others through his story. Whatever you’re =
chasing after in life, nothing compares to God Himself. If He can change =
Steve McQueen’s life, he can change yours, =
too.
[copied]
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net =
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I =
Love!"