The leading man of his day, with his rugged good looks, blond hair and blue eyes, Steve McQueen defined what being “cool” was for his generation. Born into a Catholic family, Steve McQueen, was a small town boy with little education who came from a broken home. He sought the love he had missed as a child in the adoration of fans of his many action movies including:& The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Sand Pebbles, Papillon, The Getaway, and many others.
He lived a fast-paced life that often resembled one of his movies: fast cars, fast women, cigarettes and alcohol. He died at the age of fifty on November 7, 1980, after suffering from mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. But that is not the end of his story.
When Steve discovered he had lung cancer, he began to take stock of his life, and to look for the answers and for the hope he had not found during his lifetime. He wanted to know what came next and was yearning for hope in the “beyond.” Both his third wife Barbara Minty and his flying instructor Sammy Mason encouraged him in his spiritual search.
McQueen eventually made it to a Billy Graham crusade. By the end of the meeting, Steve McQueen had given his heart to Jesus Christ. He still had many questions, though, and he sent word through one of the evangelists he wanted to meet with Billy Graham. They were able to meet in a limousine on the way to the airport.
McQueen told Graham be believed Jesus was the Son of God and he had put his trust there, but he had many questions about the scriptures. Most importantly, McQueen wanted to know how could he be sure heaven awaited him. Graham turned his Bible to Titus 1 verse 2: “In hope of eternal life, which God, WHO CANNOT LIE, promised before the world began…”
The was the verse he had longed to hear. McQueen was excited and asked, “What was that verse again?” and told Graham he needed a pencil and some paper so he could write down the verse. Billy Graham instead gave Steve McQueen his Bible.
Some time after this Steve went to Mexico for some experimental cancer treatments. He died there… but that was not the end of Steve McQueen. They found his Bible in his hands, turned to Titus chapter 1 and verse 2, with his finger laid on top of that verse, his future sealed by God, WHO CANNOT LIE.
