Evel Knievel - A Believer in Jesus Christ - Interview by Herman Bailey

it's time it's time and now it's time for Herman and Sharron evel knievel what a hireling what an honor how are ya nice to meet you thank you same here this makes my ears well great it's about so nice to have you thank you this is the place you live yeah I've stayed here for for many years I live in Montana Montana's my home but I've stayed here for me and you was a beaut 110 yeah I was born and raised in Butte worked in the copper mines there for some time when I was a young boy and underground I worked a mile underneath the ground Kelley shaft my goodness when I worked I worked on top the open truck open pit mines after I quit down down the bottom and we became from a tough town it was a tough town the whole idea of this is to make you as comfortable as I possibly can well thank you all because this is this is again something that I never thought was possible I've watched you for years you and I are close to the same age so I've had the privilege of seeing you in about every jump and every presentation you are in reading a lot of your BIOS where a lot of people think that a guy that would do something like you can't have a lot of intelligence but you are extremely intelligent well and you may even know you're even a top salesman in insurance yes that sure was sure was sold a hundred and ten policies in one day 24 hours and I sold two hundred and seventy one in a week knows we're all individual policies nobody else wrote them except what amazes me as you had Honda dealerships and that if if they could arm wrestle you and beat you they would get $100 off that's right but I mean I mean the the idea of promoting yourself that's something that takes a lot of intelligence because you had to keep that thing going I had it just something that kind of came naturally to me I don't know what it was but I was full of vim and vigor and that just the same beetus seem to be my calling a mine I took after you you and I had a similar love Joie Chitwood in my day George F Warner's Auto Daredevils exactly those 57 Chevys and Corvettes and I would go to the stadium just and apparently you that was your motivator I did - yeah well I I saw him jump when I was a young man in Clarks Park which was in bubonic he came there with his show and I just went home and took the front fender off of my bicycle and put the cards between the spokes of the wheels like we all did when we were kids and I just pretended it was a motorcycle and that's kind of the way I learned to ride a motorcycle to tell you the truth just pretending the bicycle was a motorcycle against but something probably a lot of people don't know is that you were a top athlete you were a ski jumper yeah and you did what was it two hundred yard dash or around the 220 220 I ran the hundred-yard dash and the 220 I was in the in the United States Army on the army track team at Fort Lewis and so you're a top athlete to be able to do this I played pro hockey I went the University of North Dakota now that is a tough game hyah I really I loved it I I just I just tried to excel at everything that I did you know yeah I I just was lucky I was lucky and I I played for the basketball team and the football team on a scale a little lower than the pro hockey I played but I enjoyed it I just loved it my my real love when I was young man that was hockey I want to play hockey now it's interesting because you're way ahead of your time in conservation because you actually hitchhiked I'm told to Washington DC with elk antler's to meet John and John F Kennedy I stopped the slaughter of elk in Yellowstone National Park I took a petition there to Washington DC and I gave him a Stewart Udall who was the Secretary of Interior and I stopped the slaughter of elk in Yellowstone National Park I told him they'd better start transplanting the elder instead of killing them and you know what they did it they actually did us that death that's a shock isn't it well that you actually pulled it off in Washington the bureaucrats did something right anyway anyway I uh I've had a wonderful wonderful life I just have it I had two wonderful beautiful women in my life that have taken care of me and love me and and they're both still with me my first wife Linda lives in Montana she was married to me for 38 years and my second wife crystal is here in Florida she's been with me for 16 years now Robbie is kind of trying to follow your footsteps that's my youngest son yeah yeah he's following in my footsteps he isn't he's doing a wonderful job Robbie's come to the point at 42 years old he's almost done jumping he's almost done he has a few jumps left in him but he's thinking of retirement real quick so I guess the the toughest because the jumps what was the money given to you for the first jump because I know it started escalating I lost money you lost money on the Ferrari I lost money on I lost money for several years jumping I'd borrow money and jumping maybe I'd make enough to buy some peanuts and popcorn something like that but I just went from town to town from Tucson de El Paso or El Paso to different towns in Texas and I toured the country I toured Montana Washington I started jumping and I jumped further further so you were you're further promoter oh yeah I'd I'd meet you and I'd say yeah Herman how much will you give me to jump ten cars and you say I'll give you 500 bucks so I'd go out and I'd promote the thing for a week around your area and do radio shows and through television shows thank God the media was alive then so it helped me write I I just went and people were so interested what I was doing because nobody was jumping a motorcycle nobody and there are a lot of fellas that jumped in cars they jump a short distance in the car but nobody would hang on to the handlebars of a motorcycle and jump like I jumped when I was done jumping I jumped 22 cars and jumped 14 buses at that time that was that was quite a feat and I saw for somebody to do that song yeah Caesars Palace in Las Vegas you were that was such a disaster you were in a coma 30 days I was in a coma for for several days but I wasn't I was unconscious for several days I was in the hospital for a way over 30 days and I got out I had a broken hip and had a broken wrist during a broken arm left side I always seem to get it on the left side I don't know why I saw that jump to now are you thinking you're at the distance that you have to start yeah and you're about ready to let it go yes what are you thinking well with me I really paid attention to business I practiced what I had to practice before I come to the jump and when it came time to jump everything kept my mind on what I was about to do I'd say a little prayer God take care of me before I got ready to go and after all of the caretaking everything I did before the jump I just knew what I was doing but I missed that jump several times I mean I missed it many times and trial and error you know that landing ramp was only eight feet wide 56 feet long I didn't have much room to I didn't have much room there to miss there to jump it's very and once you have the take off you know that you've missed no you don't it's so critical at fine point but you don't know when you're going to miss it you just don't know wow but you know it's kind of interesting like I say the prices go up because you got 1 million dollars for the 13 buses at wimbly Stadium you know what I was jumping I never thought in my life that I'd make that kind of money instead I got 10 pounds a ticket oh my god that jump in Wembley Stadium in London and before then I was making an awful lot of money too I started drawing thousands of people wherever I'd go and I always wanted to be I wore a beautiful a beautiful jump outfit you and Elvis had it brought you everyone to be I always want to be a performer a cross between Elvis and Liberace I always wanted to do that and I got away with it pretty good for for 30-some years I really did now you know the top stars love meeting you I mean you were oh yeah you were the draw to even even the Hollywood elite I associated with a lot of people they made several motion pictures about me in fact in fact you were better looking than the best guys the leading guys that played well thank you I appreciate you yeah because I'm looking at your materials man I go I go they couldn't get a guy to match your looks but they tried well that's a compliment thank you very much the it's interesting you you got six million dollars now this is the one that Frank Gifford who I who I just thought was one of the best amount just it was a personal friend of yours yes he is yes and six million dollars for the Snake River jump but I never got it you never know the guy that the guy named it all seemed charged you've known all the guy the guy's name was Bob Arum he wrote me a bum check oh my god me a check that was bad and I never got the six million dollars for jumping in Canyon I got plenty of money out of it but I never got six million bucks I didn't get three but when I stopped back and look at it now as long as Uncle Sam don't make you pay for six million no he didn't okay but I had to pay a lot of taxes I made about the sale of my toys you know that my toy the Evel Knievel toy was the largest selling toy in the 1970s that there was I'm told three hundred million three hundred million dollars is what I made and it was just a fantastic - he was unbreakable and that toy is out again now it's they've rejuvenated it's not made in China is it I think it is me I think it has made China to Japan anyway it was it was a great joy in then it's selling again doing very well you know it's interesting we're doing TV but the TV viewing record you hold on ABC while we're a world of sports at Kings Island in 1975 you got 52 percent of the territory yeah that is unheard of still a record still it was still held worldwide there was 52 percent of the households in America watching like my show at that time now you're lucky if you get 13 percent or 10 percent yeah and Warner Brothers did movies on you yes Warner Brothers did the movies Universal and Warner Brothers you're an avid golfer oh boy I played as much as 72 holes a day when I was really playing golf always 36 in the summertime and I tried to stay in good shape all the time I played golf with Jacqueline and I played golf with Jack for four years and when I was a younger man he used to come under the golf course and see if I wanted to play with him he was getting up an age then and I he was Jack's 30 years older than I am I think he is the you know as you see on TV the the choppers that they build today big viewing audience yeah I saw one that was built for you you did on some show and I mean just again it in viewing that particular bike to me was the most elaborate I've ever saw you're talking about the Harley Davis yes yeah the chopper yes yeah it was uh right now I have my own motorcycle company I have a Evel Knievel custom motorcycles Knievel Custom Cycles is what it's called now what would they sell for oh they range anywhere from thirty to sixty thousand dollars there's three different models and custom-built custom-built motorcycles yeah you know it's interesting you have the kind of life and have had the kind of life that moms and dads if they see a kid jumping in the backyard they would go up to them and say what do you think you are Evel Knievel I mean that's the icon you are what what does it feel like inside of you oh I don't do you know who you are I think I do I have a good idea I think that I know how my life has taken me I think I know what my life has brought me to the greatest comment I heard and it has to be recently someone saw you on the cathedral Crystal Cathedral Cathedral yes Robert Schuller yes and someone came in my office and said the most amazing thing I have ever seen of course you know we see Christian television and a lot of television so to see something that is out of the norm is rare but they said that Evel Knievel gave his testimony on that program and you talked about seeing Jesus or receiving Jesus can you can you share some of that well I think that I've always been in denial somewhat about Jesus Christ I always have and I what would you do that denial I just was in a learning stage for a long time I wore I always worry a symbol of Jesus Christ around my neck I have it around my neck today really yeah and always always words it's a yes it's a gold piece that I wear it gives us his face it anyway I took it offer maybe 20 years always Kevin but I gave it to all the girls in my family and my wife and my kids and for years my family kept they kept theirs but Miami loaded mine eluded me and I just I thought to myself I thought to myself what if there's a god which there is what way in the world would you believe in it better than to believe in God through Jesus Jesus can do anything God can do anything I mean look at me I'm a human being God made me he put a spirit in me he made a body for me God can just take you in and just make her do anything God gave us life and life is the most precious thing on the face of the earth and it gifted you but if this is my body it gave me everything and I thought to myself why why would you why would you not accept Jesus Christ into your life I mean it says you did this privately yes it says in the Bible that Jesus was crucified says in the Bible it that they put him in the tomb that three days later he rose and that a month later he just went to heaven just descended into heaven and I thought to myself Here I am in the morning I walk with God I talk with God and I've I've lived with him what more can a human being do it to do for himself to do something better than that I mean you can think about all kinds of things but if you walk with God and you speak to God and you carry out the things that God has told you to do through his spirit or whatever what better thing can you do to better your own life with Freak for years I said to people who came to my personal appearances I don't believe in organized religion I don't believe in people that say you'll be saved if you do this you'll be saved if you do that all the time I was cussing my own self God is real God is real Jesus Christ is real and if you believe it there's nothing in the world that'll set you free make you feel better about yourself make you stand up and really be a man than just to say I believe in Jesus Christ and to really believe it you cannot say I believe it because you want to believe it you have got to really believe in Jesus Christ believing and receiving or two different just going to say believing and receiving Christ yeah is the most wonderful thing in the world yeah and I I just oh I believe I just believe that was that night what was that like when you invited Jesus Christ into your life I'm telling you you can't believe it do you know that everywhere I went I don't care whether it was to a doctor's office I'd say I found Jesus Christ amen I don't care whether it was to a friend I've around here friends I have a friend here that's associated with you bill tater William Taylor I said to him come here I want to tell you something you'll never believe this I found Jesus Christ I'd say it to people over in the restaurant I'd say it to people at the motor home place I'd say it to everybody I found the most wonderful thing in my life happened to me I found Jesus and they'd look at me like some of them said that's wonderful I'm glad you did I you have to God bless you but I'll tell you I just became once you're struck by it if you are struck by Jesus Christ believe me you'll know it it's there it's a spirit inside of you as a human being it can never ever be taken away from you a menace what the Bible says it's just once you once you receive the calling yet it's in you it'll never be taken that's what people say how do you know well you know you know you know that jesus is alive hiding inside of your body how did you happen to decide you wanted to be baptized at the Crystal Cathedral was that Robert Robert asked me if I'd like to be baptized as I said I would you know he flew here to Tampa to see me that's what I heard he he wanted to find out if he wanted to find out about the real evil anyone if I really believe what I said I sat down the talk to him for a few minutes like I have you and yeah he said he put his hand on me he said I know you're telling the truth they meant I can feel it yeah and that's how it happened it was a wonderful show Robert sure is a wonderful man well I understand he he told the audience if there's others here that would like us mad time they do so you were kind of this catalyst yes for hundreds upon hundreds of people being baptized and many of them trusting Christ during that during that service that's right that's right did you ever think you would become an evangelist no never did and now unless God performs a miracle on me it'll be too late because I'm on I feel that I'm towards the end of my road I really do I don't think I've got much time left what is it you have I have a idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis my breathing is shut down and I've had two strokes and I've had a liver transplant and they say you know you always hear people say well when men or women get close to the end of their lives they all find Jesus well that's not so with me I didn't find Jesus because I was close to the end of my life I found Jesus because he was there I mean it's about time isn't it he was there all the time it was there all the time yeah God is God has taken care of me and I just I'm so thankful I'm so thankful that I finally had my eyes opened and I finally come to Christ before I did pass on because now I'm so close to being having my eyes open wide open to God when my time comes and it's interesting what we were going over at the beginning of this interview your life but all of us come down to the end of our life and we realize that basically this world basically is not our home we're just here for a short time because eternity is endless forever and you're going to be remembered with all of your records I mean you're in the museum's tennis-ball Guinness Book World Record I'm in the Smithsonian Institute every place your name is known if this were your last day how would you like to be known as a man who kept his word that's how I'd like to be known and as a man who is a Christian that's how I want to be known when when the record books are opened you know it's interesting trusting Christ as your Savior it's for by grace you're saved through faith and that not of yourself it's the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast that's the word of God and whenever we arrive in fact I have a book that I'm going to give you fact is one of the greatest books I'm reading it it is absolutely randy alcorn thank you you you read that like I've I've signed it for you okay thank you so much you you read that about heaven and I'm telling you mr. Knievel you will want to go there sooner than possible well I sure hope so I mean it is absolutely amazing how the Word of God opens with such clarity talking about heaven thank you so much what it's it's important that people that are watching right now and if you just take a maybe a couple of minutes that camera right there and just tell somebody out there because you can be that evangelist again you know you say you know it's it's too bad that I have maybe a short time but we do know that God can decide to touch your body and to heal you completely he made the body he could heal this body and you could literally be out on the stump preaching telling people how to trust Christ as Savior if that's his choice but it's interesting that in your last days if that's his choice you could reach more people with this story of receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior through his shed blood upon the cross of Calvary his death burial and resurrection a third day you could reach more people with that message that I wish I could then had you been a young young man just driving an 18-wheeler or doing something I agree with you I agree with you sure somebody somebody right now that camera right there they need to just give up and let Jesus Christ come in any of you out here in our spiritual land that are trying to find out an answer about Jesus Christ yes if you will give your life to Jesus anything that's bothering you things that are things that have come into your life to maybe change your way of life if you will take this time to share your life with Christ to make yourself known to your friends and to your family about how you feel about how you believe in Christ about how you want to believe in Christ because you know he's your only Savior if you can do this yourself and you can do it without shame you can do without non belief if you can do it with real belief and love belief believe yourselves if you can do this Christ make them in to your body and into your life and help you help you to be a better person I don't know if you can do that or not only you know it so close your eyes and fold your hands and just pray pray as hard as you can pray for God to do his will because I know in some of you he will answer your prayers amen that's how easy it is the Word of God says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved just trust him just just as Evel Knievel did and it doesn't make any difference if you're a young person or you're in your 80s or 90s or whatever age you may be do it right now don't say well tomorrow because Evel Knievel will be the guy that says you know I put it off a long time - don't put it off because the Bible talks about today is your day of salvation today so do it right now thank you for watching god bless you bye-bye you you

Channel: Christian Television

Views: 263,312

Rating: 4.8556552 out of 5

Keywords: CTN Christian Television Network Christian television, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit

Id: wr0I62k4gPE

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 16 2015