George Foreman has worn many hats in his life. Father, boxer, entrepreneur, pitchman; if something needed sold, George was your guy. However he puts the most important thing at the top of the list, and that is his Christian faith and his work as a pastor.
Recently he spoke to the Christian Post about his faith, and his upcoming biopic aptly titled “Big George Foreman.” Check this out.
Speaking to the Christian Post about the upcoming film, Foreman talked about his journey to faith, eventually becoming an Evangelical Christian pastor after a successful run in boxing.
You come to a point in your life and you realize the only important thing in your life is [to be] an evangelist,” he told the outlet.
Foreman won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, and overcame a troubled childhood to be one of the more beloved athlete of out lifetime. He even made a return to the ring well into his 50s. However, he knew he had a higher calling.
In 1965, he left Houston for the Job Corps in California, a program developed to help disadvantaged youth by teaching them vocational job skills. It was there that Doc Broaddus, who was a Job Corps counselor and a boxing coach, encouraged Foreman to channel his anger through boxing.
“‘Evangelistic’ is the word that has been so powerful to me in my life. If something happened to me tomorrow … I know I’ve done a good job, and I’m happy about that, trying to spell out to the world, ‘Jesus Christ has come alive in me,’” he added.
Foreman had a near-death experience in the late 70s, and that led to his conversion and ultimately starting The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1980, where George was the founder and Pastor.
BIG GEORGE STILL GOT IT! 👊💪
74-year-old @GeorgeForeman’s hook looks as strong as ever. pic.twitter.com/JHr10PETLv
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) April 21, 2023
The 74-year-old knew his entire life that something was missing, and looking back he knew it was God. Though his journey has been a long one, and his career is full of accolades, the only thing that made Foreman whole was Jesus.
“There I was, a thief, on my way to jail, underneath a house, hiding from the police, covering myself from head to toe with slop. I heard their voices, and I knew then I’d have to change things. I didn’t want to be a thief. I didn’t want to be a criminal. And that was a big change for me. And of course, learning how to box and going as far as I could with boxing. But still, I did all of that without the knowledge of God.”
It doesn’t matter what you achieve, what you accomplish in this life,”
“Find God, have faith in God,” Foreman added. “It doesn’t matter what happened, believe all things are possible. Don’t ever give up on possibility and your life can be turned and changed for the better.”
It took some time, but Big George found his way home, and he has the story to share. Proof that you can overcome anything with the power of Jesus.
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