Your God-Given Gifts Can Change Eternity

0:00 Progress is incredible, okay? Yeah. From someone who says, you know, I believe in Jesus, but I don't believe in all that stuff. I said, well, first of all, if you believe in Jesus, you've got to believe in the stuff, okay? And he's asking me questions. He goes, well, I want to hear Jesus's, his words. So I have ordered him a red letter Bible edition. Did you? And I just praise God. I just praise God for that window that opens daily. Welcome to the Ignite with Mary Maguire podcast. How would you like to have the time of your life for the rest of your life? How would you like to defeat fear effortlessly, knowing for sure God is hearing and answering your prayers and directing your steps and making everything work for good?

0:43 This is exciting. Here's the question. How would you like to ignite your life? Stay tuned. Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Ignite. Boy, do I have a guest for you today. You know I'm a car guy, and I love hanging out with car guys. In case you get to hang out with car guys that are also Christians, you know, wow. I always say the best thing of all is to be a car guy. I mean, hey, I'm a car guy. all my life. I love cars. I love car guys. I think car guys are about the best people in the world, quite frankly. That might surprise you. Or why are you not saying Christians? You know, I'm with Christians a lot, of course. And they're all types of spots and colors.

1:24 And most of them, I don't know if they're really Christians. And they're doing things that I don't want me to be It's because of Christians. Christians indulging in language and dress and conversation and laughter at the wrong things. And yet, I mean, they may be on their way to heaven, but they're certainly not being salt and light, you know. We are called to be salt and light, but I was explained a long time ago, salt and light have one thing in common. They both change their environment.

2:07 And the point is, is our environment changing you, your life? Where are you now compared to where you were a year ago or 10 years ago? A lot of, if not most of the Christians that I was with 10 years ago were not in the same place. They're not living at the same place. So the impact. So are you changing your environment or is the environment changing you? Keith Collins, my great guest today, is going to run right by me. I can't keep up with this guy. Keith, great to have you on the show. And you are, apart from being a creator, we're going to talk all about that, but you are the man.

2:49 You are the man that God has given you such talent in multi-forms of artistry that's been recognized by the world. So tell us a little bit about first before your faith. Tell us a little bit about your business. What do you do? Well, professional artist with no boundaries from subject matter. Tapestries, I have a couple of them behind me so you can see what they look like on camera. We make the finest tapestries. Hey, hold it up so we can see it. These are car mats, but they're not regular car mats. They're made like little rugs for the home. And I've been doing this for over 40 years.

3:30 Wow. It's taken me all over the world. I've met people, my clientele consists of gangsters to royalty. And I've had an opportunity to meet a lot of different people. Opportunity never amazes me, or never cease to amaze me, how that window's open and you can speak about the things of the Lord. Yeah, yeah. With the opportunity. I mean, there's folks I would never met if I wasn't doing this, so it's a vehicle. It's your platform, it's your pulpit. Yeah, definitely, definitely. When I walk into the great car collections and I get into many of them, if not most of them, I look for your art pieces because every, great collection.

4:12 There's some massive whatever piece of your, I mean, you're greatly acclaimed. What are your most favorite pieces with car? Because we have car guys watching us. Where are you particularly proud of pieces of art that you have in some high profile collection? High profile. Well, I'll start with our dear friend, Peter Mullen. Oh, man. The Peter Mullen collection is one of the finest as far as automobiles are concerned. And between him and Murley, they have owned some of my favorite pieces. I did a portrait of. of Peter in one of his open cars. I did his Delahaye 22 feet long tapestry.

4:54 Those are some of my favorites. Michael Jackson was a major client in the 80s. He said, whatever you make, I'll buy it. What kind of, yeah, wasn't that great, okay? As far as other car guys, Bruce Myers is a collector of mine. Ray Shear, dear friend. It just goes on and on. It does. Those are some names that come to mind. They're all. Ray Shear. Yeah. So I did, I did, I did for him, I did some guitars because he owned Guitars Center at one time. I did guitars and cars. So there's a Woody I did for him, but there's also a wooden guitar laying on the threshold of the car. So those are things that come to mind.

5:34 But there's a ton, ton of things that I've done over a 52-year period. I started when I was 19. I'm about to hit 72 years. And I just praise God. What a compliment from the ultimate creator to give me the gift of creativity. Exactly. Explain the breadth of artists or the types of things you create from this to this. Explain how— Okay, well, you talked about cars. Because most people are in one discipline. You have this— Well, creativity, there's no boundary. So when it comes to art, there's no boundary.

6:15 So, you know, I also paint big time. I like thick oil paint. There's tapestries, there's carpets for your floor, there's carpets for your car. So some kind of way, I'm going to get you. Yeah. You got a house, I'm going to get you. You got a car, I'm going to get you. You got some walls, I'm going to get you. You got a museum, I'm going to get you. And my intro is, I remember when I did work for Otis Chandler, I said, I've heard about you for years and I'm going to tell you something, Otis, I can do something for you, nobody can. He goes, really? That sparked the conversation and about a month later, he's like, I want 12 pieces. And so Otis Chandler, he owned the LA Times and mega car collector, had everything, but loved your art.

7:08 If you're a car guy, you've experienced Keith's art. You may not have known his name necessarily, but you can't escape it. You're all over the place. And so I've always admired you from afar. We've never had a time to really hang out much. But we're at Pebble Beach, folks, you know, a few weeks ago. And they have this one area for artists to talk. And right at the front door, you're in the best place of all. And we sit and talk. And it was fun because we had a mutual friend beside us. Not quite where he is spiritually, but I love this guy to death. And what prompted me the best was, I caught a twofer.

7:48 When we're having this going on, but there's another thing going on at the same time. And so he was sitting listening like a tennis match, you know, as we're talking about how much fun we're having, serving the Lord and sharing our faith. That was a moment. Yes. Yes, yes. It was definitely a moment. And he's one of the targets that God has given me. I have currently three targets. And I can give you—the progress is incredible, okay? Yeah. From someone who says, you know, I believe in Jesus, but I don't believe in all that stuff. I said, well, first of all, if you believe in Jesus— you've got to believe in the stuff, okay?

8:28 And he's asking me questions. He goes, well, I want to hear Jesus's, his words. So I have ordered him a red letter Bible edition. Did you? And I just praise God. I just praise God for that window that opens daily. Whether it's somebody, Uber, it's an Uber guy, that you have a captive audience that you can talk to about the things of God. and not so lofty where they can't understand it in a very practical way, because Jesus was practical. He certainly was. And yes, folks, it's move everybody every day closer to Jesus. And you have some things that happen with repetition. And as anybody moves around much, Karen and I move around a lot.

9:11 So we're always having drivers, Uber drivers, whatever. Man, you have a captive audience for 10, 15, an hour. No question. I've heard all kinds of responses from I'm a believer to I'm coming back as a cat. You know? I said, well, who do you know has come back as a cat? Well, I don't know anybody. Well, I can document Jesus coming back. 500 witnesses saw him. There's 6,000 pieces of original papers and documents that talked about him, even though Testament predicted his coming. So you got something you heard, and I got something that could be proven historically. Well, your passion is wonderful. Your talent is wonderful.

9:53 I put it in words oftentimes. You know, Chip Fuskin, a friend of mine, we go to the same church. And I often tell people, I say, you know, I love Chip. And I just mesmerized when he's, in fact, when he does an autograph, he usually does a car with it. I mean, he's so good and precise. And, but I explained to people, you know, if I had started from childhood and worked and spent every moment, learning what Chip does all my life, I would, it would be a joke. I mean, it wouldn't be anywhere remotely close to, because he didn't learn that. That's a God gift.

10:35 God gave him that gift. And God has given you folks gifts. The question is, what are you doing with your gifts? And I'll even go so far as say, you know, I speak at car shows, All the time. And even at Autorama, I give the Riddler Award every year. Wow. Wow. I'm always talking about it. I'm not amazed by it. If they want to throw me off the stage, they can. If I don't invite them back, okay, but I've got to share my piece. And I often say, you know, when I walk through a car show, I'm a car guy. Um, I, I see a car show more than one way.

11:16 And one way is I just say, thank you, God, because you know, every one of these cars, the talent, the effort, and the ones had the genius for that suspension, for that electrical system, for that, for, for the wheels, for the, for the Concord, you know, you get the point. And whether they realize it or not, that talent they have, I mean, I know they worked hard and honed their skill. But most people couldn't do what they do, no matter how hard they work. It's a gift from God. And so when I walk through a car show, I literally look and just say, God, look at all the good you did, all the talent, all the people you inspired.

12:00 Yes. And all that they would understand, surely they know it was already a gift to them. I guess they're proud of their own gift and only realize who the giver of the gift is. But that's our job to remind them of it. But I do see how God, every good gift comes from God. And I know that's a theme that you speak to very clearly. No question, no question. I mean, the Old Testament, when the tabernacle was being built, God chose artisans. He specifically says in the Old Testament, artisans, artists were chosen. And I mean, you got to understand, too, even though Noah had a plan, he still had a gift.

12:42 To build art. That's right. Which they recently have, they just don't want to admit, they keep saying, you know, it looks like it. It kind of, well, just go in there. It has corridors. We've seen them. What more do you need? But, no, I love art. I've always been an artist. No formal trading. Matter of fact, the only class I ever took was a ceramics class. and in college and I was kicked out because I hadn't prepared, prepared my clay, right? It could have blown the whole kiln up. And the teacher said, Mr. Collins, not only are you out of my class, but you have absolutely no talent. And you know, but you know, it was good there. It wasn't like, well, that's going to motivate me. I just said, okay, cool. And left the class, you know, there's been no formal education other than my former relationship with Jesus Christ.

13:29 That is our one way to the father. Amen. Well, for a guy that doesn't have any talent, you've done all right for yourself. I've been faking it, man. Faking it. Well, you know, our theme is move everybody every day closer to Jesus. And you exemplify that so very well. And you do it every day. I mean, so. I do. I do. And you know what? The Bible talks about our steps being ordered. I pray in the morning, Lord, let me recognize the steps you've ordered for me. And let me have a great attitude. Let me not be irritable. Let me represent you. That's my main prayer in the morning. I have a whole list of folks I'm praying for.

14:10 But the prayers of a righteous man avail as much. Now, I want to be looked at as righteous. I know we're all sinners that fall short of the glory of God, so I'm not nowhere near perfect. But I do pray, and we have a perfect Father and a perfect advocate. And I want to say something else right now. People say, well, you know, I believe, but it's kind of uncomfortable for me. You know, let me ask you a question. I'm going to tell you uncomfortable. Hell is uncomfortable. You want to hear uncomfortable? eternity torment and knowing you had an opportunity to receive Christ your Lord and Savior, knowing that, that's uncomfortable. Burning in hell is uncomfortable. So I don't look at this uncomfortable thing, well, I can't really say anything. But first of all, it's not you that draw anybody to God.

14:54 It's him that chooses. You're just the vehicle. Amen. Amen. Amen. You're just the conduit. Just conduit. Allowing God to flow through you folks is... is intimacy with God. Let me tell you how that works very quick, and I've said it many times, but when you're moving everybody, you love on everybody, and there's no training. People will have all these excuses. I wouldn't train, you haven't been trained. I don't have enough Babylon. It doesn't matter. Just love on people. Yeah, love covers the multitude of sins. Yeah, absolutely. And then that's the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit's already rid of that person before you. You're kind of partnering with God. No matter who you're talking to, the Holy Spirit's already working with him.

15:36 He's working in all of us. And when you come and you join God, it's supernatural, folks. It's not a secular conversation. There's nothing in your life that's secular. And when you have those conversations with people who are lost, God quickly confirms to them that you're sincere and most people are starving for love and can't find anybody. And all of a sudden there's San Dixier guy at Starbucks and right away you just say, there's something about this person I don't, and they open up and within five minutes they're sharing their inner thoughts. I've been doing it for 50 years every day. They share. And you know what, Barry? I have a great opener. You can use it.

16:17 Any of our listeners can use it. But it's a great opening act or question for someone you just met. The question is this. I'm going to ask you the most important question you hear all day, all week, all month, maybe all year. The question is this. Where will you be in 200 years from now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you hope the door is open. And be ready for the responses. Boy, that's right there. I often say, because I go as the Spirit leads, and sometimes I can be more direct, and sometimes I have to be more careful. So I say, God, give me the words. I don't want it to ever be a sales pitch, so I just get on a sales pitch.

16:58 I just want to love on sales. people and open up so they'll, and they guide the conversation, don't they? Because they will immediately start asking you questions. And then folks, the best part is you don't have to have the answer. You just don't have to have the answer because God always has the answer. And he promised you in Luke 12, 12, the Holy Spirit will give you the word to say when you need them. And I'm quickly beyond my own knowledge, although he'll give me life experiences I can share. He'll give me a scripture that I haven't heard for years, and all of a sudden I'm quoting it verbatim, and I know this is God. And then the person in front of us is changing, and that's what Keith and I both know at that moment.

17:42 I mean, I don't know, there's no way else in life that I know you can do this when you know that you're actually specifically where God wants you. Yes, the statistics is very important. Think about this. Think about it. Before the foundation of the earth, the world, the galaxies, God appointed this time, not only for me and you to talk, but for that person you met. He ordained that time. Ordained it, yeah. And they need to understand how special they are to have God personally set up the meeting. If it's a moment, if it's like a start- I understand that. Did you hear that, folks?

18:24 This is full time. This is not, you know, they say, find somebody today. What if I find that person at 9 o'clock in the morning? Am I off the clock for the rest of the day? I mean, that doesn't even make sense. So, and sometimes I feel like, I tell me, I feel like a pinball machine where I go from one to another to another to another, particularly if I'm at Seymour or a car show where a lot of people know me, have lots of conversations. But you never miss the moment. Whatever chance you have, And I like it when I say a lot to life. And I just say, be on your toes, be ready, like Kobe, get ready to ride to the basket.

19:07 When there's an opening, go for it. Right, right. And that requires attention. And that actually, without realizing it, you're praying without ceasing because you just want to move everybody every day closer to Jesus. Who can I talk to next? And move them, if only it's coach. Yeah, right. They're right there, right in front of you. He sets it up. Seriously, it's amazing. Well, can you share some stories? What's a story that might come to mind that helped people understand how that could happen spontaneously without anything prepared? All of a sudden, you're talking to somebody that you don't even know. Right. Okay. Well, I'm trying to keep it.

19:48 car related. So we're at a car show, right? Yeah. And people, people will ask you, you know, well, where did you go to school for this? You know? And so now, now that door is open because now, now I get to tell you where, where, I received my gift from. I said, well, it's a gift from God. There was no formal education. And they say, wow, I've never seen anything like this before. I said, well, that's his plan to get your attention. So we can talk about my work or the work you see, but it's ultimately gonna come down to who gave me the gift and you've been given a gift too. Let's talk about what your gift is. So I try to incorporate a combination of, sometimes it's a hard sell, sometimes it's a soft sell.

20:30 Just try to be sensitive. I mean, I've been a salesman all my life. I used to pump gas on San Pedro and Adams in the 70s. I sold programs at the Coliseum. Program, get your program. So God was training me. for some fundamental salesmanship, okay? And all kind of gifts, you know? So it's just a wonderful, not like playing it down, but I want to be a salesman. for Jesus. I want to be that person that says the right thing in that split second and then also a listener. That's the most difficult part for me. That's why I prayed.

21:11 I said, Lord, help me listen to Barry. Don't let me just get out of control here because you know I'll do it. So I'm under his reins. So that's an experience. But like I mentioned the Uber thing to you, you know, I also wanted to be a musician when I was younger. Matter of fact, I still have all my saxophones. That's something I wanted to do. So that's another crowd, a creative crowd that you can spread the gospel. But you just gotta be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is telling you and what the person is. Don't come in with a preconceived agenda. Listen to them and he'll reveal, he'll give you the right word. So those are some, I mean, there's, there's tons of examples, you know, I mentioned Peter Mullen earlier, you know, we talked, we talked about the things that God, matter of fact, I met with him a year before he passed.

22:01 I, I, I was in, I was in a, Oh, hi. Not oh, hi. Big sir with him. And we talked about the things of God. We talked about what happens next, Peter? What happens next? We've always had conversations. But the only reason I was in that position was because I'm a vendor of what I do. I would never have met Peter Mullet. I would never have met... Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. There's a ton of people. I never would have met Frank Durabont that did Green Mile and Charles Chamber Dempsey. He's also a client. And these conversations, they start one way, but they ultimately come down to my representation of God through Jesus Christ.

22:43 It's really what it comes down to. And the car thing... Yeah. And the car thing... Yeah, I'm a car guy, too. You know, I've owned probably... 12 original 50s speedsters, right? Which is my favorite car of all time. You know, mainly a Porsche stuff. I've had 59 Chevys, big Impalas, Nomads, you know. So I'm hip to cars. I'm hip to the exotic, through Peter, I learned about the French connection, you know. The Delahaye, Delages, Boison, all that stuff. And so, Those doors were open because of what I do, but the doors remained open to talk about the things of Christ. And when you talk about cars, you know, they're man-made items.

23:25 Imagine the perfection that is achieved by God creating you in his image and likeness. Even though these cars are nice, they're beautiful, they're meticulous, the boats are lined up, the paint job is in, so-and-so did, so-and-so did my paint. You go, whoa, so-and-so did my body, whoa, whoa. So-and-so did the mechanical. Whoa! I say so-and-so created me, and so-and-so created you. Ultimate perfection. So it's the same conversation. It's not difficult. It's not a difficult conversation, man. Well, obviously, and I will ask the interesting question, those experiences of sharing your faith, what does it do for you personally?

24:07 it gives me assurance. It gives me a track record I can lean upon. It gives me history. It shows that I'm pleasing God. It makes him happy. I feel at the end of the day, I know when my day... has made our Lord and Savior happy. I know when it hasn't. So I like to be, I like to rejoice with him on a successful day, spreading his word. So that's the joy I get. When I walked away from you, Pell Beach, I said, that's an ignited life. We talk about how, this is how you have your life. You want to have Keith's joy? Well, Keith is kind of special. Okay, I don't understand.

24:47 No, no, no. No, I'm not. But his joy, He'll tell you quickly, his joy comes from the Lord, and in sharing that joy, it gives you more joy. He actually said in the scripture, you know, the last parable of the tree, the fig tree in the garden, right at the end of Jesus' life, his last parable— And it's talking about the tree. And we're the branches. But he says when you're not just a branch, but when you bear fruit. Fruit. That's right. That's right. I think that's one of the great scriptures in the whole Bible. And you and I represent this very clearly.

25:28 He says, oh, therein you're my disciple. Oh. Yes, and we are ambassadors of Christ. Yes. What is the biggest honor you could have than be a vessel and an ambassador, you know? Absolutely. Certified and qualified, okay? Absolutely. So the end of that scripture is when you bear fruit. I think this is one of the great scriptures in the Bible, John 15, 11, verse, He said, when you bear fruit, oh, now you're my disciple. And my joy reign with you. And your joy remain full.

26:10 Right. And most Christians aren't walking around with joy. Most Christians are living in fear and trepidation and wondering where God is, particularly in these days. And they're missing the whole point of Christianity. And he says, if you love me and love your neighbor as yourself, if you're concerned for their salvation, if that's what you live for, more than selling car wax, probably. Getting people into heaven, that ignites your life. That's why I wrote this book, Ignite Your Life. It does. It does. Here's a life. Keith is an example of an ignited life, to say the least. Not a smooth one. Not a smooth one. But I agree.

26:51 It remains ignited. Well, you do that very well. And it's not effort, is it? It doesn't require effort. It's not scary. It's not sweaty palms. Well, we talked about, I mean, you know, like I told you, the alternative, what the alternative is, Eternal damnation. That's the alternative. That's scary. So when you look at someone, do you want do I want their blood on my hands? There have been several folks I've known and loved over the years. And I said, well, I'm going to go back and talk with them. I'm going to fly back and see him. There was no tomorrow. These lives of vapors were getting in.

27:32 Those folks left this earth. Without I'm not saying, you know, we're not judging, but I'm saying evidence is important. And by putting it off a day or two, those folks died. And I feel really bad about that. I had a cousin I talked to several days. He had some heart matters. I was going to fly back to Washington to see him. We made a date and it was too late. At least that that part of it. several friends and you have friends and families that family members that have left here that you should have talked to i don't want i don't want their blood on my hands when i could have spoken to them you don't want you don't want that you want to be participating in the road for their salvation that's what you want that's what you want there's a scripture to that folks we're called watchmen on the wall And it actually says, if you're not warning them and you know the enemy is coming, that's Satan.

28:33 If you don't warn them and they die in their sins, your blood will be in their hands. Yeah. Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. That's frightening. That's true. No, it is. It is. It is. It is. And there's tons of stories. Yeah, there's tons of stories. I have characters. I have a deathbed ministry because I have people. Everybody knows me. No, I'm focused on getting to heaven, getting them to heaven. And there have been so many that they wait till the end, and then they call. You know what? You know what? That whole formula about what about the thief on the cross?

29:14 Yeah. Do you want to be in that position where you've got a matter of minutes to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior? Yeah. Or do you want to take care of this ahead of time? Yeah. You know, you don't want to be. There's very few stories, like you say, deathbed stories. My father is an excellent example. He received and professed Christ two weeks prior to his death. Mm-hmm. Okay. And only through the grace of God that happened. It was a very difficult man, a genius of a man. His name was Dr. James Collins. He was the number one radiologist in the entire world at one point in his career, but as hard as nails. However, I saw God transform this man. I got a problem.

29:55 I got a problem. We're out of time. We're completely out of time. Can we do a second one of these? I'm here, man. I'm going to sit here. I'm here. Okay. All right. Okay. Folks, we'll be back. Look for the next segment of Keith Collins. The best is yet to come. Oh, my goodness. We got to live up to that. Okay, let's go. Okay. Thanks for watching, folks. If you enjoyed today's podcast, please let us know. Subscribe now to continue receiving my podcast and add your comments to help us attract more viewers. See you next time on the Ignite with Barry McGuire podcast.