Against All Odds: My Story (34 page)

Not surprisingly, Gena's first response when she heard that Ed Cole wanted to speak to us was, “Well, he either wants something from us, or he has something prophetic to say to us that we need to hear.” Gena had admired Ed Cole for years and was much more aware of his ministry and accomplishments than I was, but I had sensed a genuineness about Ed at the marriage seminar. Although I'm sometimes too naïve and trusting when it comes to discerning people's motives, I felt that I could trust Ed.

“Out of respect for Dr. Cole, let's meet with him,” Gena said, “and hear what he has to say.”

“Fine, tell him to come on over to the house,” I replied.

The rain was relentless that day when Ed Cole came to our home in Dallas. He was drenched and trembling as he came inside and sat down on the couch. I took a break from my script meeting, left the writers in the den, walked into the living room, and sat down next to Ed. After some cordial small talk, Ed got right down to business. It was obvious that he felt he was on a mission from God.

“You may think I'm crazy, and you may tell me to leave when I share this with you,” he said, “because I don't know you well. But God has laid this message on my heart, and I'm convinced that I am to tell you something. How you respond is up to you.” Dr. Cole turned to the Bible and read a brief passage to us. His hands were shaking as he held the Book and said, “I just want you to know that there are going to be many people who will come to you, and they will call themselves brothers, but they want to use you for their own personal gain.” Dr. Cole went on to explain how he felt that because of our simple, childlike faith, we were vulnerable to be taken advantage of by wolves in sheep's clothing. He encouraged us to get grounded in God's Word, the Bible, so we could tell the difference between the genuine brothers and sisters and the counterfeits.

I was shocked. I'd lived and worked in an extremely competitive world for most of my life; I was acutely aware of the backstabbing, undermining, and wheeling and dealing that goes on every day in the film industry. I was accustomed to dealing with users, abusers, and other losers. But Dr. Cole was clearly implying that we needed to beware of people who came to us in the name of God, whose motives were suspect, and who were seeking only their own selfish aggrandizement. It was obvious that his own words caused him great sadness and pain as he spoke to us.

Dr. Cole visited with us for about thirty minutes; we talked about his wife, Nancy, and how he missed her, and we talked briefly about our family; we hugged Ed, and then he left. He had no sooner gone out the door when Gena was overwhelmed. “Honey, do you realize what just happened here?” she asked. “God used Ed Cole to speak to you and me. He brought him all the way across Dallas in the middle of a bad storm to tell you this message because God loves you so much!”

We didn't hear from Ed for a while, and when we did, the news wasn't good. We received a letter from Dr. Cole in Los Angeles asking us to call him, and to pray for him, that he was bedridden and had been diagnosed with cancer. We called him right away and realized that his condition was worse than Dr. Cole was letting on.

Gena and I decided to fly to Dallas to see him at his bedside. We took my son, Mike, along with us. Dr. Cole's eyes still danced with light and life, but his body looked feeble and sickly. It was obvious that he was not going to be with us much longer. Nevertheless, he greeted us warmly when we entered his room. We talked for a few minutes, and then my son, Mike, literally dropped to his knees at Ed Cole's bedside. He grabbed Dr. Cole's hand and began praying for our friend.

Mike completed his prayer, and while he remained on his knees, Dr. Cole reached over, placed his hand on Mike's head, and in language reminiscent of an Old Testament prophet, Dr. Cole prayed a blessing over Mike's life. It was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I've encountered to date. I'm convinced that part of Mike's passion to develop family-oriented, faith-based films is directly attributable to that blessing bestowed upon him by Dr. Ed Cole.

As we prepared to leave, Ed looked up at us and said, “I cannot believe that you love me so much that you'd get on a plane to come see me.”

It was the last time we ever saw him on earth. He died a few weeks after our visit, just short of his eightieth birthday. We missed the mighty man of God who had become so dear to us in such a short period of time, but we knew we'd see him again in heaven.

Over the last three decades of his life, Dr. Cole had been a featured speaker at many events encouraging men to trust in God, to be faithful husbands and fathers, to be real men. I recognized that in some ways, he and I were trying to do the same thing. What a legacy he left for me!

CHAPTER 28

THE PRESIDENT'S MAN

G
ena loves to make every day special, but she goes out of her way to celebrate my birthdays. One of the most memorable was a birthday “party” she planned for me while I was still filming
Walker, Texas Ranger.
Weeks in advance of the actual date, she started dropping little clues about what we were going to do on my birthday, but I was baffled. She began sending me intriguing notes, similar to a treasure hunt, several days before my birthday. I still couldn't figure out what she had in mind, but I knew it had to be good!

Two days before my birthday, I was working on a scene of
Walker
, when a bag lady walked on the set. Frumpy looking, wearing several layers of clothing, and carrying a large grocery bag, the woman somehow got through our security guards and literally walked right into the middle of a scene while we were filming!

I could hardly believe my eyes! I've had strange situations occur before but never one in the middle of a scene. I once had a female fan claim that she was carrying my baby because she had become pregnant through watching my program on television. She'd even sent photos of the baby! Anyone who has ever worked on television or in movies has their own collection of overzealous fan stories.

“Excuse me, ma'am,” I said, trying to be polite but firm. “You can't be here. We're trying to film.”

The woman seemed totally unconcerned. “Oh, that's quite all right, sonny. I've come with a special message for you. I must give you something,” she said as she attempted to hand her bag to me.

I waved her off. “No, thank you, Ma'am,” I said, not sure what she had in the bag. “I appreciate your kindness, but you really must leave.” I glanced at our security guys a few feet away and noticed they were ready to put the clamps on her. “I don't want to be rude,” I continued, “but we're trying to work here. Fellows, please help this dear woman find her way out.”

The security men came over and positioned themselves on each side of the woman. When she protested their encouragement that she leave, the guys simply lifted her up by her arms and carried her off the set, still kicking and screaming.

I just shook my head. I didn't know what to think. A few minutes later the bag lady came storming back on the set, and on the bottom of her bag was another of Gena's clues concerning my upcoming birthday surprise. Everyone on the set that day broke up in laugher; they'd all been in on the joke, everyone except me!

The following day I was back at work on the set when the producer, Gary Brown, came up to me and said, “Gena wants me to blindfold you. Can I do it?”

I looked at Gary and laughed, intuitively knowing that our work for the day was done. “Oh, OK,” I responded.

Gary blindfolded me and led me off the set, out the door, and across the parking lot. “Step up, Chuck,” Gary said, as he guided me onto a set of narrow steps. I stepped inside a vehicle and sat down, still blindfolded. Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter motor. We took off, and the copter whisked Gary and me across Dallas to Addison Airport. From there Gary put me on a jet, still blindfolded, where Gena greeted me and helped me to my seat. Once we took off, Gena said, “OK, now you can take off the blindfold.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“You'll find out!” she answered.

We landed in Cancun, and Phil Cameron, our personal security person, met us and helped us through the customs process. From there we went to a hotel, where we spent the night.

The following morning, Gena had arranged for a boat to pick us up for what I thought might be a simple, romantic cruise. I should have known better! As we crossed the harbor, I noticed a small plane approaching, an enormous message trailing behind it. As the plane flew closer overhead, I could read the words, “Happy Birthday, Stud-muffin!”

A few moments later another plane appeared in the sky. The plane circled our boat and began dropping roses … not a few roses, not rose petals. Thousands of full red roses began dropping from the sky. It looked as though the heavens were raining roses!

We arrived at Isla Muires, a private island where Gena had arranged for me to do something I've always wanted to do—swim with the dolphins. Afterward we had a quiet, private dinner. It was truly a birthday I will never forget!

I'm not nearly as expressive as Gena or as extravagant in my planning, so for her next birthday I wrote her a song. Anyone who has ever heard me sing knows what a sacrifice that was for me to put my voice on tape and give it to my wife. Gena cried when she heard the song, not because of my poor singing but because of my attempt to express my heartfelt love for her in a fresh, new way.

Certainly not every couple can fly off to Cancun and cause it to rain roses, and not everyone would want to write a song for the person he or she loves. But I'd encourage you to do something creative to make memories with your loved ones. Gena and I try to do special things for each other every day, simply to keep our love fresh and alive, but her exceptional efforts to celebrate my birthday in the year 2000 were more than I could have ever expected.

That same year, I had a great time campaigning for our forty-third President just as I had for the forty-first President twelve years earlier. I first came out strong for George W. Bush when he campaigned for governor of Texas in 1994 against a formidable foe, incumbent Governor Ann Richards, who was running for a second term. Ms. Richards constantly derided George Bush on television for his conservative views, and her snide, unfair comments annoyed and frustrated me.

I've known George W. since I campaigned for his father in 1988, so when I was asked to join his campaign for governor, I said, “There is nothing I would rather do!” By then our television show,
Walker, Texas Ranger
, was garnering great ratings, and I felt that if my popularity as the star of the show could help George W. Bush's campaign, I was ready.

On the campaign trail, my job was to introduce George W. at rallies. I often started off my speech by telling the crowd how happy I was to be campaigning for George Walker Bush. I'd pause, then say,
“Walker, …
I just love that name.” The crowd would break out laughing and cheering because they knew that was my character's name on TV.

During one of my speeches introducing George W. as the next governor, I accidentally introduced him as “the next president.” I caught myself and said, “No, the next governor, not the next president … yet!” That was a real Freudian slip, … or maybe I was speaking prophetically and didn't know it!

George W. won the election and became a great governor in Texas. During his time in office, he united our state in many ways and even had the Republicans and the Democrats working together for the benefit of all, no small feat in Texas politics. In fact, when George W. Bush ran for reelection, the late Lt. Governor Bob Bullock, a Democrat, endorsed him, and George W. won by a landslide.