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One of the most fascinating conversion stories of the 20th century, My Father Was a Gangster tells the dramatic life story of Jim Vaus, former associate of crime syndicate boss Mickey Cohen. In this book, son Will Vaus tells the inside story of his father's nefarious activities in organized crime and describes how close his father came to losing his life in a "Sting" operation. The author then describes the dramatic transformation that took place in his father's life as a result of attending the 1949 Billy Graham meetings in Los Angeles.
This story has been recounted in Time, Life and Reader's Digest, and was chronicled in a motion picture, The Wiretapper. Now it is told from a son's perspective, a son who watched his father reach juvenile delinquents across America with the same message of hope that changed his own life.
To order a signed copy send a check for $20 to Will Vaus Ministries at the address below. Or to order from Amazon, click on the link below:
"The story of Jim Vaus needs to be read and shared by this generation. He is a tremendous example of a man who had a dramatic encounter with the living God and whose story has impacted countless lives. Take time to read it, absorb it, and share it."
Steve Russo
International Communicator,
Best-selling Author
Host of the syndicated daily radio program Real Answers
"I first heard of Jim Vaus shortly after Billy Graham's first Los Angeles Crusade in 1949. It was therefore quite remarkable that I was the one to be selected to organise a programme for him in the British Isles. At the time I was working with the British Evangelical Alliance, and my friend George Wilson (who had been business Manager at Northwestern College when I was there in 1948/9) had asked me to do this.
"We had a remarkable time with Jim and his wife as we took them to church after church where, time and again, he told the story of his conversion. More importantly (for me) he brought with him one of the tiny 'bugging' microphones which he had removed from Mickey Cohen's house, and when he left England, he left it with me. I still have it - and it is a prized possession.
"To me it seemed inevitable that Jim would devote his life to Christian service - and so it was. It was not long before I heard the story of what he was doing and, as a result, he remained on my prayer list for the rest of his life.
"God has many trophies as He works through the proclamation of His word. Through the ministry of Billy Graham in the Los Angeles tent, Jim was one of them. Surely his welcome into heaven must have been accommpanied by the angel choir singing 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!'"
Maurice Rowlandson
Author of Behind the Scenes with Billy Graham
"My Father Was a Gangster: The Jim Vaus Story is an intriguing narrative of one of the most colorful, most complex and most fascinating characters of recent times. Written by his son, Will, the book illustrates vividly how the transforming power of faith in Christ can dramatically change the life of the most seasoned criminal. The reader will find it difficult to put the book down."
Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. M. D.
Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Author of The Question of God
"Jim Vaus' story of crime and salvation is a glorious testimony to the redemptive power of Christ. As told by his son Will, Jim's journey from rebellious youth to wiretapper to servant of God seems a drama straight from a Hollywood script. Jim Vaus left a legacy of service to his Lord and love for his family that is both compelling and inspiring."
Luis Palau, President, Luis Palau Association
"I am delighted that there is to be a new book about him. I recommend it as the continuing of his work, his echoing story deserves this generation's full attention. The time I spent with Jim was short but its effect on my life will be long lasting. I first met him when he spoke to a group of Christians active in the business of New York City Theater. He was a champion of Godly newness and our stumbling beginnings responded to the certainty of this wise man who dared to begin and accomplish a new ministry. That ministry would shake up the world's acceptance of the tawdriness of misguided young people and offer instead the surprising validity of hope. I returned to Houston to work as an actress in the Alley Theater and started a small group Bible study within Houston's theater community. I asked Jim to come to Houston to speak to a gathering of that group in my home and invited a few guests. Jim's name and the impact of his work brought a crowd to my house that immediately out distanced the amount of food I had prepared. Jim joined me in the kitchen and laughed at my dilemma as I divided the considered portions and literally watered the cups of soup. My living room was crowded and no comfortable chair was left for our guest of honor. He perched awkwardly on the arm of an undersized sofa and spoke to a wide-eyed group of under fed guests who never noticed the scant service in the midst of the wonderment of Jim's abundant words. Later I realized how appropriate that evening was. Jim was seldom confined within the expectations of the ordinary and much of his work was spent in undersized accommodations serving those whom society had underfed. God had a special place for Jim. No other ministry served as Jim's did and in a manner seldom equaled, Jim did not require agreement or fellowship; with or without it . . . he served in obedience to God . . . and that ministering service had and still has performance.
"Many years have passed since that season of my life. I have become the Artistic Director of a Christian Theater that began at a time when I knew no similar ministry offering the pattern of fellowship and scant recognition of its purpose. Now, in our 40th season I see my work as an outcropping of what I learned from Jim: when God calls unto a new ministry we dare not wait for the future to catch up with us. God had a word for Jim: authenticity. I am grateful for the men and women who have illustrated that word in my life. It is a demanding word. Jim was authentic in his faith, authentic in his friendship, authentic in his love for his family, authentic in his humor, authentic in his sorrows and authentic in his joy. That authenticity defined his ministry and reflected the One absolute God in Whom we can trust absolutely."
Jeannette Clift George, Founder & Artistic Director, A.D. Players, Houston, Texas
"My Father Was a Gangster: The Jim Vaus Story is a powerful reminder of how God reaches into the lives of the most unlikely people, redeems them from a destructive way of life and makes them powerful instruments of His Gospel in ministry. It is refreshing to see the story told again by Will Vaus, Jim's son.
"I remember well the first biography and the subsequent movie, The Wiretapper. As it touched my life then, so I trust this story will touch many lives today."
John Guest
Senior Pastor
Christ Church at Grove Farm
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
It was the fall of 1949 when I first heard the name of Jim Vaus. That September I had enrolled at Wheaton College at the recommendation of Billy Graham who had spoken at a youth rally in Canada that I was leading and told me about his alma mater.
One of the first Sundays at college I went with friends eagerly to hear Billy preach at the church he pastored in Western Springs, Illinois. That Sunday night he left for Los Angeles to begin the evangelistic campaign that would make him first a local, then a national, then an internationally-known evangelist.
The headlines of his extended preaching in Los Angeles excited me and the other young aspiring preachers at Wheaton. We were intrigued not just at the crowds, but the "name" figures who gave their lives to Christ then?the cowboy singer Stuart Hamblen, the Olympic runner and war hero Lou Zamperini, and, most unusual of all, a wiretapper for the gangster Mickey Cohen named Jim Vaus.
Jim was only the name of a kind of "celebrity" then. Later I came to know him as he became a man of God, a lover of young people, a devoted father, a man marked by God's grace.
Sometimes one who has been dramatically converted is described as a "trophy of grace." Does that conjure up the image of a glass-covered cabinet in heaven where Jesus proudly displays the "trophies" he has won? Hardly.
What matters to the Lord (and should to us) is when someone who has come to faith in Christ, famous or ordinary, becomes a "letter from Christ", to use Paul's metaphor?one in whom the marks of Christ are seen.
Jim Vaus, as I came to know him, was such a "letter."
He was a good-sized letter, a big, towering giant of a man who also exuded the loving gentleness of his Lord.
He was a fun-loving letter. My wife Jeanie and I learned how he loved practical jokes when at our wedding (where her brother Billy officiated) Jim hinted that as a reformed wiretapper he was going to use his skills to "bug" our honeymoon hotel!
Most of all, he was a God-loving and people-loving letter. After his conversion Jim became a kind of evangelical "celebrity", traveling from city to city to give his testimony. But that was not enough.
He became a letter from Christ to gang members in the heart of New York City, moving into the ghetto to reach hard-core youngsters, sharing with them in word and deed and presence the love of Christ that changed his life.
And Jim was a long-lasting letter to those in his family who knew him best. His son Will was also called to ministry, and it was my joy to have Will associated for a time with our own ministry of evangelism and leadership training. Will is a second-generation letter from Christ.
So Jim was, and is still in heaven, a letter worth God's writing. And this book is worth your reading. It is a story that needs to be told, remembered, and one that leads us to praise the God of grace who met Jim Vaus in that canvas cathedral in Los Angeles, and is still ready to enter and transform lives today.
Leighton Ford
President
Leighton Ford Ministries
Charlotte, North Carolina
Will is available to sign copies of his new book and give live presentations about his father's life and conversion from gangster to gang-buster. Contact the ministry today at the phone number or e-mail address below!
In 1956 my father traveled to Scotland and heard a 100-voice choral group called The Festival of Male Voice Praise. Never had my father heard such singing . . . anywhere! The rolling of their R's, the trilling of their T's, the simplicity of the style stayed with him for a long, long time. Most of all it was the manner in which it honored Jesus Christ. The choral group spent as much time in prayer as they spent in performance. And so my father began to plan how he could bring the music of these Scotsmen to America. The end result was a recording which, several years ago, my brother Steve was able to transfer to cassette and CD. The hymns on this album are:
- Praise Ye The Lord
- Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary
- 'Tis Marvelous and Wonderful
- Rock of Ages
- Glorious Things of Thee
- Living for Jesus
- It is Well with My Soul
- I Would Love to Tell You
- Not of the Blood of Beasts
- There is a Green Hill Far Away
- Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star
- Worthy O Lamb of God
- The King of Glory
- I Know Thou art Mine
- He's the Lily of the Valley
- I Gave My Life for Thee
- I Want My Life to Tell
- The Lord is My Shepherd
- Ye Gates Lift Up on High
- Fierce and Wild the Storm
- We Shall Rise
- O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
- Do Not Fear
- We'll Be There, We'll All Be There!
You won't hear singing like this anywhere else. In return for a small contribution to Will Vaus Ministries I will be happy to send you a CD ($15) or a cassette ($10). Just e-mail me today: will@willvaus.com. Or send your contribution with request for CD or cassette to the address below.
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Press the play button below to listen to an interview with Will about his father on Canadian radio.
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<a href="http://k.b5z.net/i/u/6046487/m/Will_s_Canadian_Interview.mp3">Play the media using the stand alone Player</a>
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