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In order to convince producers he was perfect for the part of Bo Duke in the 1980s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, actor John Schneider decided to adopt an "aw-shucks" Southern accent, a shambling good-ole-boy manner, and then claimed that he hailed from the tiny community of Snellville, Georgia (he was actually born in New York state and raised in Atlanta). The plan worked, and Schneider found instant fame in the form of magazine covers and Dukes of Hazzard lunch boxes during his six-year stint on the hugely successful series.

Fast forward 25 years to the present where a steady rain pours down on a dreary Monday morning in Vancouver on a movie set where the actor is working on the NBC miniseries Point Five (which premiered last fall). Schneider, 43, still has the same blonde locks and charming smile. He's still on a hit TV series (this time it's playing Clark Kent's dad on the popular WB show Smallville), and he still makes the covers of entertainment magazines, including TV Guide, which recently named Schneider one of "The Fifty Sexiest People" in television history (he scraped in at number 49). But what's different about Schneider these days is that he is now a happily married man and father of three who feels like he has gained a whole lot of wisdom from the ups and downs he has faced in the Hollywood spotlight—wisdom that God is now using to help others.

Schneider explains, "The more I think about it, the more I am amazed at the life God has spread behind me so I can further the kingdom of God here and now. I call the hard times that I have had 'Joseph experiences.' I think Joseph experiences are anything God uses from your past to prepare you to be a tool to help someone else now or in the future."

	"I call the hard times that I have had 'Joseph experiences'— something God uses from your past to prepare you to be a tool to help someone else."

One of the ways God is using John's tumultuous Hollywood past is as a mentor to his younger costars on Smallville. Schneider chuckles, "I've been on TV longer than some of my costars have been alive, so I'm able to give some perspective. I'm able to tell them stories [from his Dukes days] and give them some advice. I can even point them to the Bible and tell them that is where they'll find peace."

Spiritual peace was something Schneider didn't find until after The Dukes of Hazzard went off the air and his life began unraveling both personally (a much publicized divorce) and professionally (job offers became sporadic). But in 1998 Schneider began living with Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash for a time, and it was the conversations he had with the couple that led him to say a prayer one day at the Little Brown Chapel in Studio City, California, that changed his life.

Before Johnny and June (who both passed away last year) counseled Schneider, the actor admits that his notion of Christians were of people that were "too nice." He adds, "I couldn't relate to them because nothing about their lives seemed real to me. My life was messy and imperfect, so I couldn't see where I would fit in." But Schneider claims when he heard Cash talking about his relationship with Jesus, suddenly that all changed. "It was the first time that I saw that you could say 'Jesus is Lord' and still be a man," Schneider says. "Once I realized I was part of this bigger plan, I didn't want to be a follower but a leader for the cause."

For Schneider, being a leader has included becoming more involved in charity work by helping to create the Children's Miracle Network, and by being a voice for Christian values in the entertainment industry by directing and producing new projects he feels are redemptive. Back in 2002 he directed a Christmas movie for PAX, and he currently plans to develop and direct a movie based on the popular book July, July.

He also hopes to continue playing Jonathan Kent on Smallville, a role that has a special place in his heart. "Jonathan Kent is the character I would most respect if I met him in real life. He's as close to John Wayne as you can get, and I've always wanted to play a character like that." He adds, "The Kents are a very traditional, loving family. Jonathan realizes that even though his son is Superman, if he doesn't impart values to Clark, Clark could just as easily turn out to be the most evil man in the world instead of a hero."

The cameras are ready to roll again. But before dashing off to do another take, Schneider pauses for a moment before adding one final thought: "I want people to know that God is not using me just because I am John Schneider the actor, the celebrity. God doesn't really care about that.

"God has something big for everyone. Everyone needs to look at where they are in God's plan. Not where God is in their plan, but where they are in his plan. Then move forward and take the hill!"

A Christian Reader original article. Kris Rasmussen is a writer based in Michigan.

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