GRAPEVINE, Texas — Barry Meguiar has built one of the most recognizable brands in the automotive world, but the third-generation president of Meguiar’s Inc., known for producing one of America’s top-selling car waxes, says his life’s real mission has nothing to do with cars — and everything to do with Christ.
Now 82, the California native has spent over six decades in business, transforming a modest family operation into a global name synonymous with car care.
But for just as long, he and his wife, Karen, have also pursued a different kind of legacy, one marked by personal evangelism, spiritual renewal and helping others find joy through sharing the Gospel.
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“We’re all in full-time ministry,” Meguiar told The Christian Post during a sit-down interview at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. “Everything we say and do, from the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night, is either moving people closer to Jesus or further away.”
That conviction shapes every aspect of Meguiar’s life. Even as he hosted the hit Discovery series “Car Crazy” and expanded his company’s global footprint, he was always looking for moments to talk about Jesus with customers, employees or even strangers in line at the grocery store.
“Whenever I see you, I’ve gone over and watched you,” one car enthusiast once told him. “And watching your life, I realized that’s a God I want to serve.”
Such stories are the heartbeat of Meguiar’s forthcoming devotional,The Daily Nudge, a 365-day guide designed not just to inspire Christians but to activate them. The book, he says, offers more than inspiration; it offers a daily challenge to help believers tangibly live out their faith.
“There are 1,000 devotions out there, and they’re wonderful and have good thoughts,” Meguiar said. “But they’re not necessarily life-changing. This is an entirely different devotional. It says, ‘Here’s the nudge you need today to go out and share your faith.’”
The devotional is a natural outgrowth of Meguiar’s broader ministry, Ignite America, which he founded to encourage revival one conversation at a time.
Through the ministry’s initiatives, including the nationally syndicated “Ignite with Barry Meguiar” radio feature heard on over 800 Christian stations, he’s spreading the same message: that Christians have both the responsibility and the opportunity to share their faith in everyday life.
Statistically, he said, only about 1% of Christians actively do that. He surmised that most are held back by fear, uncertainty, or the mistaken belief that evangelism is only for trained professionals.
“Satan puts fear in people,” Meguiar said. “They’re afraid they’ll get asked questions they won’t know how to answer. We even have a whole section on our website called ‘Most Frequent Excuses.’ But the truth is, you don’t need a script. You just need love and the Holy Spirit.”
That approach has carried Meguiar through some of life’s hardest moments, including the devastating loss of his 49-year-old daughter. Rather than retreating from faith, he chose to use the tragedy as a platform to proclaim eternal hope.
“I knew most people at her funeral wouldn’t be Christian because they were car guys,” he said. “So I shared the whole Gospel. … I cried as I spoke, but I opened up about the joy and hope we can still have in Christ.”
The message resonated. The funeral video has since been viewed more than 20,000 times, and Meguiar believes hundreds came to faith as a result.
“How can I question God about that?” he said. “I miss her so much. But I know I’ll be with her for eternity. That brings me joy.”
Meguiar’s story of transformation traces back to the early days of his career. After graduating college in 1964, he and Karen started out buffing cars in body shops, which he described as gritty, unglamorous work. By 1973, he had stepped into retail, launching what would become Meguiar’s flagship consumer brand. That same year, a more profound change took place: the couple felt convicted to share their faith more intentionally.
At the time, they were doing all the “right” things, attending church and volunteering, but something was missing.
“We were almost trying to earn our way into Heaven,” he said. “And it occurred to us, we didn’t have joy.”
That changed when a man at a church banquet spent the entire evening telling stories about the joy of evangelism.
“I walked out in tears,” Meguiar said. “I said, ‘That’s what I want. I want that joy.'”
They began sharing their faith more boldly from that day forward. They weren’t perfect, Meguiar recounted, but the results were undeniable: the more they witnessed, the more joy they experienced.
“We’ve never lost it,” he said. “It’s crazy, but that joy is still there.”
That joy is also the subject of his first book, Ignite Your Life: Defeat Fear with Effortless Faith, which offered practical encouragement to overcome fear through daily faith, continuing the message he’s been preaching for decades.
Today, Meguiar says his life is anchored in John 15:11: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
“How do you have full, lasting joy every day? By bearing fruit,” he said. “And the only thing that will matter when we get to Heaven is how many people are there because of our influence.”
“Eighty percent of the unchurched are looking for God,” he added. “They’re in pain, and they want to know where He is. They may be sitting right next to you.”
His hope is that The Daily Nudge, his book, and the Ignite America ministry will help ordinary Christians overcome fear, speak up and experience the kind of faith-filled life he’s known for decades.
“Every day is an adventure,” Meguiar said. “You have no idea who you’re going to talk to today, but you can be sure God wants to use you.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
