The Flog – The Fabry Log

There's something special about the birthday of a book. That's today for Dogwood. So I'm thinking listeners to my radio program as well as readers will want to know more about the person behind the mic/keyboard.

I've been married to the same woman for 25 1/2 years. She is the AK I mention in the dedication to Dogwood. A stalwart and encouraging presence in my life when I feel like jumping off a cliff, which is about every Tuesday.

We have 9 children, an entire baseball team, 5 girls, 4 boys. The girls are lovely, the boys are handsome, and the parents are proud of them. They range in age from 23 - 7. There are 6 still living at home with us.

I grew up in West Virginia, where Dogwood is set. My uncles blew glass at Blenko. My oldest brother attended West Point and had a long military career. My other brother studied chemistry and is now in the evil oil industry, raking in obscene profits.

My mother and father still live in Dogwood, though it's not called that. They are both in their 80s.

I attended Marshall University in the late 70s, early 80s, and Moody Bible Institute. Then I began working for Moody Broadcasting in 1984. Over the years I've hosted a number of radio programs with Moody and with Adrian Rogers in Memphis.

In 2000, our family packed up and moved to Colorado, where the mountains beckon and the air is clear and your children always want to come home. I worked a little with Focus on the Family that first year and now I'm back working with Moody Radio with the Chris Fabry Live! broadcast. (Don't forget the exclamation point.)

My dream has always been to write fiction for adults. However, my publishing career has been mostly in children's fiction and adult non-fiction. I co-wrote the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. TIm LaHaye. Jerry and I have also written 20 other books together and in 2007, the RPM series came out for kids.

You can also read my non-fiction motivational book, co-written with Coach Jim Tressel of Ohio State, The Winners Manual. It is currently on the New York Times Bestseller list. Go figure. Of course, the success of that book is all about my writing and it has nothing to do with the Rock Star who is Jim Tressel.

Dogwood is my 68th book to be published since 1995, but in a sense, it is my first book because it's the dream I've had for nearly 20 years. I love fiction. I think it can move you in ways non-fiction can't. I have been moved by fiction through the years and wanted, in some small way, to do that to others.

Dogwood is book 1 in a 3 book series that is loosely tied to the fictional town in West Virginia. I'm working on the second book now and it should be out in 2009.

Thanks for visiting my site, my blog, my planet. I hope you enjoy visiting Dogwood as much as I did.
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After Tuesday's program I had a conversation with Amy, 96, from Florida. She said she really appreciated the broadcast today about God's faithfulness through three generations of missionaries.

She also said she misses hearing Don Cole and Wayne Shepherd in the evenings on Open Line. In her words, "They tucked me in every night." However, she did say she enjoys 3:00 every afternoon and Chris Fabry Live! (Don't forget the exclamation point.)

Amy's message was really encouraging and I appreciate others who have sent emails and called to encourage us. Thanks for listening and tell someone else about our program.
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I thought it might be helpful to present some reaction to our last couple of days of programs. Here are some emails that came in about them.
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Hi Chris,
I love your show and listen to it every chance I get. Keep up the great work!

I also appreciate your willingness to open topics that tend to be sticky, such as homosexuality. However, I have another angle to throw at you. :) I listened to your conversations with callers and the theme I heard over and over was 'We need to love them'. And I agree 100%! But I didn't hear anything mentioned about warning them of the sin they are in. God hates homosexuality just as much as he hates any other sin.

If you were driving past a house and see smoke and flames coming from a corner of the house, do you just drive past and think, "Well, they'll probably wake up in time to get out safely and everything will be okay." No! You would quickly go and alert the people inside about the coming danger! You want them to get out alive!

This may be a crude illustration, but see the parallel I'm trying to make? Yes, by all means, we need to love people living in homosexuality. But wouldn't telling them about how they are living in sin and how God can forgive that sin and change them be loving them the best way possible? God loves them, but he hates their sin. And if they do not repent of that sin, they will be separated from God for eternity. And thats not me talking, its God that says so.

Thank you for letting me speak my heart.

~Anonymous


Hey Brother,

I struggle with homosexuality. I really like what Chris had to say. I made my decison to follow Christ in May of 1987. I decided to believe that what the Lord had to say about the subject really was the truth no matter what my feelings (same sex attraction) were. I tried to figure out how I could ever change and just hit a dead end. I all I could really do was trust the Lord and believe that He is able to accomplish more than what I can even imagine.

I have to tell you that it's only been in the last two years that I have begun to experience victory. It has been (and continues to be) a very long and hard road as Chris indicated. As they say in the 12 steps progarm "life on life's terms" and "don't give up - just keep coming back".

I wholeheartedly believe that the church needs to do more to reach out to people like myself, or Chris, or Abimidad who called in an opened up his heart. I also believe that it is happening. I see it in my own life. I am a part of a men's accountability group at my church in Chicago that is really awesome. I am experiencing the God designed desire for intimacy with other men in the "right" way. My real needs in that respect are being met in wonderfull ways through some very "real" brothers in Christ. As a result today I have far less desire to go back to the "old" ways. I have also learned to share my struggle and not try to stand alone. Isolation leads to nothing but trouble.

Anyway, I really appreciate your boldness in bringing up the subject. I could go on but I just really wanted to say thanks to you and to Christopher for the way you discussed the whole issue.

--Fernando


Thank you for your show today, I was listening about reaching out the those in the gay community and although my situation wasn't the same, the message was the same. I have not felt I have been useful to God for some time now. I do not want to go to heaven and be asked what I have done with what God has given me. Well tonight on my way home, I took a different route than usual. My windows were open and my Christian Radio was playing. I pulled up to the light and there was a middle aged man, a woman and a dog sitting on the corner with a sign reading "will do roof work for food" I would look to the side and then knowing I had a little money keep looking at the light and then back at them and inside wondering why they were there etc, listening to my "Christian" radio and then the light changed and I left. I started talking to myself. "Now you know that was no coincidence that you went that way", "you know you have a $20 in your wallet". I knew I had to go back and normally when I have helped in a situation like this I have just handed the money said God Bless and leave. But I knew that was not enough, your show today made me realize that. These people need our concern, our time and our money. I think I stood and talked for about 30 minutes. They told me some of the tragedy in their lives and what led to this situation, including the death of their 17 year old son last year after taking Methadone for the 1st time. He had some kind of heart condition that Methodone intensified. They had to leave to get to the soup kitchen, and I asked if I could pray with them. I did not care for the 1st time who was driving by or parked at the light on this busy street. I was truly concerned for them. They were still sitting on the floor, so I got on my knees and we prayed. Another women who had walked up and had started talking to the couple asked if she could join in. After they left she asked if she could talk to me and asked if I knew where she could get help getting a bus ticket. I said maybe the soup kitchen people if it was the mission or the Salvation Army might be able to help. She had been traveling with her boyfriend across country in his 18 wheeler and because she has bipolar disorder and had not been taking medication had gotten depressed and they got into a fight, she made him let her out here in Ohio and she called am ambulance and they took her to the hospital. Anyway they had her talk to a social worker and let her leave. I just knew I could not let her wander around in a strange town alone, I said I would take her to the bus station and if they would accept a check or credit card I would purchase her ticket. Anyway, she if from Tennessee, near Nashville. I bought her ticket and her bus was more than 2 hours away. So I took her for some food as I didn't have anything made and we went home and talked and she was able to take a shower and rest before her trip home. I can't tell you how good it feels to be of service to someone in need and knowing that only God could have done this. She wasn't living a holy life with her boyfriend, but they do go to some of the church services at rest stops for truckers. But I was able to show God's love, just like you have been talking about these past couple of days. This wasn't the person you would normally take home. She had sores over a lot of her body, but she was one of the sweetest people I have talked to in many years and my dog loved her, she knows. I don't know why I felt compelled to write to you, but to say, thank you, for your real show, no pulling any punches and hitting home.

Bless you Deborah


Chris,

I try to listen to your program everyday but I missed most of it today except to pick up the phone call from the young man struggling with homosexuality. I almost cried. You could hear the pain in his voice and my heart ached for him that he had no one to come alongside him to encourage him in his struggle to leave this lifestyle. We in the church may not know how to minister to young or old people (he sounded young) like him but we had better learn. I will be the first one to admit that I find that lifestyle repulsive and I have very little compassion toward the belligerent and militant homosexual out there because I do not believe that you can dialogue with them, but the young man today is a completely different story. The young man knows that it is sin and wants to be rid of it but the enemy does not want him to succeed so he will always attack him where he is vulnerable. I pray Jesus Christ will be strength in his weakness and that the young man will do as Chris suggested and pursue holiness. All of this to let you know why I think your program is on the air and I hope someone heard it who can step up to the plate.

Carol

Dear Chris,
I was listening to your show today on WMBI in Chicago, and was so moved by the people that called in about homosexuality, especially your last caller talking about her sons choice, I could hear the sadness in her voice about the possibility of not having her son at the family holidays etc. I wish that I would have been able to contact that caller, I too have a son that Satan has a stronghold on. I would have told her that I too as a strong faither in CHRIST JESUS THE MESSIAH, I know that the sin of homosexuality is wrong, but not any worst than the sin of someone living with a boyfriend or girlfriend as husband and wife. No sin is worst than another, the only sin that is unforgivable is the sin of blasphemy against the HOLY SPIRIT.
We all fall short, and we bring NOTHING to the table of ALMIGHTY GOD, our forgiveness is a gift of mercy and grace by our HEAVENLY FATHER, and paid for on the cross by JESUS CHRIST, lets not forget that.
What I had to learn with my son is to love him, with an agape love, no conditions, the way that CHRIST JESUS THE MESSIAH LOVES THE CHURCH, show my son the word of GOD, and put him in GODS hands , have faith the ALMIGHTY GOD will break the stronghold in my sons life. It's called FAITH.
It's all about the HEAVENLY FATHER, HE is the one in control, not me..AMEN!

Denise


Hello!
I am a 26 year old, female listener from Chattanooga, TN and caught the end of the broadcast today when Christopher Yuan was counseling the young man who had called, a pastor's kid, and struggling with homosexuality. Chris talked to him and then asked to pray for him....I was this close to calling in but I am a bit to intimidated for LIVE radio! I just wanted to express my deep thanks for the love shown to this young man. I was holding my breath for the response that you would receive and so praying that it would be encouraging. My heart just swelled with joy at the love that was expressed! And I know that is Christ in me. The response was so RIGHT and Biblical, thank you. We as the church owe a humble apology to so many struggling among us for our condemning and shunning responses to sin. We are all sinners, all fall short! Why is it so hard for us to remember this!? One of my favorite quotes is "The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners." by Thomas Merton. If we could all just love one another... Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for speaking the Truth IN LOVE. It was a picture of Jesus.
-Peyton

Hey Chris!
Greetings from Ohio! (90.5 WCRF) I was all set to not like Your program because it replaced "Money Matters" with Howard Dayton..BOO! But I gave it a chance and now I listen everyday.(Though I have bounced some checks since I don't hear Howard's words of wisdom daily..thanks Chris) Love the show. Feels Like You are sitting at My kitchen table with your guests. I appreciate the open and kind spirit. I wanted to comment on the caller today who was concerned about gay activism in the public schools. Mr. Yuan shared that from His point of view, these groups are simply trying to be understood. That they don't really mean to push a radical agenda...but rather are seeking to share the homosexual lifestyle...sort of like We want to share the Gospel. I thought that was a poor analogy...but My real issue is that Anyone who has truly examined the radical gay rights movement cannot claim that there is not an aggressive, deeply angry engine that drives it. There are deceived folks whom Jesus Loves caught up in this...sure. But when it comes to the hijacking of media/public schools (ie. California) to warp the minds of precious kids..I don't think the answer is " Don't worry about it.Their just trying to be nice." Did I miss something? Still love the show. Thanks to Mr. Yuan for His Honesty and willingness to walk for Christ in this mine-field issue.
Susi

Hi Chris,
I was listening Thursday to your program and wanted to comment. My wife walked out on me over three years ago. She filed for divorce and it was crushing at the time. Here is the result of God's allowing evil for good. My life was changed completely. I am now a servant for the Lord, and not the idol of my heart, which was my wife. I have been broken before a loving father, and HE saved me from myself. This is my prayer for this man calling after the show

God's love from my soul to you,

Bob


I loved the way that Christopher responded to the caller. It doesn’t matter what sin has been committed, we as the church should be accepting and run towards them instead of away from them. My family is touched by a similar situation. My husband struggles with alcoholism. He is a Christian, however he still struggles. Like the caller he knows its wrong however it has a great power over him. I have prayed and so has he that God would take the desire away. But he is very intimated by our church knowing his sin because he is afraid that instead of coming beside him and helping him pick up the pieces that they will judge him. This response gave me a new outlook on how to pray for him. Thanks for your show

I met Christopher Yuan for the first time this morning. But I've heard about him for a long time. Andrea and I met his parents, Leon and Angela, in the late 90s as we were changing churches. At the new members class we met them and fell in love with them. They'd been through some great struggles in their marriage and had seen God do miraculous things.

However, their son, Christopher, was always on their minds. He had gotten caught up in the homosexual lifestyle and moved from home. He also was selling drugs, and was eventually caught and imprisoned. To make matters worse, he was told in his first few days of incarceration that he was HIV positive.

How can God redeem such a sad story? The answer is in Christopher Yuan's life. Through a series of events, he was released from prison, attended Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College, and is now an adjunct instructor at Moody teaching the Bible.

I hope you enjoyed what you heard on today's broadcast and were challenged to present the grace and love of God to everyone within your sphere of influence.
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As promised on Chris Fabry Live, here are Tricia's Cicada pics. Above is Sammy Cicada how he looked just before he flew away. Now look at the before pictures.

We go back in time to when Sammy was struggling to get his wings out of the old "self" and into the new.

This looks a lot like me on Sunday morning.

And here is our first glimpse of Sammy. Interesting, yes. Fascinating, sure. But what does this teach us about ourselves and what God's doing with each of us?

Earlier this year Andrea and I did a program on Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman that covered pre-marital counseling and how important it is. One couple Gary interviewed was Westin and Heather.
Saturday, we attended their wedding, and what a treat to see two young people who love God and love each other. They did something I've never seen done before. There was a small chalice with two openings on either side. On the front was a bear claw and on the back, a maze. The Lakota Tribe used this in their wedding ceremonies, evidently, and the claw represented strength and the maze was the journey of life the couple would now begin.
Before they drank from it, both mothers came up and poured water in the chalice and then the pastor who performed the ceremony poured water, representing their families of origin and Jesus. Then, Heather and Westin drank from the cup.
It was a moving wedding ceremony and since Westin's dad is one of my best friends, a moving time for us all. God bless the union of Heather and Westin!
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We originated live from Orlando, FL Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during what used to be "CBA." It's now ICRS, or the International Christian Retail Show instead of the "Christian Booksellers Association" Convention. They sell a lot more than books in Christian bookstores these days, so I loaded up on Testamints, etc.

Monday, Liz Curtiss Higgs was with us, a former broadcaster with Howard Stern, no less. Susie Larson also talked about being an uncommon woman. She's a breath of fresh air. It was great to finally meet Karen Kingsbury Tuesday. I actually received a "Karen Kingsbury ink pen." Very cool. She's the inspirational fiction bestseller of a number of series. Steve Brown was supposed to join us Wednesday. He used to be one of my favorite people on the planet, but now I'll never forgive him for not being there. Oh, okay, I'll forgive him. The communication problem was probably on my end.

While there, I publicized my upcoming debut novel, Dogwood. It's exciting to have dreamed and worked on something for so long and finally get to see it in print. I also emceed the Christy Awards for Christian fiction and hostws a breakfast "talk show" for the CBA organization. At that event, I talked with William Young, author of The Shack, who is called "Paul." That book has caused quite a stir among Christian readers as well as those in the general market. He's on the Today Show today. It's such a different experience hearing people talk about a book and hearing an author explain where the pain came from that caused him to write it. I hope we'll talk about that work in the coming days.

One final note. The book I did with Jim Tressel, The Winners Manual, released this past Tuesday. Coach Tressel was at several signings over the past couple of days and the reaction has been nothing less than phenomenal. We're hoping many people will be encouraged by the content of that book.

It's good to be home. We'll do a pre-recorded broadcast Thursday with Joel Edwards of the UK and Ron Luce from Teen Mania. Then Friday's show will be live again. I hope you enjoyed the content each day this week.
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Once in a lifetime. That's how I would describe my experience with Coach Jim Tressel of Ohio State. We met in March and began writing a book together. He supplied the stories and quotations, I just fit it all together.

Coach Tressel is the real deal. When I talked with him about his players, it was as if he were talking about his own children. When one of them, like Maurcie Clarett, got into trouble, I got the feeling he felt a bit responsible.

Ohio State has a top notch program for football. There are scores of NFL players that go through there. But the goal for the coach is not the NFL, but to help each person become the best individual student, athlete, and citizen they can be.

I think this book is going to help a lot of people sort through a new game plan for their life. It's not just a football book -- it's a life book.

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I was out with one of my older daughters. We went to a movie at one of those artsy theaters that was showing a film from Israel. We enjoyed it (sort of), and enjoyed each other's company (really) and then headed back to her apartment.

Look who stopped by the studio today! Bruce Overstreet!
What a great shirt, huh?

Thanks for all the emails about my birthday. I was born on the morning that Ernest Hemingway died. That pushed my birth off the front page of our paper.

I debated whether to even tell anyone that it was my birthday, being shy and all. I thought it might help people season their words on the program today. I don't know if it worked, but I appreciated the caller who said she was going to bake me cookies.

In honor of the big day, here is a picture of me (in Cubs hat), my son Ryan, and my son Colin riding on Ryan's shoulders. This was at the diabetes walk raising money for research. I do not have the facial hair any longer.