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Chris Fabry
Married to Andrea since 1982. We have 9 children together and none apart. Our dog's name is Tebow.
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Where We Are Now

After finding and remediating mold twice in our Colorado home, we abandoned ship in October 2008. Because of the high levels of exposure, our entire family was affected. After months of seeing different specialists for all of the problems, we came to Arizona to begin comprehensive treatment to rid our bodies of the toxic buildup. In August 2009 we moved into a larger home, four bedrooms, south of Tucson, north of Mexico. I am doing my daily radio program/ writing from that location. Thanks for praying for us. We really feel it.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Jim Tressel

6:31 AM | Posted by Chris Fabry | | Edit Post
Jim Tressel walked into my life at just the right time and I didn’t even know it. Tyndale had asked if I would be available to write a “quick book” just before I began Chris Fabry Live in 2008. I said I would do it, that I was up to the task, and ready. I had no idea how this book and that project would affect me.

I helped write The Winners Manual after a month and a half flurry of interviews and back and forth emails with Coach Tressel. When it was completed I was exhausted, but it felt like we had accomplished something that would help a lot of people.

The hardback has sold more than 100,000 copies. It is out in paperback and I just received my copy in the mail yesterday. Because of the situation with our house, all of my copies have to be destroyed, so I’m glad to have access to this material again.

I was paid in a lump sum for my work on the book. It was like a gift from God. We had some emergency fund money, something to stash away, a cushion. A month later, we again found mold in the house. The cost for the remediation ate all the cash. At first, I was really upset. Then I saw the book as a gift God provided to take care of our needs.

I had no idea the adversity would continue, the kids would get sicker, and we would eventually have to leave that house and everything in it behind.

Today I picked up the paperback and flipped to the section on adversity. I wanted to see if there was something there for me. I wanted to see if I had learned anything over the past year. I came upon a story that is one of Tressel’s favorites called “Woohitike.”

“Woohitike, or bravery, is one of the central virtues or values of the Lakota Sioux. They believe that we all have it in us to be brave, that each of us can defend the camp when necessary. Life will give us the opportunity, issuing the invitation to the contest, and as time goes on, we will be shaped and strengthened by our challenges. Whether we can win each time or not, we will be tempered by adversity.

“The ancient Lakota hunter warriors handcrafted their own bows from seasoned ash wood. There were two ways to acquire the proper wood. The conventional way was to find a young ash tree, harvest it, and let it dry for at least five years. But the hunter warriors were always on the lookout for a mature ash tree that had been struck by lightning. Such a tree had been dried and cured in an instant by the awesome power of lightning, and any bows made from it would be much stronger. Such trees were rare, but they were preferred because they had suffered the ultimate adversity, and ultimate adversity produces ultimate strength.”

Maybe you are going through some trial or adversity. Maybe you feel like you have been struck by lightning. God can use that pain and struggle for ultimate good in your life and in others if you will allow him. You can be a tool in his hand, tempered and shaped by whatever circumstance you’re in, useful for his service.

Thanks Coach.

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