Wrestling with Faith, Love, and Gators by Chad Young

From the start, faith was a part of my career renovating these houses we call Pig's Ears.  When I bought The Fire House, I was showered with words of doubt.  People weren't being malicious, but they were openly sharing their opinions while I listened politely.  I had a whole lot more visitors who were skeptical than folks who were excitedly enthusiastic.  It was something of a mixed blessing that people were so negative.  Some said I wasn't going to be able to complete all the work in twelve months since I had a demanding full time job.  Others were convinced I'd never be rid of the smoke smell inside.  The weeping mortar on the exterior seemed like an insurmountable obstacle to quite a few and the negative predictions didn't stop there. 

This pessimism served me well though.  It kept me working late into the night and it got me up early on the weekends when I was worn out.  However, something more optimistic was at the heart of my drive and that was faith.  Throughout this project I gained encouragement from the words of Jesus in Matthew 17:20;  '...if you have faith of a mustard seed... nothing shall be impossible.'  A daunting timeframe, smoke damage, or the ugly exterior façade.  It didn't matter to me because I was confident that my challenges had solutions.

Faith is a part of this blog, which is why I want to tell you all about our friend Chad Young's newest book, Wrestling with Faith, Love, and Gators.  Chad is not a professional alligator wrestler, he's a one-time amateur, and that is just one of many entertaining stories that is amazing and inspirational at the same time.  I had the opportunity to preview the book last fall and I was honored that my written endorsement was included as follows:

Wrestling with Faith, Love, & Gators is a medley of scriptural anchors, modern day perplexities, inspirational testimonies, and Chad's self-deprecating anecdotes that all work together to serve as powerful, point-driving guidance. Each chapter put together help make this book both refreshing and eye-opening whether one is new to the faith or a long-time believer in need of renewal.

Chad Young

I'd like to encourage you to click on this link to check out what others are saying about Chad's book plus you can review the Table of Contents and even read a few pages, including the remarkable gator wrestling story.

Chad's first book, Authenticity: Real Faith in a Phony, Superficial World, is equally inspirational.