Contending With Horses
Author
Bob Wahl
Publisher
Outskirts Press
4 Review Copies Left
A Remarkable Life Story Filled with Hope, Faith and Determination
Before he was even retired, Bob Wahl had accomplished enough to fill several lifetimes. After leaving home with just $1.75 in his pocket, he went on to establish ministries across Europe, make fortunes in several unique businesses, tinker in countless others, and raise a successful family.
Contending With Horses is the story behind this remarkable life. The first part of this powerful autobiography traces Wahl's heritage back to sixteenth-century Holland, and follows his lineage to Prussia, Russia, Ukraine, and finally Canada. The narrative then shifts to Wahl's upbringing in a hardscrabble Canadian Mennonite family in the1930s and '40s. What follows is a journey that will see him receive an education far from his rural home, move overseas to spread the word of God, and try his hand as a salesman as he struggles to take care of his family.
But on the road to success, he will encounter incredible obstacles, witness crushing business defeat, battle disappointment with his church and face his greatest enemy head-on: self-doubt.
Contending With Horses is a moving portrait of a life lived fully through some of the best and worst times. It unveils the author's deepest despairs as well the ecstasy of reaching the highest pinnacle of success in ministry and business. And it explores the traits necessary to keep getting up after being knocked down time and again.
Reviews
Though written primarily for his extended family, a reader learns much about Mennonites, their faith, and along the way, lessons of perseverance. His forebears came to western Canada from Ukraine by way of Holland. Their trials and tribulations are well described and add a personal insight to a faith which most of us may be unfamiliar.
After a major and longstanding disagreement with his father about working on the family farm (his father worked in town and left most of the work to his eldest son), Bob Wahl sets out for Bible college with only $1.75 in his pocket and a calling.
He begins a journey that that would challenge most of us. He finds support all along the way, both spiritual and emotional. His journey and attendance at the Bible college, the primary source of conflict between his father and him, are but two examples of how he met and overcame some formidable obstacles. His successes there serve as a foundation for the many challenges he would later face along the road of life.
He and his family had their share of ups and downs, both financial and otherwise, through the years not unlike many of us. His story is filled with a wide range of experiences and takes us across Europe as he participates in many business ventures, both failures and successes. Though faced with repeated failures, he does not hesitate to “pick himself up, dust himself off, and get back into the saddle”, Along the way, he and his wife meet many who are added to their circle of friendship and fellowship, some of whom are lost along the way. Their stories are told and intertwined within his autobiography.
Bob Wahl’s story is told with an honesty not often found in autobiographical works. The sections describing Europe were insightful for those of us who may never have the opportunity to travel. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Reviewed on 02/01/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Claire Franek
