Bob Childress was a rough mountaineer from the Blue Ridge Mountains who turned from a life of revelry, bootlegging and violence when he met Jesus.  Through the discipleship of a Presbyterian minister, Bob gave up drinking and sought hard (and fought hard) to become a minister himself. Against everyone’s expectations, he completed seminary and was ordained to the ministry in his early 30′s, with a wife and several children in tow.

Childress became a sought-after preacher. Several big-city churches offered him their prestigious pulpits, but Bob felt the call of the Blue Ridge. For decades he labored, starting churches and schools, and preaching the gospel. He tried to steer the mountains from their backward ways. Scorned and often in danger, Childress never gave up. In the end, he moved the mountain.

The Man Who Moved a Mountain, by Richard C. Davids is an inspiring story of faith and faithfulness. I was challenged by Bob’s stubbornness; his willingness to trust God and walk into danger with a warm smile and a genuine love.

It is a great book and I highly recommend it. Order it here from Amazon.com.