Humbly Exalted: The Ed Kobel Story
Ed Kobel might have taken the scenic route to make it where he is today, but he professes realizing the love of our Father has been the greatest journey yet. Learn more about his trials and triumphs in the following article ...
“You can’t even make this stuff up!” declared Ed Kobel, as he recalls the story of his life. He was born the product of an affair, to a single mother from a large tenant-farming family in rural western Pennsylvania. From paperboy, to military spy, to real estate mogul, the pieces of God’s plan for ed’s life were neatly knitted together. “God had all that laid out,” Ed said.
Ed Kobel's mother, the daughter of German/Swiss immigrants, left the farm to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. While in college and working three jobs, she met Ed's father, Ed Debartolo Sr., a handsome guy who swept her off her feet. Young and naïve, she held onto the promise that Ed’s father would get a divorce and they would be together as a family. When that dream never materialized, she resorted to alcohol, drugs and an abusive relationship to fill the void.
Ed felt it was up to him to take care of his mother and turned to the military to give him a head start. He took a bus to the Army recruitment office in downtown Pittsburgh and mistakenly followed a man in uniform thinking he would lead him there. “As it turned out, God had me follow a colonel who was involved in military intelligence,” Ed recalled.
After clarifying that he was in the wrong place, the colonel questioned Ed and discovered that he spoke a little German. The Army needed recruits who could speak multiple languages, so after undergoing a variety of tests, Ed was offered a position in the counter-intelligence division.
Preparing to Lead
“Spy School was a very intense and competitive program. It was also where I first heard about the Lord. I listened politely as a stranger shared the Gospel message with me. When asked if I’d like to pray to accept Christ, I declined. I didn’t think being a Christian was in sync with success as a military spy.” Undeterred, the gentleman amazed Ed by saying, “That’s okay. I’m going to pray that you can get through this program. Is that okay?” Ed replied, “Yes, please pray that I can do the 100 chin-ups!” He did and Ed graduated.
"I had a very cool undercover job as a student traveling in Eastern Europe during the cold war. When my time in the service was up, I had to decide whether to re-enlist." Weighing his options, Ed decided to leave the Army, forgo an appointment to West Point and pursue an opportunity to team up with a former colonet in his real estate business while attending college at night. It didn't take long for reality to set in.
“I was horrible at it. I was 21 years old and nobody wanted to buy a house from a kid. I only earned $600 in six months.” Knowing that he couldn’t support himself as a real estate salesman, he approached the colonel about pursuing other options. The colonel convinced him to stay in real estate, focusing instead on investments.
Ed used his military benefits and bought a 4-unit apartment building with no money down and sold it 90 days later for a profit of $37,000; a lot of money in 1979! He did that 81 more times and was hooked!
Finding God's Purpose
As a promising real estate investor, Ed networked with successful businessmen who took him under their wings. “What they were really doing,” Ed reflected, “was pointing me toward a personal relationship with Christ.”
To read the rest of this article and find out how Ed's business endeavors began to transform him into a follower of Christ, subscribe to TwoTen Magazine for free here.
