Have you ever wondered why God would go to all the trouble to make a tree, and then make a furry, little creature with chisel-sharp teeth to chew on it? Or why we long for a peaceful stroll through a cool, beautiful forest when most forests are full of winged-creatures-of-torment, and are great places to get lost in? We seem to live our lives with some of these same paradoxes― smooth sailing one day, violent storms the next. But, we do not learn to be sailors when the lake is calm. It takes a storm. We cannot understand God’s comfort until we are uncomfortable. While working in the woods, you can come across many examples and illustrations of how God wants to have a relationship with you. Interested in the challenge of finding God’s plan for your life? In the pages of this book, the author, a professional forester, supplies illustrations from the wooded swamps of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and ties them to God’s Word in a unique and fascinating way. Find out how swamp music, Spider Cider, muddy roads, and towering oaks can help you learn more about the Creator and his plan for you.

Table of Contents

Excerpt from: Skeeters and Flies in Two Part Harmony

Yes, just like strolling through the nice upland oak stand, things were going pretty well. Then, before they could change course, their path led them into a swamp. Before they had bright skies, now it was dark. Before the breeze was gentle, now it was stagnant and suffocating. Where they were surrounded by beauty, now things had turned grotesque and deformed. The quiet night was shattered by the sounds of a mob. Shouting and violence turned the peaceful walk in the woods into a quagmire of uncertainty. The peaceful hillside became the scene of a cruel crucifixion. And then there was music. Standing in the swamp, exposed, uncertain, the songs of disappointment and despair came in, right on cue:

“You were wrong; he wasn’t the Christ, just a man.”

“You really messed up this time, now they will be after you.”

“You’re pathetic, how could you have thought he was a king.”

The song rang in their ears even as the shouting from the guards was echoing throughout the garden. Why didn’t Jesus fight? What’s going on…run! And like a forester without bug spray, a forester without a head net, they begin swatting themselves…