WORD From The Woods 
Happy New Year friends!
    There’s just something special about starting a new year. I’ve never been one to make a big deal about New Year's resolutions, but the start of a new year has always made me evaluate my life over the past year and think forward about the year to come. This year, I’ll turn another year older. My kids are growing up way too fast and I’m starting to understand what the “old guys” are always talking about when they say “the years just fly by.” It seems like yesterday, my dad was the same age I am now, and I was riding behind the seat of his old log loader, dreaming of the day when I would be old enough to be just like him. With the new year dawning and thinking about the past and the future, it’s easy to feel disappointed in myself and feel like I’ve wasted a lot of time struggling with the same old sinful desires and somewhat stuck in my spiritual life. There is this constant war waging within me to do what I know God is calling me to do, but wanting to do what my flesh desires to do. We tend to think that we should come to a place in our spiritual life where we have it all figured out and don’t struggle anymore, but I don’t think that’s really how it works. We should definitely be growing and becoming more like Christ, that’s the process of sanctification. But as long as we are living life in this broken world, we will continue to battle against the desires of the flesh. When I feel disappointed in myself because of the constant struggle within between spirit and flesh, I have to remind myself that it’s not by my own power that I overcome the desires of the flesh. It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit living in me that I can overcome my sinful desires. The disappointment and condemnation that I feel is not from God but from the enemy, trying to discourage me and turn my eyes away from Christ. God tells us in Romans that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Read Paul’s words, I hope that you will find strength and encouragement for the coming year, knowing that even the Apostle Paul faced the exact same struggles that you and I face today, and God used him to literally change the world for Christ!    


Romans 7:15-8:11
     “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
    There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”


God bless, have a great week, and Happy New Year! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods 
Romans 6
    “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  


    This is one of the greatest passages in the book of Romans! Paul just finished talking about the awesome grace we experience in Christ. And, the temptation for us as sinful humans is to take advantage of that grace, to be cavalier with sin. On one hand, if we continue to live in sin, it would seem on the surface to highlight the power of grace. But, Paul’s answer to that is “by no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” This is where my personal favorite verse, Galatians 2:20 fits in “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When we place our faith and trust in Christ for salvation, we’re placing our old life on the cross so it can be put to death. When we’re baptized as believers, we’re proclaiming what Christ did in the tomb, when we’re raised out of the water, it’s a picture of being raised to newness of life in Christ. At this time it’s a spiritual resurrection, but we look forward to a future bodily resurrection like that of Christ’s. A lot of people want to have salvation just for the death insurance that comes with the job. If you’ve ever hired or worked with someone who only hired on for the benefits, you know they’re not usually the most committed employee, and they can be a real hazard in the woods. They’re only there for themselves. There are a lot of people who approach Christ in the same way. God doesn’t just want our death, He wants our life, He wants our whole heart! Just like a great logger is one who is there not just for the benefits, but because he loves the job and has his heart invested in it! A lot of that can depend on the guy leading the crew……. If we truly have a God and Savior like Paul claims we have, then we should be compelled to live a life that is aligned with His will. This is what he’s talking about when he contrasts being a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. Not that we strive to be self-righteous or holier than thou, we strive to be righteous because we love our Creator God, our Lord and Savior, the Master, who has given us the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and guide us through this life! There is so much more I could say about this, the awesomeness of our Master is limitless! Friends, we must live a life according to the ways He has called us to. The folks we work around and interact with every day are watching us. What will they see? Will they see a life that’s enslaved to sin or a life that has been set free by Grace and exemplifies the fruits of the Spirit?
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-  


​

WORD From The Woods


    This week, I want to look at my favorite Christmas passage, it’s one of the most familiar old testament prophecies from the prophet Isaiah that pointed forward to Immanuel, which means “God with us.”


Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:1-7
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”


    Like I said, this passage is probably familiar to most of us and you’ve likely read it many times around Christmas. But, we usually stop at the birth story of Immanuel, and then we wait until Easter and talk about His resurrection, and then we put Jesus back in a box until Christmas rolls around again. I hope that as you prepare for Christmas, this helps to shift your focus to a higher and more glorious view of Christ and His Kingdom, than ever before. This passage points to the anguish and darkness the people of God were in under the Assyrians, but promised victory, deliverance and light in the coming King that would sit on the throne of David and establish a kingdom of justice and peace. A kingdom and government that would be established and grow without end. When would that kingdom be established? It would begin with the birth of a son, born of a virgin from Galilee. His name would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Price of Peace!  This King would sit on the throne of David and over his kingdom, from this time forth and forevermore!  Mark 16:19 tells us exactly when this King sat down on that throne, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” When Jesus of Nazareth, had finished His earthly ministry and the work of redemption, he ascended to heaven and took His rightful place on that throne. And over 2,000 Christmases later, He is still there. He is still the Prince of Peace, the Ruler of all creation, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, and our loving Savior! And His kingdom is still increasing every time He reaches down and saves a lost soul from darkness. Why does He do this? Love, it’s because he loves us! John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Christmas is just a few days away, as you gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of the King, make sure you glorify Him and share His love found in the gospel with those around you.


God bless, have a great week and merry CHRISTmas!! -Terry-  ​

WORD From The Woods
     As Christmas draws near, I want to look at one of my favorite passages that the old testament jews had pointing forward to the coming Messiah. It might even be God’s favorite Psalm since it’s the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament. We know it was a prophetic Psalm about the coming Messianic King because of how it’s applied by the New Testament authors.   
Psalm 110
“The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.
The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.”


   To understand how powerful and awesome this Psalm really is I want to look at a couple of New Testament passages. The first is Mark 16:19. This is right after Jesus gave His disciples the great commission to take the gospel to the world and ascended to heaven. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” Another important passage is, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” I point to these passages to remind us of where Christ is this Christmas season! So that, when we sing “joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King,” We are mindful of what that really means. After His earthly ministry, Christ ascended to heaven, where He sat down at the right hand of the Father and was given authority over all things to rule and reign over His kingdom! With that in mind read Psalm 110 again. This might seem like an odd passage for Christmas, but it’s why the baby in the manger came to earth. Because without a savior, as enemies of God, we would all face the wrath of God spoken of in Psalm 110, and He will rule and reign until all of His enemies are defeated! But, in Christ, we will stand before God dressed in the Holy garments of the righteousness of King Jesus! We can be sure of this because the Lord has sworn it and will not change His mind. Think about that for a minute or two, the Lord God, Creator of everything, has sworn this, He has made a covenant, and He will not change His mind. And that is something worth celebrating this Christmas!


God Bless, have a great week and Merry CHRISTmas! -Terry- 

WORD From The Woods


Galatians 5:1-15 
   "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another."


    I just love how Paul puts it in this passage, "for freedom Christ had set you free!"  He tells us to stand firm in the fact that Christ has set us free from the yoke of slavery. The picture of a heavy yoke and being enslaved is something we should think carefully about and understand the true weight communicated by this metaphor. The burden that Paul is talking about is the burden of trying to obtain righteousness through doing good things.  Paul is addressing the issue of circumcision which was a part of Old Testament law, men were required to be circumcised in order to be a part of the nation of Israel. This was a picture of how we are "circumcised" of our old fleshly nature when we are born again as a new creation in Christ, thus becoming a part of "true Israel" the kingdom of God. There were people in the Galatian church who were falling into the teaching that they could obtain righteousness by being circumcised and trying to keep the law. He says that if we try to work our way to righteousness we are severed from Christ! We can't do it on our own! As Paul says "through the spirit, by faith, we eagerly await for the hope of righteousness." This has already been accomplished by Christ crucified! We will fully realize this incredible truth at the resurrection, when we who believe in Christ will be raised immortal, imperishable and incorruptible!!  Paul warns in verse 13 not to take our freedom in Christ for granted though. We should never use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh and be cavalier about sin.  Praise and glory be to our God and King for this great freedom in Christ! It’s not what we do that makes us acceptable to God, It’s what Christ has already done for us on the cross that covers our sin and makes us righteous before a Holy God!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry- 

WORD From The Woods


Colossians 4:2-18  
    "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you."


     This passage is Paul's final instructions and greetings in his letter to the Colossians. One of the last and most important things he tells them to do is to continue steadfastly in prayer. First, he tells them to pray with thanksgiving, which is probably how we should always begin when we approach the Creator in prayer. The next thing he says is to pray that God would open doors for them to share the good news of Christ with the lost and hurting world. I think it's very important to recognize that Paul tells his readers to pray for wisdom and a Christ-like spirit when dealing with outsiders. Many people haven't read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, and their first encounter with the gospel might be through the testimony of our lives, lived out in front of them. What I mean by this is that people will see the gospel lived out in the lives of true believers, after all, the bible calls us the ambassadors of Christ. This means that we have a tremendous responsibility as Christians to represent Christ with excellence! This is why Paul makes a point to charge us with seeking God's wisdom in how we deal with the world.  As Paul closes this letter, I'm amazed at the number of people that he lists who are true disciples of Christ that he can fully trust to carry on his ministry in his absence. This is what is so lacking in today's "church culture," we are usually pretty good at sharing the gospel with people when it's convenient for us, but we seldom engage in true first century discipleship. Paul had led many people to Christ during his ministry, but it didn't stop there! He was making disciples, not disciples of Paul, but true disciples of Christ! We need so desperately to get back to this biblical model of discipleship. It's my hope and prayer that Fellowship of Christian Loggers will serve as a ministry where both evangelism and discipleship are actively happening among men and women in the timber industry! 


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

​WORD From The Woods


Psalms 113
“Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the LORD is to be praised!
The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!”


    As loggers, we get the opportunity to see some of the most glorious scenery! I captured the attached photo on Friday as I was processing logs up high on a mountain top near Days Creek, Oregon. The valleys below were all covered in a thick layer of fog as the early morning started to break into the darkness with a host of brilliant colors. I could still see the planet Venus shining bright, high in the southeastern sky. I’ve probably seen thousands of those kind of sunrises, and they still take my breath away, leaving me in awe of the creative power and glory of our Lord God, the creator of Heaven and Earth. It was another living testimony to His greatness and power over everything. The words of this psalm of praise came to my mind as another new day sprung forth in worship to the Lord. But, this psalm points us to something far greater, and more glorious than such a brilliant sunrise. When the psalmist wrote that the Lord raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, he’s pointing us to the most glorious thing in the history of the universe, which is, the gospel! The awesome reality is that Christ came to die on the cross as a ransom for His lost sheep! The fact that He redeemed us, rebel sinners, is the most unimaginably spectacular thing that has ever happened! It’s so incredible, that the created world around us even praises and worships Him for it! So, when you see the glory of God revealed to us in things like an amazing sunrise, I hope you’re reminded that it’s just a small glimpse of the greatest of God’s accomplishments. The victory of our Lord and Savior that He accomplished by conquering sin and death when he died in our place on the cross, was buried, and broke death’s curse as He rose again on the third day! That is something that should drive us to praise the great name of the Lord our God and hit our knees in worship before Him! And if you have never placed your trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, and confessed Him as Lord, my friend, please do so right now. 


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Colossians 2:1-15
  "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."


    In this passage, Paul charges the Colossian church to stand firm in their faith in Christ Jesus. He warns them not to be deluded by false teaching, even though it may sound plausible. This was a huge problem in Paul's day and it's still a huge problem in our day. We should examine all things very closely and test them by the word of God, so that we aren't taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to the world. As believers, we have indeed been filled in Christ, and we are called to walk according to His ways, not according to the world’s ways! We aren't just left alone to try and do our best. When we became followers of Christ, we were buried with Him in baptism, and raised with Him through faith by the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead! Now, we haven't yet been physically raised from the dead, but we have indeed been raised spiritually. We haven't been left alone, we have been indwellt and sealed by the Holy Spirit, who is our helper and our guide in this lost and dark world. As followers of Christ we are no longer bound in sin by the record of debt that once stood against us with its legal demands! That debt was nailed to the cross with Christ, and when He walked out of the grave on the third day, He left that debt to be forgotten forever for those who place their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation! Stand firm in the faith and keep your eyes fixed on our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, so that you aren't deluded or taken captive by the schemes of the enemy!  As you go through this week, I pray that this passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church encourages and strengthens your soul.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


Romans 1:1-17
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." 


 The book of Romans was a letter, written by the apostle Paul to a group of Christ-followers in Rome, probably in the late ’50s AD. I always love the way Paul opens his letters! He had so much love for the people he wrote to, and his desire to proclaim the truth and glory of God to them is so clear in the way he wrote. This is so apparent in these first few words of Romans. The whole reason we started Fellowship of Christian Loggers, was to reach out to those around us in the timber industry with the truth found in God’s Word and to equip others to do the same. The heart that Paul demonstrates toward the Romans in this passage is exactly the heart I have for those of you who receive these weekly devotionals. I pray before I write them, that God will bless them and carry them through the digital world to the hearts He wants to receive them. I pray for all of the readers, even though I haven’t met you all, I pray that God will prepare your heart to receive His truth and that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and be empowered for service to The Lord God. I pray that as God teaches me through His Word, that I will be a conduit for His grace and Truth through these devotionals. Friends, we have an awesome mission field in the timber industry, all around us, every day! I challenge you to ask God to give you the same kind of heart that He gave Paul, to reach the world around you with the message of grace and truth about salvation found only in Christ Jesus! All of it, for His glory and our good! If there is anything we can do to help equip you or that we can pray about to help you in this mission, just let me know.


God Bless! Be bold brothers, and sisters, and have a great week! -Terry-


​

WORD From The Woods


Psalm 139:1-17
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
 Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!”


    We can get so caught up in the crazy business of life, especially in the timber industry. We all work to hard and try to do more in a day than we have time to do. It’s so easy to forget that God is in control and start to think that maybe we are the ones who are in charge. It’s easy to do. The Get-R-Done attitude is how we operate most of the time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. God doesn’t want us to be a bunch of slackers. He wants us to be the kind of people who will get up in the morning, and show some initiative to go out and get something done. This isn’t usually a problem for loggers! Our problem is that we think we are the ones in charge and we tend to leave God in the dust of our foolishness and pride.  I love the words of King David in Psalm 139. He makes it so clear to us that God knows our every thought and every move. Even before a word is on our lips, He knows it. That should be a sobering thought when we say some of the things we do at times! David tells us that we can’t go anywhere apart from God, He is always there. This is the God that knit us together in our mother’s womb. This is the God who knew every day of our life, thousands, even millions of years before the earth was even formed by His hand! And we think that we are the ones in control….. How foolish could we be? How arrogant could we be? God has a plan for each one of us. He has a specific calling on our life, and it’s a good plan, an awesome plan! Far greater than anything we can come up with. I’m not saying that God wants all of us to drop what we’re doing and go into “full time” ministry. Most of the time God calls us to serve Him right where we’re at, and for most of us reading this, that’s in the woods. I hope and pray that the words of King David will remind you how great our God really is and that He is intimately familiar with every thought and step you take. In the middle of all the craziness, remember that God is right there with you. Let Him lead and guide your way. 


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-  
​