Finding God's calling in your life means God can work with you every day, and every day you can learn more about Him. Take a trip into the world of forestry, where every day is spent in the middle of God's fascinating creation; and see how many times, what at first might seem like a bad thing--such as disappearing into a stump hole full of muddy water-- can open our eyes to God's truth.

The author has been teaching God's Word to audiences of all ages for over twenty years, and currently works with adults and children at Lake Gaston Baptist Church in Littleton, NC. During those years he has made his living in the swamps and pinelands of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, working in timber procurement and timberland management. He is a registered forester in the states of NC and WV, and a member of the Society of American Foresters.

The Bible tells us if we seek God, we will find Him! The tough part is seeking; looking past ourselves and how we define a situation, and allowing God to show us His point of view. We all encounter "swamps" in our lives, places and issues we would rather not deal with, or avoid altogether; but sometimes we have no choice. In this book, you will see how God can use those "swamps" to reveal Himself, and in the process bring you into a greater relationship with Him.

Table of Contents

Excerpt from: Stump Holes

It took me a while to really understand the “what” and the “why,” but eventually I have come to understand the greatly misunderstood stump hole. Unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else can fully grasp the “where.” Stump holes are based on a few very important facts. You could call them the fundamental elements in the world of stump holes. Just as you have hydrogen and oxygen combining to form water, so do leaves and decay combine to form the dreaded stump hole. Now stump holes have often been given a lot more credit than they deserve. While it has never been actually captured on film, they are reported to be very mobile and have the capacity to move from spot to spot, hiding themselves with leaves, lying in wait for the unsuspecting forester to walk by. For those who prefer concrete under your feet, let me stop and explain the stump hole.

Two things must be understood before we go any further. They are critical to understanding the world of the stump holes. They are: wood decays; and leaves, by and of themselves, cannot hold up the weight of a full-grown man. It begins when a tree ends, and particularly with the end still in the ground. A tree is harvested or is blown over, and the roots and a portion of the trunk are all that remain. This trunk portion may or may not stick out of the ground; it really doesn’t matter―yet. First you need decay. With the help of the aforementioned hydrogen and oxygen, and lots of bugs, mold, fungus, etc., the stump begins to dissolve. As it does, the local leaf population lying on the forest floor, still upset with being castaway the fall before, devises an insidious revenge on all who pass by. They target all who had absently trampled upon them, treating them like so much discarded carpet. Yes, they will have their revenge. They begin by covering the stump, hiding it, building a roof of leaves over it, creating an even better environment for the work of the decay, and more to the point, hiding the very location of the stump.