WORD From The Woods
Galatians 5:16-26
" But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."


     I don't know about you, but I struggle every day with not "gratifying the desires of the flesh."  This is something that we all struggle with in many different ways. Paul lists some of the big ones in verse 19. The struggle with sin is a constant battle in the life of a believer, as true Christians we don't want to sin but our flesh battles against the Holy Spirit living in us!  This passage makes it clear that if we walk by the spirit we won't fall to temptation and gratify the desires of the flesh. Paul states this very clearly in Romans 8:5 "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." If we want to overcome the temptation to sin we must set our minds on the things of the spirit! This might sound simple but that's because it really is, it might be hard to do sometimes but it really is that simple. The Holy Spirit is powerful enough to help us overcome temptation if we would just be willing to submit ourselves to God every day! As verse 24 says we need to crucify the flesh along with its passions and desires. We must put to death our fleshly desires and be made alive in the spirit! We can't do this on our own strength, but if we have truly trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then the Holy Spirit is living in us. As we grow in our relationship with Christ the flesh becomes weaker and the Holy Spirit becomes more evident in our lives. This is called "sanctification" and it's a process that we will be going through as believers until the day we go to be with The Lord! As you go out into the world this week, remember to set your mind on the things of God!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Psalm 1
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”




    I love this Psalm because it’s simple yet so profound. It gives us a great picture of how the Christina life should be bearing good fruit. We get to see the reality of healthy trees every day in the timber industry. Over the last decade here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve seen the effects that drought has on trees, they get very weak and can die. All over this area we’ve seen young healthy stands just turn red and die from lack of water. This psalm talks about a man who walks not in the way of the wicked but delights in the word of the Lord and focuses his mind on it. That man is like a tree planted by streams of water and produces good fruit. For the Christian, Christ is that stream of water! He is the living water, the water of life! If our roots are drawing water from Him and nourishment from his word, we will produce good fruit! When I look around the “christian world” in America, I see a lot of trees that are turning red and dying from lack of water and nourishment. My friends, we are called to Christ, not only to have a “get out of hell free card,” but to have eternal life, and that life starts here in this world. We are called to have a living, healthy, growing, fruit-bearing life rooted and growing in Christ! If we have truly placed our faith and trust In Christ then we are rooted in Him. If someone is turning red and withering away, It’s likely they never were rooted in Christ to begin with. The end of this psalm talks about the reality that there is a time of judgement coming. The wicked will not stand in the judgment, but the righteous will live with Christ forever. We know that this isn’t a righteousness that we have by our own strength, it’s only by the righteousness of Christ that covers us when we’re rooted in Him. This judgment that’s spoken of here is real and it’s coming, Jesus talks about it in John 5: 27-29
“And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
   We need to make sure we’re rooted in Christ before we die or He returns. And we need to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world around us. Because there are no second chances once we face the judgment seat at the end of this life!


God bless 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 distracted by chaos 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. Ambition and drive are not bad things. 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, pride and selfish ambition.  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 chaos, remember that God is right there with you. Let Him lead and guide your way. 


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-  

WORD From The Woods
1 Timothy 2:1-7
     “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”


     In this passage, Paul was giving Timothy some instructions for what life as a follower of Christ should look like. I think it’s very important to see here that the first thing he talks about is prayer! He urges that prayers, supplications, intersessions and thanksgivings be made for all people. Intersessions and thanksgiving are things that we really tend to neglect when we come to God in prayer. Intersessions are when we go to God on behalf of someone else. Now it may be about a trial or physical need that someone has, but I think what he has in mind here is on a deeper spiritual level. This is a huge part of discipleship! As we are engaged in shepherding and discipling others we should always be in prayer for them, asking God to guide and direct their hearts into a deeper relationship with Him. We should also have a heart of thanksgiving, not only for the many blessings that God has given us, but for the people He has used to pour into us and that He has called us to pour into as well. A heart of thankfulness is such an important part of the Christian life! Paul also says in the first part of the passage that we should pray for kings and all those in high positions. It’s easy to pray for our leaders that we agree with, but we can get pretty caught up in tearing apart those that we don’t agree with. There are plenty of evil leaders who we should disagree with, but when you study the history of the world Paul was living in when he wrote this letter, it makes our political leaders seem pretty good! But, Paul still says to pray for them. He also tells us here that Christ is the mediator between God and man. Not only did Christ lay down His life as a ransom for all, but He is going to the Father on our behalf. Christ knows our heart better than we can know it ourselves and He is going to the Father for us about every spiritual need we have, with the desire to have a deeper, growing relationship with us! So much more can be said on this passage…. I hope that this is great reminder to spend more time in prayer this week!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-    

WORD From The Woods
Ephesians 1:1-14
    " Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."


    In the first part of this passage, Paul talks about spiritual blessing in Christ. I love how he always begins by blessing the name of The Father, if we could only learn to love God and honor Him as Paul did! Paul says that as Christians, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In fact he says here that God has a predestined plan for each and every one of us as believers, a plan that He made for us before the earth was even created! This plan was that when we are saved though Christ's work of redemption on the cross, God will adopt us into His family. And as sons and daughters of God, we are called to become like Christ. As verse 4 says, we are to be holy and blameless. But as sinners we can't do this on our own, this is what God is doing in us through the process of sanctification, and it's a process that won't be completed until, as verse 10 says, "the fullness of time" or in other words, when Christ returns. Indeed we have been called as Christians to a higher calling, a calling to grow in the the spiritual gifts that have been lavished upon us, and we aren't left to do this alone. As verse 14 says we were given a guarantee of this inheritance of spiritual gifting and growth by the Holy Spirit living in us! Stop for a moment and think about the awesome reality of that! As you go out this week be reminded that as a believer in Christ, you are actually indwelt by the Holy Spirt. God is working in and through us by spiritual gifts that He has lavished on us to accomplish His purposes in the world around us every day.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods

     Hey Brothers and Sisters, I just wanted to take a moment this morning to thank you all for your prayer and support for us last week as we were at the Oregon Logging Conference. It was another awesome time with many great opportunities to share the Gospel and encourage other believers in our industry to stand up and be bold!  I want to share this devotional from a past study we did through Ephesians. It was Paul’s call to the Ephesian Christians to be bold and prepared to stand for Jesus Christ! 


Ephesians 6:10-20 
    "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”


     This is the last and probably most important passage in Paul's letter to the Ephesian believers. After Paul has spoken about how we as believers should conduct ourselves in all the different relationships in life, he tells us how to put on the "whole armor of God" so that we can stand against the trials of this life. There are really only two forces at work in the world, the forces of good which is almighty God the creator of the universe, and the forces of evil which is Satan and his fallen angels. As human beings we are either following one or the other whether we realize it or not, ultimately it all comes down to good or evil. As believers we will encounter resistance from the evil one in the form of many different kinds of trials, I'm sure that no one needs to be convinced of this! Paul says to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of the devil, not part of the armor, but the whole armor of God.  First, is the belt of truth, the belt was a key part of a soldier's armor in Paul's day and without it, the whole armor would come apart, without truth our lives would fall apart from lies and deception. Second, is the breastplate of righteousness, the breastplate would cover a soldier's vital organs and protect them from injury and certain death. The righteousness of Christ is just like a breastplate that covers us as believers, we are still sinners but we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, without it we are exposed to the enemy and will surely fall on the battlefield of this life. Third, are the shoes of readiness of the gospel. A soldier would always be ready to go into battle, in the same way, we are always to be ready to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost and hurting world.  Fourth, is the shield of faith. A well-equipped soldier would always carry a shield to protect himself from arrows, and many times even flaming arrows. When we encounter the flaming arrows of satan, we must always rely on the shield of faith, we know that as true believers we are protected and covered by God, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and we know he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world! We must have faith in that fact when we are being attacked by the enemy. Fifth, is the helmet of salvation. A helmet is designed to protect a soldier's head, which houses the brain, and the brain is the central control system for the entire body and if it gets injured the whole body is shut down. In the same way, Salvation is the central part of our entire being, without salvation, we are already condemned to hell and nothing else matters! Lastly, is the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Remember when Christ himself faced temptation from satan He quoted scripture! We need to understand the power and importance of God's written word! The Bible has everything we need to face the various trials of life and the more of it we study and memorize, the more armed we will be when we face the enemy in battle. Paul says at the end of the passage that we should pray at all times. A good soldier is in constant communication with his commander so that he knows what's going on over the whole battlefield. We must be in constant communication with our commander who is The Lord God almighty! We all need to learn how to be better prepared for battle by learning how to put in the whole armor of God. 

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 awhile back as I was processing logs up high on a mountain top in southwest 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 the 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 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


Philemon 1:17–25
“17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.   21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.  23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.   25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”


     As we wrap up this series on Philemon, it feels like we’ve reached the heart of Paul’s message, and it’s bursting with gospel truths. In this passage, we see a clear and deep representation of the gospel. Paul’s plea to Philemon “Forgive him and charge his wrongdoing to my account”, mirrors Christ’s grace towards us. Just as Jesus took Philemon’s and Onesimus’s sins upon Himself and gave us His own righteousness, Paul asks Philemon to extend the same grace to Onesimus.  
It’s easy to read a passage like this and think, “Wow, that’s powerful!” because it is notable, only to quickly move on with life. We do this because the Christian walk, in which we try to abide in Christ and strive towards Christ's good works, can be exhausting, difficult, and humbling. Thoughts creep in, like:  
·         “I was wronged, and I need justice.”
·         “They’ll only learn if they face consequences.”
·         “If I keep forgiving them, I’m just enabling them.”
·         “Forgiving them will cost me something—maybe even financially.”
Paul knew thoughts like these were likely running through Philemon’s mind. Paul is poking at the wickedness and sin that can so easily overtake us in moments like this.
1 Corinthians 6:7 comes to mind: “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” Paul originally wrote this in the context of believers in the Corinthian church actually taking each other to court, but the sentiment applies here. Yes, Philemon had the legal right to hold Onesimus accountable for any losses he incurred. But Paul is calling him, and us, toward something greater: reconciliation.  
Paul echoes this in Colossians 3:12–14:  
“12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. “
Paul doesn’t stop at calling for forgiveness. He highlights its broader impact with the statement, “Yes, I want some benefit from you. Refresh my heart in Christ.” Paul emphasizes that this act of grace won’t just benefit Philemon and Onesimus, it will refresh himself and the church as a whole. Obedience to Christ and rejoicing in the Law of the Lord (Psalm 119:14-32) provides us meat and drink in abundance, like the bread Jesus spoke of in John 4:32 “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”
This not only pertains to us from a spiritual perspective but also as loggers and foresters. We all know, full well, that this industry is small and we see the same people over and over again our entire careers. Whether it’s truck drivers, log yard workers, harvest managers, or others in the supply chain, we can all bring someone to mind who has wronged us, caused us harm, or simply makes our blood pressure rise when they enter the room.  When you think of that person, remember this, “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also MUST forgive.”(emphasis added) This is not just my challenge to you, it’s a command from the Lord. Don’t be like the wicked servant in Jesus’ parable, who was forgiven an enormous debt by the Master of the house and turned around demanding immediate repayment of a much smaller debt from his fellow. Forgiveness and reconciliation like this are only possible through us walking in step with the spirit and daily abiding in the patient, steadfast love of the Lord. 
So here’s my encouragement for the week: seek out those who have wronged you. Pray for them. If possible, reconcile with them. Humble yourself before the Lord and remember the depths from which He has graciously lifted you and “Bear one another’s Burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
 
Have a blessed week!  -Ethan-