The Trail in the Woods
Official Book Trailer
About The Trail in the Woods
Young men are leaving the church at an alarming rate.
They are also being starved of the challenge and adventure, of the common call of all men, to explore the woods of God’s creation. A once undeveloped world is now carpeted in cement…and expanding. Although youth leaving the church after high school may be nothing new, the effect it is taking is unmistakable. Mothers with children have become the backbone of many churches as dad stays home, plays golf, hunts, does chores, watches TV, plays video games, or just sleeps in.
The thirst for adventure, that God designed in all men, continues to be an unmet need in many church experiences. Furthermore, those men who do return to church later on in life often feel inadequate in training up their sons. The need for young men to receive instruction from their fathers (whether biological or spiritual) prior and just after leaving high school has never been more important. How can fathers give something to tomorrow’s future men that they, themselves, have never received? More importantly, how will young men receive it if they simply aren’t intrigued by the subject of faith and are intimidated by the sheer volume of the Bible? As I have often heard the question from those I’ve had the blessing to disciple, “Where do I start to read the Bible?” I have always wanted to answer this question with an invitation: “Would you like to go on an adventure?” The Trail In The Woods was designed as a gift to sons to watermark their journey of manhood. This short read points to scripture as it also provides survival techniques for life in the woods. A study guide section follows each subject for a more interactive approach to discovery learning.
Nothing can replace the word of God, but The Trail points to the only resource that answers the questions, “Who am I, and what must I know as I daily enter the woods of this life?” Equal parts literary and earthy, this book engages both the academic as well as the outdoorsman in all of us while directing us to the best reference on manhood the world has ever known: its Creator.
The Trail in the Woods
A Poem by Michael Brandon Williams
This is not an audiobook. In an effort to better understand the rhyme and meter of the poem only, you can listen to the poem here. This does not include the Scriptural References, Trail Guide, Survival Tips, or Challenges. You will need the paperback to be able to enjoy The Trail In The Woods in its entirety.
Where to Buy
About the Author
Brandon Williams grew up the eldest of four in the piney woods of East Texas hunting, fishing, and seeing God’s indelible thumbprint in the character of His creation. As a teen, having witnessed the demise of his own family dynamic, he longed to someday father a family that would cling to a legacy of faith. Although he experienced what many would consider success in business and in church leadership, the feeling of inadequacy in sending two sons into the world was gripping. Busyness and church identity often took precedence over direct time with his children. The guilt of missing opportunities to speak into his sons really set in when they began leaving home for college.
After the loss of his late wife, Laura, writing became an outlet for seeking God’s will in what life would look like next. Brandon began learning more of God’s nature as a father as he witnessed firsthand how He provided daily through His word, His creation (people), and His Spirit. Brandon couldn’t wait to share this wisdom with his sons, yet they were now men. “I wrote The Trail because I felt paralyzed that I had not prepared my sons for what was to come. What father truly can?” The answer, he learned, was The Father…God.
Although guilt, inadequacy, grief, and false identity attempted to cloud what were the familiar frames of his life, the Lord began healing and redirecting Brandon’s path. His goal in writing is to remind men of their true identity in Christ and the liberating truth that our Father “makes our paths straight” as we trust in Him (Prov. 3:5) regardless of past failures.
Brandon would find love again in Molly. Having met at Griefshare (a bible-based program for those who have lost loved ones) as they both had lost their spouses. Together they founded Many Mansions charity which “exists to provide life-giving resources through Christ’s Kingdom with a focus on widows, orphans, and single moms.” Brandon has served as a deacon and pastor and currently serves as an elder with StoneWater Church while also advising several companies and charities. He and Molly have five children in their blended family. For twenty years the father of a male-dominated household, he is now the lone male in an all-girl (wife and three girls) home…even the pets are female. Stay tuned.
Partnerships
The Trail In The Woods has a distinctive purpose in reaching men, young and old, who may have missed the experience of fatherly biblical instruction. Realizing that my own sons were headed into a world that would try to conquer their faith, I became paralyzed with the question: Are they FULLY equipped? So I wrote The Trail in an effort to reach them in their OWN JOURNEY to seek the Lord.
If you are part of a non-profit or church that wants to make these books available, whether as a curriculum or as a gift, we would love to help with a discounted purchase price. Simply Contact Us and we can discuss the need.
Current Partner: Advance Camp
Advance Camp is a place that ministers to fatherless young men to be taught practical skills that their dad could have taught them if he had been involved in their lives and a chance to establish a relationship with Jesus.
For every book sold through 2021, we will donate $2 to Advance Camp.
