B*U*I*L*D Speakers: Brad Antill with Josiah & Zach

As a professional forester for over thirty years, I have worked in the forests and swamps of the Southeastern Coastal Plains. It is more than a job; it is a calling, a whisper in the wind that gets me out of bed and off to enjoy whatever adventure the day may bring. Managing timber harvests, overseeing tree planting, and following maps both ancient and modern across unknown terrain−no day is exactly the same. The obstacles come in the form of weather and insects, snakes and bears. The frustration usually comes in the form of a beaver.

I have been a Jesus-follower since I was a child. Faith is easy to accept when you are a child, when it is offered by those whom love you. It increases in difficulty as one grows older. The aging process has caused me to dig deeper into the foundations of that faith, to seek to have a relationship with Christ that is alive and growing. For me, God has done that in the forests and swamps where I daily work.

My writings are an attempt to share those meetings, times when the truth of the Creator shine forth in the nature he created, to do it with a sense of humor and awe. My best friend in all of this, is my wife Cindy. We have been together since we met in junior high school, and she shares my passion for the Creator as well as the creation. She has been a teacher for over thirty-years, and uses that experience to ensure the lessons from the forest make it to the press. We raised a family together, and now enjoy time with our grandchildren; and we look forward to new ways to share the love found only in Jesus.

I am a graduate of The Ohio State University, with a degree in Forest Management, a member of the Society of American Foresters, a registered forester in NC and WV, a member of North Carolina Trapper’s Association, and an ordained Southern Baptist minister. My wife and I live in North Carolina.