Terry Bowman
Terry Bowman completed the Appalachian Trail on September 17th, 2018, eighteen years after being introduced to backpacking. Known as “Bar-Killer” on the trail (“Bar” is the mispronunciation for “bear.”), he initially took short trips with his children. After the children left the nest, he began to solo hike longer sections.
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​During his second solo hike, the Holy Spirit inspired Terry to write a book to help men in their Christian journey. Many miles later Terry completed Eye On The Blaze. In this book, Terry uses analogies and stories from the trail to reinforce biblical truth as it relates to our walk with God.
He addresses tough issues faced by men such as:
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sexual purity
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marriage
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fatherhood
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financial debt
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Eye on the Blaze provides both scriptural and practical advice for staying on the trail as Terry shares wisdom gleaned from other men, forty years of marriage, thirty-six years of parenting, and a fifty-two-year walk with God. Come be encouraged and challenged. Experience spiritual growth to help you traverse the trails of life.
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In May 2019, Terry began performing trail magic for the large bubble of northbound hikers passing near Blacksburg, Virginia. And so…Eye on the Blaze Ministries was born. Each spring this ministry serves hungry hikers, which provides an avenue to share the gospel. See the Trail Magic web page.
Terry has also filled the role of occasional speaker under the umbrella of Eye On The Blaze Ministries, and a future blog is planned to provide further encouragement to men.
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Terry also wrote the Christian novel, The Carving Tree, and has had numerous devotions appear in Open Windows, The Upper Room, and other publications. More than fifty of his Christian articles have been published, and he has written several award-winning historical fiction short stories.
18 Years in the Making!On September 17th, 2018, Terry finished the Appalachian Trail, eighteen years after his first section hike.From Georgia to Maine, thousands of white paint blotches or “blazes” are used to mark the Appalachian Trail (AT). Staying on the AT requires that you “keep your eye on the blaze!” A blaze is also symbolic of God’s presence (Acts 2:2-4, Exodus 3:1-2, and Exodus 13:21). Consistent with the plea of Hebrews 12:1-2, we must keep our eyes on Jesus (the Blaze) as we run the race of faith.
Christian men desperately need a mentor, a more experienced brother who can come alongside and provide encouragement, accountability, and solid spiritual advice. Sadly, most men don’t have such a mentor. Eye on the Blaze was written to fill that need. The book provides encouragement, accountability, and solid spiritual advice to keep Christian men on God’s path as they struggle with the tough issues of life such as sexual purity, marriage, fatherhood, and financial debt.
Eye on the Blaze Ministries was formed in 2019 to provide trail magic to AT hikers each spring. Meeting this need provides an opportunity to share the gospel with non-believing AT hikers.
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From Georgia to Maine, thousands of white paint blotches or “blazes” mark the Appalachian Trail to guide the hiker. Staying on the trail requires that you keep your eye on the blaze. God, who is also described as a blaze (Ex. 3:2, 21 and Acts 2), calls us to walk by faith and trust His direction when we experience tough terrain in life. Though we can seldom see beyond the next turn in the trail, we should take heart because God knows the way. He blazed the trail. But sometimes we need a mentor, someone who’s hiked before us, to help us stay on the path.
Terry Bowman completed the Appalachian Trail in September 2018, eighteen years after being introduced to backpacking. In Eye on the Blaze, Terry uses analogies and stories from the trail to reinforce biblical truth as it relates to our walk with God. He addresses tough issues faced by men such as:
​
-
sexual purity
-
marriage
-
fatherhood
-
financial debt
Eye on the Blaze provides both scriptural and practical advice for staying on the trail as Terry shares wisdom gleaned from other men, forty years of marriage, thirty-six years of parenting, and a fifty-two-year walk with God. Come be encouraged and challenged. Experience spiritual growth to help you traverse the trails of life.
The Carving Tree is a tale of love, courage, and God’s redemptive grace that reminds readers there is always hope.
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Forty-six years ago Jake pledged his love to Sadie by carving their names into the Carving Tree. Newly retired, Sadie is eager to take on life’s adventures with Jake by her side. But when the symbol of their enduring love begins to wither and Jake is diagnosed with a heart condition, Sadie’s dreams are put on hold.
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Bitter towards God, Sadie is determined to nurse Jake and their beloved Carving Tree back to health. Sadie’s luck takes a turn for the worse when Megan Thompson, an aspiring model, goes missing after leaving her young son in Sadie’s care.
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Miles away, when what Megan thought was an audition for a modeling gig turns out to be a hoax, she finds herself a victim of a human-trafficking ring. Terrified, Megan knows only one thing is certain: she must escape and return to her son.
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Both women’s courage and resilience are put to the test in Terry Bowman’s captivating novel, The Carving Tree.