Why We Do What We Do
We recently finished another amazing river trip season. In our 24th year of taking people through the canyon along the Colorado River, God continued to amaze, astound, and inspire us at every turn.
While we love exploring and experiencing the features of the canyon, often it’s the people who come our way that are the real highlight for me on a trip. Day and night, the glory of God is revealed through shared wilderness experience and canyon conversation.
Of particular joy for me this season was the 7-day trip we did with geologist Dr. John Whitmore. That trip had a number of young folks on it. As a former student ministries pastor, I still love connecting with youth. This rising generation are the ones to soon carry the banner of God’s kingdom and the torch of the gospel message into a dark and desperate world.
And a torch is a very appropriate metaphor for this 7-day trip. You see, our lead boatman Brian has a habit of making mini tiki torches and placing them in various spots around our camp each night. On the final night of this trip, we camped along a beautiful long sandy beach. While we were having our final “circle time” recounting the many wonders we encountered on the trip and the ways our hearts and minds were transformed by the time together, Brian quietly walked around the beach and started half a dozen little flames that were spread out along the long beach.
Watching each little light come to life illustrated to us that when we departed the canyon the next morning, we would go our separate ways across America. Yet each of us would carry the fire of what God did in our lives that week to our homes, communities, churches, and workplaces.
Afterward, as the torchlight still flickered dancing light along the canyon walls, the kids and I played frisbee on the beach until the stars came out. We then switched our marvel from geology to astronomy, as those lofty silver voices began their celestial cry to all the earth in declaring the glory of God and proclaiming the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)
At that point, all eyes were on the skies. Some had never seen so many stars. For others, this was the first time they’d ever seen the Milky Way. While resting back on a rock and listening to various conversations taking place all around in our camp, I said to myself, “This is why we do what we do.”
Canyon Ministries is way more than a tour company. We’re more than an apologetics organization. We are fellow children of our Creator God simply enjoying His glory and workmanship, while wanting to bring a few others along the way to do the same. Through what we do, we hope others will also have a life-changing experience that will ignite them to carry the fire and flame of the gospel message into the night. Along with the stars in the sky that pour forth their speech, we join with creation in being a voice in the wilderness.
For the King!
Nate
