Grand Canyon Living

I’m sure that many of you, like myself, have seen wonderfully colorful and beautiful photographs of the natural wonder of the Grand Canyon. Some of these are in ‘panorama’ format as the photographer attempted to capture the “bigness” of the spectacular formation. It is one of the most photographed places on the earth, having been captured from every angle and unique vantage point. Yet of all the variety of pictures that I have seen of the Grand Canyon, none of them came close to communicating the experience of standing on the rim far above the Colorado River and looking out over that immense chasm of water-formed walls and cliffs. The camera can only see one thing, or one focus or angle at a time, but my eyes could see so much more than all the photographs in the world could show! From the depth of the canyon to the amazing distance across, to the birds flying out over the open air, to the wind blowing up from below and even the “sound” of hugeness that filled my senses and overwhelmed me with a dizzy wonder! The Grand Canyon is truly something that must be sought out and experienced in person in order to fully comprehend its beauty and appreciate its value.

As we learn to follow Jesus in our lives and strive to be a citizen of His kingdom, the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us a real-life experience of God’s presence that is completely different than anything we have ever heard or read about regarding church or religion. Even those who say they are Christians must be careful that they don’t allow a church’s doctrine, or a family member’s opinion, or even their own likes and dislikes, to define what it means to live for Jesus and be His people. That would be like looking at pictures of the Grand Canyon and thinking you know it without ever experiencing it for yourself. The focus of God’s Kingdom takes in the “whole prospect” of our lives; it includes the lives of others, the community we live in, the work God has for us to do, the provision of God and even the deception of our enemy, the devil. It’s a REAL Grand Canyon living experience that is bigger than we are!

How exciting to be His people,

Pastor David Vanderpool