Canyon Ministries

12 Stones at Separation Canyon

River Camp at Separation Canyon

What an incredible season it’s been on the river! This year, I had the privilege of running both our first and last river trips. It has been amazing to see the many lives God has touched and the perspectives He has changed as people rafted through the Grand Canyon with us. God is amazing, and He always has unique ways of speaking to our hearts and drawing us to Himself on these trips.

We believe the layers of the Grand Canyon serve as both a remnant and a remembrance. They are a remnant of the global flood described in Genesis, and a remembrance of a God who is not only a righteous judge of sin but also a Savior full of love, mercy, and patience, desiring an ongoing, personal relationship with each of us. Places like the Grand Canyon speak to those attributes, as well as to the countless others of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Few people on this planet ever have the opportunity to raft through the canyon. Fewer still experience this life-changing adventure surrounded by a cohort of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s one of the unique aspects of what Canyon Ministries offers. To experience the canyon with the One who made it—and to share that experience with other believers—takes our perspective to a whole new level.

Looking Up Separation Canyon to the North

Because of the rarity of this experience, we believe it comes with a special challenge. A challenge for those who have been on river trips to take what they’ve learned and gained and share it with the world back on the rim. As you know, one of our major focuses this year has been SHARE IT: “Taking the message of the canyon into the world.” These river trips provide an excellent springboard for both canyon and kingdom conversations.

On the last morning of our final river trip of the season, I gave a closing devotional and challenge to the 26 guests who were with us. We had camped the previous night at a historic location called Separation Canyon, a side canyon extending to the north of the main Grand Canyon. It was here, 150 years to the very day, that John Wesley Powell and his men arrived at the same spot where we now gathered for our final “circle time.”

Separation Canyon Cenotaph

Sadly, the very next day, three men from Powell’s expedition decided they had had enough of the roughly 1,200-mile, three-month journey. They chose to hike up and out of the Grand Canyon, heading toward distant Mormon settlements they had heard about to the north. Oramel Howland, his brother Seneca, and William (Bill) Dunn left the expedition. Once they parted ways with the main party and headed up Separation Canyon, they were never seen or heard from again, disappearing from the pages of history instead of making their own.

Ironically, after Powell and the remaining men set off to continue their journey, they reached the end of the canyon just two days later. Had those three deserters only stuck it out for two more days, they would have been the first people to boat through the entire Grand Canyon. Alas, their legacy was lost.

Recounting that story to our group brought home the message I wanted to share: learn, live, and leave a legacy.

That morning, I found 12 stones and stacked them together. These 12 stones served as a visual aid for the passage I read from Joshua 4:1-7:

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”  ESV

In this passage, we see the men of Israel set up a collection of 12 stones as a remembrance and legacy of what God had done in their midst. Similarly, the pile of 12 stones we had gathered represented the work God had done in our lives during this river trip. My challenge to our group was to remember the things God had done in our midst and to share that experience as an ongoing legacy. I encouraged them not to leave the canyon behind and let it fade away, as those three men in Powell’s group did. I told them, “When people ask you how your trip was, don’t just tell them about the roar of the river and the rise and fall of the rapids. Tell them the most important thing—the redemptive message of the canyon and the One who made it.”

That’s truly the purpose and heartbeat of everything we do here at Canyon Ministries. Whether it’s a 9-day river trip along the Colorado River, a hike into the canyon down the South Kaibab Trail, or a bus tour through various overlooks along the South Rim, each of these experiences is designed for one thing—to bring you closer to the One who made it all. From that shared experience with our Creator, we hope that like the 12 stones of remembrance at the Jordan River, you will carry your Grand Canyon moments as a legacy and share it with all who ask.

PS- Don’t worry, we removed the stones afterwards.  We believe in leaving this pristine environment the way we found it 🙂