A Canyon-Sized Thanksgiving
Nate Loper – November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving reminds us not just to count blessings, but to notice them.
There’s a moment that happens on the rim every now and then—usually when the wind settles, the light softens across the layers, and the canyon stretches out in quiet majesty. You stand there and realize just how small you are…and how deeply cared for you still remain. Thanksgiving has a way of bringing that into focus.
This season always nudges me to slow down and look back at what God has done—through the ministry, through the people He’s brought our way, and through the countless days spent along the rim or deep below it. We see a lot out here: families reconnecting on a hike, students asking big questions, pastors finding renewed strength, skeptics surprised by what the canyon reveals, and children seeing God’s world with wide-eyed wonder. When you witness that year after year, gratitude isn’t something you stir up. It rises on its own.
Thankfulness at the canyon looks different than it does around a dinner table. It’s in the steady tromp of boots on the Trail of Time. It’s in the laughter echoing between red walls on a river trip. It’s in the quiet prayers whispered at a sunset overlook. And it’s in the stories guests tell us—stories of God meeting them right where they are, using His world to remind them of His Word.
Psalm 95 says, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.”
The psalmist anchors that gratitude in creation—mountains He formed, depths He holds, and the strength of His hands that shaped the dry land. When you stand above the grandest chasm on earth and look at it from a different perspective, you see the unmistakable fingerprints of a global Flood and a powerful Creator. You can’t help but see Psalm 95 in living color, brought to focus through that biblical lens.
This ministry has always been built on that simple idea: God’s Word and God’s world agree. And each year, He gives us front-row seats to watch people discover that for themselves. I’m thankful for every guide who pours their heart into a tour, every supporter who believes in the mission, every family who steps into our vans, and every conversation that turns a simple overlook into a moment of eternal significance.
Thanksgiving reminds us not just to count blessings, but to notice them. To pay attention to the ways God has been faithful. To lift our eyes—sometimes literally—to the grandeur around us and remember that the same God who carved out these vast walls also carries us through the small, unseen parts of our lives.
So wherever you find yourself this Thanksgiving—around a crowded table, on the road, or maybe even standing on the edge of the canyon—take a moment to breathe deep and thank Him. Not just for what He’s done, but for who He is.
From all of us here in “Grand Canyon country,” we’re grateful for you. And we’re grateful for the countless ways God continues to use this place to point hearts back to Him.
Happy Thanksgiving.
