Hidden Life in Grand Canyon
Bill Barrick - September 15, 2026 Cryptobiotic soil forms dry desert areas like the Colorado Plateau, the Sonoran Desert, the Great Basin, and the inner Columbia Basin. Cryptobiotic means “hidden-life.” This top soil layer is composed of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, green algae, and microfungi. These living organisms jointly form a hard black crust enabling the soil to resist erosion, absorb rainfall, and provide nutrients and ground stability for neighboring plants. Over 70% of ground in the Southwestern United States is covered by this crust. Its depth can be 1–15
Praying for Those Impacted by the Bright Angel Canyon Flooding
The Grand Canyon is a place we deeply love, which makes the recent flooding in Bright Angel Canyon especially difficult to see. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones, and we continue to pray for those who remain missing. We are also praying for the rangers, first responders, pilots, river guides, and others involved in search, recovery, and response efforts throughout the canyon. For those who have reached out with questions about Canyon Ministries, we also want to offer some reassurance. The flooding was
Well Done, Mike Riddle.
Nate Loper - August 1, 2026 On July 31, 2026, Mike Riddle passed from this life into eternity. For those of us who knew him personally, learned from him, or were shaped by his ministry, the loss is deeply felt. Mike was a strong and steady voice in the biblical creation movement for decades. He was a teacher, author, apologist, curriculum developer, international speaker, and mentor. Yet perhaps the role that best expressed his heart was that of a trainer. Mike did not simply want to give effective presentations himself. He
From Rim to River: Grand Canyon’s Vertical Habitats
Nate Loper - July 21, 2026 From rim to river, the canyon is a living reminder that God is not only powerful enough to create. He is faithful enough to provide. Stand at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on a cool morning and the landscape below can look almost lifeless. The cliffs are dry, the slopes are steep, and the river is barely visible as a narrow thread winding through rock nearly a mile below. From that distance, the canyon seems like a monument made almost entirely of
The Pale Blue Dot God Chose to Visit
Nate Loper - July 2, 2026 The stars declare the glory of God, but the cross declares His love. There is something wonderfully humbling about sleeping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. On our recent Stargazer Special river trip, days were filled with the kind of beauty that almost overwhelms the senses. Towering canyon walls rose above us in layers of color and stone. The Colorado River carried us through narrow corridors, around sweeping bends, past cliffs, side canyons, fossils, and folds. But then night would come. As the last light faded
Florida’s Geology Through the Lens of Noah’s Flood
Nate Loper - June 5, 2026 Florida is not a simple one-event landscape. It is more like a layered story. Being in Florida right now sharing about Canyon Ministries at the Southern Baptist Annual Meeting has me thinking about geology in a different way than I usually do. Out West, geology is obvious. You stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon and the rocks are right there in front of you, stacked in massive layers like a giant open book. In the West, you see cliffs, canyons, faults, folds, desert
Making the Invisible Visible — Remembering Ray Strom
Nate Loper - May 14, 2026 Every sample had to be carefully cut, mounted, ground paper-thin, analyzed, photographed, and documented. In many ways, Ray helped make the invisible visible. There are some people whose names become widely recognized through books, films, and conference stages. Then there are others whose work quietly supports and strengthens the efforts of countless people around them, often without much public attention at all. Our friend Ray Strom was one of those men. Recently, Ray passed away, and many throughout the biblical creation community have been reflecting
The Wow Factor of Yosemite National Park
Nate Loper - May 4, 2026 The moonlight now spilling into the forest and onto the trail provided all the light we needed, yet we never would have seen it if we did not trust enough to turn our lights off. There is something memorable about taking people into God's creation where the senses move the soul of man. My friend Steve Lummer from Outdoor Nations Network says it best: “We take people outside, so that God can speak to their inside.” I absolutely love this phrase. Over the years, I've
How Was the Grand Canyon Formed? A Catastrophic Lake Spillover Model
Nate Loper - April 29, 2026 If you read most park signs, you'll find the formation of the Grand Canyon is often treated as a simple question of slow erosion and time. A river cut downward over 5.5 to 6 million years and produced the canyon we see today. At first glance that might seem reasonable. But the more closely the landscape is examined, the more that simple explanation begins to fall short. And interestingly, that explanation is losing favor among many geologists today. You see, the canyon is not
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Stephen Crotts
Tom Vail - April 23, 2026 Rev. Stephen Crotts, one day shy of his 75th birthday, recently went to be with the One he loved and served for more than 50 years. After becoming a Christian, I sat under his teaching and mentorship for many years. He tied the knot for Paula and me in 1995, and the following year he took his first of several river trips through the Grand Canyon. About halfway through that first trip, we were sitting one evening overlooking the river when he said,