I spent the summer of my junior year in college on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, volunteering with an organization called “A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.” As a part of the deal, I got a job working as a host in the grand dining room of the Grand Canyon Lodge.[1]Tragically, the Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed by a wildfire in 2025. The Lodge was built in 1928, destroyed by fire once before in 1932, and subsequently rebuilt. It appears that some of the Lodge … Continue reading
My summer in the Grand Canyon reinforced my belief, among other things, that I was destined for a desk job. Work in the dining room, where I was promoted to bus boy and occasional confused server, was physically and mentally demanding. To this day, I have mad respect for restaurant workers. They put up with difficult customers with a smile and a can-do spirit (that is, until they reach the kitchen, when so much profanity is unleashed that the devil himself would blush).
During non-working hours, I hiked the north rim of the canyon nearly every day.
I also spent time preparing for interdenominational worship services, which were held in the campground down the road. Us volunteers were set loose upon the park visitors with little training. One volunteer opened their talk at a family campfire event with the following teaser: “Satan. Who is Satan?” I have never seen moms grab their kids so fast and scurry back to their campsites!
I reached into my roots as a pastor’s kid and led talks that I considered to be enlightened. Thirty-nine years ago my faith was far simpler than it is today. These days I would be tempted to respond as a “none” when taking a survey about my religion.[2]Of course, this is highly theoretical as no marketer really cares about my views about religion, or anything else. Indeed, I heard once that car makers categorize people in my age group as “50 … Continue reading
I’m not an atheist, but I have lots of doubts about the gospel in the form I preached about selectively from the pulpit of my youth. I have so many questions.[3]For example, if God is all loving, all knowing and all powerful, why would he create anyone if he knew that they would end up in Hell? If God is a loving God, why does Hell exist in the first place? … Continue reading
I wrote this several years ago and it continues to be mostly true for me: “I believe there is a God and that each of us is very much loved by God. Beyond this, I have lots of questions and very few answers. And that’s fine with me – maybe even a good thing.” [4]https://realifematters.com/2021/05/21/ten-speed-grace/
I listened to Dan Fogelberg on cassette tape as I sat on my favorite perch, watching the last rays of the sun slowly darken the walls of the canyon below. I thought about how insignificant I am and how quickly I will return to dust. I guess I’ve always had a dark streak.
References
| ↑1 | Tragically, the Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed by a wildfire in 2025. The Lodge was built in 1928, destroyed by fire once before in 1932, and subsequently rebuilt. It appears that some of the Lodge survived the 2025 fire. |
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| ↑2 | Of course, this is highly theoretical as no marketer really cares about my views about religion, or anything else. Indeed, I heard once that car makers categorize people in my age group as “50 years to dead.” |
| ↑3 | For example, if God is all loving, all knowing and all powerful, why would he create anyone if he knew that they would end up in Hell? If God is a loving God, why does Hell exist in the first place? Also, why couldn’t God forgive people for their wrongdoing without needing to kill anyone? And don’t get me started about whether Christians should accept people who identify as LGBTQ. Love is such a stupid thing to hate. |
| ↑4 | https://realifematters.com/2021/05/21/ten-speed-grace/ |