SOAKING IN ALL THE FUN ON LAKE POWELL!

We had an outstanding time kayaking, cliff jumping, and slot canyon padding on spectacular Lake Powell!! There are some days you just don't want to end.

GTD's Grand Canyon NORTH RIM Trip 2016

Pausing To Pray For Our Family & Friends Affected By Hurricane Matthew

A few years ago we were at a Sunday morning church service at a large church. We were seated on the far side of the congregation. During the middle of the service someone on the opposite far side of the congregation had some type of medical emergency, possibly the onset of a heart attack. There was some commotion and movement going on and very soon the EMT's arrived to assist, treat, and transport the new patient to the hospital. Throughout this time it appeared that the pastor's personal policy or the church's policy was to keep disruptions like this contained to that small area and to not let it interrupt the entire service. I think the pastor may have said something like, "There is a medical situation that is being handled by emergency personnel." And then he went right back to preaching his message. He never missed a beat. Laurie and I looked at each other and said, "Shouldn't we all be praying for this person as a church family?!?!" I understand and appreciate the idea of the "The Show Must Go On" mentality, but this isn't the same as having audio problems or even a rare heckler yelling. This is someone's life and welfare. And we aren't a Broadway Play; we are the church! If one hurts, we all hurt. Didn't Jesus constantly stop His messages for medical emergencies and disruptions in order to heal the sick and to respond to the skeptics. Are we that focused on the objective that we can't stop to pray for an urgent, immediate, and possibly life threatening need of someone who came to our church? Certainly we can chew gum and walk at the same time. How long would a prayer have taken? Two minutes? Five minutes at the most?

This past week we were running nonstop adventure tours on the opposite side of the country while our family and friends were staring eye to eye with a category 4 hurricane. We rarely had time to even watch the news as our days were filled with jam packed agendas and our lives were captivated by amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. But still our hearts and minds were preoccupied with our family and friends back home. At the very least, we were going to pause our message and nightly agenda in order to pray for their needs and situation. So, instead of sticking to our nightly Bible message, each of our participants and staff picked specific needs to pray over for those facing the hurricane. We took time to intercede for the potential victims. The next day we continued on with our daily agenda and full schedule, but we never stopped thinking about, following the news alerts about, or praying about and for those caught in the path of this massive storm. We chewed gum and walked at the same time. We wish we could have done more physically, but sometimes you have to watch from a distance and pray. Our thoughts and prayers continue in the aftermath.

ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE PLACES!!!

We visited Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ. It's absolutely one of my all-time favorite places to visit! This view could never get old to me!! We will be kayaking 16 miles of the Colorado River and camping at the bottom of Horseshoe Bend... CAN'T WAIT!!!

GTD Grand Canyon NORTH RIM Trip 2016

The Most Photographed Slot Canyons In The World!

We toured the spectacular slot canyons of Upper Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ. Words can't accurately describe the beauty within these walls. You'll just have to look at the pictures to see what I mean.

Grand Canyon NORTH RIM Trip 2016

HIKING IN THE GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM!!

We took on and accomplished a 5 mile round-trip hiking trek down into the Grand Canyon on the challenging North Kaibab Trail. It was a feast for the eyes!! (As well as a good physical challenge hiking back up the canyon). Great times with great people!!

Grand Canyon NORTH RIM Trip Begins!!

Our Grand Canyon NORTH RIM Trip Has Begun!!

2 days after our wonderful Utah Trip finished we kicked off GTD's first ever trip focused on the rarely visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon! This remote gem is absolutely breathtaking! We drove from Las Vegas to the North Rim and toured the overlooks including "Angel's Window". This trip includes 1 night of camping on the North Rim before we head off to our rental home in Page, AZ. Temperatures dropped into the high 20's at night, but we were well prepared and everyone stayed toasty warm in their sleeping bags! Our first day was a great one (except we missed one of our favorite participants that had to cancel at the last minute - Jesse Altamarino). We are reading out of 1 Thessalonians this week in our devotionals =)

National Park #5: Zion (Part 2)

National Park #5: Zion (Part 2)

(GTD's Mighty 5 Utah Trip)

This is our PHENOMENAL hike down "The Narrows" in the Virgin River within Zion National Park. Recent rains made the river murky, but didn't take away from the incredible experience.

This is a Bucket List adventure! Make a way and do this hike!

National Park #5: Zion (Part 1)

National Park #5: Zion (Part 1)

(GTD's Mighty 5 Utah Trip)

This is my favorite National Park of the Mighty 5 and we've planned to spend 2 days here doing 2 of the premier hikes in the United States. Our first hike is a 5 mile round-trip challenge to the top of Angels Landing. It's a steep hike up a razor thin cliff that narrows to 28 inches at one spot with a thousand foot drop on both sides. This is not a hike for the faint of heart, and it requires grabbing onto poles and chains to complete the final ascent. But the view and the sense of accomplishment make it all worth it! 10 of our 12 participants decided to go all the way to the top. (We also got hit with rain during the final ascent which added greatly to the risk factor, but praise God for His protection!)

National Park #4: Bryce Canyon!

National Park #4: Bryce Canyon!

There's just no way to accurately describe the incredible uniqueness of a Hoodoo... you just have to see them for yourself... or better yet, hike among them like we did!

This was a one-of-a-kind God-awesome adventure! We loved every minute of it!!