Off the Grid

Sunrise view from the top of Snowbird Mountain - 9/13/22

“The mountains are calling, and I must go.” John Muir penned those words in 1873, and the same sentiment reverberates in my heart a century and a half later. Give me a view of the mountains, and my soul instantly finds peace. The psalmist expresses the same comfort when he says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2). This idea is the mission behind Off the Grid, an outdoor program sponsored by Carson Springs Conference Center that gives pastors and their wives a chance to find “a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). I was thrilled to lead the program’s first pastor’s wife backpacking trip this past week!

The Carson Springs staff dropped us off on the Appalachian Trail close to I-40 in North Carolina and picked us up three days later at Max Patch, a remarkably beautiful mountaintop scene known as “the crown jewel of the Appalachian Trail.” We spent those three days hiking, camping, and soaking up the beauty of God’s stunning creation. Traveling only five miles each day allowed ample time at each campsite for sitting by a warm fire, laughing with friends, and studying the Word.

The sunrise is always my favorite time of day, and the sunrise from the top of Snowbird Mountain was one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. Witnessing such magnificent beauty brings me to my knees in awe and wonder. What a blessing to know that the God who paints such amazing displays of art every single moment somewhere in the world knows his children by name and pursues us relentlessly for his glory and our good.

I am so thankful that I had the chance to go off the grid with some amazing ladies and spend uninterrupted time in prayer and worship with the backdrop of nature’s theater. The words of an old, familiar hymn come to mind:

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Take a look around. He is not hard to find. His mercies are new every morning. Great is his faithfulness!

Final Destination: Max Patch, "the crown jewel of the Appalachian Trail"