Growing in God's Creation

By Amity Lantz-Trier

If you ask a middle school or high school student what their favorite season is, many of them say summer. Not only because they don't have to go to school but because they can be outside. It's common to picture this age of kids spending a large amount of their time sitting in front of a computer screen or a tv watching a show or playing a video game, but now more than ever they are spending more and more time outside.

The urge to be out in nature and connect in a different way with God's creation is definitely not lost on this generation. Taking a pause and disconnecting from our fast-paced, high-activity culture is refreshing at any age. These are some of the many reasons how spending a week hiking in the mountains of Montana can leave a lasting impression.

Since 1951, Christikon has been a special place for spiritual growth and renewal with friends, old and new. Christ the King has taken many different groups over a number of years because, even as time passes and the world changes, the lessons learned are valuable to the human experience and touch on our core values as Christians. The Christikon experience allows those present to connect with each other in a way that is unique to their shared experience. The conversations, laughter, joy, tears, and everything else that happens is special to that time, in that place, in a way that can't be replicated.

The most transparent way going on this trip grows our compassion is seeing first hand that the way that we treat the earth reflects our Christian values. We see that we should care about creation because it brings glory to God. We care about creation because doing so helps other people. The environmental issues we face are ethical issues and provide an opportunity to draw others toward God. We care for creation because we live in it. We care about the environment because God tells us to. We care for creation because it reveals God’s character, and the beauty of creation in its most natural form.  

As we head west for another week to encounter God in new and exciting ways, we ask for your prayers for safe travels, unfiltered joy, raw emotion, and steps that draw us closer in our relationship with our Creator. Amen.