We were driving up I-15 in Montana on our way to the Blackfeet Reservation where our high school mission team would be spending a week serving with the United Methodist mission there. It had been a long trip and I thought everyone was asleep. I was driving the van, lost in my own thoughts when a senior sitting behind me said “Look out there, it is just AMAZING!” He stayed awake gawking out the windows as we drove deeper into “Big Sky Country” toward our destination.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of ministry and lose sight of the wonder of God that is in and around us. When that happens to me, I grab my camera and head outside to wander in the wonder of God’s creation – even if it’s in my back yard.

The traditional hymn – For the Beauty of the Earth has always reminded me of the wonder of God’s creation. I’ve combined excerpts from the hymn and some photographs from a few of my favorite places in the world into the slide show below. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea), sit back, relax, and allow God to amaze you with the beauty of creation big and small!

For The Beauty of the Earth written by Folliott S. Pierpoint
 All photographs copyright ©2018 Mike Ratliff