In the Bible we are told the story of God’s creation of the universe, the heavens, the earth, skies, waters, plants, animals, and ultimately of mankind, in God’s own image.  In Romans 1:20 we are told that God’s creation is sufficient to make us aware of his existence.

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”  (ESV)

And, while God has most certainly given us an amazing world filled with natural beauty that points us to his glory, without his inspired, infallible word, the Bible, we cannot truly know God nor his plan for our salvation in a fallen world.  Modern society is certainly out of touch with nature, but more importantly we are out of touch with our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, the God of the Bible.

This blog is written from a Christian perspective and assumes that God is the master and creator of all things.  I hope to not only highlight some of the amazing wilderness that God has blessed my wife and me to experience, but also to bring a Christian perspective on nature and the outdoors, particularly how we use hiking as a ministry for Christian fellowship and retreat as well as evangelism and outreach.

By no means do I intend to elevate nature to an object of worship!  God’s creation is a magnificent gift for us to enjoy, however, the glory must always be God’s. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, himself, used the outdoors as an integral part of his ministry while here on earth.  And, I believe this is a model that we can use in our own ministries today.  I plan to share more thoughts on this subject in future posts.

Posts you find here will range from the theological to the secular and will cover a broad range of topics all generally relating to the outdoors and outdoor ministry.  I hope to include reviews of books (Christian and secular), parks, trails, and gear.  Some posts will be shorter snippets, resources, ideas, tips, and techniques for outdoor ministry, hiking, camping, wilderness survival, and whatever else may seem fitting to the outdoor ministry theme of this site.  And, from time to time, I hope to dig deeper into the biblical and theological principles behind my ministry, under the category of “The Hiker’s Ramblings,” as this post is categorized.

This is my first time venturing into the world of blogging, so please bear with me as I learn!

I hope that you will find my posts useful, thought provoking, and edifying.  But, most of all, I hope that God’s glory will always shine through.  Because, our God is truly an awesome God!!!!

Yours in Christ,
Todd the Hiker

Who is Todd the Hiker?  See my About the Author page.

© Todd D. Nystrom and Todd the Hiker, 2013.