The Grand Canyon has been a place of controversy between Bible-believing creation scientists and secular evolutionary scientists for a long time.  Its origin, according to popular belief occurred over very long periods of time, a drop of water at a time.   But according to the thoughts of creation scientists and other catastrophists, the canyon formed quickly, with wild raging waters scouring out the canyon in days rather than thousands of years.  The secular scientists claim that the fossils and rock layers of the canyon showcase the evolutionary process.  Creationists claim that the canyon demonstrates the destructive forces of the worldwide flood of Noah's day.

Tom Vail has spent much of his life in the Canyon.  He knows it well.   With his extensive knowledge of the Grand Canyon he has compiled a wonderful book that is fueling the latest fight between creationists and evolutionists.  This book is currently being sold at National Park Service bookstores, but many are campaigning to get the book removed because of its God honoring, young-earth view of the formation of the canyon.

In this excerpt from his controversial book, Mr. Vail explains how he came to know the God who formed the Grand Canyon. 

Excerpt taken from Grand Canyon, compiled by Tom Vail.   Published by Masterbooks, used by permission.

TOM'S STORY

One day, in July 1994, a lady got off a plane at Marble Canyon, Arizona.   She was going on a Grand Canyon rafting trip, and I was one of her guides.   Little did I know how much she would be guiding me.  My worldview was about to be turned upside-down.

If we had not been "trapped" in the Grand Canyon, we probably would not have given each other much of a second thought.  God obviously had His hand in our meeting, however, even though at the time I didn't think so.  For one thing, this lady was way too "religious" for me.  And as for me, let's say I was not quite what she had in mind.  I was not a Christian.  I drank, a little too much at times.  My language was, well, not always Godly.  And I was divorced. 

But the Lord had scheduled enough time for us in this very magical place to get past those few "minor flaws" we both had.  On the second night of our river trip, she started her ministry on my lost soul - not an easy project.

I vividly remember a very philosophic conversation about the meaning of life we had under the stars on the banks of the Colorado.  My view was that the meaning of life was to have fun, while hers was to have a personal relationship with the Lord.   During our nine days together, she continued to gently share the Gospel, enough to get me thinking.

Remember, I was immersed in evolutionary thought, which contrary to what you might have boon told by evolutionists themselves, seeks to eliminate God from all reality.   The logical extension of this - that we are not responsible to anyone that there are no absolute truths in life, that we set our own rules and this life is all there is - was the backdrop for my lifestyle.

My life as a guide consisted of telling folks that the exquisite and varied rock layers in the grand Canyon came about through completely natural processes, even though, deep in my heart, I had lots of questions about how these processes could have created what we see today.  I knew about the biblical story of Noah's flood, but it was just that ... a story.

After the trip, the lady, who read her Bible and believed it, sent me a Bible.   My worldview began to be transformed slowly as I read the Word of God.  Time after time I picked the Bible up, read it, put it down, and mulled over what truth might be in its pages.  Was this God of the Bible real? My eyes kept falling on a prayer this lady had written in my Bible:

Dear Lord,
I know I have done wrong,
that I miss the mark of perfection.
I am willing to turn from my sins.
I believe Jesus Christ died for me.
Please come into my life and forgive me.
I receive You in my life as my Lord and Savior,
as best I know right now.

I read this prayer tens of times before it really started to sink in.  And at some point, I started to mean it.  In October 1994, I made a conscious decision to believe in the Gospel, and to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior.

The Canyon has taken on a more beautiful look.  Life makes more sense to me now - this life and the life to come.