ReligionMormonldsLDS Church

6 Photos From A Mormon Who Has Experienced God In Beautiful Places

"You can find spiritual experiences in a lot of different places, not just at church on a Sunday."
Open Image Modal
By 

Religion Reporter, HuffPost

After growing up near the wild and rugged central California coastline, Chris Burkard became convinced that there was much more beauty to be found in the world. 

Since picking up a camera in high school, Burkard has traveled to Iceland, India, Norway, Russia and many other countries in pursuit of nature's wonders. In his photographs, human figures are often lost in the vastness of icy mountain ranges or thunderous waterfalls. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he said it's his faith that helps him connect with the places he visits. 

"Every time I go somewhere, my soul is stirred and I feel drawn closer to my creator," Burkard told The Huffington Post.

Bukard said some of his favorite moments are when he's able to connect with people and cultures on a spiritual level. During his travels, he said, he makes it a point to go to a church and pray with the people -- an experience that he said adds to his own spirituality.

"I want people to see the beauty in creation in some way, whatever their own way is, and glorify God in that," he said. "You can find spiritual experiences in a lot of different places, not just at church on a Sunday."

Burkard agreed to take over HuffPost Religion's Instagram account on Friday, and he shared six reflections about his faith journey. Scroll down to see photos from his travels and head over to Burkard's Instagram page for more images.

 

Also on HuffPost:

World's Best Islands
Malta(01 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 86.897History aficionados have long-loved this Mediterranean nation, evidence that you don’t need palm trees or daiquiris to be one of the world’s most tantalizing islands. Malta has been overrun by every major empire in the region, from the Phoenicians to the Byzantines, the British to the 1.5 million tourists who flock to the island’s colorful shores. Limestone cliffs are dotted with baroque churches, crumbling castle walls, and fortresses. The capital, Valletta, squeezes half a millennium of history into half a square mile, with forts and stairways that crest in unparalleled harbor views. With the debut of a new Renzo Piano-designed open-air theater, visitors can now marvel at the contrast of 21st and 16th-century architecture. Head to the Gozo for a reprieve from Valletta’s frenetic energy—it’s here that Odysseus is rumored to have spent seven years after the Trojan War. Take one look at this handsome Bronze Age island, set between Sicily and the North African coast, and you won’t blame him.

Photo: © Jack Malipan Travel Photography / Alamy
Kauai, Hawaii(02 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 87.882Kauai, the oldest Hawaiian Island, formed when lava bubbled up from the ocean floor 5 million years. To this day, it maintains a certain sense of dignity that is not uncommon amongst the community’s elders. For example, it's defiantly more low-key than its glamorous sibling to the east, though no less dramatic. Can't-miss sights include Pali Ke Kua, or Hideaways beach, kept secret by towering black lava walls, as well as the Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast, both banded by scenic hiking trails and switchbacks. Development isn't unheard of here; Kauai has its famed golf courses and high-profile resorts. But nature still asserts itself in the form of the spiked Anahola Mountains and the bluffs above Hanelai Bay. From here, you get what may arguably the most impressive vista in the state: clouds evaporating over a perfect crescent moon of beach.

Photo: © Dr. Marli Miller/Visuals Unlimited/Corbis
Maui, Hawaii(03 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 87.89Hawaii’s golden child appeals to everyone from gilded Hollywood celebrities to barefooted surfers. It’s a veritable melting pot for the next generation, complete with buzzy cosmopolitan neighborhoods and ultra-chic resorts (enter the new Andaz Maui at Wailea with three infinity pools and an open-air lobby) as well as breathtaking natural sights to seduce visitors and natives with intrinsic force. Begin your trip with the quintessential sunrise bike ride to the 10,023-foot volcanic crater of Haleakala, or the white-knuckle scenic drive to Hana. Stop at Oheo Gulch, a string of waterfalls and ponds in Hana, for an obligatory dip.

Photo courtesy of Travaasa Destinations
Moorea, French Polynesia(04 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 87.904This heart-shaped island levitating on the South Seas has convinced even the most selective travelers that there is such a thing as paradise on Earth, thanks to impossibly blue lagoons and rugged, rainforest-blanketed mountains. The less-trafficked sister island of Bora Bora offers coconut-strewn beaches and an intoxicating aroma of vanilla, grapefruit, and Tahitian gardenia, as well as thatched bungalows at luxe properties such as the InterContinental and views of Tahiti, only 11 miles away, at The Sofitel Moorea la Ora Beach Resort. Friendly Tahitians are full of local lore. It’s believed that the beaches along Cook and Opunohu Bays was formed by the tail of a giant yellow lizard, and that—perhaps more believably—James Michener’s novel, Tales of the south Pacific, was inspired by this otherworldly land.

Photo: © Grand Tour Collection / Corbis
Santorini, Greece(05 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 87.93Everything is brighter on Santorini, where blanched-white houses and blue-domed churches erupt down the sides of an ancient caldera. Highlights include the black sands of Perissa Beach, the richly preserved, prehistoric Akrotíri settlement, best known as the “Minoan Pompeii,” and the postcard-worthy sunsets over Oia, the cliff-top village that is one of the most photographed spots in the world. Book a room at Perivolas, an adults-only resort housed in 300-year-old cave-carved dwellings that feel anything but primeval with a selection of honey and herb-scented Apivita toiletries, and an infinity pool that seems to pour into the Aegean Sea.

Photo: © Art Kowalsky / Alamy
Tasmania, Australia(06 of06)
Open Image Modal
See More of the World's Best Islands

Score: 88.32Readers raved about this Australian state, calling it a little known treasure that’s unmatched by any other island destination. Its diverse and stunning landscape is nearly hallucinatory: rolling dunes covered in psychedelic banksia wildflowers, granite formations that erupt from the beaches, and the wonder of the tessellated pavement at Eaglehawk Neck. Trek the 600,000 acres of pristine coastal wilderness and look out for hyena-like Tasmanian devils, wallabies, and the duckbill platypus. Despite its remote location, Tasmania has a freestyle culinary scene, thanks to local ingredients like handpicked sea lettuce, local game like opossum, and organic Tassie wine. Best of all? The air is as clean as it is in Antarctica, making it the ideal place to take a breather.

Photo: © George Apostolidis

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip