Summit Ministries

Oxygen. That wonderful substance that we take for granted. Coming from a state whose highest point is just over 800 feet above sea level, I definitely did. A 15 mile hike to the top of Pike's Peak (14,110 feet above sea level) the other day definitely gave me a much greater appreciation for it. (By the way, over 60 of us completed the incredible, challenging trek and made it to the top!)

I was NOT ready for the alarm to go off this morning. I think everybody who went rafting or hiking yesterday probably felt the same way. But amazingly enough, almost everybody managed to drag themselves out of bed in time for chocolate chip pancakes and morning devotions.

Today we took a much needed break from our studies. I spent most of the day whitewater rafting. It was an amazing experience for a Kansas boy who had never had a chance to do that before.

Hello to all! You know you are at Summit when you are awake and in class at 8:15 on a Saturday morning. That is where we all were and laughing through the lecture of Dr. Nobel. You can never fall asleep during his lectures. The sessions of Dr. Asbell and Eric Smith were very thought provoking and great. Mike Haley did an excellent job presenting his talk about homosexuality. Through his talk we were once again reminded of God's love and grace to all who are created by Him and of His faithfulness to those who repent.

Hey Mom and Dad, I am having a great time at Summit. Thanks so much for sending me here; I am learning a lot. The lectures will prove to be very useful next fall in the classroom in defending my Biblical Worldview.

My experience at Summit has opened my eyes to much about our world today but more so about people, especially myself. You only think you are open to new ideas until you disagree with something. Then, all of a sudden, your wall comes up and no truth but what you deem as truth seems to matter. Kevin Bywater spoke today about witnessing to people from different religious backgrounds, and what stood out most to me was that this process requires you to obtain a relationship with the person or persons that will eventually gain their trust enough in order for them to let down that wall of what is "truth" to them. But what I realized was that I myself am just as un-teachable as they are. Thus, in gaining a relationship with them I must not, according to Mark Cahill, approach the situation with the purpose of mere persuasion as you would a debate but instead I must be personal with them. We need to treat them as real people and try to love them, sincerely asking questions about what they believe. This seems so simple, yet I think I end up failing at this little detail quite often. This takes so much pressure off me when witnessing because I am not just trying to force my beliefs on someone but rather let the Holy Spirit use the conversation to do what He desires in it.

Hello from Summit Colorado! Day 4 was an incredibly busy day. In the morning classes we learned from David Wheaton how to defeat the main collegiate dangers. He termed them the Triple Pillars of Sexual Immorality, Drugs/ Alcohol and Humanism. In Kevin Bywater's class, we studied what Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses believe and how it differs from Christianity. For our third morning class, we listened to an incredibly convicting presentation on evangelism by Mark Cahill.

It is only the second day of Summit, but I already feel at home with the staff and other students here. Each day is packed with more learning, fellowship, and yes, even fun than I am accustomed to experiencing in a week. I am amazed at the stature of the guest speakers. One in particular is the renowned Dr. Duane Gish. Dr. Gish has been defending the theory of creation for decades and against the most prominent and most educated evolutionists of today.

To Future Students and Student Sick Parents, The first day of my two week adventure began this morning with a run through Manitou's downtown area. I got back in time for a shower (those who I sat next to in the classroom were VERY thankful) and went off to a hearty breakfast.

Today marks the first official day of Summit semester five! Many of the prayers and thoughts leading up to this adventure have finally come true. From the instant friendships to the random conversations between complete strangers. So many people I have met today have made me smile and laugh. Another aspect of this ministry and Colorado is the majesty of the mountains behind us. Truly the scenery is something that I have never seen anywhere else. The people here are so sweet and so much fun to talk to. I can't wait to talk to so many more people that the Lord has brought to this place to inspire and create a change within me. Please continue to pray for all of the students who have come to this place from all over as they worship and discover God and his wonder.

Last year my parents sent my brother to Summit in Colorado. When he came back he was overflowing with information about the Christian worldview and other popular beliefs . Immediately my parents announced that they would send me at the end of my senior year in the coming summer. When it came time to register, I was angry that my parents still wanted to send me, despite the fact that we had just completed one of Dr. Noebel's homeschool curriculums.

Since late June, after I came back from a mission trip with my youth group, I have continually been asking myself a question everyone should regularly ask themselves: "How did you see God today?" I see Him in the whole process of the Summit organization. From Dr. Noebel to the students who come from all over the country with one goal in mind: to become better educated in the complex debate that rages daily over the objective truths that exist, or lack thereof, if one claims to be a relativist. Summit is so well planned that there really is little room for one to leave without a better understanding of the competing ideas in today's society. From the college classroom, to the science lab, the Christian worldview is not only being grossly misunderstood, but rejected due to people's hostility to the truth.

I woke up this morning at "the crack of ridiculous" with the strongest desire to do nothing other than...roll over and go back to sleep. The "rrrrrr..." of the fan sounded as if it were encouraging me to get up. "Come on Christi! Wake up... It's another day to learn, another day to grow!" I rolled out of my top bunk (Thank goodness, not literally!) and looked out of my fourth story window. The mountains returned my gaze, and for a moment all I could do was stare in wonder and amazement. "God is so great, God is so great..." I felt the words roll off my tongue and enter the crisp Colorado air. For some reason being near these mountains I feel so close to God, it's a feeling words can't explain, it's a feeling I never ever want to lose.

How great is our God. I was reminded of this as I bit into a bacon cheeseburger at lunch today and I thought to myself," if God didn't want us to eat meat, He would not have made it taste so good." The food here has been delicious, and to those of you who do not believe that studying ideas which have shaped mankind do not promote hunger, I must inform you of your incorrectness. Today my mind was bedazzled by the lectures of Dr. Frank Beckwith and Dr. J.P. Moreland and their debriefing on the the topics of post-modernism, moral relativism, and abortion. Hearing these two gentleman speak was one of the motivating factors in my desire to return to the Summit after attending Session 1 in 2006. This year, I feel I have a much firmer grasp on the topics presented and especially the validity of Dr. Noble's claims because of my experience as a freshman at the University of Kansas. I am continually amazed about how deceived our world is and I more fully realize the trueness of the quote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing," Edmond Burke.

This morning came too fast, but I was more than excited to rise for another day of learning. When I first arrived at Summit I was anything but thrilled. My mother had thought this would be a "quality educational experience" for me since I had spent the past year or so drifting away from my faith. Now it has become very evident to me that God's hand brought me here for a purpose.

Finally, a break day! After a week of unrelenting lectures by intellectual giants such as the famous Dr. Noebel, Kevin Bywater, and Mark Cahill it was relieving to have a day of rest. Sort of.

This afternoon, I was asked by one of the staff members I was chatting with if I would mind writing for today's blog. I happily accepted. Little did I know that tonight, as I write and look back on the day's and evening's events it would be the best day at Summit I have had thus far. Today has truly included my most refreshing, meaningful, and inspiring experiences.

Well what can I say, it's been another stretching day at the Summit. Starting out the day with another great breakfast. I don't remember what it was but it was good! It has been awesome getting to have my quiet times every morning and have devotionals again with the class. This morning we were going over the part of Hebrews that refers to the covenant that God made with Abraham. When God made the covenant, He put Abraham into a deep sleep and then went through the process of finalizing the covenant by Himself. By doing this he placed the whole weight of the covenant upon himself. In the same way our salvation and the new covenant is solely place upon the shoulders of Christ.

When you are at the Summit you are in a constant state of learning which is as it should be. Summit is a conference where they are training Christian leaders for tomorrow, and a leader should always be teachable and willing to learn. Well, sometimes here it's information overload!

We woke this morning to the familiar sound of the Summit bell, which was immediately followed by the night watch "wake up calls". Stumbling out of bed, we quickly dressed in an effort to be near the front of the breakfast line. After a casual (and somewhat drowsy) conversation over the breakfast table, we proceeded to the conference hall.

This morning I awoke to the rushing mountain wind through my bunkside window. Too early to join the outside world, but too alert to drift off to sleep my thoughts turned to prayer. Dear God, what better place to have your truths reconfirmed and solidified in my mind and heart then here in your mountains, so far and different from my home in Iowa. Dear Lord, open my heart and my eyes, guide me and make me teachable. Bless the speakers and the things they say, may they fall on attentive ears and soft hearts. Most of all, thank you Lord for this opportunity. Amen. Another blast of cold wind and I'm up and going.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends, countrymen, Romans... All of us here at Summit just finished up the first full day at the hotel. It was a great first day filled with great classroom time, full contact Jenga (ok, maybe not full contact), and a fun night out at the famous Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs.

So begins Summit Session 4 of 2007! I am one of the 178 students here in Colorado Springs ready to learn to defend the faith we call our very own. The day began at 3 A.M. for me and my best friend, KK, as we left the Washington D.C. area for Colorado Springs. We were met by a very unexpected surprise in the Denver Airport. We actually ran into the hit christian band Newsboys! We couldn't work up the nerve to say hi but we did get a picture with them in the background! Exciting stuff!