Summit Ministries

I have been asked to do the impossible... share about my experience here at Summit in a few paragraphs. That's like asking the sun to rise in the west, or expecting Wile E. Coyote to actually catch Road Runner. However, I will give it a valiant effort and hope for the best!

You could almost hear the collective sigh as Friday dawned. Exhausted as we all might have been, no one wanted Summit to end. Luggage was dragged out to be packed, massive picture taking began, and tour buses headed to the Air Force Academy and Focus on the Family. I stayed back to take advantage of the quiet and try and figure out what in the world to say at graduation. The night before, Judson had asked me to speak at graduation, and amidst my shock I blurted out, "Sure, I'd love to!" Now I sat in the floor of my room, honored to have the opportunity to share, but clueless as to how to do justice to my time at Summit.

Every factor of Summit was vital to the experience for me. The lectures, sports time, worship, forums, free time, devotions, access to faculty, amazing food, fantastic staff, small groups, incredible fellowship. If one thing had been missing, it just would not have been the same. It fosters an atmosphere of learning and achieving the most out of every moment. I was challenged by two thoughts through all of this, and it's what I shared with my fellow students at graduation.

First, I am called to excellence. I was surrounded day after day by faculty members who are top players in their fields of study and work. It was humbling to learn from them, and see how they sacrifice their valuable time to invest in my generation because they recognize the importance of our impact on the world. Each speaker required us to think and to question in different ways, but they all directed us to Christ. They are the best at what they do not for personal gain, but to honor the God they serve. We serve an excellent God, and He deserves nothing less than the best that we have to give.

Second, I am called to be a Christian. No, that was not a shocking new realization for me, just in case you were wondering, but everything about my time here reminded me of that simple, but important fact. Day after day new concepts and challenges flooded my mind, and there were moments that I was completely overwhelmed with my inadequacy and lack of understanding and wondered, "Where do I start?!" But God stepped in and reminded me that no matter what vocation I am called to, no matter what area of study I'm supposed to pursue, above all I am to be a Christian. That is my life purpose. I am to simply use my education and vocation to live that out in the most dynamic way possible. He placed me here to have an impact on those around me as a child of God. I am to step out of the shadows of Christianity and be bold about my faith, no matter what, no matter where.

These truths are valuable to me and I'm grateful to Summit for bringing them to the forefront of my mind. I was honored and humbled to share these thoughts on Friday night with my fellow classmates, 180 incredible individuals who came together with the desire to be more than average. After the ceremony, we all had "more fun than a human oughta have", eating ice cream, playing games, singing, saying goodbyes. The evening came to an end for most, but I was in the group of the privileged few who won the bid at staff auction to stay up with Night Watch, so pulling an all-nighter was on the agenda. And you know, I would love to tell you all about it, but then I would have to kill you, so....all I will say is that weight rooms and quesadillas will never be the same for me.

To close this out, I feel privileged to have spent two weeks learning from the best and sharing life with amazing people. God bless Summit!