Summit Ministries

I sat down to write this brief overview of one day at Summit and honestly could not think of a single adequate word to write for the longest time. The many inadequate intros and quaint little phrases I thought up seemed wholly unfit to accurately describe this great experience. And it has been an amazing experience: from the deeply intellectual and philosophical sessions given by some of the greatest thinkers of our time, to adrenaline-pumping yet very exhausting sports and other activities our great staff had planned, or even the makings of great friendships among people formerly complete strangers to me. Every day here is worth writing volumes over, and today was no exception. Really, when else does a fiery woman like Mrs. Brezina teach guys how to be real men during a talk on feminism or a traditionalist musician bring eighty-some-people to true worship of God through hymns most would consider old and practically worthless? How else could we be informed of the Founding Fathers putting their whole faith and trust in God as the cornerstone of the American Republic and learn many simple yet revealing methods for tearing down numerous impractical arguments supporting the pro-choice cause.
I am certain that all of these people here at Summit, every single one, has made some kind of impact in my life that will never fade from who I am.

Every day of Summit has given me something new to struggle with. Even in areas I thought I had all figured out. Today challenged my thoughts on the fundamental relationship the Church has with culture. My opinion had always been that the Church and culture were completely separate and that any mixture of the two led to the church being compromised, but that, simply put, isn't the case. J R Kerr very bluntly said that the Church can't impact the world if it focuses on maintaining its own little realm of influence. What the Church should focus on is producing the very best example of everything: arts, music, law, inventions, etc. If the Church would be willing to step up to the plate and exemplify the highest points of culture, our ability to witness would simply be outstanding. But we have chosen to shun the world's culture instead of showing them that their ideas for culture stem from God and not man. So today was a call to me to chose an area of culture and impact it.

Today was an interesting day at Summit. Eight days into this two-week camp all the students were allowed to choose between a trip to King's Island or a trip to the Creation Museum. I chose the Creation Museum because I had not yet been on any kind of tour with Dr. Wise. As 9:45 am approached, the lounge as the Student Center began to fill with 35 students that were going. As expected, the bus arrived and we were on our way by ten o'clock. There were some people that were awake enough to keep lively conversations, but most, like me, either read or slept.
When we had been on the road for about 45 minutes, I woke up to the sound of the bus's breaks hissing as we slowed to a stop at an intersection. I looked around to get my bearings and saw that we had exited the interstate. I smelled burning oil and quickly drew conclusions. One of the guys sitting behind me said, "Man, I smell hamburgers." I had almost formed my smart remark for him when another guy from the back yelled the words of comfort, "We're all gunna diiiieeee!"
Our bus driver, Rebecca, yelled back a response, "we are not going to die, but you guys better start pushing or praying for us to get into that parking lot over there."
At this point I looked behind the bus and could not see anything except a thick cloud of smoke which smelled terrible.
By the grace of God we made it through two intersections and into a parking lot where Rebecca cut the power. Once off the bus, I noticed a 12 inch wide trail of oil which had come from our engine. In retrospect, Rebecca said that there was no reason that the bus should have gone that far. Parts of the engine had actually fallen our and had left a trail along with the oil.
Even with this slightly annoying detour, all the students immediately began to play games in the parking lot as we waited for help to come. Jon Jon led us in a mini worship service and we prayed specifically for the bus. Within five minutes of praying Rebecca made an announcement that another bus was on the way to take us the last hour to the Creation Museum.
The staff handed out lunch boxes to help pass the time (at this point it was 11:45.) we also amused ourselves by waving to passing cars. As it so happened one of the passing vehicles was the Vitamin Water van. They turned into the parking lot and gave us five flats of different flavored water just because we looked so pathetic, I guess.
Once the new bus pulled in, everyone got really excited. Loaded up again and somebody in the back started singing. Almost everyone joined in and so the rest of the bus drive consisted of every camp song, veggie tales and Bible song in existence being sung as loudly as possible. I'm still really not sure what our new bus driver thought of us.
So we arrived at the Creation Museum and sill got to tour the building, although the tour was much shorter than planned. We got home safely with barely enough time to eat dinner. An awesome worship session with Josh Bales and one classroom session completed the day.

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At times we wonder why it rains. We wonder why there are spiders in the world. We question God or His design and purpose for nature and all other things.
Sunday, June 18, 2008 we were all ready to go on a field trip but were caught off guard by the things God had in store. The students were split up into two groups. One went to King's Island the other to the Creation Museum. The group going to King's Island was getting ready to leave when their bus broke down. A couple of prayers, a few connections, a phone call and no worries, another bus from the same line was sent to transport the group. They were off with no more delays.
Forty-five minutes later the second group, going to the Creation museum, loaded "The General" and was off to their destination. Thirty minutes into the trip while everyone was laughing, talking, and having a blast, black smoke started coming out of the back of the bus. Even then, God was at work. Rebecca, our wonderful bus driver pulled off at an exit, went through an intersection and even, dare I share the secret, ran a red light and pulled into a parking lot. No sooner had the bus entered and pulled far enough up to be out of the way of any other cars, it stopped. While everyone was laughing and freaking out at the same time, we were praising God for His protection over us.
So we found out that the cam shaft broke and four of the six pistons were completely demolished like New York City after King Kong came through. We actually found some remains. Anyway, as soon as we broke down, we called to the staff at the camp and told them what happened. Immediately, they began praying for us. We pretty much thought that we weren't going to be able to go to the Creation Museum. Back at the camp, Jody prayed specifically that God would send us some encouragement. Well, He answered that prayer in a heartbeat. While we were all sitting in the parking lot, talking, playing games, and eating lunch a vitamin water truck pulled up and gave us three cases full of vitamin water. What a huge blessing.
Back at camp, Ben called Parker and Parker contacted the bus line where the other bus came from to transport the group to King's Island. It turns out that we were able to get a bus and go to the museum after all. But get this, the same bus that broke down that morning. This is the best part, if the bus hadn't broken down earlier that that morning, it would have taken so much longer to get a bus out to pick us up. And we wouldn't have been able to go to the museum at all. How bizarre is that?!?!?
We often question God's ways. If it didn't rain, the flowers wouldn't grow. If there were no spiders, the world would be eaten up by mosquitoes. To question God and His ways is to question why the earth revolves around the sun. we can't understand why at times, but we just need to trust. Isaiah 55:8-9. "'For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." "As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

"And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and your mind.'" (Matthew 22:36). I am sure many of you have heard this verse at least once in your life, but have you ever thought about what this command in action looks like? This verse tells us as Christians to love God in all areas of our life. Before Summit I never really paid attention to the third part of this verse - the mind. Do I study in my college courses keeping my focus on God? Do I broaden my knowledge to be a better vessel for the God of truth to fill? Dr. Noebel shared another verse in I Chronicles 12:32 which stated that "Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command." "Kinsmen" in this passage were around 340 thousand, yet the small group of men "who knew the times" were able to wisely lead the army. At Summit I've learned about the times in which we live and what I can do to impact this generation. Summit can be best summed up not as a "prep course" for the trials of the secular world, but rather as a place where we worship God: heart, soul, and mind. He is the one from which knowledge flows.

As I sit in class and listen to such speakers as Doc Noebel, Dr. Wise, Dr. White, and pastor Gray it has been apparent that I am among some of the best Christian thinkers of my time. In the past two days the focus of the talks has been evangelism and how to develop our minds. A couple key points that really hit home were that we need to pray before we witness, don't get discouraged if they don't say the prayer, and we need to know about the competing worldviews and religions. The last point is one that I have not heard a lot about. It was stressed that we need to know their side just as well as we know our own. I am so grateful to God that he made it possible for so many young Christian adults to hear that we do need to stay strong in our faith, with each other, and in the truth.

"If you are afraid of what is out there you may not want to peek out from under the covers at all." -Thomas Morris

So far, this time at Summit has been one filled with thought provoking ideas, challenging speakers, as well as fun outdoor excursions. Each has been a learning experience, but also simply a time to have fun. Dr. Wise was a specific speaker who taught on the importance of knowing why you believe what you say you believe. This lesson is what truly changes Christians into children of God who effectively make a difference in this world. As Christians we have an obligation to excel to our best in all areas of our life. This goal, placed by Dr. Wise, has renewed ambition in the teens of Summit to spread Christ into all areas of our country and world.
Small groups have also been a time to discuss the many ideas given throughout the day. Leader, Todd, has made it an enjoyable time where we can pray together and worship God. Overall my time at Summit has been great. I praise him for all He has done and going to do in the time to come.

When I first arrived at Summit, the director told us that we would spend the next two weeks trying to drink out of a fire hydrant. After having spent the past five years almost living at my Christian school, I didn't I would be overwhelmed by the information I'd be fed. I couldn't have been more wrong! In the past five days I learned more about my faith and how to defend it than I have in the five years I've been in a Christian school.
As the day started with foundations class, I was reminded of the amazing amount of faith Abraham had shown in believing God's promise. As many times as I had heard that story before, my eyes were opened in new ways to how Abraham's strong faith serves to continue the theme of God's promise of a seed who would restore mankind to a perfect relationship with Him.
As the day continued I learned from Dr. White about the problems that Darwin, Marx, and Freud each had in their theories and philosophies. In his next section, Dr. White equipped us with 12 proofs of Christ's resurrection that not only dealt with Biblical evidence but physical evidence as well. As if my mind wasn't already full to overflowing for the day, Pastor Gray, better known as the Evangelism Linebacker, spoke during the evening sessions about evangelism. As he equipped us to share our faith, he also reminded me of the true reason for evangelism. It shouldn't be something done out of guilt but it should be done out of our immense love and appreciation of what Christ has done for us. Rather it shouldn't be something we do but how we live.
This is only a small amount of what God has used the speakers to teach me here at Summit. It's hard to believe that my brain could hold any more information but I know that God has mighty things in store for the rest of the week.

In spite of the fatigue and sore muscles experienced by many of the students, the Summit Ministries faculty has served up another awesome day! Starting off the morning session was Dr. Miller who restated the themes of the "seed" and that "God speaks." The latter point was definitely a true one; I don't anyone left today's seminars not having heard the Word of the Lord. God has truly spoken some incredible things to us students through the wonderful leaders here - because He loves us that much! How great is our God?!!!
To add to the fun, we had some intense games of volleyball and soccer! The sun was hot, the fellowship sweet, and (I have to say) the athletes blew me away! Great job out there team!
It's rare that situations meet with my expectations. It's even rarer when the situation transcends the expectations. Here at the Summit I've experienced the latter. I am so grateful to be a Christian. I am so grateful to be chosen to represent my Savior to the world. And I am so grateful that the people at Summit are encouraging me in this - and all of you too!
Even though we are not even through the first week, I find the more I learn about my faith, the more I see how amazing my God is. As Dr. Wise said, "God is so faithful... and He is truth." This is so exciting - we are only starting! Jesus, thank you!

My stay so far at Summit has been the most eye opening experience of my life. Somewhat for the good (realizing that Christianity is the largest and fastest growing worldview in the world) and somewhat bad. (Finding how hard it is to remember all the arguments to combat the opposing worldviews.) Today we listened to and conversed with Dr. David Noebel. Positively the most interesting and mind-blowing speaker I have ever listened to ... and surprisingly was saddened when it was time to play Ultimate Frisbee, knowing that I may never be able to hear his wise advice and experience... well at least for a while. One change that must occur in my life, which Dr. Noebel pointed out, is the fact that I need to dig in and start reading books that really matter. He shows us a quote, "The people that rule and are leaders are readers." So with all the new knowledge I will be taking home with me, be sure I will be taking new books as well. Tonight we were informed and expounded on the worldview of Transcendentalism. It's unbelievable how much knowledge you can absorb in so little time here. We here at summit are just getting a taste of what life is going to be like. Pray for us, that we do not get distracted from the amazing information God has in store for us in the days ahead.

Greetings from what appears to be the middle of nowhere; but what a beautiful place to be stuck in for two weeks. When we first arrived Ben informed us that for a while we would probably feel like we were out of our league with the amount of information we were about to intake. Little did I know how right he was, and it's only halfway through the first day! We started out the morning with a healthy breakfast (something I usually never have time for...) followed by three 45-min sessions taught by Chuck Edwards and John Stonestreet. In our very first session John challenged our knowledge and faith, playing the devil's advocate to the question "How do you know the Christian faith is the one, true faith?" This debate opened my eyes to the reality that if ever I was faced with this situation in real life, I would have nothing to say, no words, no defense! On the one hand this revelation scares me to death, but on the other hand I take comfort in the knowledge that this is exactly why I'm here... to learn more and to, when I get home, be able to hold intelligent conversations with other people about religion.
One thing that is taking some time getting used to is the complete quiet here. There are no TVs to watch, no internet to go on Facebook or Youtube with and there are no mp3s or ipods to listen to. Someone once told me "God is not silent, we are just no listening." And I know that this is true, at least for me, because we live in a society where silence bugs us to death. I pray throughout this week that my ears and mind would be open and responsive to whatever God is speaking to me.
Please keep the Summit staff and students in your prayers this week as we dive into some of the deepest discussions we, as young adults, have ever faced. Pray for wisdom in our actions and that we would build strong relationships with each other, as we are kind of in the awkward get-to-know you stage right now. ;-) ~Blessings and Peace

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So far this conference has been a great blessing. God has been showing me awesome things both in the classroom and in connecting with new people as well as with old friends. Everyone is encouraging and leads through servant hood, especially the staff. The speakers that we have had so far, Stonestreet and Edwards have spoken about great topics, some that I have heard about and many that I haven't. I like how they go deep, but still explain it so everyone can understand. It was cool how Stonestreet pointed out the flaws of Naturalism. And it was awesome how Edwards explained that Jesus humbled the arguments of the Pharisees by using their own scriptures to show thie ignorance and that God's ways are so much higher than their own. I an enthused and excited about what God is doing and what new thing He will open our minds to in the upcoming days. I can tell that God is moving mightily! Praise the Lord!!!

Summit. Wow. I can't believe I'm back again. This place is so awesome; I can't believe it's been a year since I've been here. So many new friends to be made. This place is truly like a breath of fresh air. Counselors who actually care, kids that are friendly, and so much information to learn. Today, the beginning of the Summit experience was a day of beginnings. For some a beginning of something unknown. For others a familiar course. However, today was the beginning of something that could change all our lives. We started off with registration, which is actually just meeting new people. Then, as we hung out, we got hungry. So, we ate. Dinner was great, as friendships are always solidified by good food. Then, the orientation. That is such a scary word. But, to save us from the scariness, Ben Williams made it funny. We got to meet all the counselors and have small groups. Overall, it was a pretty sweet day, topped off by an awesome milk and cookies party. Honestly, who can deny milk and cookies? Anyway, it was an awesome start to our Summit experience!