Summit Ministries

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So far this conference has been a great blessing. God has been showing me awesome things both in the class room 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!!!