Summit Ministries

As I began writing I wondered what exactly everyone back home would want to hear about. I came up with three things that would probably be on the list.

1. Have there been any injuries?
That depends on the severity of the injury. There have been occasional headaches (probably from the amount of material, as well as lack of sleep) and upset stomachs, but nothing a little Tylenol won't cure. Sport injuries from Ultimate Frisbee and Adventure Ball remain minor.
2. Are you making new friends?
That has been my favorite part of Summit so far. I've met people from all over the United States. I'm surrounded by people who are so different and yet we're the same, united in a common cause: Christ. I find it funny that no one sits at the same table everyday. At each meal you're surrounded by different people that you've just met or maybe you were standing in line with. As we meet new people there are less and less new faces and more and more new friends. Exciting!
3. Are you learning anything?
We are gaining more information than we can possible comprehend. It's going to take weeks to process all of the content that's being thrown at us. Today we listened to Dr. Jeff Meyers teach about Communication Without Fear. In order to become effective ambassadors for Christ we must learn how to communicate effectively. Earlier today Mr. John Stonestreet spoke about Postmodernism and its effects on our society. The discussion of these issues will, no doubt, aid us as we step onto a college campus.

There is a little bit of rain coming, so most of us will stay inside for reading or a nap before heading to dinner and then onto worship. Continue to pray for us that we will have teachable and moldable hearts.

Sitting here in the cafeteria I begin reflecting upon the past two days. Already it has been an amazing experience, one to be filled with priceless memories. Sunday I believe was awkward for all of us, but looking around this Tuesday evening I see tables upon tables of new friends gathered about them. Anxious faces no longer among us, but instead they are replaced by smiles and laughter. It will never cease to amaze me how we as human beings, so different from one another, can come together in the blessing of friendship by just the small act of saying, "Hello" (or as we say in Texas, "Howdy").

I think back to today's sessions. Though it was a rather damp morning, the sessions were nothing less than they have been. We heard from Dr. Noebel about secular humanism. "Bad ideas have bad consequences; good ideas have good consequences." We had our first day of Biblical Foundations with Dr. Phillips, "The Bible is a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim." We also heard Mr. Stonestreet speak who focused on transcendentalism and theism. All of the speakers and sessions were both inspiring and thought provoking.

With our second day quickly coming to a close, I look forward to the following days with much excitement! Please keep us in you players; that we will be prepared for whatever God has for us in the coming days. Hope you enjoyed this …have a splendiferous week!

It's hard to put into words the feelings that flash through one's mind when one of the most highly anticipated moments of summer is upon him. Weeks have gone by since I walked the stage at my high school graduation and prepared to step beyond the doors of the Easton Shore of Maryland. I know that each and every choice that I make will have a profound effect upon the man I am to become. Summit is one of those choices which I know is bound help me become the man of God that I so desire to be. Nevertheless, my task it seems is to draft a brief message that will encapsulate the first few days of Summit and provide an overview for all of you who did not have the privilege of attendance.

Arrival on Sunday was a bit interesting. Due to my family's travel plans, we did not have the luxury of coming by at noon once registration had opened. Instead, I was dropped off by 10:30 that morning. This led to quite a lot of spare time to engage in one of my favorite activities: reading. Another guy named Peter was in similar circumstances, and I was able to talk with him while several others slowly filtered in, providing me with plenty of people with which to converse. That evening, orientation went well, preparing us for what will honestly be a demanding two weeks, but will, without a doubt, be worth the toil.

Monday was the true start of the camp, started earlier than some would have liked with breakfast at 7:15. Breakfast was followed by the first true class, basically an introduction to camp and a challenge to make the most of the camp and to grow in wisdom. Worldview was thrown out as a key term for the next two weeks, being defined as the framework that every man uses to interpret the world around him. This in turn will influence his every decision, and thus having a well defined and consistent Christian worldview is crucial for us and necessary to live strongly for Christ. First up was a set of in–depth sessions dealing with just one key point in an authentic Christian worldview: the value and sanctity of human life, even before a person's birth. Scott Klusendorf of the life training institute was our distinguished speaker, and he provided a powerful argument in defense of the lives to the unborn.

Following free time, which included an incredible game of adventure ball (basically a combination of various ball sports and capture the flag), the final session of the day was just as powerful, being on the subject of evangelism, presented by Mark Cahill. This man's passion for the Lord and love for his fellow man has given him a great burden to reach others, as well as courage to engage them in conversation on spiritual issues and topics of eternal value. Additionally, he shared the message that whenever we witness, no matter what outcome we have won. Whether we are accepted or merely plant a seed, and even in flat out rejection we have furthered the cause of Christ and have no reason to be ashamed. This being only the first day, and but eight of the numerous hours we will spend in class this week, I cannot wait to see how God will be working for the rest of the week. I really have a hard time thinking of any better way to start my final month before I enter through the doors of college to the world that awaits me.

This morning tired Summit students trudged to the chapel for the first session. Worn out from over 40 hours worth of sessions, it was starting to become hard to pay attention. While finding seats and opening up notebooks, many of us dreamed of going back to bed. Then with one look at the schedule the students knew they better prepare themselves for a wake up call: Pastor J.R. Kerr.

We knew from last night that J.R.'s energy was out of control, and there was no way this was going to be another sleepy session. His previous session was entitled "What is the Church?" and had put to question our different thoughts on how we view the church. We were encouraged to look at the church as something eternal, not just a building limited by time. Life is measured in quantities of time and time on earth is short because of death, but Jesus conquered death. We learned that in our time we must spread life to others by obeying the Great Commission, and that while we do this we must also have confidence in knowing that it's not about us—it's about God. Regardless of how we feel we've messed things up, the end is already written.

This morning Pastor J.R. was still very enthusiastic. He demonstrated this by basically pushing passion and energy into the students. The first session was entitled "What to do with the rest of your life". The session took on a more personal feel as J.R. would call on students to share their thoughts, goals and callings. He explained how we should use our talents for God no matter what they were or how odd they might seem. His example was perfect as he told the story of one of his close friends; a male supermodel for Christ and about how we all have an identity in Christ.

The next and last Kerr session of the morning was similar to the one directly before it. It was entitled, "Next Level Leadership". J.R. asked how many of us viewed ourselves as a leader, and, in my opinion, a surprisingly small amount of students raised their hands. He went on to explain that leadership ties directly to influence and God has given us as humans the power to influence each other in just about everything we do. Looking back on my own life I realize that what J.R. told us is so true, and now that I realize the effect my life can have on others I am motivated to model my own life after Jesus Christ. I am thankful for Pastor J.R. Kerr's influence in my life as leader.

Ten days ago, I found myself on the steps of the Student Center of Bryan College, eager to move in to my room and commence the Summit experience. I was looking forward to a fortnight soaking in a Biblical worldview before entering a public university and being bombarded with foolish worldly wisdom and challenges to my faith. Here in Dayton, I could revel in conservative Christian fundamentalism – hurrah! Summit has not disappointed me in the least. We have had hours of teaching by world–class speakers on subjects ranging from postmodern philosophy to the importance of origins to evangelism. My mind is stretching and growing to take in all the information – a perusal through our 200+ page notebook would give you some idea of how much there is to learn.

I've found myself greatly challenged by these talks. I tend to be a rather intellectual person, with an emphasis on rationality and little time or understanding for emotion; however, speakers like John Stonestreet and Dr. Wise have shown me that reasoning and apologetics do not hold all the answers. God created us with emotions as well as a mind, and declared both good. God Himself experienced joy and sorrow, laughter and weeping when He came to this earth as Jesus Christ. The ultimate answer to all questions lies in God – the God who created us in His image, who loves us dearly, who suffers with and for us. Arguments alone will not save you.

Thought–provoking talks and deeply transforming realizations are not the only part of Summit – there's also fun! After rising early to a morning full of lectures, we have a sizable chunk of the afternoon dedicated to recreation and relaxation. Around campus, there are tons of activities, from ultimate frisbee to ping pong to a tarp water slide. Personally, I'm a big fan of air hockey – you'll find me often enough in the Game Room. There are plenty of things to do off campus as well, like a creationist tour of the Knoxville Zoo and a fossil hike, both with Dr. Wise. Beware – that man walks very fast, leaving sprier and longer legs struggling to keep up. It is greatly worth it, however – he is full of wisdom and knowledge and humorous anecdotes. The dorms are great, though – alas – I cannot say the same for the food. You can be sure that we sleep well after a full day in lovely air conditioned dorms. Overall, Summit is a great, life–changing experience that I would recommend to anyone.

My name is Paul Gutacker, and I am a Summit newb. Yes, this is my first summer serving as staff at Summit (I never went as a student) and it's been an absolute blast. The first thing I noticed about working here is that the other staff are totally amazing. For instance, there's this guy named David who has like 24/7 energy, or a girl named Pam who has amazing insight into teaching, or my leader Dan who has the most ridiculous eyebrows in the history of faces. In all seriousness, my fellow counselors are some of the most awesome young people I've ever hung out with, and my leaders (Ben, Dan, and Allison) are truly a pleasure to work with.

Enough about the staff. So, I get to hang out with a bunch of guys (16–20 year olds, at least in my group) and talk about life and God and the world. That's pretty much my job. Don't get me wrong, talking about serious and sometimes controversial issues with ten guys – who have great sarcastic senses of humor – isn't the easiest thing to pull off, but when it does happen it's really rewarding and meaningful.

For example, last night we talked about homosexuality. We talked about how we as Christians need to view homosexuals with compassion, and wrestled with how to speak truth to them in loving ways. The ten guys in my group had clearly learned a lot from yesterday's speaker, Mike Haley, and our discussion showed how seriously they were thinking about the issue. It was good to share with each other names of friends and family who struggled with homosexuality, and to spend time praying for each of them.

Serious discussions, prayer, wild capture–the–flag games, good ol' southern barbecue, trips to the zoo, huge blisters from playing Ultimate barefoot—this is the life of a Summit counselor! And it is a good life indeed. I'm really looking forward to three more weeks of this.

Summit has been a blast and we still have four days left! Not only have I been learning a ton in the classroom I have been able to enrich the Summit experience with all the extra activities. Every day from 2:00pm to 5:15pm we have free time, which is like recess for teenagers. The first two days we played games that really got the whole camp involved, and I was able to meet and hang out with lots of people here at Summit. In the later part of the week we were able to slow down a little bit and pick our own activities more. Many people have taken to playing sand volleyball; so much in fact that a tournament has been created so that healthy competition can test the talents of Summit's most athletic and dedicated.

On Saturday many of the campers went to downtown Chattanooga to witness to others and tell them about the love our Lord Jesus Christ. Personally I had some very interesting conversations with the people in Chattanooga and got real life examples of the Postmodernists, Secular Humanists, and Pseudo–Christian religious Worldviews that we have learned about in the classroom. Later that night we had a talent show which consisted of some impressive skill, gifted musicians, and some funny skits.

One more major activity that I feel needs to be included here is our Small Groups. From around 10:00– 11:00pm all the students here at Summit meet in discussion groups of about 8 or 9 campers and a staff member in order to discuss the material they learned that day. The best part about small group is the discussion time with other campers. This time is the best time that we have to really digest the enormous amount of information that we are presented with everyday. Another great aspect of Small Groups is the fellowship and prayer time. During this time we can really spend time to invest in each other's lives. Learning from each other's differing backgrounds and praying together has enriched my Summit experience more than any other activity outside the classroom.

Overall Summit has been going great and we have had Tons of fun (even when we weren't in the classroom).

It's hard to believe its only been seven days since we arrived at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee to attend the amazing Summit. Already, we've had roughly 36 lecture hours (by ten different speakers!). We've overviewed several religious worldviews; we've zoomed in on postmodernism, the New Age movement, abortion, evangelism, communication, & marriage. We've talked about socialism, communism, truth, leadership, & what happens when worldviews collide.

When you think back on the hours spent in class, some of it can mush together in a mix of note taking, powerful realizations, & even some tears. All of them have been educational & fascinating, but some stand out more than others. As empowering as it is to learn how to evangelize to those thought "too far gone" by those around you, & to learn the historical foundations of the Bible, who can forget what you felt during Mr. Klusendorf's Abortion? Or the tears & words shared by (what have become) some of your closest friends after Mr. John Stonestreet's Evil & Suffering?

The intensity of the classes can surprise you; eight hours a day of this huge amount of information can make your head hurt. But never have I woken up in the morning (at 6:30am, no less!) & wanted to go back to sleep. I'm always so excited about the day ahead; I know it will be even more incredible than yesterday. It's hard to pick a favorite day, favorite speaker, or favorite session. They all speak differently to every person around you; it's amazing to think that you're not having this experience by yourself…you're having it alongside 250 students & countless counselors.

I don't think any day was more powerful than last Friday, when we talked about Biblical marriage, relationships, & femininity. To learn how to be influential yet modest, empowered yet humble, & how to overall to fulfill God's design for you as a woman was truly life-changing for me. Not only are we learning how to impact our world here at Summit, we're learning to impact our friends & our families…the people around us who make up our very lives.

No matter how many words I could write to you, I could never pour out all that I have learned (just in the first week!) at Summit. I couldn't tell you how many times I've reached frantically for more note paper (call me a nerd, but these notes are actually fun to write & look over!), or how impressed I was with not only the ideas of the speakers but the actual lives that they have lived. Who could be more qualified to talk about homosexuality than a man who was gay for twelve years? Who can talk about Mormons better than someone who grew up as one? As I write this, I'm worried that I won't get my point across, so here it is: Summit is incredible. We're learning how to see our culture - the world I am living in now - through the eyes of Christ. We're learning how to understand it, how to engage it, & how to change it. & nothing gets better than that!