Summit Ministries

This is my second year at Summit. All the speakers I've heard - both this year and last year - have been knowledgeable in their field, purposely made you think, and gave you something to remember. Many have been life altering - but only a very few have been life-changing. Dr. Jeff Myers' "Marriage & Family" sessions completely changed the way I view marriage and family last year, and this year it became even more rooted into my thought process.

I was asked why it was so important to even have Marriage & Family at Summit - after all, most of us are barely college-age and aren't ready to get married. The answer is simple: the better we understand God's design for marriage (our possible future) and the way guys and girls relate to each other, the better we know how to treat each other today. Believe it or not, the way I view marriage impacts the way I treat guys around me even at the age of seventeen. If my view of marriage was that it isn't sacred, special, or beneficial to both involved, I would probably have a different lifestyle.

Dr. Myers energetically brings us back to the beginning. The very beginning. Starting in Genesis, he takes us back to creation - to God's original design for man himself, and then later for woman. He goes over how massive Adam's task truly was - naming the animals, subduing the earth, etc. So he gave him woman (which helped with the whole "be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth" part of the deal). As Dr. Myers walks us through the Fall and the following curse, he brings to light what truly is Satan's plan for declaring war on the family. Now before I sound alarmist and slightly out there, listen for a moment. As Satan and the family were put against each other in the Garden of Eden, so they are today - our world is full of abortions, low marriage rates yet high divorce rates, homosexuality, trivialized sex, forgetting woman's design in pornography, and an ever-increasing "generational gap" between children and their parents. The family is suffering, and Dr. Myers' second session is full of tips to help us realize, understand, and act. The notes from the second session, the ones I took a year ago, remain close by no matter where I am. They are demanding and encouraging, and remind me that even I can have an impact in this area. These sessions are a crucial part of the Summit experience - if you haven't had your views challenged, confirmed, and changed yet, what are you waiting for?

Whoa! Tuesday at Summit was amazing. The morning lecture was from Dr. Phillips on Biblical Foundations. He explained the necessity of knowing the scriptures and knowing the history and patterns of the Bible as a whole. He taught us to look at the metanarrative (big picture) of scripture. I felt like I was in a nutrition class learning about God's bread and water. For real - Dr. Phillips and his passion for God's word were very encouraging.
Next up was Dr. Noebel, speaking about what a worldview is and the six main worldviews out there. Although the content was very serious, he was hilarious! He told us to "hang on to these six, and you cannot be fooled." He then gave us a list of books to read that would help us know the opposition and counter it with truth. It was a much needed reality check about the dangers of losing the fight of faith in college, and how to be ready when the time comes.
Finally, Ben Williams went deeper into the idea of Transcendentalism - the belief that all is one and everything is god. He exposed the media and subtle tactics they use to spread transcendentalism. What I really valued was his explanation of not only the key problems of this idea, but the key advantages the idea holds that attracts people. That was important for application; to understand where these people are coming from.
When I heard that Summit was like "drinking out of a fire hydrant," I expected to be overloaded with too much information. Instead, it's more like being injected or marinated in God's Truth. The Truth is wonderful.

This is my second time attending the Summit. I truly believe this camp is essential for all youth and people of college age. Arriving here a day early was pretty fun. I got to chill with all the staff and see them off the "clock." The staff here are truly amazing. Watching how they act and treat me is inspiring. The staff goes through weeks of Bible study before they even come to the training. Their main goal is to set an amazing example for us.
12:00! Sunday! Registration day! Getting our keys and papers etc... was as easy as could be as I enjoyed watching the energy and very visible cheer and happiness just to be here and welcome the new people. Getting moved into the rooms brought back a lot of memories... due to the fact that all the dorms look exactly the same as last year! But it was amazing to be back on the Bryan campus.
Standing in the line on the way to dinner I was a little scared (the food wasn't too good last year.) But to my surprise it wasn't too bad! Oh just to be at a table full of people you do not know is why Summit rocks! We are all here for a common reason. After dinner we all head to our first session, the welcome/introduction/orientation session. Josh Bales was here was again to lead us in worship. At the end Ben Williams introduced David and Allison (the Assistant Directors) who in turn introduced the rest of the staff. They also told us what small groups we are in. my small group leader is David Parker and a bunch of really cook guys are in my group.
Not even a few minutes after the first small group meeting a volleyball game broke out! The most important thing about that is the fellowship that all the students share and experience. Through all the sports and meals and free time and other activities we spend a lot of time together and build relationships and friendships.
I love this camp and will be back again next year and hopefully work with and for Summit for years to come.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think I speak for a very large community of students when I say that John Stonestreet is an irreplaceable teacher at Summit. His speaking style is passionate, engaging and winsome. His large amount of knowledge and his obvious desire to tell others about the urgent situation in our world is inspiring to me. While some may find him to be slightly straightforward in some respects (as he readily admits), I think this is one of the things that allows him to communicate the truth in the way that it often needs to be communicated.
Additionally, it's obvious that Mr. Stonestreet truly has a heart for our today's youth--his own two daughters definitely included. To me, this is demonstrated not only by the tremendous respect he shows for others who may disagree or question what he teaches, but by his cultural savvy. By this, I mean that he studies what today's teenagers and college students are plugged into. Name just about any song, movie or piece of art. John Stonestreet knows about it, and knows how to use it to communicate his ideas effectively. I suppose I find this impressive because many adult teachers--while they are speaking the truth--sometimes lack the tact to validate where today's generation is coming from.
Unfortunately, I can't say that these thoughts quite justify how much I respect and am impressed with Mr. Stonestreet. If you haven't met or at least heard of Stonestreet, then hopefully, by reading this, you're getting something of an idea of how great a role-model and person he really is.

This is my second time attending the Summit. I truly believe this camp is essential for all youth and people of college age. Arriving here a day early was pretty fun. I got to chill with all the staff and see them off the "clock." The staff here are truly amazing. Watching how they act and treat me is inspiring. The staff goes through weeks of Bible study before they even come to the training. Their main goal is to set an amazing example for us.
12:00! Sunday! Registration day! Getting our keys and papers etc... was as easy as could be as I enjoyed watching the energy and very visible cheer and happiness just to be here and welcome the new people. Getting moved into the rooms brought back a lot of memories... due to the fact that all the dorms look exactly the same as last year! But it was amazing to be back on the Bryan campus.
Standing in the line on the way to dinner I was a little scared (the food wasn't too good last year.) But to my surprise it wasn't too bad! Oh just to be at a table full of people you do not know is why Summit rocks! We are all here for a common reason. After dinner we all head to our first session, the welcome/introduction/orientation session. Josh Bales was here was again to lead us in worship. At the end Ben Williams introduced David and Allison (the Assistant Directors) who in turn introduced the rest of the staff. They also told us what small groups we are in. my small group leader is David Parker and a bunch of really cook guys are in my group.
Not even a few minutes after the first small group meeting a volleyball game broke out! The most important thing about that is the fellowship that all the students share and experience. Through all the sports and meals and free time and other activities we spend a lot of time together and build relationships and friendships.
I love this camp and will be back again next year and hopefully work with and for Summit for years to come.

As Summit is ending, I look back at the past two weeks and am overwhelmed by all the information I have received. These two weeks have been two of the most uplifting weeks I have ever experienced. They have been exciting, educational, and spiritual. I am walking away from Summit with knowledge of the major worldviews and I now know how to defend my faith against them. Not just using the Bible, but also scientifically and with everyday knowledge. Because of Summit I know feel ready to discuss other people's worldviews as compared to my own. I am no longer frightened about talking to people about their worldviews. Summit has given me the knowledge and resources for me to go out and impact the culture for Christ. Every moment spent in the classroom was well worth it. Every speaker was incredible. We were truly blessed to be able to sit under such Godly men and women. Summit has impacted my life in so many ways. I will always remember this experience as life changing.

First of all, I greatly enjoyed Mrs. Brezina's lectures, especially her analogy of a tree for a person's views. The roots symbolize a person's worldview; the trunk is one's values, and lastly the leaves represent our actions. Also her clear evaluation of our Founding Father's statements to show there obvious belief in God and Divine Providence was most insightful.
Our next speaker was Dr. Beisner who, through his use of numerous statistics and other compelling scientific facts proceeded to shed light on many of the misrepresentations and outright lies being propagated by the environmentalist crowd. In addition to all that he taught us how small of an effect mankind can make on our world for good or for ill.
After these sessions we all separated into our chosen majors. Mine was economics with Dr. Charles Van Eaton. We resumed our discussion on taxes and how they affect the economy. And he described the difference between tax rates and tax revenues.
In our last session, which was quite possibly my favorite, Dr. White discussed Darwin, Freud and Marx. He illustrated how they had all been discredited on several counts and yet are still held as visionaries among the intelligentsia.
Well I hope I have shown you a snapshot of the brilliant truths and insights that we at Summit et to soak up each day.

Well, I woke up this morning around 6:30 a.m. and started preparing for my day. After picking up my room for inspections, I went and played piano around 6:45 a.m. in Brock Hall. Breakfast was spent with friends. We had great conversations about our favorite speakers and the "white water rafting" trip we had been on the day before. After breakfast I went up to the Lion's Den and watched fellow classmates play pool. Our first class this morning was by Dr. Jones where he taught about having a biblical view of literature. Dr. Jones then taught us on the theory of Deconstruction. After a short break we returned to the classroom where Dr. Cleveland taught a class on economics which was surprisingly interesting even for me who has absolutely no interest in economics. Following that class Dr. Cleveland then taught a class on communism and capitalism. After lunch we returned to the classroom again but it was now time for our majors where we got to pick which classes we wanted to attend. We could choose from a wide variety of classes and I had a little trouble choosing which class I wanted to attend but in the end I went to the class on literature. I found the literature class very interesting and our teacher Mrs. Impson read us a paper on the role that literature has played in her life and the reasons behind why she became a teacher and writer. We then had free time, which was spent playing pool, talking with friends, reading and even taking a nap. I really enjoy the worship time with Josh Bales and it has been such a long time since I have experienced such open and sincere worship. After worship we had a class by Debbie Brazina on feminism, in which she taught us how America has been moving towards a feminist society. After class we had a small group where we could talk about the things we had learned during the day. At the end of the day I have nothing but good things to say about Summit. I would recommend it to any teenager, whether they are rooted in their faith or stumbling in it. I have learned more about my faith and other faiths in this last week than I have learned in my entire life. Summit has been an all around good idea.

Today started rough. I woke to what, at first, I thought to be the smell of eggs and bacon, but was disappointed when it turned out to be the repulsive smell of feet permeating my every corner of my room. I opened one eye to look at my digital clock. It read 8:09 AM. I sighed, not yet realizing my first lecture started at 8:15. My stomach grumbled as I pondered munching on a few cheez-its before preparing to leave. I then realized my predicament. I have always dreamed of flying. I believe I may have reached my goal this morning. My covers exploded as I soared from my bed. After struggling to put in my contacts, I threw on a shirt, grabbed my bible and hit the hallway at a sprint. I decided to take a shortcut to the lecture hall. Frazzled as I was, I forgot to factor my speed to grass friction ratio. I slid/tumbled down the grassy knoll, collecting my own share of morning dew on my pants. I regained my footing at the base of the hill and continued on to chapel. I made it with a few seconds to spare. After brushing off my hands and sitting down, I grabbed my notebook and gave my attention to the speaker. I spent the next several hours with my stomach growling and smelling like a garden gnome. My only comfort was a small bag of teddy grahams I managed to eat when the speaker's back was turned. After the lectures were complete, I returned to my room and cleaned off. I put on caving attire and otherwise prepared to climb into a muddy hole with the stalwart counselor Evan heading the way. Caving was great! There's nothing like crawling through small, dark places listening to someone make Velociraptor sounds. My experience at Summit has been really fantastic. I feel as if I never knew what I needed to know to provide a consistent argument for Christ's supreme authority and a stable Christian worldview.

What are the differences between the four gospels?
How has religious pluralism affected the US public education system?
How have law and government changed since the days of the founding fathers?
What is truth?
How much faith does it take to be an atheist?
And the most mind-boggling of them all: are hamburgers alright to eat, even after flies have been all over it?
All these questions and more were answered today, Day six, at Summit.
Dr. Gary Phillips, Dr. Terry Moffit, Dr. Paul Boling, and Dr. Norman Geisler were our speakers today. These lectures answered all the questions above except for the final one. To find the answer to that question we had to travel to Fort Bluff.
At the nearby camp ground of Fort Bluff, Summit Students played paintball, volleyball, soccer, put-put, Frisbee, and basketball. Bryan College's amazing chefs came along and produced an amazing meal! This meal consisted of hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, chips and cookies! As we sat down we quickly found out we were not alone. Thousands of flies wanted to partake of the same meal we planned to eat. Even with the flies on the food, it was still safe to eat and delicious. After finishing our meal and fighting off the flies we boarded the bus to return to campus. Dr. Geilser concluded our exciting day with an excellent lecture. We are all thankful for another intriguing day in Tennessee. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue praying that we would obtain knowledge that would stay with us for a lifetime. Also pray that God will use each one of us for His glory to change the world. We are praising God that every day at the Summit has been an amazing experience!

Despite our current level of exhaustion and the fact that our brains are now teeming with new information, Day Five turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience. It began with Dr. Phillips' excellent review of how our Holy Bible came into being, which was followed by Mr. John Stonestreet's mind-blowing introduction to Satan's current attacks on marriage and the family. We all knew that these God- ordained institutions were under heavy fire, but the statistics given to us both shocked us and encouraged us to fight back against those who would see the demise of two of God's greatest gifts to mankind. I believe I can speak for all of us when I claim that I now feel better equipped to tackle these hugely controversial issues. No longer must I stand on the side-lines grimacing. Armed with this new found information, my fellow students and I can begin to take further steps to advance God's kingdom.