A commitment is an investment. It's a promise. It's a lot of really big and really beautiful words. It's saying "Hey, I know you're not perfect, but I see something really good in you, and I'm choosing to get behind that—to love it, to pursue it and to fight for it.”
Read MoreMy first time to reGROUP I sat in the dark shadows near the back of the room so that, hopefully, no one else would see the tears in my eyes the entire night. I was clinically depressed, struggling, isolated, and hurting. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me. I hardly had the energy to show up, let alone talk to someone afterwards.
Read MoreThe country of Malawi is not one that crosses headlines often in the United States. Nor is it one that typically arises in conversation. In fact, when it does, it’s often alongside statistics citing low levels of development, high levels of corruption, or the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. And while I certainly won’t deny the existence of these things, with great enthusiasm I can say that is not the entire story of Malawi.
Read MoreWhen I first heard the news this summer that Summit was going to be offering a speaker series specifically for women, I got excited. And then I became very curious. “For Her” is the third speaker series that Summit has offered in the last year or so, but this one felt unique to me in that the targeted audience was pretty broad and I suspected pretty diverse. The title said it all...it was simply for her. Any her. Me her. You her. Anyone who could be the answer to the question, “Her?”
Read MoreStarting (or joining) a Connect group can be awkward at first. You are thrown into a room with people you may not know, people who may be very different from you. But if you commit to sticking with it, I believe God will bless you in ways you can’t even imagine.
Read MoreMy wife and I had read many, many books and articles on the subject of child-rearing. We had talked to our own parents, and other seasoned parents, because after all, this is a life in our hands that we had total responsibility for! We took it seriously. Her health and well-being depended on it, and though I would definitely say we had no clue what we were in for, I can say we were better prepared for parenting our kids than we were for the sacred covenant we entered into just five years prior.
Read MoreIt’s not at all a secret that growing up is rough. If you’ve already managed to survive your teenage years, you know that it’s a chunk of your life that was challenging, awkward, and at times just flat out brutal. And unfortunately you probably have the pictures of you and your frosted tips to prove it.
Read More“Welcome to Summit—so glad you’re here” I said time and time again to each and every person who walked through the doors of Summit week after week for the eight-week duration of my summer internship.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, one week before the carpets were laid in the Lake Mary Campus’ building, the congregation joined together to praise God for where he had brought them, to look toward to what they hoped he would do in the future, and to leave a meaningful mark on their campus.
Read MoreWhile I may not remember much about being a high schooler, and especially less about my days as a middle schooler, I do know for a fact that I would have been hard pressed to sacrifice my last few glorious days of summer break in order to serve the city I’d lived in all of my life. Yes, it seems selfish, but I just don’t think I can give myself the credit for being that selflessly involved in my own community way back then.
Read MoreAugust is on the horizon and as we try to keep cool during these dog days of summer, young students and their parents are gearing up to return to school in the next few weeks. The start of the school year is an exciting time filled with possibilities, but for too many families there’s an extra layer of anxiety that comes with the first day of school.
Read MoreWhy are we doing communion every week this summer? It has been said—and I believe this—that partaking in the sacrament of communion is the most intimate act of worship we will experience this side of eternity. Think about the word: partake. We are ingesting physical elements that at least represent, and at most embody—in some mysterious way—the presence of Christ.
Read MoreWhen you take a mission trip to Africa, one of the first lessons you learn is flexibility. You learn to expect people to operate on “African time,” you learn that things may not go as planned, and you learn to adapt.
Read MoreMicah 6:8 has a nice ring: Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Yet, how is it possible to fight for justice and mercy, when in the jail they seem to be polar opposites? An inmate recently asked, “Would God really sentence me to prison when He knows my heart?”
Read MoreThere’s a pretty good chance that if you attended the last round of these singles seminars, you’re just slightly unsettled that enough time has passed that we’ve brought them back around and you are still here.
Read MoreSitting on the floor in a circle, holding coffee cups and wearing their volunteer shirts, the elementary small group leaders at our Waterford 11 a.m. service had gathered for their weekly team meeting. I casually made a suggestion that was met with great enthusiasm— a goodbye book for the Rapp family. As we discussed the details that morning, Ezekiel Rapp came bounding into the room, early as usual and too excited to wait. He tapped the shoulders of Ms. Sierra, his special-needs-buddy, and his small group leaders. He was eager to play.
Read MoreWhen I first started speaking, I always got a kick out of the reaction my topic received. Some unsuspecting person would ask, “So, what do you talk about?”“I talk about women struggling with pornography.”There was a bit of a pause- you could probably call it awkward. “Hmmmm… well that’s interesting. That’s usually a men’s topic.”“Exactly.”
Read MoreEver since my first trip to Ethiopia in 2010, a piece of my heart resides there. I can't fully explain it, but once you go, it changes you. I am so thankful that God has expanded my view of the world through this beautiful country and its people.
Read MoreYesterday morning, like you, I woke up to numbingly tragic news. As I absorbed the information, now pouring in from everywhere, I tried to find a context for my feelings. That effort led me into how I have felt in other tragedies, like the September 11th attacks, the Haiti earthquake, the Columbine shooting, the AIDS pandemic, and the Ethiopian orphan crisis.
Read MoreOur church family joins with our city in mourning the heartbreaking events of this past weekend. With the violent shooting of singer Christina Grimmie and the mass shootings at Pulse nightclub this past weekend, our prayers are with the victims and their families of these senseless tragedies.
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