God receives no glory from a half-hearted disciple.
Sounds a little extreme, I know, but let me explain. We, the church, have considered for generations a discipleship option that doesn’t exist. You see, Jesus has always given us two options. There is the wide gate and the narrow gate. There is the wide road and the narrow road. There is destruction and there is life (Matthew 7:13-14). It seems we have invented a third option that Jesus never offered or intended. That option is the middle road. Rather than committing fully …

It’s that time of year again when the great battle is waged between those celebrating the “Holidays” and those celebrating Christmas. I know it has arrived because I have seen the battle cry set forth by bumper stickers and Facebook updates–soldiers in the battle gathering under the banner of “Put Christ back in Christmas!”
I get where this is coming from. I celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. I call the day Christmas. If you are not celebrating the same thing, please don’t call it Christmas. Be bold enough, …

I’m pretty excited about what is going to happen this weekend. Our youth are taking part in a 30 Hour Famine. During this time of fasting, they will focus their attention on the African continent where kids their age are also experiencing famine. The difference is, our African brothers and sisters don’t know when the famine will end. It is my prayer and my honest expectation that in this time of self-denial, our youth will come face to face with our loving Father and feel the agony He feels at …

So, there are a bunch of people occupying places like Wall Street and pretty much every major city in the US. These people are protesting the greed of the wealthiest Americans. At least that is what they say for the cameras. The truth is, there is little unity in their statements and less unity in their cause. The truth is, they feel they are entitled to more than they have and it seems like a camping trip is the way to correct this. Their rally cry is, “We are the …

I preached a sermon this week on the following passage
Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It was a difficult study for me because I have a treasure problem. I have a hard time keeping “things” in perspective. I’m certain I …

In the midst of earthquakes and aftershocks, what do you tell your kids? Tell them the truth. As parents, we are tempted to tell our children things to comfort them in the moment, but if the things we say prove untrustworthy, our words may never again be able to comfort our children.
We need to share the truth with our children. The truth is, I am not in control. I am surprised by this. The truth is, it’s not all over. There will be aftershocks and when that settles down, there …

Is it a good idea, ever? Absolutely!
Before you banish me to life in Southern California, hear me out. Socialism is not a viable option for the United States or any other nation in today’s social and political climate. You see, socialism’s strength in theory is its weakness in reality. If I can oversimplify, socialism is an economic system where everyone’s resources are pooled to meet everyone’s needs. It sounds good in theory, but in practice it falls apart. All it takes is for one person to say, “You will get …

What do you expect from a broken system?
The Casey Anthony “Not Guilty” verdict was met with cries of joy from Casey and cries of outrage from most of the world. How did you react? I must say, a wave of disgust came over me, but that was quickly followed by a voice in my mind asking, “What did you expect?” As evidenced by several high-profile cases over the last several years, our court system is about as predictable as a coin toss. The reason for this is our courts are …

The New York State Legislature just passed legislation recognizing gay marriage. I have heard much of the media celebrating this with giddy excitement. I have heard the socially conservative, the church in particular, lamenting this with somber warnings.
I think my reaction to this was, “What did we expect?” Don’t get me wrong, I stand firmly for the protection of marriage as God has instituted it. God designed and created marriage and gave us an instruction manual for it. His equation for marriage is one man and woman until death. His …

Let’s celebrate what God is doing. Below are some excerpts from e-mails sent to The Summit family from our brothers and sisters in Africa.

The study bible was a big blessing to the young church in Kenya -Mumias. Thank you, that through your encouragement and Pastor Uchim Hummer, this church was born & so far the church has a population of 20 people. As we have started fasting and prayer, we’ll remember you and Pr Hummer, as the founders, in prayers.
Stand with us in prayers too. Today 29/05/2011 in the sunday …