July 30, 2010

Where can I park?

Posted by Kristy-Lee

This past Sunday, many of you expressed your frustration with our parking situation. Orlando Fashion Square has kindly allowed us to park in their lot during service hours. But, where exactly in the mall parking lot, you ask?

We drew a map to show you where the additional parking spots are—you’ll find they are not too far away! Just a hop, skip, and a jump.

July 29, 2010

Upcoming Marriage Show!

Posted by Kristy-Lee

There are a lot of songs and books about how two people become one – physically and spiritually – but how do you apply what you read and hear to your marriage? And what happens when the reality of “two becoming one” isn’t that easy? Eddy Moratin and his wife, Giselle, are ready to tackle that very question at the upcoming Marriage Show.

When I asked why they chose this topic for the show, Eddy said, “Giselle and I have witnessed a lot of marriages crash and burn and it usually begins with two people who start living separate lives. Instead of acting as one, they look and behave more like two separate people with competing interests. It’s as if they are playing on different teams and barely living under the same roof. Giselle and I aren’t marriage experts by any stretch of the imagination, but we would like to share how we’ve learned that it is our differences that give us the greatest potential to being a dream team in marriage.”

Who doesn’t want to be a part of a “Dream Team”? I know I do! Join us for August 6th’s “The Marriage Show” where we will hear tangible ways “two can become one”! (7 p.m.) (Click here for ticket info!)

Follow the Marriage Show: www.marriageshow.com

July 27, 2010

Missions Team Update

Posted by Michael Murray

Excitement was in the air today as the Malawi Team departed! Family and friends gathered in the Summit lobby this morning to say their goodbye to team members and pray for them.

“We are all very anxious about going,” said Lizzie Wirgau, who is taking her second trip to Malawi in a 4-month span. She then quickly added, “By ‘anxious’ I mean excited, not scared! We can’t wait to see what God is going to do through us.”

The team left Summit today at 8:45 a.m. They will be returning on August 6th. We will be posting team updates as they become available. Check them out on our
Go To Africa Blog.

We also have another team service overseas! The Sierra Leone Team departed on Thursday, and will return on August 4th. The team is currently busy visiting villages and engaging in outreaches.

Even if you are not on a missions team this summer you can still make a tremendous impact overseas by Praying, Getting Educated, Going, or Getting Involved. Click here to find out more!

July 26, 2010

BY POPULAR DEMAND: GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE

Posted by Michael

Learn:
Genesis 2:18, 21-25
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man.” 24For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

References: Matthew 19:3-12, Ephesians 5:21-33, 1 Peter 5:5-7

Main Idea:
Marriage is a sticky topic because the cultural ideals are so far from the biblical ideals. There are two myths about marriage that are simply false. The first myth is that being married is somehow better than being single. It’s not (and neither is the converse). Jesus was single, as was Paul. You do not need to be married to live a fulfilling, God-honoring life. The second myth is that marriage is all about your fulfillment. God’s purpose in marriage is not to make you happy. It’s to make you holy, and that will be impossible to achieve if God is not at the center. Even the greatest heroes in the Bible had conflict in their marriages. How do you improve your marriage? Seek Jesus first. Pursue personal holiness, then ask yourself what you can do today to show love to your spouse. What if you are no longer “in love” with him/her? Having romantic feelings is not a prerequisite for a God honoring marriage. We are not commanded to have certain emotions towards our spouse. We are commanded to love them.

Know What: God’s ideal for marriage is impossible without God’s help in marriage.

So What: We need to abandon today’s cultural views of marriage and singleness for a more biblical understanding of them.

Now What: The best thing you can do for your spouse (whether currently married or not) is to seek personal holiness with reckless abandon.

Discuss…
1. Have you ever been tempted to believe either of the two myths about marriage? How has believing these myths affected you?

2. How has the current culture shaped your views and ideals about marriage? Are these views consistent with the biblical view of marriage? If not, how can you reshape your thinking?

3. If you are single, do you have a picture of what characteristics your ideal spouse will have? What are they? Are you committed to being patient and trusting God to bring that person into your life rather than simply “settling” out of fear of being alone?

4. Do you see why it’s important to rip up this picture once you are married? What are the dangers of not ripping it up?

5. What is the difference between pursuing holiness in your marriage rather than happiness?

6. Do you think the concept of “romantic love” has become idolized in our culture? If so, what have been the consequences of this idolization? Is it hard to accept that this kind of love is not a prerequisite for a God-honoring marriage? Why?

7. Have you set any unrealistic expectations for your current or future spouse? Is there anything you need to give up (certain movies and books, Facebook, memories of a past love, etc.) in order to guard yourself against these?

8. If you are married, how can you begin to seek God first in your marriage? If you are single and want to be married, what can you do right now to prepare yourself for having a God honoring marriage?

Pray
The topic of marriage can often bring up painful memories, regrets, or longings in people. This week, no matter what your marital status is or what your experience with marriage has been up until now, pray for grace. Pray for grace to flood your life and for wisdom to take the next right step.

July 22, 2010

Group Night recap

Posted by Eddie

Defining success in a church is always a funny thing. By default, we tend
to look at numbers to determine how we’re doing. In Summit Connect, we
toss around a bunch of big figures like:

1,380 of us are meeting in Summit Connect groups, 41 leaders are about to
graduate from leader training, and 117 people were at the last Group
Night. And, while these numbers are great barometers of how things are
going in the church, they’re not as exciting to me as this number: Three.

Last Sunday’s Group Night was tremendous. Everyone mingled, made new
friends, got excited about studying the Bible together, and started
talking about where they would like to serve in the community. After about
an hour or so, people were mutually “Facebook Friend Requested”, organized
for the next Connect group meeting, and on their way home… Except for
three women.

These three women talked, laughed, and generally paid no mind to the team
of volunteers that were cleaning up around them and giving the
not-so-obvious-but-very-obvious signs that it was time to close up shop.
These women were doing exactly what people in a church should be doing –
forging deep relationships and looking towards the future. Truly, there
was no better way to end a Group Night then seeing the remnants of a group
that had formed 30 minutes earlier unable to stop being around each other.

This is why I love Summit and our Connect groups. Three women, and scores
of others, have taken their next steps in community and know what it means
to be part of a family. Impressive numbers at Group Night is great, but it
is not the ultimate measure of success. Nothing is better than learning,
serving, and worshiping in Christ-centered relationship – even if the
campus minister tells you that he’s locking the sanctuary.