Plumb lines are a series of short, pithy statements that we, at the Summit, use as rallying points—both for our staff and for the entire church. They are a way to encapsulate our ministry philosophy in short, memorable phrases.

Plumb Line #9 at the Summit is: “The Church should reflect the diversity of its community and proclaim the diversity of the kingdom.”

Hardly anyone in the American church thinks that ethnic diversity is a bad thing. And yet, take a look at most of our churches, and Mart..

I learned the story of Rachel and Leah as a kid, because it’s entertaining, even a bit crass (the exact story that kids immediately memorize, of course). It’s full of disappointment, betrayal, sex, scandal—basically an HBO television drama from a few thousand years ago. But I always thought it was just a crazy story about a bizarre love triangle. Recently, though, I’ve come to see the gospel in Leah’s story.

Leah, you see, isn’t Jacob’s first choice. Jacob is head over heels for Leah’s little s..

Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.

Infographic of the Week

What are each of the books of the Bible about? Jeffrey Kranz. A one-line summary of each book of the Bible, its author, and impressive icons that actually communicate quite a bit (Numbers, Habakkuk, & Philippians are my favorite).

Articles of the Week

Reconciliation and Foot-Watching in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Hannah Anderson. The lead picture of this articl..

Ryah Greear, dancing during a South African sunset

As many of you know, Pastor J.D. has been in South Africa for the past few weeks on an extended mission trip. Earlier this week, he resurfaced to send a brief update about what he and his family have been doing there:

I don’t have much time, since we’re using an internet café here in Johannesburg. We just got back from “Zulu land” (yes, that’s what they call it here). It’s about as far as I think you can get to the ends of the earth. Incredibl..