This time of year is one of my favorites…not because of the weather change or the looming presidential election or even the World Series. November means the start of college basketball season. I only watch two sports religiously; soccer and college basketball, and I must say that I am a huge fan of the Duke Blue Devils. Since I was raised in North Carolina I was presented with all kinds of options for college basketball teams – North Carolina State, Wake Forest, the unmentionable team whose mascot is the Tarheel (whatever that is), and my beloved Blue Devils. Through good times and bad (which have been few) I have been a Duke fan and I am proud to say it. I am not certain what this season holds, although the ACC college basketball preview seemed positive about the Devils this year. In watching the preview, only one thing was sickening – seeing the face of Tyler Hansbrough so many times!

You may be asking “why write about college basketball on a church blog?” First, I have no other outlet except this one. Secondly, I cannot contain my excitement. Third, I want everyone at The Summit to become a Duke fan. Fourth, we will be implementing a 24-hour prayer chain for Duke this year. Fifth, I want you to know a little more about me. Sixth, everyone should abstain from wearing Carolina blue until the conclusion of March Madness. Seventh, all Final Four brackets will need to have Duke as the champions regardless of who you think will win – it keeps unity. Lastly, I want everyone to be able to spell and properly pronounce Krzyzewski by March.

Anyone else like college basketball?

All comments by Rob will be deleted automatically!!!

My mom has been in town this past weekend and oftentimes we go out to eat when we have out-of-town guests. On Saturday we ate at a restaurant near our house because we were under some time constraints so we ordered some pretty simple things from the menu and were talking before the food arrived. My son Ty, who was sitting beside me, was talking very dramatically using his hands to emphasize a point, as is typical for him, and by mistake he accidentally knocked over his glass of water. Given that water moves quickly across a table, I tried to push my chair away from the oncoming typhoon, but my reactionary skills are a little slow in my old age. Not one drop of that full glass of water soaked the clothes of my son; however, the entire content of the glass found its way onto my pants. Oh no…water spilled at a restaurant table NEVER just goes on your pant leg or in an inconspicuous place. My pants were now the bearer of a big, wet spot right on that place…you know what I am talking about. My first thought was – I should yell at him for doing that, but better judgment gripped me before a bad reaction followed. He didn’t mean to do it. Of course it didn’t help matters that Ty was now saying that it looked like I had wet my pants as he was pointing and laughing at me. I just smiled and prayed that our food would be delayed until my pants were dry. That didn’t happen. Although in this particular situation I did not react in a wrong way, I could share many more times when my reactions were inappropriate.

Our reactions to every situation in life are very important because I believe they are one of the biggest revealers of what is really in our hearts. When anger and bitterness have captured the heart of an individual, they will eventually manifest themselves. As far as I can tell, truth is the only thing worth defending. Even the writer of Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “a soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.” Instead of letting your voice be heard and your wrath be felt by family, friends, and strangers try reacting with kindness and gentleness.

On my way home from work the other day, I pulled into my neighborhood and as I was making my way through the streets my eye caught something on the side of the road. At first the only thing which defined it was the color – red. I slowed down and began gazing inquisitively at what seemed kind of odd to be on the roadside. What the heck was a decorative pillow doing on the side of the road? For real…when does a person decide, “I don’t want this pillow anymore, so I think I’ll throw it out the window?” I have to be honest. This is not the first weird thing I’ve seen on the roadside. My favorite roadside object ever is a mattress. Anyone else confused about a mattress being on the side of a well-traveled road? How could you not realize that you just lost a mattress strapped to the top of your car or flying out the bed of your truck? Come on, people! There are some things which are mysteriously out of place.

Many times I feel out of place…like I don’t belong where I am. I look around our world and see all the crazy stuff happening – the hotly-debated presidential election, the failing economy, and the insane atrocities happening in other countries such as poverty, disease, and genocide. Is this what I was made for? Am I supposed to feel good about being here? Peter wrote to hurting believers in the early church and reminded them that they would feel out of place. He writes, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12). Although, as followers of Christ, we may feel like we do not belong here, Peter challenges us to live righteous and have gracious conduct before a lost world. How can this be accomplished? Remember that earth is not the final dwelling place for those who have faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their sins. Our hope is in a place where “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). But while I am here, I want tell others how they also can have forgiveness of sin and hope because “God is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Our family went to eat at a very special place on Saturday night. I know what you are thinking…dinner by candlelight, extensive menu, and great conversation. The only candlelight was the candles from the birthday parties being held at this famous place. The extensive menu included pizza and a smorgasbord of carbonated beverages. As far as conversation, I didn’t hear Chuck E. Cheese say a thing. You guessed it. Our family went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner on Saturday. My kids loved it, but as a parent I felt like it was kind of stressful. Why is it that two people can have the same experience but walk away with totally different memories? It is a matter of perspective.

My kids had a great time because they viewed all the opportunities – games, fun, freedom, more games, prizes, junk food, and much more. As a parent I only saw lots of screaming kids, chaos, and other kids cutting in front of my kids in the prize redemption line. I’m not mad. I fear that some people approach church in the same way – two people attend the same worship gathering but walk away with totally different perspectives. One arrived with anticipation for what could happen. The other arrived looking for excuses not to worship. One is a participator. The other is an evaluator and critic. Which are you?

Most of my life has been spent living in the south. At the age of seven, my family moved from Ohio to South Carolina. After being there for a couple years we moved to North Carolina, which I still refer to as God’s country. I loved living in North Carolina and really enjoy visiting there every once in while to eat real barbeque! Can I get a witness?! Following high school I moved to Florida and spent the next six years working on college degrees. I actually wasn’t to keen on Florida…at least the part in which I lived. Upon completion of my degree, I moved back to Ohio and have been working in this area for the last ten years. As I mentioned before – I really miss the south, but there is one thing about the north that I enjoy. It is not snow – that would make me an idiot! Those people who love snow probably have someone plowing their driveway when it is loaded with very wet snow…the kind that makes you have excruciating back pain and makes you also wish you were dead! I’m not bitter.

Change. I have learned to welcome the change of seasons in this part of the United States. Fall has to be one of my favorites – minus the leaf raking. I find that as each season comes to an end, I am ready for the next one to begin. Come to think of it, our lives are also full of change. One thing comes to an end and we begin a new journey. Instead of resisting change, welcome it with welcome arms. Embrace it as an opportunity to grow. View change as an agent to help you experience new heights in life.

Last night I had a meeting with a family who has been attending The Summit for several weeks. After the appointment, I jumped in my car and headed back to my house. When I got on the main road, I thought to myself “I don’t think my lights are on.” Since it was not fully dark yet, I ignored my thoughts and just kept driving. I even turned off of the main road onto the interstate driving another seven miles before I exited. As I got closer to home darkness had set in and now my earlier thoughts were confirmed – my lights were NOT on. I quickly turned them on so I would not end up in the obituaries the following day!

When I finally arrived at home the thought hit me that not one person flashed their lights at me as a warning to turn my lights on. I probably passed a hundred cars or more on my journey home. I know what you are thinking…Tom, didn’t you receive the e-mail about the gang related killings where hopeful gang members ride around with their lights off and the first person who flashes their lights as a warning must be killed. I did receive that e-mail along with other e-mails which declare your hatred for Jesus if you do not forward. DELETE! My apologies if you sent me those e-mails.

I began to think. How many people do I pass every day without warning them? The warning I am speaking of is not an automobile thing, but a Jesus thing. All of us should be witnesses (Acts 1:8) of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross which paid the penalty for sin (1 Corinthians 15:1-7) and His miraculous resurrection which guarantees our eternal life. We are quick to speak about the failing economy, gas prices, presidential candidates, and the new fall season of our favorite show; however, we are scared to talk about the one Person which gives people hope. Don’t get me wrong…I stink at this. I know what it means to be a coward. I know what it means to fear rejection. I know what it means to be fearful of what others may think. Do I really believe that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” and “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:17,36)? If I do, I need to start warning others. How about you?

Tyler, my eight year old son, came into the room to talk with me the other night. Looking very concerned, the first words out of his mouth were, “Dad, do you ever have any hard questions in life to answer?” I thought for a moment and wondered what kind of questions were going through the mind of this little third grader. In a split second I thought of things which may be plaguing his young mind…school problems, spiritual questions, or other off the wall scenarios. Isn’t it amazing how our minds can jump to crazy conclusions before we even listen? “Sure, Ty, I have tough questions to answer every day.” He responded, “Well, I have a hard decision to make tonight.” He paused for a moment…”I don’t know if I should watch Batman or Indiana Jones?” In a way I was relieved that it was not some earth shattering dilemma, but in the back of my mind I thought about how decision making gets much more complicated with age. Right now Ty is struggling between which movie he should watch, but later he will be making some tough choices in his life.

Yesterday I came across a verse of wisdom written in Proverbs 16:13. It says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” In my opinion this proverb is structured in a weird way because it implies that committing to God comes before understanding. But in reality, God allows decisions to come into our life so we will rely on Him for direction. Whenever we are faced with a tough choice, we must first commit to God’s way and then He will provide understanding. Maybe you have encountered a “fork in the road.” Pursue God’s way and He will give you understanding as you take steps of faith.

For those of you who may not know, The Summit meets weekly in a movie theater. Our service begins at 10:15am and usually ends promptly by 11:15am. While we are gathering in theater 6, the Regal employees are arriving to do the preliminaries such as making popcorn and making sure each theater is ready for its first showing around noon. Today I learned that their morning checklist also involves turning on the music in each of their eighteen theaters, including the one in which we have been meeting for the past five weeks. Right in the introduction of my message I heard this music in the background…at first I thought our media guys were messing things up, but since they never make mistakes I quickly realized that the annoying country music now being heard by everyone was coming from the theater house system. I’m not sure if it was Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, or Willie Nelson but their words were now getting more attention than mine. What was I supposed to do? Since I’ve never taken line dancing lessons, putting on boots and a cowboy hat while shuffling to the music were definitely out of the question! Oh well. Life goes on even when crazy stuff happens in your worship service.

This Sunday, October 5 at 10:15am, The Summit begins a new series entitled “So You’re Dead...Now What?” You will not want to miss one week of these life-changing messages about what happens when we take our last breath. Here is a brief summary of what we will cover during the month of October:

There is much discussion about the afterlife. Some think death is the end, some think death is just the beginning, but many more are confused about what really happens following their last breath. In reality, what we believe about the afterlife will ultimately determine the way we live life now. With this in mind, it is important for us to examine what the Bible has to say about death and the events which will follow it. Over the next four weeks, the Bible will become our guide as we walk down this road called death and discover the truth about what awaits every person when their life comes to an end. Join us each week as we closely contemplate the Word of God’s teaching on death, hell, and heaven. During the last week of this series we will answer some frequently asked questions everyone wants to know about the afterlife.

Make plans NOW to join us this Sunday at Regal Cinema located at 1089 Interstate Parkway in Green, Ohio. For more information, please visit www.greenmoviechurch.com.