C.R.A.S.H.... more than just a word

C: stands for Choices. In life, we are filled with choices to be made and consequences of those choices to live with. CRASH Ministries exists to encourage students to base their choices in life, both big and small, on the promise of God’s Word and Christ’s Love

R: stands for Relationships. At Ebenezer Baptist Church, students develop meaningful relationships used to encourage one another in their Christian walk. Along the same lines, CRASH Ministries encourages growth in students’ relationships with Christ and how that relationship can affect the other relationships in the students’ lives

A:stands for Adventure. Being a part of CRASH Ministries is certainly an adventure! But not only is being a part of this ministry an adventure, living the life God has called you to is most adventurous! The Christian life is not boring, mundane, or impossible; but rather it is a daily journey filled with adventure & suspense, battles & victory, love & freedom, and so much more!!

S: stands for Salvation. The foundation of a relationship with Christ is salvation through Him. CRASH Ministries is all about having a saving relationship with Christ, which is the only way to Heaven. Our salvation is freely given and full of grace. Without salvation, we would not have CRASH, joy, love, or the next letter…

H:stands for Hope. Through Christ, we have a hope that supercedes all other. CRASH Ministries depends heavily on hope. Students know that with Christ, no matter how bleak the present is, an even greater hope exists that gives us a reason to celebrate the love of Christ in our present condition! With hope, we have a future, we have a love, we have a joy, we have an eternity!

So this has been sitting heavy on my heart for the past few weeks and here it goes. CRASH is more than just a word... and so often, people (including myself) will walk around school/work/public with the word CRASH painted on our shirts, hoodies, etc. But so often, we play the "church game" of saying "Yea, CRASH stands for choices, relationship, adventure, salvation, and hope.... yea this is what it means to me.... yea i follow these rule of how i'm supposed to live..." and don't get me wrong, i do the exact same thing, but here lately, our "CRASH" has been dissolved into nothing more that a STOP. What i mean is that here lately- i'm not including everyone in the youth group on this, don't get me wrong- but me, along with a few "said" people, have not been living up to these standards in which we are called to follow..... GUYS HOW THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO WITNESS TO OTHER PEOPLE WHEN OUR OWN PRIDE AND ARROGANCE GETS IN THE WAY?!?!?!? In 2nd Timothy, Chapter 4, Paul deliberatley tells us, "I give you this charge: Preach the Word; BE PREPARED in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction." So if you agree with me that the Bible is God-breathed, which means every word comes from God, the God is not "asking", but he is TELLING US to BE PREPARED, not only when the time is conveinient, but when we are in the MOST AWKWARD SITUATIONS! it goes on to say that a time will come when men will hear what they want to hear, and then it says..."But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2nd Timothy:2, 5) So what i'm saying is, it's time to stop speaking about the way you live and how your life reflects the "CRASH", and it's time to actually start LIVING the "CRASH." Because the "Choices" we make affect our "Relationships" with other people, which in turn affects the "Adventure" that God Himself has planned for you, which in turn, affects OUR "Salvation", which finally goes to how much "Hope" that we have. Guys and girls, the choices we make affect our salvation and our hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ... and just to let you know something... we only have ONE life. This isn't some "video game" where we can hit the "restart" button. We only have one shot to affect the lives of others... So how about everyone, including me, start living our Adventure that God has planned for us... because i can assure you, it's SO much better than the crap we go through on a daily basis.

HELLO? ANYBODY IN THERE?

So here lately, these past few days have really made me think. Some people just aren't who you perceive them to be. I'm not saying this in a good way either. Over the past few weeks, months, and almost a year, i've noticed people in a completely different light. I'm not going to say any names but a few of my friends have become cocky, arrogant, and have just made me want to stop hanging out with them all together. I know you're probably like "Hunter it can't be that bad".... IT IS. It has gotten to the point where i just don't want to be around them. Don't get me wrong i still love them.... BUT DON'T contradict everything i say and be a cocky jerk about it and then try to be all "buddy buddy" with me after you do.... just don't. It makes me feel like i'm being used and it makes you look even worse. And then when someone tries to point out a flaw that they see in you to MAKE YOU BETTER so it won't affect your witness to other people, DON'T try to rationalize it and twist it like you know what your saying.... just because you may not like a little big of constructive criticism... BIG DEAL get over yourself. Oh, on a side note, you may not think it's a big deal the way you're acting, but it AFFECTS younger people that you come in contact with.... just throwing that out there. So the next time you try to be arrogant, cocky, or just an all-around jerk to me and/or contradict what i say... take a step back and check yourself... because what we do now, echos throughout eternity.

You Found Me

So, today was just another monotonous day. Wake up, take a shower, go to school, baseball... you know the drill. But tonight was different. God always has those funny ways of speaking to you and here is mine. Tonight as I sit alone in the office, as I listen to "You Found Me" by The Fray, it hits me... no matter where you're at... God is with you. I know you're probably thinking, "wow Hunter, you just now realized this?"... No. I've known this for a long time... but tonigh is different. It doesn't matter if your in your darkest hour or in your brightest moment... God is with us. And it's so funny because we talked about this is sunday school. God does things on HIS time, NOT ours. these words from the song ring out to me: "just a little late... you found me, you found me.." You see, we might think God arrives to us "just a little late", but in all reality, He's doing things His way. He's always there, He's just waiting to see how you react to the situations around you. But hey, that's just my opinion. God never arrives just a little late because..... HIS TIMING IS PERFECT! No matter what we think or say or do, God's gonna do things His way. So, i guess you're probably wondering what i got out of all this. Well, He's telling me to stop being selfish, because quite frankly, God doesn't need me... or you..... HE WANTS US! All we have to do is stop being lazy (i'm guilty as charged) and start doing things His way, things will be great because they're on His time and not ours. So that's just my thoughts all mixed in as one big, ginormous mess. Hope you get what i'm saying.

Boy Stop

I absolutley LOVE surprises, but tonight as i was strumming my little hand away on the guitar, four little words hit me... SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!! any takers on who those words are from??? If you said God, then your right. Here lately, I have been that slackest human being on the planet. It doesn't matter what i have been doing, it could be school work, homework, baseball, or anything.... i have just been plain SLACK! I've been off course here for a while focusing on girls, baseball, xbox.... just about anything you can think off except for God. And it's taken me this long to realize why i have had no success with people in the opposite sex... i cannot handle another distraction... no if's and's or but's about it.... i just cannot handle another one. But no matter what God says to me, it just goes in one ear and right out the other. So many people have told me that i need to stop pursuing earthly things and start focusing on God, but i just haven't heard them. It has cost me months of time with God, and perhaps a friendship as well. My boy D Hayes got me thinking last night as he was preachin like it was going out of style. I have to stop glorifying myself by doing what I want to and start glorifying God the way HE wants me to. I have just been so oblivious to God these past few weeks that if i could kick myself in the face... i wouldn't hesitate. But now, after reading another friends blog, it's time to stop being a moron and start living like a Godly man. It's time to stop pleasing myself and START pleasing God. I know i can do it... I know i can do it THROUGH GOD! So now as i plan to take a step back and gather myself, i will fall into the hands of God, where i KNOW without a shadow of a doubt i am able to do anything this world throws at me.

Do Work God

I love snow days. They make me want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good book beside a fire.... UGH GAG!!! More like they make me want to go and sling snowballs upon snowballs at poor, innocent kids :). i know its sick but hey who cares. Too bad that the superintendent didn't cancel school today! Half of the way to school i was scared for my life because of my piece of crap tires. My boxers have better tread than those things. So after almost getting in a wreck... by myself i might add... i finally made it to school just in time to take a big English test.... BOO on that. But today wasn't as bad as i make it sound to be. Today, even though i almost froze, i saw God's beauty. Snow is one of my absolute favorite things in the world, and to see it falling down from the sky was pretty cool. God is absolutley wonderful and shows it too us everyday, even if its little stuff like having patience on the way to school going 10 mph or the beauty of snow fallig down. Tonight at church made things bettter. Kyle and Paige did an amazing job of showing and telling CRASH what happened and what they did through God in Peru. It really hit me when Kyle was talking about them not knowing alot about the Bible, but they had faith and believed in God no matter what. God is their joy and their peace. Why can't we do the same thing. We shouldn't have to go miles away to a foreign land to see God work. God is at work here in Florence, South Carolina and all we have to do is SHUT UP AND LISTEN!! We have to stop playing Xbox, stop watching the TV, and stop being distracted by things of the Earth and of the flesh. Now don't get me wrong, i am caught up in all of that and i have a hard time shutting up and listening, but if we just catch a tiny shimmer of God, we will be FOREVER changed. So how about let's forget about the xbox and the tv and whatever else it is that's distracting us and let's try to do things God's way. Let's be like the people of Peru that Kyle and Paige met and preached to... let's let God be our joy and our peace... Let's let God be our only method of surviving in this jungle we call home... Let's let God reveal Himself to us like never before... and let's stop whining and complaining when things don't go our way. God's way is so much better than we could ever think our way is. So let's take the words of Kyle and Paige and use them to let God do work on our hearts.

venting... and boy do i love it :)

1. your an amazing person. even though we have had our ups and downs, you and I still spill our guts out to each other during long truck rides around town. Your my friend and i love you

2. Having sessions is great! your a great friend and mentor and i appreciate the fact that you actually like keeping me out of trouble.

3. Your arrogant, big-headed and it ticks me off! I'm still struggling with telling you this but its a work in progress. Your still MY best friend

4. You have a way with words my friend. You do lie quite a bit but your getting better even though you do have a tendency to get sucked up under certain people. i love you dude

5. Your two faced and it pisses me off quite a bit. You need to stand up for what you believe in and not give a rip what your best friends think. i wish you would come to church more often but i can't make you.

6. the guy always knows how to make a person laugh. Your the funniest and the most outspoken person i know and your just about as tall as me which is a feat itself

7. i will never ever tell you anything again. everything that i have told you, you go and tell someone its about and even stuff i have not told you you still tell people about my business. its getting old... seriously

8. Even though i have not known you that long, i still consider you a good friend. your always a good person to talk to even while your at work! you are a wonderful girl and a follower of Chirst and you show it through your great listening skills.

9. Boo on you for going 6 hours away for school!!! i miss our in depth conversations and the late nights haning out doing stupid stuff.

Peer Pressure

Ok so i did it, i got a blog WOO HOO i caved.