WWJD

So, I read a recent post from a very good friend of mine and it was more or less an awakening. Not only to the normal everyday unsaved body but to myself as well. I can say this because I'm part of the worlds biggest controversy (in context) called humanity. Nobody's perfect, this I know. And though I try to live a decent life I screw up with the best of em. But lately I've slacked off on the drive and ambition it takes to live a life style that is Christ-like.

Just read this... iambrianspessard.com

I'm getting a freakin WWJD bracelet and I'm sporting it until it falls off of me!

-Jason Lee Hunter

This weeks sermon series.

-Jason Lee Hunter

My wife is incredible

I have no idea why God blessed me with such an awesome wife.

Things I love about my wife...
Beautiful beyond words.
She's got the smarts.
She's super funny.
She loves music, almost as much as me.
She is THE worlds greatest mom.
She has a huge heart for youth.
She is completely real, no faking.
She is a pretty good cook. Especially tuna helper.
She has awesome style.
She's very creative.
She can put me in my place like no one else can.
She is an awesome Christian.
She puts up with my crap.
She loves me back even though I'm a mean head sometimes.
She knows me inside and out.
She is the only one that can make me fall for the sad puppy face.
She plays piano.
She sings with me and it's beautiful.
She is patient with me whn I'm out of control.
She is very encouraging.
She like my cooking.
She has amazing starry eyes.
She is the most incredible person I know.

I can't even begin to deserve this life with such an amazing partner. Before I met her I was at the end of everything. Because of her, I found the Lord again. Because of her I'm still alive and well. We have an amazing life with an unbelievably amazing story. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

-Jason Lee Hunter

To an old friend

where have you been? wandering.
i see you in this ocean.
the waves pushing you left and then
right and left again,
in every direction. bruising, breaking.
and right when you get that small breath of air,
you slip underneath it all, gasping and swallowing
everything within arms reach.
Accepting you.
"it's there, why shouldn't you"?
the chances of life today... slim.

but my friend if you would close your eyes.
now... look, with your face in the sky

"i will love you.. with all of my heart"
"i will send my all, to spill life
upon a muddy world, and you"
"while your in this ocean, close your eyes"
"in the distance, i am the land, the soil, the life"
"my darling, i will be your breath forever, i will love you"

What About Me?

I love God with all my heart.
I'm married to a beautiful and amazing woman, Lauren Rebecca Hunter.
I have a gorgeous little girl who's name is Evie Mae Hunter.
I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters.
I'm a simple person for the most part, but there are times that the deep things surface.
I write quite a bit.
I love everything about music. (Writing, Recording, Playing, Listening)
I play guitar and drums, and I also sing.
I'm pretty outspoken.
I don't back down very easily, though sometimes I should.
I get irritated with people who "beat around the bush".
I attend Keypoint Church in Bentonville Arkansas.
I have terrible allergies.
I can be pretty random at times.
I can't stand when people call other people "emo" or relate it to a genre of music.
I think all music should be emotional otherwise it's pointless.
I want long hair again.
My eyes are hazel, but they change colors from time to time.
I wear glasses because my eyes suck at seeing.
My dream is to one day own a salon with my wife/best friend.
I think mood rings are a deception.
I like playing sports, especially golf.
I love to meet new people and make new friends.
I have a huge life story.
I have 1 tattoo and want many more.
I had my lip pierced 3 times, and then I took it out. (what a waste)
I love going to shows.
I like all kinds of movies from "how to lose a guy in 10 days" to "lord of the rings"
I'm constantly listening to worship music.
I also want to be a Worship Leader and Youth Pastor along with my wife.
I have twin moles on my neck.
I work for my church as an assistant to our senior youth pastor.
I also work at a coffee shop where I'm terrible spoiled with free everything.
I have a ton of awesome friends.
I have no pets, because my land lord sucks.
I love to just sit and talk with people.
I'm very close to my family as well as my wifes side.
I like swimming.
I can get very crazy, sometimes overboard.
I like the rain.
My favorite time is 12:34.
I think a lot.
I over analyze way too much.
I'm a confident person.
I like energy drinks a lot. (full throttle, red bull, grape nos, etc.)
I have a horrible memory unless it involves music.
I have tons of fun with inside jokes.
No matter how hard I try, I could never get into The Beatles.
I tend to be good at everything. (such a curse)
I suck at guitar hero though. You wouldn't think so but I definitely suck at it.
Rock band is even worse.
I love and hate surprises. It's complicated.
I'm not really a picky food person.
I like Chinese food a lot.
And I'm sure there are more think that I could list about myself but whats the fun in that.

-Jason Lee Hunter

The 4th

My 4th of July was kind of lame this year. My wife's 'Uncle Jimmy' decided to build some exceedingly deafening fireworks so I spent more time inside trying to keep my daughter, Evie, company. I kid you not, they sounding like a shotgun going off only right beside your ear. But it was very nice to see all of the family. Well, atleast Lauren's side. I did get to see my brother and his wife the night before though. I only get to see my family about once a month so it's always nice when they come around. Well it's almost midnight and I'm really tired. And though I still have this ringing in my ears I really need to attemp to sleep. I have the cutest pictures of my wife and daughter from today, and I'll add them to my post tomorrow.

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. Goodnight.

-Jason Lee Hunter

I can see God moving

At my church I'm pretty much the one and only drummer, aside from Josh Ratcliffe who is heading our media team. And his schedule is pretty tight so I normally play two Sunday morning services and also the youth service on Sunday night. But to be completely honest, I am not a true drummer. I mean, I love playing drums. It's a blast and I'm pretty descent at it. But it's not really what I'm passionate about. And God says...

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Everyone knows that I love playing guitar and singing. I've played guitar a lot longer than I've played the drums therefore I'm a lot more confident in my ability to play guitar. And for the past few months I've been trying to recruit someone to take my position as the drummer on the worship team. Others have tried to help me but all we've gotten are people who come out saying "oh yeah man, I can totally do that, no problem" or "sure I can play with a click track" but couldn't even begin to do so. Which left me really frustrated. Until now.

I came back from camp and to my amazement, the guy playing drums that Sunday morning did pretty well. He didn't hit very hard, so Josh and I call him "Patty Cakes" but he has a lot of potential. From what I've heard about him, he hasn't really played in quite a while so hopefully after a month or so, he should be oven fresh. mmhmm
So now I can focus on what I'm really passionate about and maybe even eventually lead some of our worship. See, normally I'm very shy about singing. Although I have sang for a few people and they gave me good feedback. And lately I feel like the Lord is stretching me and challenging me to be bold and use my talents to their full potential.

I think of it this way. You know when you buy someone a gift, maybe for Christmas or for their birthday and though they act happy and surprised, you never really see them use it. In fact it could probably be found still in it's original wrapping under their bed or in their garage. You would probably be somewhat sad or maybe even offended, wouldn't you? I think I would. In the same sense, don't you think God might feel a little unappreciated when in fact he blessed us with these gifts of talent and we choose to hide them. I'm choosing not to do that any longer, I want all that God has for me so I'm using all that he's given me to run after him.

Also, my church is launching a campus in a nearby community in Fayetteville Arkansas, where the U of A is located. And until now we were wondering exactly what we were going to do about a second worship team but it's all coming together now. We're so freaking lame. I'm sure God looks at us sometimes and says, "Guys trust me, I mean I remember to put breath in your lungs everyday so wouldn't I supply you with even the smallest things."

So, after saying all this... yeah, I can definitely see God moving.

-Jason Lee Hunter

Life

Today Lauren and I are going to her Grandpa Van's funeral. Luckily I got to know him a bit and we've made a few good memories. Mostly comical but memorable none the less. He had some pretty awesome stories to tell. He got to live a pretty long life with an incredible partner, Lauren's mema Reene, but we will all dearly miss him.

Please pray for the Wallace family.

God help us to realize our purpose here on this earth. Help us to make the absolute most of our days. Lord remind us to stay the course and never lose sight of you.

James 4:14
You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

-Jason Lee Hunter

My heart is heavy

Engulfed with passion and drive for this generation...

I just came back from "IMPACT", which is a youth camp in Hillsdale Michigan. It was such an amazing experience. Initially I had planned to be sort of an intern-ish type of help for the media team. And come back with a brain full of knowledge and maybe a few accomplishments. And I did, but I also gained much more from this camp than a few good media tricks.

God was all over the campus. These kids ranging from 11 or so, to 19 or 20, they weren't just there for the games and the good times, but they were there to experience God in a way they never had before. During the worship services, over 75% of the kids had their hands stretched toward heaven, crying out to God. Can I tell you, it was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced. And I found myself asking God, why can't my youth group have this zeal and passion for you.

After experiencing service after service of awesome worship and great speakers. We finally packed it up and left for home. I really didn't want it all to end. I mean, I really missed my family, my wife and my little girl. I guess it was a lot like that feeling you get when your at the altar and your emotions are crazy and the holy spirit is so heavy that you can hardly stand. And you just can't break away from that spot you've been laying in for the past hour, not until you get every single ounce of what God has for you. Like that, it just felt to good to let go. But we had to.

Coming home was really good for me though. I missed my wife terribly and I didn't even realize how much my 4 month old baby girl could grow in 10 days. Her head grew like 3 inches, around.
But yeah, I was and still am really glad to be home. But I knew that the next day we would have our youth service as normal on Sunday night's. And before I could even start complaining that the worship is going to be bad or that the kids never respond to anything, or the fact that a good portion of our leaders including myself, haven't even begun to set the standard that we yearn to reach every week, God challenged me.

We are the culture/standard setters.
We are to be the example of what true worship is.
We are a bright shining light to this generation, and we need to turn on.
We are incredibly important.
We make or break our ministry.
We are trusted with hearts and souls and we should take it seriously.
We are being watched.

Until we as leaders are living out the lifestyle that we are challenging our youth to live, we will not reap the harvest that is there for us, and for the kingdom of God. Neither will we see our ministry grow in youth or leadership. I believe God placed this challenge not only in my heart but on my lips as well. So Sunday night I placed that challenge before our church. And we had a really good service. No, the worship wasn't amazing, and no we didn't have the greatest attendance but I felt God there more than I ever have before. And I think that a few of our youth, and maybe even a couple of leaders pushed through and got what God had for them.

When we step up our own relationship with God we will be effective. And when we become effective we will be doing exactly what God has called for each and every one of us to do. I can't wait for the Lord to say to us...

Matthew 25:21
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'


-Jason Lee Hunter