24 Dating Questions

February 21 2012, 4:14 pm | Blake Hudspeth

Last week, we let our students write down one question they've always wanted to ask about dating.  They asked some INCREDIBLE ones.  We (my wife Danielle and I) picked the top 24 and are going to try to begin shedding some light on them tomorrow night at DATE NIGHT!!! If you are a parent of a high school student...here are 24 questions you need to be helping them answer: 1. How do you make a date not awkward? 2. What do guys want to talk about? 3. How do you be encouraging to a guy without being flirty? 4. Can a dating...

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Quotes on my Desk #2

February 16 2012, 10:21 am | Blake Hudspeth

Whenever I come across a verse, quote or idea that really strikes me, it makes its way on my desk.  If you were to come in my office, you would find many of these quotes. The last one I posted was from Andy Stanley’s “Five Commitments” (READ IT HERE).  I wanted to share another with you today. This one trumps Andy…it’s straight from Scripture!  Read it, then re-read it, then re-re-read it. “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in expressing his opinion.” Proverbs 18:2 My degree...

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Date Night

February 14 2012, 8:14 am | Blake Hudspeth

Sunday night was the Grammy Awards…the Super Bowl of crazy, eccentric, and, at times, incredible music.  And, if you listen to many of the lyrics, you might've been reminded about something in our culture. We don't understand love. Almost every love song on the radio is centered around that shallow, emotional, fleeting stage of relationships some refer to as "puppy love". The other person has no flaws, they're perfect in every way, and everything is romance, sunshine and rainbows.  And that's perfectly fine. However, the problem I'm beginning to see is...

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The SSM Mullet!

February 13 2012, 9:50 am | Blake Hudspeth

"I need a haircut that says to the world, 'I know how to balance a checkbook AND jump a Harley over a volcano, wassup?'" -Billy Ray Cyrus, 1981   And, after hours of blood, sweat, tears...and feather cutting, the mullet was born. Business in the front, party in the back.  The South was never the same, and, although I can't back that story up with facts...I know in my heart that it's true. This weekend, Antifreeze 2012 became something we never dreamed…the SSM Mullet. And I definitely know the story of how it came to...

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Antifreeze 2012!!!

February 07 2012, 8:58 am | Blake Hudspeth

We're 4 days away from ANTIFREEZE 2012! We're bringing 180+... the most in SSM history! We believe it's going to be an incredible weekend. If you're a student going, a parent sending, a small group leader shepherding, or you simply desire to see God work powerfully in the lives of students...here's what we've been praying for and would ask that you join us in praying this week: 1. That God would draw students to Himself.  Over the last several months, we've been experiencing an influx of students who desparately want/need the Gospel.  We'...

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Quotes on my Desk

December 30 2011, 12:00 pm | Blake Hudspeth

Whenever I come across a quote, idea or verse that captures my attention and impacts my way of thinking, it makes its way to my desk. Like most people, wisdom tends to leak out of my brain unless there’s a reminder right in front of me; so I put it on display in my office.  Because these sayings have deeply affected my leadership and personal walk, I’ve decided to post a few over the coming weeks.  Perhaps they’ll have the same impact on you.  5 Commitments of Trust (This particular idea of...

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Beard + Knife = Man

November 07 2011, 3:36 pm | Blake Hudspeth

"Running down a deer, naked, and biting it to death." That was what Matt Chandler once sarcastically described as the actions of an “ultimate man”.   We laugh (at least I did), but only because there’s a shred of truth hidden in that statement.  In our minds, there are certain things we just consider “manly”. For instance, who’s a manlier man:  Wilber Eugene Pickles or Staff Sgt. Maximus Steel Fightmaster? I don’t have to tell you which guy has a collection of ceramic unicorns and still takes bubble...

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Evangelism: Super Awesome or Super Awkward?

October 30 2011, 10:44 pm | Blake Hudspeth

“Evangelism” Am I the only guy who feels really awkward any time that word is used?  We hear pastors say it all the time. “We need to evangelize the world!”  To me, evangelism is like the Christian version of helping someone move.  You know it’s important and it would really help them out…but you would rather someone else volunteer for the job.  In reality, we usually wind up doing both out of duty and obligation. I mean, that’s why we pay people to do evangelism right?...

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seXXX & the church

October 17 2011, 9:47 pm | Blake Hudspeth

According to a net poll done by ChristiaNet in August of 2006, 50% of Christian men admitted to being addicted to porn…and 20% of women. Surprised? Probably not, it's affecting everyone.  It doesn't surprise me because, in August of 2006, I was one of those statistics…and I’d be willing to bet that those stats are higher in 2011. Porn. Masturbation. Sex. Even reading those words are uncomfortable for most people (especially the middle one).  They are graphic words.  Delicate words. Weighty words.  Awkward words. Words we, as parents, need to talk about often...

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Scripture and Michael Scott

September 07 2011, 12:58 pm | Blake Hudspeth

Michael Scott isn’t the first person I go to find good theology…but he isn’t the last.  The Office is one of my all-time favorite shows, and there was a conversation in season 2 that made me think about the way in which many of us look at Scripture.  Earlier in the year, Michael (Steve Carrel) won over a client at dinner with his boss Jan.  Without going into too much detail…Jan’s crazy…which is seen when she made out with Michael in the parking lot afterward. Later...

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