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Author: Drake Hunter

Devotional: Why your heart needs the breastplate of righteousness
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Devotional: Why your heart needs the breastplate of righteousness

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church In a swirling sea of spiritual confusion—where feelings often masquerade as faith, manmade systems can overshadow true surrender, and emotional highs might be mistaken for holiness—it's no wonder that many sincere believers feel exposed, exhausted, and uncertain. The enemy is crafty, and his fiery darts aren't always the obvious attacks; frequently, they are subtle distortions aimed straight at our hearts. That’s why, as we see in Ephesians 6, Christians must don the full armor of God, and especially the centerpiece: the Breastplate of Righteousness. Imagine a Roman soldier’s armor or, in today’s terms, a military or SWAT team member’s flak vest. It’s all about protecting the vital organ: the heart. Without it, one we...
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Hunter: A Colorado pastor plants seeds of truth in faraway soil
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Hunter: A Colorado pastor plants seeds of truth in faraway soil

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, RMV NE CO Newsroom In Northeast India’s Ukhrul region, a small college is doing big work. Wung Theological College was built to make theological education accessible to those who’ve gone without it for too long. Founded officially in July 2022 after years of vision, planning, and a delay caused by the global pandemic, WTC is already making a difference. Its first offering – a Pastors’ Refresher Course – graduated 55 local pastors trained in mission, counseling, homiletics, and church administration. Since then, the college has launched Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) programs and now serves 37 students with the help of five full-time faculty and more than twenty visiting professors. But for all its progress, WTC faces a cr...
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Devotional: March in righteousness, not just good intentions
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Devotional: March in righteousness, not just good intentions

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church Every day, you're marching into a battle—whether you realize it or not. The question is: are you armored up, or are you walking into a war zone wearing flip-flops and good intentions? Religion alone won’t save you. It will load you down with rules while leaving your heart exposed. Wisdom, however—the real, raw kind that comes from fearing the Lord—will armor you up as you walk on the right path. It will train you to live well, fight smart, and win eternally (Proverbs 4:7). Listen carefully: you can’t walk two roads at once. You either follow Jesus on the narrow path of righteousness or stumble down the highway of wickedness. One leads to despair, shame, and foolishness. The other? Fulfillment, flourishing, and victory as a fu...
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Hunter: Will you be the miracle Pastor John Waters needs?
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Hunter: Will you be the miracle Pastor John Waters needs?

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Across Colorado, churches gather each week to worship, pray, and walk in faith. From the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains, these communities share a simple but powerful calling—to love one another well. Today, that love has a chance to meet a real and urgent need. And today, that love has an urgent opportunity to shine. One of our own—John Waters, Worship Pastor at Elevating Life Church in Fort Morgan and a cherished beloved DJ on KFTM/Bob FM—is in critical need of a living liver transplant. John isn’t just a leader—he’s been a steady voice of hope. Whether preaching on Sundays or spinning tracks on the radio, he’s lifted hearts across Colorado and Nebraska. After a long and silent battle with liver disease, John’s health ha...
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Devotional: In life’s fast lane, choosing the wrong road to a path of folly happens easily
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Devotional: In life’s fast lane, choosing the wrong road to a path of folly happens easily

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church We live in a world where countless roads claim to lead to success—express lanes to happiness, toll-free routes to purpose, and flashy detours promising fulfillment in the Eternal Now. And many folks, good-hearted and well-meaning, are sprinting full speed ahead. But here’s the kicker: what if the road you're on is the wrong one? The evidence is sobering. A growing number of Christians find themselves drained rather than fulfilled, weary instead of flourishing, spiritually stuck in a cycle that feels more like surviving than thriving. So, let’s ask the question straight up: If you’re on a path that doesn’t lead to life, what good is it—even if it’s dressed up in church clothes, labeled “faith”, with a dash of success? ...
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Devotional: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Character that Covers the Heart
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Devotional: The Breastplate of Righteousness – Character that Covers the Heart

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Elevating Life Church In our previous devotional, we explored righteousness as God’s unwavering standard for building just and right “equable” relationships—between us and God, and with all creation. Righteousness, in simple terms, is doing what is right in God's eyes. This time, we turn our attention to one of the most powerful symbols of protection in the believer’s life: the Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). Why a breastplate? Because righteousness must not only be rooted in our hearts; it must also be worn. The breastplate protects our core—our heart, where our values, principles, and motivations reside. The armor we wear to shield that heart is character. However, it’s not just any character, it’s divine.  The Breastp...
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Hunter: “Don’t scatter roses after I’m gone” – what my wife’s words taught me during Brain Cancer Awareness Month
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Hunter: “Don’t scatter roses after I’m gone” – what my wife’s words taught me during Brain Cancer Awareness Month

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Husband of Sherrie Hunter - Thriver of Life, not a Victim of Cancer For decades, I’ve stood in uniform beside the flag-draped coffins of fellow servicemen. I’ve stood at the front of church sanctuaries to bless weddings full of joy and eulogize lives full of sorrow. I’ve held hands with the grieving, prayed over the broken, and offered words when there were no words. But nothing—absolutely nothing—prepared me for this. On January 3, 2024, my wife, Sherrie, and I were pulled into a world no one ever wants to enter: the world of brain cancer. The diagnosis was brutal and blunt—Stage Four Glioblastoma.  It sounded like a sentence, not a diagnosis. And for over a year now, we’ve lived with it. Fought it. Prayed through it. ...
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Pastor Drake: Resurrection is the call to become fully alive, fully human–and spiritually reborn
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Pastor Drake: Resurrection is the call to become fully alive, fully human–and spiritually reborn

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Easter isn’t just a day we remember—it’s the day that redefined reality. The cross? It wasn’t the end. It was the narrow gate. The resurrection? Not an escape plan—it’s an invitation to walk a different kind of road.  One paved not by religion, but by redemption. Not by performance, but by passion.  Through the suffering, death, and triumph of Jesus Christ, God revealed the true way to life: a restored, fully human life—and very few ever experience it, even among those who call themselves religious.  Jesus said it plainly: “Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” — Matthew 7:14   “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!” — Matthe...
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Hunter: Faith-driven schools are proving that clarity and character create safe campuses
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Hunter: Faith-driven schools are proving that clarity and character create safe campuses

By Pastor Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the face of rising cultural concerns over student safety and institutional trust, a quiet but significant shift in Colorado’s educational landscape is rooted in moral conviction, sustained by ethical character, and bearing fruit in meaningful outcomes. While negative headlines often dominate the news cycle, a growing number of schools—especially those built on faith-based foundations—are showing that principled leadership still works. These institutions aren’t just reacting to problems; they’re proactively building systems and cultures where students can thrive. This proactive approach should reassure us that safety and success are not just aspirations, but achievable outcomes. And it all begins with what they believe. T...
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Devotional: Breastplate of Righteousness – Living in Harmony
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Devotional: Breastplate of Righteousness – Living in Harmony

By Drake Hunter | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice At the start of our devotional journey this year, we uncovered God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and explored the Helmet of Salvation—our foundational assurance in Christ. Now, it's time to embrace the next vital piece of God's gear: the Breastplate of Righteousness. But what exactly does righteousness mean, and how can we practically wear it daily? If the idea feels abstract or a bit distant, don’t worry—let’s unpack it together and discover how transformative and essential this protection is in our lives. Jesus provides us with an encouraging starting point: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6, NIV). To capture the beauty and simplicity of this promise, we can rephrase "bl...
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