rebelling against low expectations

ArchiveMay 2013

Teens Inspired by “Do Hard Things” Raise Money for Well

T
Strength in Numbers - Boys Raise Money for Well in Nepal

Sports, the latest updates on Facebook, Twitter followers, final examinations and summer activities might be what most 12 to 14 year olds have on their plates. For Mt. Laurel resident Matt Buchan and his friends Zach Spuler (Marlton), Jonmarc Rayesky (Medford) and Connor Hunt (Haddon Heights), raising $10,000 to drill a water well in Nepal changed their views of the outside world. Joe Rayesky...

Justin Beckerman, Age 18: Invents a Working, One-Man Submarine

J

(CNN) — The submarine’s body may be constructed from drainage pipes and the hatch from a recycled skylight, but according to its 18-year-old inventor, this single-person U-boat can plunge to a depth of 30 feet and has already completed three successful dives. The Nautilus took high school inventor Justin Beckerman just six months and $2,000 to put together — all while keeping on...

3 Reasons Facebook is NOT Morally Neutral

3

There’s an idea going around that technologies like Facebook are morally neutral. The problems we see in them arise from how people choose to use them. In the words of William Gibson: “[T]echnologies are morally neutral until we apply them. It’s only when we use them for good or for evil that they become good or evil.” I am familiar with this argument because I’ve...

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

W
Why Did This Happen?

When something bad happens in my life, and I try to find comfort in God, this question is the first cry of my heart. How can God comfort me if He doesn’t explain why He let this happen in my life? How can God even love me if He did this? As young Christians, our first (and perhaps only) response to bad things is to ask God, “Why?” We want an answer. We need an answer. We need to...

My Life as a Pastor’s Kid – Danielle’s Story

M
My Life as a Pastor's Kid

My story of being a pastor’s kid is difficult to write in isolation because it is tightly interwoven with the entirety of my life, and bleeds into so many other aspects of my journey. Often when I am in an existential mood, I sift through the personality traits or struggles unique to me and try to trace them back to this facet of my life. Pastor’s daughter. How does that shape me...

Facebook, Friendship, and the Search for Real Community

F

As digital technology becomes more embedded in our culture, the need to discuss how it is shaping our lives increases. That is why this lecture, delivered Dr. Felicia Song on the campus of Cornell University, is so important. Dr. Song is a sociologist, a Yale graduate, and a Christian. In this 30-minute lecture, she focuses on how Facebook and other technologies impact friendship and community...

Teens Bond Around Siblings with Disabilities

T

Wisconsin Rapids • May 12, 2013 • Deb Cleworth (Photo: Casey Lake) A small group of teenagers from central Wisconsin sat around Saturday talking about their siblings. Some had never met before, but they already had a common thread: Siblings with disabilities. The teens were part of the Teen Sib Shop, a workshop geared to share the good and sometimes frustrations teens who have a sibling with a...

Gifts of Grace by Emilie

G

I was four when it all began. It started with something most children hear at one time or another: “Em, you need to finish your food. Think of all the children in other countries who don’t have anything to eat.” Within minutes, I was in my room collecting pennies, candy, and cracker packs in a paper bag which I promptly handed to my mom. “What’s this?” she asked. “I want to give...

Long Island Bombers: Blindness Can’t Hold Them Back

L

Imagine you are blind person who loves baseball. Too bad, huh? You can’t even watch a baseball game, let alone enjoy playing the sport yourself. Might as well give up on baseball. Right? Meet the Long Island Bombers — a dedicated group of baseball enthusiasts and athletes who just happen to be blind and visually impaired. The Bombers play beep baseball, a modified version of traditional...

Teens United Live: LA Teens Throw Concert to Help Kids in Need

T

Teens United Live was created when two 14-year-old students from Crossroads School in Santa Monica heard that the funding for a local school’s music program had been cut. Bella Porter and Sol Was felt they could use their own musical talents to raise money for their peers. They gathered their musical friends and curated a benefit called Teens United Live. The benefit was held at The Roxy...

rebelling against low expectations

The Rebelution is a teenage rebellion against low expectations—a worldwide campaign to reject apathy, embrace responsibility, and do hard things. Learn More →