Editor’s Note: as TheReb as an active site draws to a close, we wanted to give as many rebelutionaries as possible a chance to share how the movement has impacted them. Our hope is that as you read the following testimonials, you will be encouraged to live out the message of TheReb—rebelling against society’s low expectations and doing hard things for the glory of God—even after it closes. Stay tuned over the next four weeks (Tuesdays and Thursdays) to see more posts like this one as we celebrate 19 years of TheRebelution!
“I came across Do Hard Things on my cousin’s bookshelf when I was 13 and I was impactfully motivated by the book’s message. I was a kid who just wanted to be a kid, following entertainment culture until I read DHT. Since reading the book, I hopped toward TheRebelution and interacted with the community there, being encouraged and motivated to “do hard things” for God. I moved on to join the Young Writer’s Workshop community from 2017-2021, pushing my limits of writing and participating in it as a community assistant before moving on to Bible school to pursue overseas missions like my family before me. I can say with confidence that without DHT, TheReb, and “YDubs”, I would not be where I am in my walk with God, have this direction in life, or experience consistent growth in my life. I am forever thankful to God for using the influence of Alex and Brett Harris, Jaquelle Ferris, among others to lead me to the purpose of the Cross. Thank you, guys, so much!” – Michael Goddard II
“Wow. Where to begin? I discovered this website a few years ago and had my first article published in July of 2022. I have been blessed to be able to contribute content to this website and have always been so excited when another article gets published. I have become challenged and encouraged as a writer and been incredibly blessed by Tabitha as she edited my articles and was so personal and friendly. My heart aches at how TheReb won’t continue publishing new articles because it encouraged so many! I started a blog recently (Summerculver.wixsite.com/sweet) to encourage others through their Christian walk, and I hope to have some young writers contribute to it. Thank you all so much for this website and the people behind it. What an eternal impact TheReb has made. The Lord has been good and will continue to be good whatever comes next!” – Summer Culver
“I discovered this site two years ago, after finishing the book This Changes Everything: How The Gospel Transforms The Teen Years. Everything Jaquelle Crowe explained in that book was a wonderful guide and a great starting point on how to do hard things for the glory of God as a teenager on the way to becoming a young adult. So, if she herself recommended a website that shared the same vision and mission, how could I not follow it? ….The Rebelution was a great support when I found myself with unanswered questions about how to live everyday life, what was right or wrong, and most of all, how to grow in my relationship with God. It was amazing to see how topics I had spent days of thinking about without knowing where to look for answers, would show up in my inbox in TheReb’s articles of the week. Not to mention the way they challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and make the most of my youth in the best way: doing hard things. Without a doubt the best part was seeing that everything I read was written by young people like me—at first glance ordinary, but with a sincere desire to obey the Lord and exalt His faithfulness, love, and power. I cannot deny that your writings have been a powerful tool in God’s hands, and I pray that, although they may not continue in the same way, they will continue to impact the lives of many young people as they have impacted mine in many ways. I am very grateful to the Lord and to the entire TheRebelution team for the gift of having such a helpful resource at hand. May the Lord bless and guide each and every one of you in your new stages of doing hard things.” – Benjamin Olivo
“A few years ago, my youth pastor at church started preaching a series called “Do Hard Things.” Well, my first thought was, “Do hard things? But I’m an introvert! I can’t do any hard thing! Ever! I can barely start a conversation with my family!” But I was really convicted by each of the lessons my youth pastor would preach…. I wanted more information! So, I found the “Do Hard Things” book and it has been a HUGE blessing to me! After I finished the book, I still wanted more. So, I looked in the back of the book and there it was—TheRebelution’s website. I told my mom about it, and she just looked at me kind of weird. Don’t get me wrong, my mom’s a Christian as well. She just didn’t understand the name. I had to explain to her that it wasn’t the “revolution”, it was TheRebelution! She got it after a while. Anyways, this website has helped me through so much! I got the email saying the website was closing, and my heart dropped. My first thought was “No! How can they close this website?!” I know this has helped SO many of us teens do hard things, but I also know that God has a plan for this website. And its closing is a part of it…. Knowing that there are teens that are doing hard things, not being like the world (and what a sad world we live in), has really encouraged me. Knowing that I’m not the only teenager trying to do right has encouraged me to do more than just “be an introvert.” And now, I have really close, Christian friends since I stepped out of my comfort zone and talked to people. Thank you all so much for everything y’all do for this website and encouraging us teens to ‘Do Hard Things’.”- Hailey Schumann
