rebelling against low expectations
Two 16-year-old teens have been recruited as police community support officers in Thames Valley, New Zealand [ Correction: United Kingdom], with the power to detain and question suspects, stop and search under terror laws, issue penalty notices for disorder and stop vehicles the Herald Sun reported on Tuesday. Read the condensed article below and then share your thoughts in the comment section...
We love to think much of ourselves and have others think much of us. All of us, at some time or another, will find ourselves seeking out ways to show others how “attractive” we are. This is human nature — our sin nature. We can fight the temptation to strive for man’s approval, but in our depravity we will always reach a point of failure. Thankfully, I am greatly blessed to have been given...
While musing on the subject of Hard Things recently, I thought of a practical reason to do them. What’s the opposite of Do Hard Things? That’s right: do easy things. Doing easy things feeds the flesh. Playing computer games in free time when I could write to missionaries, tinkering on the guitar instead of cleaning my room, even building a web site instead of following up on that...
“Demanding toddlers, demanding teenagers — they’re not much different, really.” This was part of an illustration in a sermon I heard recently, and while everyone around me laughed, I just thought, once again, how weird it is that such an illustration can be used in a Christian setting and no one seems to care. Why, why, why do teenagers just sit back and allow this image of...
Bre Engel is a high school senior from Indiana. Along with other young people from her church Bre participated in some community service projects and gave a report to her local church. Afterwards she heard a man saying, “Aren’t you glad these kids aren’t out smoking pot or drinking, but are instead doing service for our community?” “That comment just broke my...
Most people have never heard about Cameron Peters, a 16-year-old from Henderson, Nevada. The only article we could find about him was a short half-time piece from NBA.com, but here’s what reporter Dennis Roberts had to say: Last April, 16-year old Liberty High School Junior, Cameron Peters, was driving down a residential street in Henderson, NV to pick up a friend to go to a basketball...
Teens in today’s world tend to give up too easily, and just do things that come easily. But who am I to be talking about this? Just today I was giving up, and then I was reminded of the motto of The Rebelution. I call myself a Rebelutionary, yet today I was meeting all my low expectations and being who I don’t want to be. I was reminded as I got online this evening, that we’re...
On Tuesday morning, Brett and I recorded an interview with Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio for a show that aired this morning in Denver and around the world online. We talk about the Rebelution, the myth of adolescence, the conference, college, parents, our future plans, and more. Give it a listen.
+ Listen to the Interview +
In the comments section of a previous post, readers Jon and Sarah both asked the question: How does the ‘do hard things’ motto relate to or derive from the gospel? This post is our humble attempt to answer that question. Brett and I know we have touched on aspects of this question in various posts and comments in the past, but we realize that we have never fully addressed it in a...
As you know, Brett and I are currently writing a book with Multnomah Publishers called Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. We are so excited about this book. It is going to communicate the message and ideas of the Rebelution with a depth and clarity greater than ever before. We’ll be working on the book from now through November, with most of the writing taking...
rebelling against low expectations
