rebelling against low expectations
As an American currently living and serving in a different country, I often find myself trying to explain the political climate of my country. I love the United States and am saddened by the incredible amount of angst currently existing between the different political viewpoints. The climate appears very un-united. And, of course, one of the most common hot-button topics is abortion. I recently...
Like many young people, I finished high school with only a vague notion of what God wanted me to do with my life. My interests in novel writing, acting, and fashion design were artsy and impractical. To further complicate matters, I struggled with a terrible chronic illness, so for a couple of years my entire focus was on getting healthy. And even then, I had to face the fact that I might never...
The “gig economy”–a fancy tech term for an work that promotes flexibility–is growing rapidly. Think flexible income, flexible hours, and flexible forms of expression. Some 150 million workers in North America and Western Europe have dropped the “relatively stable confines of organizational life” to become independent contractors, according to a March-April Harvard Business...
It’s school season (if you haven’t noticed). And with it, the school season brings many things: friends, full-schedules, the thrill of learning, homework, late night study sessions, early morning study sessions, teachers, tests, projects, drama–it goes on and on. But what it brings the most is a pile of unknowns. And with the unknowns come questions… Questions about whether you’ll be...
“I would rather you stay up with a friend who needs help than finish your essay for my class on time.” These weren’t the words I expected to hear from a college professor on the first day of class. She was not only telling us she was fine with us putting off assignments, but she was encouraging us to do so. When most books and articles advising for college focus on the importance of studying or...
Have you ever felt like life was leaving you behind? We see so many stories of Rebelutionaries seeking after God, doing hard things, and changing the world. It’s amazing to see the work other young people are doing. Writing books. Graduating college early. Starting ministries. Starting businesses. All of those are good and beautiful and amazing, and we applaud and rejoice with each of them. But...
Stop Striving. Just Rest. I obsess over checklists. I love New Year’s Resolutions. I revel in beating a deadline. I defend my 4.0 grade point. But all my striving often leads to let down. I am crushed when I fail to achieve my goals. I beat myself up mercilessly when I feel that I have failed. My overly intense personality manifests itself in physical symptoms. My shoulders and neck are often...
George Muller cared for 10,000 orphans. Don Richardson preached the gospel to a violent tribe that had never heard it before. He saw half of that tribe embrace Christ. David Wilkerson preached the gospel to the gangs of New York City and watched as God transformed the lives of countless drug addicts. When I look at these great Christian heroes, I feel overwhelmed. I too want to serve the Lord...
Last night, I lay in bed thinking about the 100 Hard Things challenge. Doing one hundred hard things over the course of three months sounded exciting and impossible at the same time. But as I thought about potential things I could accomplish, I came across a potential problem. While the challenge could foster great accomplishments in denying self, it could also become a pathway to pride or a...
I was reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer recently and came across a passage that resonated with me and stopped me in my tracks. Much of our difficulty as searching Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. The flesh whimpers against God’s inexorable sentence...
rebelling against low expectations
