rebelling against low expectations
Have you ever tried to tell someone the gospel . . . and they got offended? The gospel is the greatest love story ever told. It’s the story of how Jesus came down as a human baby, died on the cross, taking the sin of the world upon himself, and rose again three days later, defeating sin and death once and for all. It’s difficult to imagine how anyone could be offended at such wonderful news, but...
Cold stones surround me. Little light drifts in through the window, but the darkness doesn’t stop me from hearing. Nothing can block out the noise. Not even the heavy doors and firmly built walls that hold me captive. The sound increases and I wonder how many people are standing outside. There must be hundreds. My chest tightens. I know the effect a mob can have. Tilting my head, I concentrate. A...
I recently went to an evangelizing camp. Our church annually organizes this event where older teens can share the gospel with underprivileged children. This was my fourth camp, so I thought I had enough experience to handle pretty much anything that could happen. I was proudly convinced of my own skills. And I determined to rely on my experience and capabilities to influence “my” children. When...
It’s been slightly over a year and a half since I wrote my article, “How Can I Find My Identity And Calling?” on the Reb. And that year and a half has broken and built up my faith in ways I had never seen before. Backtrack one year ago, and I was finally breaking free from a lot of abominable sin that had gripped my life for months, but had been rooted in my life for years. For about a month, I...
You are falling—once again—into that sin you confessed weeks ago. The thought you assumed you had vanquished last night is now being entertained. Having just finished your personal devotions, you snapped at your sibling. After a whole day of “saintly” attitude, you congratulate yourself for being so pious, then realize you just fell into pride. Discouraged yet? I’ll admit, I’ve done all of these...
Editor’s Note: Throughout the years, TheReb has published thousands of articles, each challenging and encouraging Rebelutionaries to do hard things and seek God. But among these posts, some have especially resonated with you, our readers. So over the next few weeks and months, we’re bringing back these classics, reposting our most popular and well-read articles every Thursday. May they encourage...
I hate writing about the Gospel. That’s not hyperbole, not an SEO-driven hook to get you the read the rest of this article. It’s 100% true. That might be a shock to a lot of you. After all, I’ve had articles previously published here on the Reb. But that was a long time ago, and the truth is nowadays I hate doing Gospel-focus articles, deeply. Look at my personal outlets as of late and you’ll...
Confession: I haven’t seen Endgame. Okay, no, that’s not the confession (though it is true). The confession is I haven’t even seen Infinity War. And it’s not because I don’t want to — far from it! Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I’m a Lord of the Rings-Star Wars-Marvel kind of girl. (Not DC. Sue me.) But then the doctor said no. No, you can’t watch action movies anymore. Sara, it’s...
She sat across from me, clutching the coffee mug tightly in her hands. This was supposed to be a normal conversation in a café, yet quickly became anything but. As her words and then tears began to trickle and then gush out, I quickly came to sit beside her, letting the torrential rain of hurt and grief flow out. When the storm had slowed, she looked at me with broken eyes. Her hurt is not mine...
About a year ago, God took me out of my figurative comfortable reclining armchair and made it very clear that he wanted me to do a very hard thing—‘fess up. My Story When I was fourteen, I became addicted to pornography. I hid this sin from everyone in my life, not even writing about it in my journal. I tried to hide it from God, by “making up” for it in my quiet time–reading the...
rebelling against low expectations
