If we had to sum up our message in three words we’d say Do Hard Things (duh). But if we had to sum it up in four words we’d say Don’t Waste Your Life. You can guess, then, how excited we were when James Jennings uploaded the above video to The Rebelution Facebook Group.

The clip is taken from the Don’t Waste Your Life Conference last month in San Luis Obispo. For those who cannot view the video or would like to see the message in its entirety — and we encourage you to do so — the full video, text and audio are available by clicking here.

© 2008 Desiring God. Used with permission.

We started writing a brief recap of the 2007 Rebelution Tour and we realized that it would be so much better to just throw together a little video sharing some of our thoughts and memories from this conference season.

Also, pictures from Indianapolis are now up in the conference section and on Flickr. Thank you to all of our incredible photographers: Erin Koller, Liza Hartman, Amber Walsh, and Chris Leclerc. God bless you guys!

UPDATE: Fellow rebelutionary Hannah Michelle has posted a great recap video from the Indianapolis conference with footage from the sessions and (embarrassing) bloopers from a certain twin named Alex. You can check it out by clicking here.

Indy Photo Page / Indy Flickr Page

Eva Vertes isn’t a normal young person. At least, that’s what our culture would tell us. Her discovery of a compound that inhibits brain cell death was regarded as a step toward curing Alzheimer’s and won her Best in Medicine at the International Science Fair at age 17. Quickly labeled a microbiology prodigy, Eva now aims to find better ways to treat — and avoid — cancer.

Click here for full Rebelution Coverage of Eva’s story.

Brett and I rarely listen to rap music, but this music video by actor/artist Nick Cannon is a good example of an artistic medium being used to send a powerful message of life. In fact, it is so good that our church used it today as part of our Sanctity of Life Sunday service. Few eyes were dry when it was over.

The video tells the heroic true story of Nick Cannon’s mother, Beck. It is 1979 and she is seventeen, unmarried, and about to have an abortion.

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UPDATE: Read the lyrics to the song below:

Can I Live

I’m talking, mom, I know the situation is personal
But it’s something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about
You heard my voice

Just think, just think…
What if you could just, just blink yourself away?
Just, just wait, just pause for a second
Let me plead my case

It’s the late seventies, you seventeen
And having me, that will ruin everything
It’s a lot of angels waiting on their wings
You see me in your sleep, so you can’t kill your dreams

Three hundred dollars, that’s the price of living?
Mommy, I don’t like this clinic
Hopefully you’ll make the right decision
And don’t go though with the knife decision

But it’s hard to make the right move when you in high school
Now you gotta work all day and take night school
Hopping on the bus and the rain is pouring
What you want, morning sickness or the sickness of mourning?
Can I live?

I’ll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it’s always true
If I could talk I’d say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I’ll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it’s always true
If I could talk I’d say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I’m a child of the King, ain’t no need to go fear me
And I see the flowing tears, so I know that you hear me
When I move in your womb that’s me being scary
‘Cuz who knows what my future holds?

The truth be told you ain’t told a soul
You ain’t even showing, I’m just two months old
Through your clothes try to hide me, deny me
Went up three sizes

Your pride got you lying, saying ain’t nothing but a migraine
It ain’t surprising you not trying to be in WIC food lines
Your friends look at you funny, but look at you mommy
That’s a life inside, take a look at your tummy

What is becoming, Ma? I’m Oprah bound
You can tell he’s a star from the ultrasound
Our spirits connected, doors open now,
Nothing but love and respect, thanks for holding it down
She let me live

I’ll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it’s always true
If I could talk I’d say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

I’ll always be a part of you
Trust your soul, know it’s always true
If I could talk I’d say to you
Can I live?
Can I live?

It’s uplifing for real, y’all
I ain’t passing no judgement
Ain’t making no decisions
I’m just telling y’all my story

I love life, I love my mother for giving me life
We all need to appreciate life
And a strong woman who had to make a sacrifice

Thanks for listening…
Thanks for listening…
Momma, thanks for listening

While we’re addressing our culture’s distortion of beauty we thought it would be helpful to share this video which also demonstrates the power and scope of photo editing. It is important that we keep reminding ourselves of the many ways our culture tries to lie to us. For some excellent commentary read Carolyn Mahaney’s article, Distorted Beauty.

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This popular ad from personal care company Dove and their new Campaign for Real Beauty does an excellent job of revealing how photos of models and celebrities are drastically modified — fueling unrealistic expectations in girls and guys.

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UPDATE: Some wise words from Carolyn Mahaney at GirlTalk:

To think that women are striving to look like someone who doesn’t even look like herself. It’s absurd!

The Dove Campaign got it partially right—the fashion industry has certainly contributed to a distorted perception of beauty. And yet, their solution—“every girl deserves to feel beautiful just the way she is”—is well-meaning and yet fundamentally unbiblical.

You see, women believe that physical beauty will make them happy, successful, popular among the women, desirable to the men – so they pursue it with a fury!

Physical beauty, however, does not deliver as advertised. Proverbs 31:30 reveals the falsehood and the futility of this quest for beauty: Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain.

Even if every girl did “feel beautiful just the way she is,” it wouldn’t bring her true joy or lasting happiness or solve even one of her problems.

Read the rest of the post »

One of the highlights of the film academy and film festival for Brett and me was getting to spend time with Stephen Kendrick, co-writer and producer of the great film Facing the Giants, in theaters now.

We were blessed with the opportunity to speak with Mr. Kendrick several times to get his input on the Rebelution movement and we wanted to share some of it with our readers. Here is a short message he recorded for all of you.

Mr. Kendrick’s passion for the gospel is contagious and his committment to excellence is exemplary. God has blessed that integrity. The film broke $5.2 million this past weekend at the box office. It’s budget was only $100,000.

Click here to find a theater in your area.

This video was originally posted several months ago upon the recommendation of Agent 507. Finally able to upload it to YouTube, we decided to post it again.

This well-made video effectively uses humor to convict all of us of some of the common “reasons” we can give for not sharing our faith.

As Christians and rebelutionaries, the spreading of the gospel is our greatest task. And yet how easily we rationalize ourselves out of it.

Our father always taught us to remember that the word ‘rationalize’ usually means just how it sounds: rational lies.

As you watch this video, ask yourself: What are some of the “rational lies” I use as excuses for not being more faithful to share the gospel with others?

UPDATE 01/10/08: You can download a hi-res version of this video here.

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Have an evangelism story, tip or resource to share? Please contact us.

One of our readers, Andrea, alerted us to this excellent evangelistic video by Think Inc., a small Christian film company based in Southern California.

This team of like-minded men and women have accomplished what is far too rare among Christian filmmakers, successfully integrating high-end quality with an engaging and powerful presentation of the gospel. Their work is the kind we pray that rebelutionaries will aspire to: character, competence and collaboration.

Read the mission statement from their website:

To produce short video projects that will inspire the highest ideals, the clearest and most noble biblical values, and which do so with a commitment to holiness.

To enlighten the general population through media in the power of the Holy Spirit of: the presence of sin in all people (Romans 3:23); God’s incredible love (John 3:16); His wrath (Exodus 34:6-7; Romans 3:23); and His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) through His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:36).

To motivate the present and next generation towards a presuppositionally biblical worldview.

To facilitate the development of a website that will help new believers get connected to a local evangelical church and also provide them with resources that will help them become more fully devoted disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).

To distribute the video projects by the use of television, computer technology, and one-on-one interaction in order to get the saving message of the gospel in front of as many people as possible.

To produce these projects with a caliber such that the common viewer is impressed, and ultimately not distracted by low-end quality that “Christian” filmmaking is known for. We are committed to absolutely professional (“Hollywood”) quality and feel that God would not want us to compromise.

We believe that God will use this video to change hearts and lives and we’d love to have your input and help in spreading it to an even wider audience.

You can order three copies (minimum order) of the Stop and Think DVD for a small donation ($3 each, plus shipping) to hand out to people or to show at your church.

However, we believe the most effective way to get it where unbelievers will see it is online, through blogging, YouTube and online ranking sites like Digg.

Below are three “quick links” that allow you to boost the video’s visibility online. If everyone does their part, we can make this happen.

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Daniel, age four, is more of a man than most adult men. He reports on three ways he takes care of the ladies in his family and challenges us all. Thank you to reader, Danielle, for recommending this video in light of our current series on chivalry.

Visit Vision Forum’s Everyday News Network, where you will find other short videos highlighting the everyday things of family life, all told with charm and sometimes humor by young boys and girls from around the country.

The stories are brief and simple, but the message is timeless and profound: the life of a family living in accordance with God’s Word is beautiful, exciting, and full of joy.

Copyright © 1998-2006 The Vision Forum, Inc. ®