Two weeks ago The Rebelution covered the impressive “rise of Michael Sessions” into the national spotlight following his apparent victory in the Hillsdale, MI mayor’s race. However, we updated that post with the news that Michael’s victory was pending a recount.

Today we would ask all of you to join The Rebelution as we congratulate 18-year-old Michael Sessions on his successful and official election as mayor of Hillsdale.

Two months ago, Michael was not old enough to vote. But on Monday night, in a City Council chamber packed with reporters from as far away as Japan and Russia, he was sworn in as mayor of Hillsdale.

In his only speech of the night, Michael thanked his family and friends. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve as mayor of Hillsdale. I am prepared to serve for each and every one of you,” he said.

Michael’s 670-668 victory was not final, pending a recount, until his opponent, 51-year-old incumbent, Mayor Douglas Ingles, conceded the election last Saturday.

“I wish Mayor-elect Sessions good luck and much success and offer my support in every way that I can,” Mr. Ingles said.

Michael who turned 18 in September, was too young to get his name on the ballot, and had to run for mayor as a write-in candidate — meaning voters had to remember his name and add it to the ballot by hand in order to support him. Young Mr. Sessions launched his campaign, just one month before the election, with the $700 he made from his summer job. That’s only slightly less than the $67 million Mayor Bloomberg spent to be reelected in New York City.

Michael Owes Everything To His Parents:

And we don’t even mean that in the traditional, “raised-me, fed-me, bore-me,” sense. Rather we’re referring to a very interesting point Keith Olbermann, Anchor for MSNBC’s “Countdown,” brought up in a November 10th interview:

OLBERMANN: So, now, obviously, 670 is a lot of people in a town of 8,200. But do you think of those two votes that put you over the top as the ones your mother and father cast for you?

SESSIONS: Most definitely. It had to have been.

There you have it. Anyone want to argue that point?

Not-So-Covered Side: More Young People Involved:

Michael isn’t the only young adult who deserves The Rebelution’s attention. On the night of the swearing-in ceremony, Brandon Thomas, the mayor’s 17-year-old campaign manager, demonstrated a knack for good politics as he explained a downtown clean-up campaign he and Michael organized on Sunday.

“His appearance on Letterman and everyplace else reinforced the stereotype that he’s just in high school and not taking this seriously. [Mike] wants the people of Hillsdale to know that he is taking it seriously. He’s going to bring more energy to the city,” Brandon said.

Michael had appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” to read the Top Ten list titled “Good Things About Being an 18-year-old Mayor.”

Another young adult involved was Meghan Scholl, 17, who helped Michael hand out signs and write campaign speeches. It has become evident that Michael’s campaign, as witnessed by these few examples, was largely driven by young people and that its message is clearly for young people.

More-Not-So-Covered Side: Michael Is Serious:

“My parents thought he was joking around,” Meghan said, “We didn’t think he would win, but then he started talking and he really knows what he’s talking about.”

Meghan explained to reporters that Michael began studying how similar communities pay for economic development and funding models for fire and police departments when he started campaigning.

Steven Brower, a government and economics teacher at Hillsdale High School, shared that “there are too many kids today who laugh at government,” but said Michael, by carefully researching issues before taking a position, will serve responsibly in his four-year post.

“He was a real go-getter during his campaign,” said Mr. Brower, “he acted like he was running for president.”

At one point, five days before election day, Michael spent so long out on the streets knocking on the doors, ignoring his mother’s pleas for him to wear a coat, that he ended up in a hospital emergency room with bronchitis but, by then, his momentum had become unstoppable.

Some of Michael’s friends said he began talking about running for mayor a few years ago.

Jeff Maxfield, a Hillsdale High School classmate who helped him campaign for mayor, said he remembers that Sessions wanted to become mayor before he could drive.

“When he was sophomore, he said that he could run for mayor when he was a senior,” said Jeff, one of many supporters in the audience at Monday night’s council meeting. Jeff wore a campaign T-shirt that said “Need Experience? Get Some … Get Involved” on the back.

The Important Thing: Michael’s Message:

“Age has nothing to do with ability,” said Valerie G. Van Opynen, a 49-year-old artist. “He’s done more good for this city in his first 15 minutes than the (last) administration ever did. This is the most excited I’ve seen this town in the five years I’ve been here.”

“Age has nothing to do with ability.”

Thank you, Mr. Sessions, for making that powerful point.

A Message From The Rebelution:

Dear Michael,

The Rebelution is extremely excited for you for many reasons. Bur primarily because you are one more example of how our culture doesn’t quite know what to do with young people who take initiative and “Do Hard Things.”

The media blitz that you’ve faced has granted us small glimpses into the mind of a young man who wasn’t about to run a half-hearted or half-way campaign. And we are sure that your faithfulness in smaller areas prepared you for the larger task as Hillsdale’s new mayor.

We applaud you Mr. Sessions, but we would also like to offer you the following counsel:

• Don’t Stop! Keeping “Doing Hard Things” in public and, more importantly, in private.
• Remember that despite the blatant abdication of modern “celebrities” and leaders, you are a role model. Live like one.
• Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in faith and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)
• Remember that in our “Fast-Breaking News” society, you can be picked up and dropped again by the media in the twinkling of an eye. Don’t let it upset you.
• Fight Pride Constantly! I recommend that you read the short article, “How To Fight The Sin Of Pride Especially When You Are Praised,” by Pastor John Piper, as well as C.J. Mahaney’s new book “Humility: True Greatness.”
• Realize that nothing would be a greater shame than for the highlighting of your competence to be the undoing of your character.

  In Christ Our King,
  Alex & Brett Harris

Disclaimer: The Rebelution applauds Michael Sessions for his competence and character, as evidenced by his initiative and drive during his campaign. However, at this time, our readers must understand that — to our knowledge — Michael has made no reference to God, in gratitude or otherwise, and his political leanings are largely unknown. Because of that we encourage our readers to use discretion by only admiring, as we do, the positive, known characteristics of Michael Sessions. Please keep him in your prayers.

Make sure you read the most recent update made at the end of this post (updated Saturday, November 26th, 4:15 P.M. CST).

Big hat tip to fellow blogger and rebelutionary, Agent Tim, for bringing this story to my attention.

After a frenzied, weeklong media blitz by television, radio, newspapers, and blogs, nearly anyone who regularly reads/watches/listens to the news will recognize the names of David Ludwig, Kara Borden, and Lititz, Pennsylvania.

On Sunday, November 13th, following a heated, hour-long argument with 14-year-old Kara’s parents over his physical relationship with their daughter, David Ludwig, 18, pulled out a .40-caliber handgun and shot both parents in the head. As Kara’s 15-year-old sister, Katelyn, hid in the bathroom, and her 11-year-old brother, David, escaped to a neighbor’s house, Ludwig took Kara and fled in his parent’s car. The following day, after a brief, high-speed car chase, police officers in Belleville, Indiana, apprehended the two teens, who had traveled approximately 600 miles from the scene of the crime.

Yesterday morning, it was reported that Ludwig has admitted to two counts of intentional murder, while it has also become clear that Kara was not kidnapped, but fled with David of her own free will. Whether Miss Borden was an actual accomplice in the murder of her parents remains unclear, though her willingness to leave with her parent’s murderer raises questions regarding her loyalties.

However, without going into more detail — as that is not our purpose in bringing the story to your attention — there are several notable aspects of this tragic situation that are of particular importance to rebelutionaries. David and Kara, you understand, are churchgoers, youth group attendees, from Christian families, with Christian friends. They’re also homeschooled.

Both of these facts, particularly the latter, have provoked flurries of heated discussion among those on both sides of the issue. On the far left of the spectrum, a handful of liberal commentators, primarily bloggers, have pounced on the opportunity to demonstrate the “idiocy” of Christian parents who homeschool their children. On the other hand — seeming to have learned their lesson from the backlash that followed the effort two years ago by CBS News to link homeschooling and child abuse — no mainstream media outlet has attempted to draw a clear connection between the teens’ education and the crimes that launched them into the national infamy.

This decision, whether conscious or otherwise, has prompted some on the left to decry the mainstream press as “hypocritical” or “biased,” pointing to the media’s “lack of emphasis,” and arguing that whenever a homeschooled student does something good, like wining a national spelling or geography bee, their education takes front and center. Not to be outdone, some homeschool proponents have taken issue with the media’s decision to emphasize the children’s education at all, claiming that the fact that Kara and David were homeschooled bears no special significance to the story.

Still another viewpoint, courtesy of Paul Chesser of The American Spectator, argues from the goodness of homeschooling to conclude that Kara and David’s education was an appropriate emphasis for reporter’s covering the story:

“[T]he media [should] play up Ludwig’s and Borden’s educational background. The fact that they were homeschooled makes the murder even more significant. Why? Because the nature of the news is that when certain types of people act in ways that are inconsistent with what the public traditionally expects from them, it makes a story more newsworthy. [The media] did the right thing by recognizing the significance that the two teens were homeschooled. This was out of character from what most Americans have come to expect from homeschooled children: that they are mostly intelligent, polite, respectful, well-behaved, quiet, and mind their own business.”

I would agree that David and Kara’s education deserves a reasonable amount of attention — as I am now giving it — however, I would be most hesitant to label the story, as Mr. Chesser seems to do, as nothing more than a “newsworthy aberration.” Is that really all it is? Is that really all we can take from it? I would say not.

As I read through Kara, David, and their friends’ posts and comments on their respective blogs (most which are still available, if you know where to look), I am struck by how un-abnormal they are; how similar they are to people I know; how similar they are to me.

If I may be blunt for a moment: I’ve never had premarital sex, never murdered anyone, or made a decision that resulted in my life falling apart before my eyes, but as I familiarize myself with the now-public “private” lives of these fellow teenagers, I shudder, because I see the same potential in my own life – in my own heart.

My mind is repeatedly drawn back to a post that Kara made on her blog less than five months ago. I’m slightly surprised that no bloggers or news outlets – at least, none that I can find – have mentioned it, but it engrained itself in my mind:

Psalm 28… I would type it out..but I think you guys can read it for yourself…when I read it I broke out in tears…God is truely and wonderful amazing..Hey to everyone if you guys could pray for me..That would be very cool!! Thank you all for your prayers already..And Im praying for you all too!! I love you all! I would just like to say thanks for the support yesterday my brothers and sisters in christ! I love you all! AND THANK YOU MY AMAZING LORD!!! I LOVE YOU SOO MUCH!!But really I have to give all the thanks to my Lord!!!!!SO THANK YOU MY LORD!!

Your Sister In Christ
Kara

Or consider the following words by David Ludwig, posted less than four months ago:

Ok people, here it is! The xanga site for The Barn…for lack of a better name I think at least for now we shall call it that. If any of you feel any leading at to what we should call/name this place please voice your suggestions!

Basically we are in desperate need of finances and time right now and although it looks kinda hopeless for a human standpoint I have faith that God is going to work all this out according to HIS good pleasure!!

For those of you who have abosolutely no idea what the heck I’m talking about here is the scoop, basically about 3 weeks ago both Sam Lohr and myself (David Ludwig ) felt led to clean up the upstairs of my (the Ludwig’s) barn to create a place that we could come to after our Monday night and Friday night youth meetings or at anytime to worship and dilligently seek Gods face. The amazing thing about that is neither Sam or I knew the other was thinking/praying about that till about a week later. Since than a bunch of us have gotten together twice to work on the barn and just amazing things have been accomplished…it truely is a miracle!! God has enabled far more to be completed than any of us ever imagined! Glory! So now the need is to finish this project Lord willing before next monday. Anyone is welcome to come once it is finished we only ask that you seek Gods face before you come to see if He wants you to be there. If so, be welcome and come! May God bless you all!!

~ David

Shocking words for two teens facing the possibility of execution or life behind bars for murder? How about for two young, homeschooled teens from Christian families? Not quite so shocking, is it? But which are they?

They’re both.

And that is what’s so important for us to realize, as young people, as homeschoolers, as rebelutionaries, and as Christians.

Being homeschooled did not prevent this tragedy; growing up in a Christian environment did not prevent this tragedy; bearing many signs of apparent faith and an understanding of the Gospel did not prevent this tragedy; these are harsh, but necessary truths that demand humility. Hard to swallow as it is, what happened in Lititz, Pennsylvania, is not an exception, it’s fallen man’s default.

We should all be asking ourselves the question: What is it that separates me from a David Ludwig or a Kara Borden?

And we should all be answering — in the words of Protestant Reformer, John Bradford — “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

“No man’s really any good till he knows how bad he is, or might be; till he’s realized exactly how [little] right he has to all this snobbery, and sneering, and talking about ‘criminals,’ as if they were apes in a forest ten thousand miles away; till he’s got rid of all the dirty self-deception of talking about low types and deficient skulls; till he’s squeezed out of his soul the last drop of the oil of the Pharisees…” — G.K. Chesterton, The Secret of Father Brown

Let us not fail to remember Kara, David, and their families, in our prayers. May God have mercy.

UPDATE (11/23): I am reminded of Noah Riner’s words in his September 20th, convocation speech at Dartmouth College. The universal nature of the truth he shared that night — truth for which he was viciously attacked — is proven valid by its perfect applicability to the story of David Ludwig and Kara Borden. Please read it carefully and notice the parallels. Note that a limited number of these parallels are indicated in brackets:

[I]n the past few weeks we’ve seen some pretty revealing things happening on the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricane Katrina. We’ve seen acts of selfless heroism and millions around the country have united to help the refugees. On the other hand, we’ve been disgusted by the looting, violence, and raping that took place even in the supposed refuge areas. In a time of crisis and death, people were paddling around in rafts, stealing TV’s and VCR’s. How could Americans [homeschoolers?] go so low?

My purpose in mentioning the horrible things done by certain people on the Gulf Coast isn’t to condemn just them; rather it’s to condemn all of us. Supposedly, character is what you do when no one is looking, but I’m afraid to say all the things I’ve done when no one was looking. Cheating, stealing, lusting, you name it - How different are we? It’s easy to say that we’ve never gone that far: never stolen that much; never lusted so much that we’d rape; and the people we’ve cheated, they were rich anyway.

Let’s be honest, the differences are in degree. We have the same flaws as the individuals who pillaged New Orleans. Ours haven’t been given such free range, but they exist and are part of us all the same.

The Times of London once asked readers for comments on what was wrong with the world. British author, G. K. Chesterton responded simply: “Dear Sir, I am.”

Not many of us have the same clarity that Chesterton had. Just days after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the Gulf Coast, politicians and pundits were distributing more blame than aid. It’s so easy to see the faults of others, but so difficult to see our own. In the words of Cassius in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “the fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves.”

Character has a lot to do with sacrifice, laying our personal interests down for something bigger. The best example of this is Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” He knew the right thing to do. He knew the cost would be agonizing torture and death. He did it anyway. That’s character.

Jesus is a good example of character, but He’s also much more than that. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, [teenage murderers,] and me.

It’s so easy to focus on the defects of others and ignore my own. But I need saving as much as they do.

Jesus’ message of redemption is simple. People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God’s love: Jesus on the cross, for us.

UPDATE (11/26): One of our readers, manthano, commented this afternoon and alerted us to his personal — and particularly meaningful — observation into the past of admitted murderer David Ludwig. Read full post here, selected excerpt below:

I try to keep up with the news while I’m here at school, and it was with sadness and disgust I read the story of David Ludwig and the double murder of the parents of his girlfriend Kara Borden. Then this story hit a little closer to home, when I found out that I had met David 3 years ago. Since then a particular verse from the Bible has taken on a whole new meaning. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (ESV). Why this verse basically whacked me upside the head this week, is because of the story of what happened to someone else who knows this verse, David Ludwig, now under arrest for a double murder committed last week. How do I know he knows this verse? Read on…

I know he knows this verse, because of where I met him. Yes, I’ve met an alleged double murderer. We met at a Bible quiz between about 5 churches in our area. The Bible quiz was over the book of I Peter. In order to effectively compete in this competition, you basically had to have the entire book memorized, and be able to quote word-perfect any verse in it. He and I were on two of the top 5 teams that year, so I that’s how I know he had that verse memorized.

So how does a bible quizzer become a murderer? It’s really not as difficult as you might think. To quote our former school president, “Anyone is capable of committing any sin, given the proper provocation.” “Who me,” you ask? “I’ll never murder anyone!” I didn’t say you would, I just said we were capable of it. I pray that no one that’s reading this will do such a thing, but it’s not impossible.

Be sure to read the rest of manthano’s post here.

Read the update by clicking here…

This morning’s cover story from the Montgomery Advertiser’s Lifestyle Section features none other than Colton Davie, a 17-year-old rebelutionary and one of Alex and my newest and best Alabama friends. Colton collaborated with Alex and me last Saturday to create our Save The Wheel short, “Reinvented: The Dinner Table.” Now, the young Mr. Davie is garnering media attention for a greater accomplishment: snaring the Best Young Filmmaker Award at the Second Annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

Enjoy the following feature article that honors 17-year-old Colton Davie and 16-year-old Tyler Litton for doing hard things, at a young age, and for the glory of God:

Let there be light, camera, action
Christian films on the rise

By Darryn Simmons
Montgomery Advertiser
November 18, 2005

In today’s movies, the comedy, horror and action flicks tend to dominate the marquees and lead at the box office.

But a new genre of films is starting to gain a foothold in the market, and some of the upcoming movies in that genre just may come from Montgomery and other spots in Alabama.

With the success of films like “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Gospel” and the “Left Behind” series, Christian films are starting to show they can do as well as the biggest summer blockbusters.

The success of those films has inspired young filmmakers to try their hand at making them, with the hope of making the next big Christian film.

Christian film festivals have continued to build momentum. The second annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival drew 1,200 participants from all over the world, from New York to Romania. At this event, held earlier this month, the state of Alabama was well-represented.

Seventeen-year-old Colton Davie from Matthews was awarded the Best Young Filmmaker prize for his 55-minute film, “Bluestate: Tolerance for All,” and Ed Litton, pastor of First Baptist Church in North Mobile, and his 16-year-old son Tyler were awarded Best Political Film for a film they wrote, produced and directed called “Intent.”

“Alabama is taking over,” said Doug Phillips, the founder of the festival and one of the competition’s judges.

Phillips said more than 130 film submissions at this year’s festival show there are those who want to make good Christian films that give glory to God.

The rise in the independent Christian film market can be attributed to a number of factors, Phillips said. The biggest may be that filmmakers no longer have to go through Hollywood to get a film produced or distributed, thanks to the digital technology and innovative distribution methods now available. The “Left Behind” series, for example, was marketed largely through churches.

He also said people are looking for more positive material in their movies and wholesome messages that differ from the usual Hollywood fare.

Davie said he was inspired when he attended last year’s festival. He went to some of the seminars there, and they motivated him to want to do a film for this year’s festival.

He started the script for “Bluestate” in December of last year and finished the film in August.

The movie tells the story of one family’s sacrifice in a world where tolerance has been mandated by law.

“People think it’s a political movie, but we weren’t doing that,” Davie said. “I just wanted to challenge ideas and show people what happens when you do things like take public prayer out of schools and what could happen if you continue to do things like that.”

Phillips called the movie a “major film which demonstrates incredible promise.”

“There was an overwhelming sense (among the judges) that ‘Bluestate’ should win,” Phillips said. “It is an excellent example of what is possible for a young man to do.”

Davie said it was exciting to win the award and that the festival itself was a great experience.

Ed Litton’s half-hour film, “The Wall,” was runner-up for Best Political Film last year, the inaugural year of the festival. The film focused on educating Christians on the meaning of the First Amendment.

“Intent” is an 18-minute film that explores the current crisis in the federal judiciary.

“Our hope is that ‘Intent’ will help break down barriers between Americans and their courts,” Ed Litton said. “The average citizen is key to keeping the courts in line and preserving government by the consent of the governed.”

Davie said he hopes to continue to make Christian films. While there are no current plans to have an exhibition of the films here in central Alabama, he said the success of recent movies shows there’s a desire for them on the part of moviegoers.

There is a special kind of film Davie wants to make.

“I want to make movies with good stories that people will enjoy, but I especially want to do it for the glory of God and to do films that glorify him,” he said.

There are many reasons why Alex and I are thrilled at the recognition our friend Colton is receiving. First, he just one more example of how young people that “Do Hard Things” will be honored. Our readers must understand that a very favorable article about Christian films from a reputably liberal newspaper is rare. But Colton’s age demanded attention. And not only his age, but the enormous task he undertook and completed.

But even more than that, we are thrilled at the attention Colton is receiving because he used it to glorify God and to address important issues. He earned a stage and used it to speak the truth. Now that is rebelutionary.

To view original article: Click here.

With torched cars, violence, and unrest filling the streets of Paris, Louis-Vincent Gave provided some particularly insightful analysis in his article, “The Arab Street Erupts: Why Paris and Why Now?” In the article Gave outlines the failure of government schools to assimilate poor and diverse ethnic groups into French society and persuasively points to the elimination of the military service as a primary cause of France’s current riots:

To explain what I mean, let me backtrack ten years. At the time, I was an officer in French infantry. Every year, our battalion, just like most battalions across France, would get a fresh batch of new conscripts. Our job, as officers, was to train these young men, usually aged 18 to 21, and make soldiers out of them….

The young men we had to train came from all sorts of background: young kanaks from New Caledonia, young Arabs from the ghettos, farmers from the Cantal… Most of them came in dragging their feet. Some of them were afraid. Others defiant. Some of them could hardly read and write. Some were bright. Others less so… But by the time the Army was done with them, most of them had become true Frenchmen. They knew their national anthem. They knew how to salute the flag. They knew how their forefathers had died in battle; and they had learnt to respect that self-sacrifice (the Tirailleurs Senegalais, the Algerian Harkis, the Moroccan Zouaves… often covered their units in glory on behalf of France).

Sometimes, after a year, though the Army was done with them, some of these young men were not done with the Army. Some volunteered for extra service because they knew that a return to the ghettos would see them dead, or in prison. Others had learnt tasks (truck-driver, cook…) which they could take into the private sector for gainful employment.

For many young men, the French Army had become a last chance. And this last chance was extremely valuable for all the young immigrants, who, as mentioned above, are simply not being integrated into French society through school, or their environment. The Army taught these men that one did not need to be born French to be French. After all, the unofficial motto of the Legion is “français par le sang verse” (French by the blood spilled).

Finally, the mandatory military service rendered one more function: it took off the streets each year a number of 18-21 years old and focused their natural aggressiveness on military training. And as we know, most crimes are committed by 18-21 year olds. So getting the young men off the streets and into military barracks, helped maintain crimes rates lows.

So the idea that the “stick” does not work is absolutely wrong. It works. We’ve used it. And we have seen the wonders it can do to young men of 18 who had, until then, never been given a taste of discipline. The problem with the stick, of course, is that it can’t be given in short bursts. One doesn’t teach discipline in a few hours…

I. Gave is on the right track, but is not all the way there:

Gave makes some brilliant points, but his argument also raises an issue of particular concern to rebelutionaries; the issue of discipline. While Gave recognizes the importance of discipline, and the consequences of its absence, he traces the root of the problem only as far as to the elimination of military service. To put it simply, in Gave’s eyes, the fault rests on the government.

Now it is true that the government schools are failing miserably. It is also true that a seemingly beneficial government program was discontinued. Gave is on the right track, but should we conclude that this the extent of the problem? I would say not.

II. The Government is not solely or primarily responsible for our discipline:

It is emphatically not the civil government’s responsibility to “make good citizens.” The role of the state is not to teach self-discipline (though, if it would lead by example, that would be nice); rather, this responsibility has been given primarily to the family. Gave writes, “[T]he “stick”… works. We’ve used it. And we have seen the wonders it can do to young men of 18 who had, until then, never been given a taste of discipline.” I would hope that any thoughtful person would respond to this statement by asking the obvious question, “What was going on for the first 18 years of their lives? Where were their families?”

Those familiar with the current situation in Western Europe will tell you that the institution of the family has long been crumbling. This alone can explain young men who receive their very first taste of discipline at the age of 18. Therefore, I would argue that, by itself, a reinstatement of the military service would not solve France’s problems. When the family abdicates its God-given responsibility, and the government extends its control to areas in which it has no proper jurisdiction, the result will always be the degradation of society as a whole. What should concern all of us, is that America is headed in the same direction (albeit several decades behind) as Western Europe. As young people, and as rebelutionaries, the question we must ask ourselves is this, “What do we do to combat this?”

III. We must recognize the necessity for self-government:

The very first thing we must recognize is that, as teenagers, the only sphere of government over which we have direct, personal control is that of self government. While we can biblically exert differing levels of influence in order to bring about reform in our families, churches, and civil governments, our foremost responsibility is to govern ourselves personally according to the Word of God.

IV. Circumstances are no excuse for a Christian:

Even if all earthly institutions were to fall short of their God-given duties to train us and our fellow rebelutionaries, that must be no excuse. We would still enjoy the privilege of having God as our Father (family), our Prophet/Priest (church), and our King (state) and of having His written Word as our guide and counsel. Let us never use those circumstances beyond our control to excuse ourselves from fulfilling what we have been called to do in those areas of life He has placed under our command.

V. Prepare for your future. Expect to be involved in many spheres:

The second thing, for which young men must particularly prepare, is the responsibility of being a husband and father, a deacon, an elder, or an elected official at some point in the future. It is not unlikely that you will find yourself being many, if not all, of those things over the course of your life. As young men we must prepare to lead our families, to lead our churches, and to lead our civil governments as God grants us influence in each distinct sphere of government. Likewise, young ladies, any young man with these godly ambitions will need a wife who has prepared herself to be the helpmeet God created her to be for her husband.

These are noble callings, my friends. Each one requires the grace of humility and wisdom, boldness and courage, as well as patience and endurance. Each will require us to “do hard things” over the course of a lifetime, and especially, during this preparatory season of our lives. Do not be deceived, the character and abilities needed for these callings cannot be developed overnight. As Louis-Vincent Gave noted, “One doesn’t teach discipline in a few hours…”

VI. Developing character, a place to start:

Things like duty, honor, sacrifice, faithfulness, commitment and service, cannot develop fully during a marriage engagement, the week before ordination, or during the primary election. Our preparation for the areas of family, church, and government begins when we start taking responsibility for our chores without being reminded, when we begin practicing leadership and taking initiative, when we stop saying “It broke,” and start saying, “I broke it.” Whether they sound simple or difficult, these things make a man.

The same qualities must be cultivated in the lives of our young ladies. They must prepare to assist their husbands in raising families, guiding congregations, and leading nations. They must practice honor and faithfulness, learn to sacrifice and serve, develop a spirit of encouragment as well as an ability to advise and instruct. This preparation begins as you respect and serve your father, encourage and advise your brothers, and sacrifice and serve your family, church, and community. This may sound difficult, but they make you more than a woman; they make you a prize.

VII. Developing competence, a place to start:

Competence in any area besides procrastination, dilly-dallying, and sloth, will contribute to competence in every other area. This is because the mental, physical, and sometimes spiritual exertion necessary for one hour of piano practice, developes mental physical, and spiritual muscle that can be flexed on Algebra. That is the whole point of our post “A Lesson From The Vikings: Do Hard Things.”

What this means is that you can gradually develop the “muscle” for bigger, better tasks by faithfully “exercising” the muscle you already have on the tasks you already have. Whether you are mowing yards or babysitting toddlers, if you do the best job you can possibly do, you will be miles closer to a bigger job and a greater responsibility.

Competence in anything, even small things, is the first step towards competence in big things. Don’t expect to head up the Hurricane Wilma cleanup operations if you can’t do a thorough job cleaning your own bathroom!

VIII. That’s all for now, rebelutionaries:

Character and competence require concerted and focused preparation over an extended period of time. But great will be the reward for those who persevere; for those who, when the world seems to be sinking into darkness, do not simply curse that darkness, or set cars aflame, but rather, ignite a fire in their own hearts for the glory of God.

After votes were counted on Tuesday, 18-year-old Michael Sessions was named mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan. Michael was too young, prior to the filing deadline, to get his name on the ballot, but after turning 18 on September 22, launched an energetic door-to-door, write-in campaign, knocking off 51-year-old incumbent, Doug Ingles. A senior in high school, planning on attending Hillsdale College, Sessions funded his campaign with the $700 he made working a summer job.

Sessions elected Hillsdale mayor
By Leah Wild, Hillsdale Collegian, November 10, 2005

…. Michael Sessions will be the youngest mayor in Hillsdale’s history, and perhaps the youngest ever recorded.

[Michael's cousin] Jeremiah Newsome said the family is researching the matter and has not found a mayor younger than Sessions’ 18 years and 47 days.

Sessions was 17 and not yet qualified to get on the ballot in the spring. But on Sept. 22, one day after his birthday, he registered to vote.

The next day, he signed up as a write-in candidate.

Sessions’ political experience consists of job shadowing his cousin and the American Legion’s Boys State Program held on the Michigan State University campus. He said he plans to eventually expand his political career beyond mayor.

“I’d like to [go to school] at Hillsdale and study politics,” he said. “This is just a stepping stone,” Sessions said of the recent election.

Sessions said he hopes his new responsibilities will not hinder his high school career, and he said that school will come first.

“I’m a student from 7:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. I’m the mayor of Hillsdale,” Sessions said. “I think I’m going to be able to juggle this just fine.”

Read the entire article here. You can also watch Session’s interview with Keith Olbermann. Or, if want to know everything, check out the search results from Google News.

UPDATE: Session’s lead has shrunk to two votes, with a recount remaining a possibility.

UPDATE #1: Please read this post for The Rebelution’s full coverage of Michael Session’s victory.

Noah Riner, 21 — homeschooled son of a Baptist preacher, and now student body president at Dartmouth College — sparked national controversy with his September 20th convocation speech to incoming freshmen. In what is traditionally an immemorable speech, Riner maintained that character, not just intelligence and talent, must be the goal for true education.

Dartmouth, Riner told his peers, has turned out a lot of very talented, very intelligent individuals. “But if all we get from this place is knowledge, we’ve missed something,” he reasoned — citing examples, both historic and recent, of Dartmouth alums whose credentials were impeccable, but whose character was proven to be greatly corrupt. Turning to raise the issue of New Orleans — the looting, violence, and rape in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — Riner clarified, “My purpose… isn’t to condemn just [the citizens of New Orleans], rather it’s to condemn all of us.”

“The real problem in this world,” Riner argued, “is not lack of education [but] lack of character.”

“[C]haracter,” he held, “is what you do when no one is looking, but I’m afraid to say all the things I’ve done when no one was looking.” He challenged his fellow students to be honest with themselves and with one another. “We have the same flaws as the individuals who pillaged New Orleans,” he said, affirming the truth of the universal sin nature. “Ours haven’t been given such free range, but they exist and are part of us all the same.”

However, it is still very likely that — had Riner stopped at this point — there would have been little uproar. Vice president of the Student Assembly, Kaelin Goulet, would not have resigned in protest, calling Riner’s speech “reprehensible and an abuse of power.” The story would not have swept across the blogosphere like wildfire, nor been featured in magazines and newspapers across the country.

But Riner did not stop there. Instead, he did the unthinkable. He spoke of Jesus Christ. And he didn’t just use Him as his example, or an example of character — but rather as the “best example” of character. And he didn’t just use Him as an example of character — but rather as the solution to man’s inherent corruption.

“Jesus’ message of redemption is simple,” Riner said. “People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God’s love: Jesus on the cross, for us.”

“You want the best undergraduate education in the world, and you’ve come to the right place to get that. But there’s more to college than achievement. With Martin Luther King, we must dream of a nation – and a college – where people are not judged by the superficial, ‘but by the content of their character.’”

WORLD magazine summarizes the fallout of Riner’s speech in this week’s issue:

Editorials, guest columns, and letters to the editor filled the pages of the Dartmouth student newspaper. Senior Brian Martin wrote that he was “appalled and disappointed,” adding that “Jesus would not have wanted to make new students feel unwelcome.”

An editorial cartoon depicted Mr. Riner as an overzealous fanatic out to vanquish infidels, with Jesus as a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking hippie advising him to chill out.

Others wrote passionately in Mr. Riner’s defense: “He stood up against political correctness, and it is about time,” opined senior Stacey Kourlis: “No one has been hurt or denied their rights. If anything, Riner has just created the chance for everyone to argue about a controversial topic.” Freshman Brian Chao suggested that “had Riner instead espoused the virtues of Muhammad, Buddha, or any other religious figure, he would be applauded.”

That people disagreed with his ideas did not surprise the senior, a history and government double major, but the frequent unwillingness to engage those ideas surprised and disappointed him. “I wish people would wrestle more with the issues raised in my speech rather than with the propriety of the speech,” he told WORLD, insisting he had not intended to generate a discussion of free-speech rights. “As a Christian, I can’t talk about character without talking about Jesus.”

As would be expected, Riner’s inbox was flooded with emails in the days following his speech. In a gesture that impressed me even more than his speech itself, Riner not only read each message carefully — many of which viciously attacked him and his beliefs — but also took the time to personally meet with each detractor.

Mr. Riner, The Rebelution applauds you. Your message of character — character that cannot be divorced from Christ — is one that our culture desperately needs. May God bless and strengthen you as you stand for truth — truth towards which the world is hostile.

UPDATES: October 4th: Fellow-bloggers SpunkyHomeschool and Agent Tim have covered this story as well. October 9th: Dr. Albert Mohler has also covered the controversy in depth, as well as interviewing Noah on his radio program.