In light of our mother’s illness (for more details, see our brother Josh’s post), all of us kids have rallied home to Oregon. We wanted to be together — and most importantly, to be here to serve our mom. Thank you all for your prayers.

But there has also been some fun. Today the grandpa, uncles, aunt, niece, and nephew joined forces to build a dam and pond in the mud behind the Noble Institute offices. Everyone got muddy and wet. Evidence (by Uncles Josh and Alex) below.

Our dad is gearing up for a garden and orchard. There is a lot of mud.

Joshua Quinn, age 8 — master mud man.

Emma, age 10 — soon to get thoroughly wet.

Uncle Brett, hard at work.

The dam is taking shape.

Part of the digging, mud-packing crew.

Uncle James, age 10, and Joshua Quinn — still at (play) work.

No one reading this will be surprised to know that Brett’s and my mother, Sono Harris, has been a critical part of everything God has allowed us to do. “Do hard things” is the message of her life — and for over 35 years she has poured herself into her husband, her kids, and the ministry of our entire family.

Today we want to publicly wish a Happy Mother’s Day to the most wonderful mother in the world. She not only bore and birthed us (after two prior pregnancies, having twins ended her ballet career), but has faithfully raised, taught, and trained us — tending our souls, interceding for us, and pointing us to the Savior.

Us kids have always called mom the “glue” that holds everything together — and there is a lot of truth to that. But as I was meditating this past week on the blessing she has been in my life, a different analogy came to mind — one that is equally true.

In John 12:24, Jesus, speaking of Himself, said that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single grain. For as long as I can remember, our mother has modeled Christ to us by daily, moment by moment, year after year, laying her life down for God and her family — and Christ has taken those countless sacrifices and turned them into great fruit. If you have been blessed by the work of the Rebelution, you have participated in the fruit of her love and labor.

As some of you may have heard already, about a week and a half ago, mom was diagnosed with an advanced stage of colon cancer. She is pursuing alternative treatment and all of us remain hopeful that she can and will beat it. Mom is a strong lady — and we serve a wise, loving, and sovereign God.

We covet your prayers for the days ahead. Pray for our father as he seeks to care for his wife, while continuing to pastor, parent, and provide. Pray for us kids as we seek to support and encourage our mom. Pray for the Rebelution as Brett and I seek to remain faithful to our mother and our ministry. Most importantly, pray for our mom — that Christ would heal, comfort, strengthen, and provide for her every need.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! We love you!

This past fall we partnered with LifeChurch.tv to create a four-part series of short videos presenting the Rebelution message for small groups, youth groups, and churches. We are thrilled with the result. LifeChurch.tv did a terrific job.

The series includes videos on topics such as “The Myth of Adolescence,” “Unlikely Heroes,” “The Launching Pad,” and “Do Hard Things.” Each video is about 5-7 minutes long — perfect for introducing people to the ideas of the Rebelution.

The curriculum also features suggested opening and closing remarks for group leaders, along with small group discussion guides for each segment. The best part, though? The series is 100 percent FREE for anyone to download and use.

To download the high-quality video files (MOV or WMV) and PDF documents, visit the LifeChurch.tv Series Page.

To watch them right now, click through for the YouTube versions.

(more…)

Praise God for Francis Chan. His book, Crazy Love, was an extraordinary challenge and encouragement to us this past summer — and he has continued to speak and write about the beautiful (yet devastating) truths of the Gospel. A friend shared this article with us and we wanted to share it with you. May you experience the same conviction we felt — as well as the same grace to grow in response.

I think it’s time we stop asking ourselves the question: “Am I a good Christian?” We live in a time when the term “Christian” has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves “good Christians.” We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: “Am I a good Christ?” In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.

Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he’s the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn’t speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von’s words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children. Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:

“The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.”

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: “If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!” After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me: “The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.” The answer was an obvious “no.” Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn’t “arrived,” but that I wasn’t even heading in the right direction. I hadn’t made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn’t striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn’t it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn’t resemble Christ’s?

In the spirit of posting about books and cool videos about books, here is a very cool video about a book we wish every rebelutionary would read — our brother Josh’s latest book, Dug Down Deep. A lot of you have read and been impacted by his other books — but there is something even more life-changing about this one.

Here is what we wrote about Dug Down Deep after we first read it:

“As two young guys who have been deeply blessed and influenced by Josh’s books and example, we couldn’t be more excited about Dug Down Deep and how God is going to use it to transform a generation. It’s a gripping and honest read. In it we learned things about our older brother that we had never, in twenty-one years, been told before! More importantly, we learned things about our Savior that caused us to fall more deeply in love with him and his Word. Get this book. Read it. And join us on a journey to rediscover what has always been true.” — Alex and Brett Harris

+ Get the Book on Amazon.com +

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year since we first let all of you know we were writing a new book — a practical handbook for putting the ideas of Do Hard Things into action. You prayed and supported us. You asked the questions and shared the stories that make up the heart of the book.

We know you’re excited with us to see this resource reach the hands, hearts, and minds of our generation. You helped take that vision a giant step closer to reality when you pushed Start Here to #17 on Amazon.com. Even more than the first, this book is the product of the movement — a true community effort.

Today — March 16th — is the official release of Start Here. Pre-ordered copies should start arriving. More importantly, the book is available in stores across the nation. Even as our second book, that is humbling, mind-blowing, and praise-inspiring!

When Do Hard Things came out, we posted “Five Things You Can Do Now That the Book Is Out” — we share it again as a guide for all of you:

1.) Read the book. We’ve been waiting over a year to share this book with you — and we’re so excited to finally get it in your hands. May it encourage, inspire, and equip you to truly do hard things for the glory of God.

2.) Write a review. We want to hear what you think — good (hopefully) or bad (hopefully not)! Even better, share your review with others on your blog. Or best of all, share your review with prospective readers on websites where the book is sold — like Amazon.

3.) Check your local bookstore. If a bookstore doesn’t carry a particular book, one of the best ways to get them to do so is to… Ask. Visit your favorite local book haunts and check for Start Here. If they don’t have it, tell them about it and encourage them to order some copies.

4.) Check your local library. A single book in a library can reach literally hundreds of people. Visit your library (online or in person) and see if they have any copies of Start Here. If they don’t, you can usually fill out a suggestion form or talk to the librarian about it.

5.) Do hard things! We wrote this book because we know a lot of you want to do hard things for God, but you don’t know where to start. We wanted a book we could hand to any teen who is ready to tackle some hard things — whether it’s a big project, a fundraiser, or struggling to balance everything God has already given you. Read this book, then go out and do hard things!

Soli deo gloria!

We are excited to announce that The Rebelution will be teaming up with Alyssa, Lauren, and Becca Barlow of BarlowGirl to bring a joint conference/concert to the Greater Chicago Area. We’d love to have you join us for a day of teaching, music, and prayer designed to help you find the life and destiny God has for you. The day experience will include worship, sessions with Alex and me, sessions with the Barlow sisters, and a BarlowGirl concert. You don’t want to miss it! Details below:

Lifechangers Church, Hoffman Estates (Directions)
2500 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192-3302
Saturday, May 1, 2010 - Noon till 9:30PM

Registration is now open (handled through iTickets.com) and space is limited. Save your spot at this one-of-a-kind event and then help spread the word to your family and friends. If you’re reading this on the blog, start by using the share tool below.

Visit iTickets.com for Tickets and More Information

We live in a rapidly changing world. Fortunately, we trust in a good God who holds the future in His hands. From that position of strength we can discuss what it looks like to prepare for this new world our generation gets to live in. We don’t normally recommend families watch YouTube videos during dinner, but this short video would be an excellent conversation starter.