rebelling against low expectations

Introducing: Jiffy N’ Lou (Installment #101)

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This post will go down in rebelutionary history as the first installment of the homeschool-cult-classic-comic: Jiffy N’ Lou! With special permission from the artist, The Rebelution is proud to present what many herald as the first and only homeschool comic strip! Jiffy N’ Lou debuted in Joshua Harris’ New Attitude Magazine back in 1994 and retired with the magazine in 1997. Then, for almost eight years, these homeschool cultural icons have vanished from the public eye.

Here on The Rebelution they are about to make their comeback, proving once again to the world that homeschool comic strips do indeed fill a gap that needs to be filled. Click on image to enlarge:

Continue to Jiffy N’ Lou: Installment #102

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About the author

Alex and Brett Harris

are the co-founders of TheRebelution.com and co-authors of Do Hard Things and Start Here. They have a passion for God and for their generation. Their personal interests include politics, filmmaking, music, and basketball. They are both graduates of Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia.

43 comments

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  • Ach, very true, unfortunately. Too many Christians (youth and adult) take these artists at their word with that sort of thing – not because they believe its true, but because they want to fulfill their fleshly desires. Nice comic strip – never saw any of these.

  • The sad thing is…I’ve had someone tell me that. “The lyrics are kinda bad, but hey…the group thanks God in the “thanks to…” section!”

    I’m sitting there thinking “What does singing about non-God glorifying stuff have to do with that? Why would it make it fine to listen to?”

    I focus on the lyrics of a song, but stay away from that hard-rock, punkish sound, because it just doesn’t bring out the good in you. It makes you want to write or sing bad lyrics, not God-honoring lyrics.

  • it just doesn’t bring out the good in you.

    I think that does depend on the person. For some it can bring out passion and that “on-fire” zeal for God…the only reason I avoid that sort of music is because I can’t hear a word they scream…I mean, sing. 😉

  • Too fun! A winning addition to an already winsome and practical site. Kudos to you, gentlmen.

    I think blogs are the unseen levers of power, and you can nominate yourselves to influence by doing a good job. Well done! Mother-Lode now links to you!

  • This comic is great and so very true! What I am wondering is if this philosophy holds true for the Harris family since in the September 16th issue of World Magazine it states that your favorite music includes Beatles, Beach Boys, U2, etc. I’m not sure how songs that glorify fornication and drug use, among other things, fit into the “glorifying God” catagory. Being a former rock-n-roller and VERY unsaved person, this leads me to these questions, with all due respect.

    Love in Christ,
    Mrs. Christine Masloske

  • Dear Mrs. Masloske,

    Thank you for your gentle admonishment about the values and message of several of the bands listed in the WORLD Magazine article. I will not attempt to address the question of U2 here, but I do want to apologize and clarify regarding the two other music groups you mentioned.

    Brett and I have not listened to any Beatles or Beach Boys music for over a year and a half. However, we did mention them during the phone interview with WORLD last year as examples of the range of music we listen to—a foolish attempt to appear eclectic and varied in our tastes—which also explains why the article listed entire genres as our “favorite music.” We never meant to imply that either of those two bands were among our favorites. Unfortunately, we failed to adequately communicate that to the article’s author. Because we did not see the article until it had already gone to press, there was no chance for us to correct the mistake. We certainly do not desire to endorse the message of the songs or the lifestyle that those groups’ members practiced and represent.

    Thank you again for your correction. Brett and I are certainly in need of the wisdom and humility such admonishments afford. May God bless you!

    Love in Christ,
    Alex Harris

  • Cool comic strip, It also has a very good message to it. Nice scripture reference at the end of it.

    May the LORD bless you both.!!!!!!

  • THAT IS SO TRUE! IT IS SAD TO SAY BUT I HAVE DONE THAT MYSELF! IT TOOK ME AWHILE TO REALIZE THAT THEY ONLY “GIVE THANKS” TO GOD TO LOOK GOOD! I LOVE THE COMIC!

  • Thanks so much. I think a lot of this sort of music is just a way for Christians to feel they are listening to “cool” music, the same kind of stuff everyone else is listining to, but not fell bad because the music has Christian words, or the band might be fairly “christian”. I like some CCM, but not all. Some of it makes me think a lot. The other day I saw a fairly poppular Christian singer in concert. The music , and the way she was moving her body , and the way th efans were responding made me wonder. I’m not saying these people are bad, most of them are probably very sincere, but it makes you think.

  • Once, while at church, a young woman I knew asked, very excitedly, “Did you know [insert actress’s name] was a Christian?” I told her I hadn’t heard that. Because this actress had always appeared to me to be an active member in the “religion of the month club,” I asked my friend what her source was. She mater-of-factly informed me that when this actress had received an award for her latest silver screen nomination she’d thanked God somewhere among her list of people to give a shout out to.

    It’s so sad that true, authentic Christianity is hard for even — or possibly especially — church raised young adults to recognize. If this actress had thanked Jesus Christ who’d died on the cross to pay the punishment of her sins I would have perked up, but she simply throw an acknowledgement to a “higher power” out there and the automatic assumption was she’d be saved.

    ~Kelsey

  • I have to admit that I too thought the same at one time. I used to think that if the singer mentioned God in the song then that person was definetly a christian. Not so. I finally realized that just because they may mention God in one of their songs that does not make them a christian.

  • That reminds me when I was at the NACC (The North American Christian Confrence) The teen’s speeker said “Most kids say,’Oh, I only listen to the beat.” But then he tested us, by putting clips of the lyrics to a trashy, or christian, songs, on the screen. And almost all the kids knew the artists, just by looking at the words (And good for me I only recongnized, Mercy Me, D.C Talk, and *TOBY MAC*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) But that comic was SO true!!!!!

  • wow… this has so much truth and power in it…….. it really makes me think of my sister. “they said ‘god bless america’ so the MUST be christians!”
    there are plenty of good, christian groups out there; we need only go as far as the nearest christian bookstore to find their cd’s.

  • i think what agent tim said is completely wrong. i listen to all kinds of soft and hard rock and even if some have bad meanings it dosnt affect you. also plenty songs are written about religion if you youldnt be sk stubborn as to not e en lusten to it its the best kind kf music out there.

  • Unfortunately this is very true for many young Christians. This generation is going, and it’s going fast thanks to some of the most popular music, TV shows, movies, and websites, and this is an accurate example of life in America.

  • I enjoy the comic… there are some Christian artists out there with songs, lyrics that can sometimes come into contrast with what God says in his Word (i.e.: Anberlin). More often than not, it’s Christian bands whose lyrics are G-rated or so, without objectionable content, but without much Christian content either (Switchfoot, Relient K, etc). I think it’s alright to listen to the latter group, just like how you can listen to secular music that doesn’t promote wrong thoughts/ideals, and then also listen to the worship/praise type of music. In addition, I have to say I disagree with Agent Tim: the genre of music is not important, it’s what they’re saying in the song that is.

  • As a youth pastor I deal with this issue all the time. My students consistently say that it doesn’t effect them to listen to the music of their choice because they know what is Christian and what is not. There are several reasons why this thinking is wrong that I will not go into here.

    My real concern as shared by others is that many Christians are seeing the world through a shade of gray these days and it seems difficult for them to truly recognize what is honoring to God. I believe one of the main reasons that the Christian Church in America is losing ground is because we have lost our moral authority. There is too large a gap between what we preach and what we do and this is very evident in the type of media we allow to influence our lives. Especially music and television.

    Those on the outside of the church are very aware of this fact as they are not challenged to change by a lifestyle that is all too similar to their own.

    One final note… I believe that we in the church spend far too much time arguing over what style or genre of music is appropriate for worship or even entertainment. Instead we should place value on the heart of the artist, the lifestyle they live, the words of their music, and the object of their faith.

    Sorry for all of the rambling! Hope everyone has a great day.

  • Its amazing to hear teens say, “this music I listen to isn’t edifying….but hey, at least it doesn’t affect my life!” The thing is, it does affect their lives, even if they don’t at first realize it. God says to guard our hears and minds from evil becasue what we hear and see affects what we say and do.

    Great comic! God Bless

  • I believe that while yes, those who do think that by listening to something that gives a shout out to God, that they are a christian person and that is wrong. I do not agree with the overal message. People who have heard of Eminem know very well that he is not a person to listen to if you want clean music. But some of his songs have gotten me through some tough sitiuations, simply by calming me down and and making me more relaxed.

  • Ha! This was funny! That scripture at the end was pretty hard-hitting. It’s amazing how God’s word can demolish the most carefully crafted arguments.

  • thanx for that i needed the reminder! i used to think that the only way we could reach the world was being like the world. is that true? can Christians only make non-believers listen if they sing (scream) Christian lyrics? what do you think? my mom said that Jesus didnt act like to world becuase people wanted to have something different. but Paul said he became like the Gentiles to reach the Gentiles….i am just not sure. anyways i dont like all that noise in the background when i am listening to music….

    thanks again!
    Shine your Light and let the whole world see,
    Julie

  • Ya. My friend and I had been listening to a supposable Christian band, but they mentioned nothing about Christ or anything. I told my frind that and she just laughed. She told me that if they were classified as a Christian band on iTunes then they were an okay band. I just stopped there. If she cannot tell what a real Christian band is like then she’s missin out.

  • The comic strip is a nice way to get word out! (make that great). Music is a wonderful gift from God but a lot of people mess with it to send out awful messages and teens sing them because the tune is nice, even if the lyrics are horrible. It doesn’t help that the radio blares those kinds of songs out too.

  • Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks

  • Thanks for representing the trees. Trees are great teachers of patience and acceptance.I am so greatfull for trees because of the way they demonstrate generosity and unconditional loving by constantly transmitting sunlight energy into clean air for all animals to breathe , and purify the water for us to drink.

rebelling against low expectations

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