rebelling against low expectations
My friendship with Sara Barratt is 100% virtual. We’ve never talked over coffee or met up at a conference or worshiped together in church. I met Sara in the Young Writer’s Workshop—a place where everyone shares a thrill for stories, words, articles, novels, and poems. Together, we write them. But as time unfolded and the YDubs community grew, I found more in Sara than a teenager who doodles words...
Hey, you—dude in Vans and denim, brushing paint across canvas and concrete—I want to talk to you. You—the girl sipping coffee, spinning stories across your laptop screen—listen up. Teen brimming with inspiration, searching for outlets to spill yourself—let me enter your world and offer a hand. Because you and I have something in common: We’re kindled by the passion to create. We’re who culture...
I was born into a culture that coddles teenagers, so I forget that many of the people God used for his purposes were my age. Daniel was a youth when Nebuchadnezzar captured him. His three friends–Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–were likely teenagers when they refused to exalt the king’s idol. I’m eighteen and I’ve never been kidnapped. I’ve never been forced to defy my God. I’ve never...
When we’re caught up in Rebelutionary living and striving to do big, hard, risky things, it’s easy to forget the why. Why leave our comfort zones? Why live radically? Why do hard things? Because Jesus breathed life into our dead souls (John 5:24) and calls us to live for his glory (1 Corinthians 15:49). This gospel characterizes the Rebelutionary. It breeds radical intentionality. In a lazy...
“What are your plans after high school?” By now, you think I would have a solid answer. “Well, I want to write. Maybe take some online classes or find a mentor. I’ve researched different degrees and programs but haven’t picked any. I want to keep serving in my church too. And it’d be fun to learn a language…” The short answer? “No clue. Get back to me in five years.” Is It Okay Not to Know? I’m...
If my generation woke up, we’d realize we’re being treated like babies. The world is coddling us with low expectations, stroking our flesh and rocking us into lethargy. We’re being spoon-fed the tasty lies that we don’t need to act. We don’t need to try. We don’t need to slap ourselves awake. God is saying something different. Jesus is demanding us to wake up (Matt. 24:42), sober up (1 Thess...
It’s usually easy to live as a set-apart Christian teen on Sunday morning. We’re quick to conquer the church checklist: Wake up. Read Scripture. Go to church. Read more Scripture. Listen to a sermon. Talk to Christian friends (usually about Scripture). Check. Check. Check. But between the church doors and the safety of home, something happens. We’re assaulted by our culture. Singing Christ’s...
I remember the feeling I had when I finished reading Alex and Brett Harris’ book. Do Hard Things had sparked a passion to reach farther, snap expectations, and live my teen years to their fullest potential. I was armed with invaluable encouragement and ready to step out and conquer. But something seemed to stand in my way. Life. How could I raise money for orphans, jumpstart a business, and...
rebelling against low expectations
