rebelling against low expectations
None of us are strangers to feeling outside. I’m a military daughter, I’ve moved from one coast of the country to another; so I know what it’s like to walk into a room full of pre-existing circles—circles that you aren’t in. Alienation isn’t a new experience for any of us, nor an unusual one, but there is one experience I’ve had that I think encapsulates it. It was a large Christian event...
“Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the Great Lion.” “Ooh!” said Susan… “Is he—quite safe?” “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver…“Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” — The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe I think we often echo Susan, asking if our God is harmless. Because we would like a Coke...
I’m a happy ending kind of person. My favorite stories end with everyone cheering, quite possibly a dance number, and every bit of the plot tied up in a pretty little bow. Everything turns out right, everyone gets what they wanted (except the villain, of course), and everyone is completely happy. We defeat the evil, all the colors turn brighter, and the boy and girl protagonists smile as they...
When you have a four-year old brother, your entertainment options become quite narrow–and very repeated. The chosen show changes every few months, and some picks endure the repeated use better than others. The old Disney classics lie on one end of that spectrum, while most bright, loud, obnoxious toddler shows are banished to the absolute other. Fortunately for me, the current chosen show...
Have you ever felt like life was leaving you behind? We see so many stories of Rebelutionaries seeking after God, doing hard things, and changing the world. It’s amazing to see the work other young people are doing. Writing books. Graduating college early. Starting ministries. Starting businesses. All of those are good and beautiful and amazing, and we applaud and rejoice with each of them. But...
At risk of repeating the obvious: We’re living in the internet age. We communicate through emojis, learn through videos, and relate through pictures. We have surmounted the limitations of space, breaking her hold on us, as we can now communicate just as easily with those who live across the country as with those who live across the street. But we’re not just inhabitants of the...
I rather like Peter. I know he’s Jewish, but in my head I like to picture him as a burly redhead, unruly hair spiraling in every which direction (yes, there’s no way he actually looked like that, but still…). Practical, to-the-point Peter. First to speak, first to jump into things, though never first thinking about it. But he’s not afraid of questions. So it’s no surprise that he was the...
I paused as I read the post. It asked, “How do you describe a Christian? I’m asking because I think I have a different definition than many of you.” I clicked to see the comments, morbidly convinced I was about to witness a full-out brawl between different denominations, or the putting forth and praising of strange cult-like beliefs. But there wasn’t. Each person described what...
Do you know where the Christmas story begins? Because often, we start in the wrong place. Our advent calendars will start out with “And it came to pass in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1) But that’s not really the beginning. Some may even start earlier in Luke 1, opening with an aged Zechariah, and the birth of John the...
Do you know the land most people avoid, the realm that many fear? We whisper its name with hushed breath, we build tall walls around our homes to keep it away. The Unknown. That strange land, of which we’ve heard rumors of great mountains and valleys, bustling cities and quiet streams, but such mist lies over it that we doubt their existence. Because we fear change. We fear difference. We fear...
rebelling against low expectations
