rebelling against low expectations
Best of the Reb Rewind: To celebrate the past 19 years of the Reb, we’re republishing a selection of the very best articles throughout the years. Enjoy these throwbacks as we travel back in time to when it all began. Teens want our Christianity to be alive. We live in a world full of bright explosions, flipping numbers, and urgent calls from everywhere. There is so much to do, so we want...
I have always hated change. Always. That’s what happens when most of the changes you experience growing up are negative, when you try so hard to be able to control the things you can because life feels uncontrollable, and when you just wish a few things could be permanent. From four stressful moves in two years, to a different actor playing a character on a TV show I watch, change bothers me. I...
Many articles have been written on the particulars of the Deconstruction phenomenon, which is intricately linked with so-called Progressive Christianity. It seems that discussing Deconstruction from the standpoint of the details of its process and the symptoms it creates (e.g., leaving the church, affirming sexual perversity, denying basic gender categories, etc.) has been exhaustively covered. I...
I can see the promised land, though there’s pain within Your plan. The opening lyrics to one of my favorite songs (Every Giant Will Fall, by Rend Collective) is a powerful message to the hope of Heaven. The promised land is ahead. Yet woven in God’s plan is something we do not enjoy–and often don’t count on–suffering. The pain of life on earth frequently overshadows the hope of Heaven in our...
Whenever I sit down at my desk to write, I face a sudden and intense battle. Accusations flock to my mind; I imagine the miserable sentences I may cough up on the page; I watch my readers’ eyes rolling, or worse, scanning through my work only to turn the page or click the next link after a few seconds. My courage withers and falters among these intrusive thoughts. They wring my creativity dry;...
“Where are You, God?” Tear-stained cheeks and a heart, with only a faint whisper of hope left, accompanied these words. I had said them so many times, but it didn’t seem like I was getting any answers. I felt trapped in a world of depression and loneliness—despite having more supportive family and friends than a girl could ask for. It wasn’t like when my extroverted mind went crazy because I...
When I was twelve, I vividly remember creating the armor of God at a local Vacation Bible School. Cutting out long strips of construction paper, pouring mounds of glitter, and writing in all caps with a permanent marker, my masterpiece was complete. As I made my way to my mom’s car, my best friend and I struggled to walk. The armor was stunning. Oozes of glue and sequins flaked with every...
Some Christians commit to doing the right thing some of the time; they deem certain situations as more important than others and feel a sense of duty in those situations. Some choose to do the right thing most of the time but make exceptions or excuses in situations that are highly tempting or difficult. And then some, likely a small minority, make a daily commitment to do the right thing all of...
“I’m not a sinner,” is what she told me. I can picture that moment vividly in my mind. I was sharing the gospel with a little girl in our church, and she proceeded to tell me that she was not a sinner and didn’t need God. I remember feeling as if a strong wave had crashed over me. Didn’t this little girl know what she was saying? Most kids I share the gospel with are very receptive…...
Have you ever felt like you were slipping out of Christ’s grasp? That your sin and struggles would push away His love for you and dry up His mercies once and for all? It is easy for my mind to slip into thinking these untrue and unbiblical beliefs, and it’s a depressing and miserable place to be. I often need to remember that when Christ saved me from sin and death, it was not a temporary fix but...
rebelling against low expectations
