rebelling against low expectations
It started with two teenagers and a vision to see young people take a stand against low expectations. Then a blog was born. The rebelutionary movement caught fire, the blog turned into a book, and an army of young rebels raised their hands eager to do hard things one faithful step at a time. But the movement hasn’t survived on its own. We’ve been joined and rallied around by another army on the...
Seventeen year old Emma Burkholder is facing a hard thing few teens ever have to face. Emma’s mom, Jennifer Burkholder–who is paralyzed from the waist down due to a car accident when she was 18–has recently been diagnosed with 2 types of breast cancer. This is obviously both a major emotional and financial toll on the family and in an effort to help out, Emma has chosen to...
Do you have a younger sibling? As a middle child, I know what it’s like on both sides. To have an older sister who, more often than not, drives me crazy, and to have to deal with someone who I often wish I could knock some sense into. Since I know what it’s like on both ends of the spectrum, I wanted share one of the very important things I’ve learned. We, as big sisters and brothers, have...
“It’s like you’d rather be with your friends instead of your family.” Ouch. When my mom said this to me, I immediately switched into defense mode, ready to justify my actions. But could I? If I was honest, what would I say? Were my friends a greater priority? Would I trade time with my family for time with my friends Did I really turn my brothers away so I could text my friends? Did I ignore my...
When you see me, do you see what God sees? Or what the world tells you to see? Do you see me as a face in the crowd or as one of God’s children? Can you see me trying to turn away from temptation and sin when I feel like I’m being pulled in every direction? Do you see my struggle to live for the glory of God, when society keeps telling me to live for the glory of myself? I feel as though often we...
I was listening to a podcast interview with a famous YouTuber. As he shared his personal story and childhood in a matter of fact way, both of the hosts were in shock. Even the YouTuber’s emotional detachment from his to-the-point narrative style could not hide the trauma. “Wait, you mean your step-dad almost killed you and your mom?” the host asked at one point. The YouTuber...
As teens, we go through many emotional journeys. Heartbreak, stress from school, and just being a teenager. However, the older I get, the more I realize that we often forget to keep in touch with our parents. I am sure many of us have been told more than once to get off our devices and be more social. Lots of teens probably feel more comfortable with talking through their devices rather than...
“I hate you!” “What’s the big deal?” “Stop bossing me around.” “Get out of my face!” “If I could, I would report you to the Child Abuse Prevention Association.” “Why can’t you be like other parents?” “I don’t need you.” “Why don’t you just die?!” Have you ever harbored those thoughts before? (Maybe...
rebelling against low expectations
