rebelling against low expectations
Two Thursdays ago, eight Christian students were killed for their faith in a college campus shooting. When I read about that tragic event in the headlines later, I realized that what surprised me the most was not that a gunman invaded the campus that morning. Certainly, that was an awful thing to do. But I was more surprised that in the face of certain death, there were still eight students who...
This post is part of a series of articles asking and thinking deeply about hard questions. For more information about the series and where I’m coming from you can read the introduction. The Holy Spirit is one of the most controversial aspects within Christianity. Even great men disagree about the Holy Spirit, so I definitely do not claim to have a complete answer. However, this will not...
This is the introduction to a series of articles asking and processing through hard questions. I would love for you to join me as I process and discuss questions I have wrestled with. Please feel free to ask any questions of your own either in the comments below or on the Discussion side of the website. The Rebelution is where teenagers rebel against low expectations, dreaming and pursing the...
Last fall, I had to make a decision. Being the first year after my Mom’s fatal car accident made 2013 one of the toughest years of my life, as you could imagine. When grieving loss such as the death of a loved one, or even a lost career, a divorce, a cross-country move, chronic or terminal illness or any kind of major loss or change, the regular pains of life intensify. Last year my family and I...
“I just feel so dead. I am so torn up inside. Worthless. Believing lies [and] feeling incapable of believing truth. But I just have to. I am desperate. Angry. I need God yet I feel extremely angry at God. I feel hopeless. This battle never ends. I just want to die.” I penned these words in my journal not two years ago, not nine months ago, but yesterday and they expressed what I wanted to scream...
Early this summer I was challenged and encouraged by the book, “David: Man of Prayer, Man of War” written by Walter Chantry. I stumbled back across the following excerpt (one of many) while reading through my journals from that period, and realized how helpful it could be to rebelutionaries. As we all attempt to serve God with our lives it is necessary to remind ourselves who is...
After reading my last post, my mother ran to grab “Deserted by God” by Sinclair Ferguson and read the following excerpt to me (pp. 14-17). I love his emphasis on all of us needing “long-term help”—not a quick-fix; the importance of God’s word in overcoming spiritual dryness; and the story he shares about Martin Luther’s wife (from which I drew the post title)...
In his book, The Glory of Christ, Peter Lewis shares a story told by a pastor he heard preach in Wales. When the pastor was about twelve he idolized a local rugby player. He literally papered the walls of his bedroom with newspaper clippings and photos, and loved to talk about the athlete’s exploits on the field. The pastor shared: Then, when I was about 14-years-old, I got to know my hero...
“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Mark 1:16-18 I read in Mark chapter one this morning, where Jesus calls the first of His disciples, and it struck...
The following is excerpted from our big brother Josh’s book, Boy Meets Girl. Why the Cross? Because sinners have no other hope. Why the Cross? Because it is the unassailable proof that we can be forgiven. Let’s gaze on it together. As we draw close, don’t assume that you already know or understand what happened there. Come to the Cross as if for the first time. In the book When...
rebelling against low expectations
