rebelling against low expectations
I was the teenager reading Christian books about modesty, purity, and relationships. I often read my favorite books over and over again. I loved learning and striving to understand God’s design for my life as a Christian girl. I wore the purity ring. I read I Kissed Dating Goodbye. I saved sex for marriage. I saved my first kiss for my wedding day. I was that girl. Fast forward to today, and I...
She sat across from me, clutching the coffee mug tightly in her hands. This was supposed to be a normal conversation in a café, yet quickly became anything but. As her words and then tears began to trickle and then gush out, I quickly came to sit beside her, letting the torrential rain of hurt and grief flow out. When the storm had slowed, she looked at me with broken eyes. Her hurt is not mine...
Editor’s Note: Here at TheReb we’re all about encouraging young people to do hard things and take their faith seriously. But sometimes, its good to have a little fun. One of our editors recently shared how we shouldn’t be ashamed of being sheltered, and one thing many ‘sheltered’ homeschoolers have in common is their love for the show, VeggieTales, an animated series...
Have you ever been called sheltered? Have you ever had someone make fun of you for being innocent? I have. Words like “sheltered” or “innocent” can cause a quick burst of shame to slither down your spine, and make you feel less-than or not-enough. After all, we live in a culture that exalts the street-smart and world-wise, the ones who have gone around the proverbial block of life and come out...
Do you ever wonder why there’s so much drama surrounding relationships? Ever since the days of Adam and Eve, people have managed to fall in love, marry, and make things work. It shouldn’t be that complicated, right? After all, God knows who we’re supposed to marry. Can’t he work out all the logistics? Nevertheless, in the “crushing” stage of relationships, we tend to do dumb stuff that causes...
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.” (Psalm 146:3) People often talk about marriage as if that is the highest goal in life. As if once you are joined with another soul you are finally complete. As if trusting fully in another person is the greatest thing to pursue. A few weeks ago, I went to a conference that radically challenged me in my...
He had everything going for him. A sophomore at a small Bible college in the hills of eastern Kentucky, a bass in the men’s quartet that the college sent out to travel, a disk jockey at the Christian radio station right next to the school… what more could he want? Having just finished a very anointed and Spirit-filled tour of churches and camps throughout the eastern U.S. with the quartet, he was...
I’ve got a question for you guys: Is it possible for young men to get through their teen years free from lust? Or what about this: Is it possible for a young man to find such a deep level of freedom that if he saw an immodestly dressed woman getting harassed on the street, he would be able to help her without lusting or would it be too much of a temptation? Or maybe he should run away, since...
“Help! Evil thoughts keep rising up and attacking me! I can’t stop it!” Does this ever describe how you feel? Do unwanted thoughts keep popping into your mind no matter how hard you resist them? Welcome to the club. Just about everybody can identify with you, to some degree or another. Whether it is sexual temptations, lies about identity, hatred toward others or self, ill-will toward...
I met Ann Voskamp at Patrick Henry College in September of 2011. She was there for a public interview with Marvin Olasky for WORLD Magazine and the coffee shop crowd was overflowing into the lobby. We all strained to hear the soft-spoken words of this homeschooling mother of six, this gentle wordsmith, who was championing gratitude for even the smallest of God’s good gifts. After the...
rebelling against low expectations
