rebelling against low expectations
Have you ever seen a ship battle a storm? I know it feels like we’re weathering our own storm right now, but I want to focus on another aspect to storms. I’ve always wondered what a sailor would feel in the face of a storm at sea. Once, I heard a sailor remark, “In a storm, what you really hope for is that no one building the ship took any shortcuts.” That left me thinking. How often do we take...
I’m in an interesting phase of my life where I’m not doing anything big or exciting. My weekdays consist of waking up (always good), doing my morning routine, completing my schoolwork for the day, having dinner with my family, going to sleep (another great activity), and doing it all over again. This is so monotonous to me. I’m the type of person that loves spontaneity. Thankfully, my parents...
Are you a dreamer? I’ve noticed a lot of Rebelutionaries tend to be dreamers. Crazy dreamers. We passionately come up with projects and ideas totally ridiculous for a teenager to realistically accomplish. Sometimes, we realize that reality and give up on our dreams. Yet a lot of the time—often because of our ignorance—we dive right in and go for it anyway. Sometimes we fall flat on our face. But...
I live in a country where I am not persecuted for my faith. I can read my Bible in public, pray wherever I want to, and talk about my faith to anyone. Worst case scenario: someone gives me a strange look. Chances are, your country is the same. You probably live in a country that has religious freedom. You can probably worship God wherever and whenever you want to. If that is the case, then this...
This last December, I participated in perhaps the craziest ministry outreach ever. I work with an inner-city children’s ministry, and we ran two major Christmas events over one weekend, telling hundreds of kids and their families about Jesus and giving them all Christmas presents. Our final event on Sunday involved busing in dozens of kids to our church partner that had been collecting special...
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). When you do something, who’s getting the glory? When people watch your actions and listen to your words, is their admiration directed towards you or to your Heavenly Father? “All the glory to God.” I speak, read, and pray these words often. Since God has saved us, what can...
What is God’s plan for my life? I believe that is a question every teen has asked him or herself. What does God want me to do? This job or that job? Should I go to college? Yes? No? What should I study? The decisions a teen has to make can seem overwhelming. In the time we are living in there are a seemingly unending amount of offers. University. Gap year. Online courses. If you think about it...
When I was a kid, it was not uncommon for me to go to the grocery store with my mom dressed up as Jesus. My Jesus costume was one of my favorites, but my Batman costume was pretty good too. This costumed-shopping was a weekly or bi-weekly routine: I would find a new picture or see a new character on a show that I just had to become. Tunnel vision would set in. This was the guy. I would excitedly...
I recently went to an evangelizing camp. Our church annually organizes this event where older teens can share the gospel with underprivileged children. This was my fourth camp, so I thought I had enough experience to handle pretty much anything that could happen. I was proudly convinced of my own skills. And I determined to rely on my experience and capabilities to influence “my” children. When...
Everyone has a story. As a Christian, many would call it your testimony. Your testimony is the story of being born a sinful human and God coming into your mess, rescuing you when you give your life to Him. If you have been saved by Jesus, you have a testimony. However, what some people sometimes forget is that your testimony doesn’t end with being saved. That’s just the beginning. Your testimony...
rebelling against low expectations
