The Gospel

Do Hard Things and The Rebeloution

I don't know about you, but for me I am really tired of hearing people say things like "your a teen, don't worry about it."  "After twelve your brain restarts and you go back to the age of two." "I am so proud of you all for being here instead of out smoking weed." or "I expect you guys to be mature and put your plates in the trash." Really? Adults are just glad that we aren't doing anything bad, other than that, their highest expectation is that we put our plates in the trash! That's how our world sees us teens. Because of the low expectation levels around us, teens have in turn lowered their standard of performance which causes adults to assume they are asking to much and lower expectations even more.This is the vicious and unending cycle that is has driven our generation to the level it is at today. The good news is that there is a another way to live our teen years.

Alex and Brett Harris present that different way in their book "Do Hard Things" The idea is a rebellion against low expectations. They call it " The Rebelution."

"In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 the apostle Paul writes, 'Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.' (NIV) We are convinced that the teen years are the primary time God has given to us for 'strict training.' "

"This is what we call the Rebelution: Throwing off the shackles of  lies and low expectations and returning our generation to a true and very exciting understanding of the teen years- not as a vacation from responsibility but as a launching pad for the rest of our lives."

This is the mentality that we should have, especially as Christians. We should daily as ourselves-

" What hard thing can I do today that will have an eternal impact for the sake of the gospel?" 

Just imagine that you took this charge and call to heart. Imagine what could happen if each of us took up the banner of the Rebelution for the glory of God in our circle of friends.

" Is it enough to be know for the things we DONT do, or should we also be known for the positive and difficult things that we DO? We must go beyond simply avoiding bad stuff...  We're supposed to pursue righteousness in a way that others will want to imitate..."

THIS IS OUR CHARGE AND CALLING!!!

" We are change makers who influence our world both by fighting against sin, suffering and decay, and by fighting for truth and justice. "

"We are commissioned not just to love God and His Word but to radically impact our world with life and truth."

William Pitt, the youngest Prime Minister, once said  "We're to young to know certain things are impossible, so we will do them anyway!" Let this be your spirit! And go Do Hard Things!

Disclaimer:I received this book for free from the Publisher for this review, every opinion expressed here in is 100% my own.
 

This is War

To Be Perfectly Honest

Written in a diary form, To Be Perfectly Honest is an account of Phil Callaway's attempt to say nothing but the truth for 365 days. The basic purpose was to be a humorous but challenging book on telling the truth. The concept behind this book is a good one. Honesty is a lost character today, because most people believe that truth is relative. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and written about, but I don't think the mission was accomplished in this book. Being 100% honest ALL the time is a big challenge and it makes sense that  Mr. Callaway spent a lot of the book recounted his failures.
Though I was not extremely impressed with this book I would still encourage you to watch this video.

About the Author

Phil Callaway is an award-winning author known worldwide for his humorous yet perceptive look at life. He is president of Laugh and Learn, Inc., and the author of twenty books, including Laughing Matters and Family Squeeze. Callaway is a wildly popular speaker who keeps being asked to appear at churches, couples’ nights out, healthcare conventions, and corporate events. He also is a repeat guest on national radio and television shows. Phil and his wife, Ramona, have three grown children.