Watch the replay here.

The post Saying Goodbye to the Reb: The End of a Chapter, But Not the End of the Movement — WEBCAST REPLAY appeared first on The Rebelution.

“It was September of 2023, and my family was undergoing a crisis. Our church family had stepped away and our extended family lived too far away to be able to do anything to help. So, my family and I struggled through the challenge leaning on one another and our faith for strength. Because of the struggle, God put it on my heart to write about my family’s experience. I didn’t know what I was doing or if my writing would ever see the light of day, but I diligently continued week after week, trusting that if God was really putting this on my heart, He would find a way to use it. This was the first time I ever undertook to write something so precious to me and the more I wrote, the more passion I got for writing about my experience. I had been at the Young Writers Workshop for some time at that point and I would regularly see other writers in the community talking about publishing on the Rebelution. I did not know what that was, so one day I decided to check it out. I spent a whole afternoon reading articles and scouring the blog. I could not believe that the writing I was reading had been written by teens! Almost immediately I knew I wanted my writing to be on the Reb, and by God’s grace, my article was published in honor of Veteran’s Day last year. I am so thankful for the Reb because it really impacted my life, giving me a voice when I felt I had none, and providing me with encouragement. It also gave me the confidence to prepare to launch my own blog (We Signed Up Too) with my sister next year! Even though the Reb won’t be posting any more articles, I know that it will continue to impact my, and countless other teens’ lives, for years to come. THANK YOU!” – Sinaiyah Emami

“The book Do Hard Things is truly one of the most impactful books I have ever read. It completely changed my outlook on life. It taught me why hard things happen and how I should respond to them. It showed me that I should embrace hard things and face them head on, and sometimes, choose to do hard things because they’re hard. This has caused me to live the past few years of my life with more intention and more focus on what really matters. To be in the mindset of doing hard things for the glory of God truly has given me the freedom of knowing that my life has a purpose, and that purpose is to live boldly for Christ. I am so grateful to Alex and Brett for sharing their story and outlook, and to all of you rebelutionaries out there who are doing small (and big!) hard things every single day. The Rebelution as a platform has made a wonderful impact on my life as an encouraging place to learn new things and hear other perspectives on how to tackle the things of this world. I am sad that this season is coming to a close. But as I learned from Brett himself, life has many seasons, and sometimes moving into a new season of life can bring fantastic growth that you never expected. I think that every person should read Do Hard Things, and I will continue to share its message with the people around me as I continue to pursue hard things for the glory of God, all the days He has planned for me. Thank you to Brett, Alex, Sara, every person who has published an article on TheReb, and every rebelutionary, for your time and perseverance in doing hard things. Never stop.” – Madeline Grace

“My mom gave me the Do Hard Things book about 5 months ago and I discovered the website about a month later. This book has changed my life in such an amazing way and has inspired me to do more than I thought I could do. It has inspired me to try out things I would have never thought of doing on my own. Not only have I extended my limits and pushed my comfort zone in areas I found difficult, The Reb has also motivated me to improve my everyday habits. The Reb has been such an inspiration to me, and I would just like to thank everyone who contributed to the movement. I hope that this movement never dies, that it will continue for years to come, and that it will be an inspiration to more and more teens worldwide.” -Cameron Bull

“I just want to say thank you, Alex and Brett, for your faithfulness. Your message has blessed me throughout my life. I am 31 now, but I first heard of your message when I was a teenager. Your books impacted the course of my life in a massive way. They challenged and blessed me and encouraged me to always do my best for Jesus and make my life count. I believe it was the message of Do Hard Things which led me to Bible College. I am now privileged to be a youth pastor and try to pass on the same enthusiasm for Jesus to these young people. To this day I remember the message of doing hard things, and with God’s strength, press on and accept new challenges that come my way. Once again, thank you, and God bless you.” – Natalie

The post Rebelutionary Testimonials: Part 8 appeared first on The Rebelution.

The trained elephant of India is a perfect picture of the power of psychological captivity.

Tamed and utilized for its enormous strength, the great beast stands nearly 10 feet tall and weighs up to 5 tons when fully grown.

Its tasks may include uprooting full-grown trees, hauling great boulders, and carrying enormous loads on its shoulders.

And yet, when the day’s work is done and this powerful beast must be kept from wandering off during the night, its owner simply takes a piece of twine, attaches it to a small branch embedded in the ground, and ties it around the elephant’s right hind leg.

Reason dictates that the elephant can easily snap the twine or pull the twig from ground, and yet the owner does not worry, fully confident that when morning comes he will find the animal exactly where he left him. And he does.

I’ll admit that upon first hearing of this practice, I couldn’t decide which was harder to believe: that the owner was confident, or that his confidence proved justified.

A beast that can uproot trees is suddenly unable to pull up a twig? What is it about the piece of twine and the small branch that allows them to subdue all of the elephant’s power?

I soon discovered that it had little to do with the twine around the elephant’s ankle, and everything to do with invisible shackles around its mind.

My contention is simple: The young adults of our generation are the elephant.

Our twine is the 20th century concept of adolescence.

Our twig is societal expectations.

We stand restrained as a hurting world burns around us. Yet our twine and twig are of a recent origin.

Young adults of the past were not so encumbered.

David Farragut, the U.S. Navy’s first admiral, became a midshipman on the warship Essex at the age of 10.

At the age of 12, a mere boy by modern standards, Farragut was given command of his first ship, sailing a capture vessel, crew, and prisoners, back to the U.S. after a successful battle.

Young David was given responsibility at an early age, and he rose to the occasion.

The father of our country, George Washington, though never thought to be particularly bright by his peers, began to master geometry, trigonometry, and surveying when he would have been a 5th or 6th grader in our day and ceased his formal education at 14 years of age.

At the age of 16 he was named official surveyor for Culpepper County, Virginia.

For the next three years, Washington earned nearly $100,000 a year (in modern purchasing power).

By the age of 21, he had leveraged his knowledge of the surrounding land, along with his income, to acquire 2,300 acres of prime Virginian land.

These examples astound us in our day and age, but this is because we view life through an extra social category called ‘adolescence’, a category that would have been completely foreign to men and women just 100 years ago.

Prior to the late 1800s there were only 3 categories of age: childhood, adulthood, and old age.

It was only with the coming of the early labor movement with its progressive child labor laws, coupled with new compulsory schooling laws, that a new category, called adolescence, was invented.

Coined by G. Stanley Hall, who is often considered the father of American psychology, ‘adolescence’ identified the artificial zone between childhood and adulthood when young people ceased to be children, but were no longer permitted by law to assume the normal responsibilities of adulthood, such as entering into a trade or finding gainful employment.

Consequently, marriage and family had to be delayed as well, and so we invented ‘the teenager’, an unfortunate creature who had all the yearnings and capabilities of an adult, but none of the freedoms or responsibilities.

Teenage life became a 4-year sentence of continuing primary education and relative idleness known as ‘high school’ (four years of schooling which would later be repeated in the first two years of college).

Abolished by law were the young Farraguts and young Washingtons, who couldn’t spare the time to be children any longer than necessary. Cultivated instead was the culture we know today, where young people are allowed, encouraged, and even forced to remain quasi-children for much longer than necessary.

The effect of this seismic shift in America’s philosophy of education is not limited to students in the public schools.

As homeschoolers we may feel as though we have escaped the danger, but an honest evaluation proves that, as a whole, we also fall short of realizing our potential.

After reading the examples of great men of our country’s past, we should recognize that there is no reason why a 13 to 18 year old cannot behave as a responsible adult.

History proves it is possible.

Diverse cultures confirm its validity.

The only thing holding young people back in America today is the twine of this perpetual recess called adolescence and the twig of lowered social expectations.

We expect immaturity and irresponsibility, from ourselves and from one another, and that is exactly what we get.

Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I wrote of the great elephants of India, who, although they have the physical capacity to uproot trees during the day, can be restrained all night long by a piece of twine and a twig. How is this possible?

The elephant’s training begins when it is still young and considerably less powerful. Removed from its mother, the elephant is then shackled with an iron chain to a large tree. For days and weeks on end, the baby elephant strains against its restraints, only to find that all exertion is useless. Then slowly, over a period of several weeks, sometimes months, smaller chains and smaller trees are used. Eventually, you can use a piece of twine and a small branch, and the great beast will not budge. Its mind is fully committed to the idea that it cannot go anywhere when there is something around its right hind leg.

And so I ask my generation, individually and corporately, “What is holding us back?” History demonstrates that we are far more capable than we think we are. Our failure to realize substantial achievement at early ages is due, not to any innate inadequacies on our part, but rather to our social conditioning. American society, with its media-saturated youth culture, not only follows trends and fads, but it creates them. Classrooms, TV shows, magazines, and websites, are not only addressing us at the level of social expectations, but they are in fact dictating those expectations. They tell us how to act, think, and talk; they tell us what to wear, what to buy, and where to buy it; they tell us what to dream, what to value, and what to hate. We are being squeezed into a mold where there is no room for Christian character or competence. And as the famous proverb goes, “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

In what could be considered the most maddening aspect of this crisis, not all areas of maturity are being stunted. In a powerful demonstration of teenagers’ ability to meet the expectations set before them, we witness young people today reaching unprecedented levels of technological proficiency and sexual experience. It is ironic that many teenagers, while fluent in multiple computer languages, are not expected to carry on an intelligent conversation with an adult. It is heartbreaking that so many young girls, while constantly pressed to become more and more sexually alluring, are not expected to attain any notable level of character beneath the surface.

Our world cannot last another generation of Christian young people who fit in. The shackles of society are on our minds and hearts, not our ankles. We are held back only by the myth of adolescence and the lies of social expectations. If we would only recognize that our restraints are illusory, and then let God’s Word and all of history govern our sense of what we are capable of, we would be a force this world could no longer ignore.

We face a crisis and an opportunity. A crisis, in the sense that we can no longer afford to slowly drift towards adulthood, viewing the teen years as a vacation from responsibility, and an opportunity, in the sense that we can embrace life now and make a difference for the glory of God, and for the good our family, our nation, and our world. Look down at your “ankle” and see the pathetic contrivance that has been restraining you. Now renew your mind in the light of God’s Word and take a step forward.

The post Myth of Adolescence (Parts 1 & 2) appeared first on The Rebelution.

“As the daughter of a pastor, I’ve been exposed to ministry life and the gospel my whole life. My parents have been a wonderful testimony in my life, and I believe I was saved at a young age, but I didn’t have the best relationship with God. That’s when I read Do Hard Things and started reading articles from the Reb. Since then, I’ve read my bible more, have had spiritual conversations with both believers and unbelievers, and have grown in my love for God. The Reb has helped me so much, and I am so grateful for the people who serve the Lord in this way!” – Suzie Sanderson

“A couple years ago I read Do Hard Things. It encouraged me that I didn’t need to stop at meeting expectations that are put upon me, but that I can exceed expectations. I have even noticed how low expectations for teenagers mean that when I ask adults interesting questions and care about them, they feel more encouraged than if they had expected thoughtful conversation. I have also loved all the articles that I have read, and they have hugely encouraged me. I was sad to see TheReb close, but I will continue to come back and look for articles, and I am praising God for what has been done so far. Thanks to all those who contributed to this amazing website!” – Mia

“Doing Hard Things is harder when you feel like you’re doing them by yourself. The biggest thing I’ve gotten from Do Hard Things and the Rebelution is a sense of community. (Let’s go, YDubbers!) In a way, I’ve always been Doing Hard Things, because I was raised to have high expectations for myself. But getting involved with the Rebelution has shown me that not only can I Do Hard Things, but that there are teens all over the world who are doing them as well–and they’re all working for the glory of God, who sees all things, big and small. Now I can say with confidence that God doesn’t care how old you are or what you can do, but about what He can do in you.” – Anna

“When I first found the Rebelution I was looking for a good Christian teen book to read and Do Hard Things came up. I read that one and really liked it. Then I read Start Here and that gave me even more encouragement to be a Christian leader even though I was twelve at the time. Soon after I looked up the Rebelution website and found the podcasts too. I have listened to all of those now. I have shared several articles with friends, and they have appreciated it too. The Rebelution has helped me solve so many problems and get through hard times. I am very grateful to everyone at the Reb.” – Ezekiel

“I’ve never felt comfortable preaching or teaching on a stage or being in front of people, but I have learned that the Lord has given me a gift for writing. The Reb has been a resource where I’ve been able to use that gift. I’ve written fifteen articles that have been published by the Reb, since 2016. It’s been a place where I can use my gift to encourage others for the glory of God. It has been such a gift to me; always has had such a special place in my heart. I’m so sad the website will be closing, but I’m so thankful for the impact it has had on my life the past eight years.” – Kelsey Kaleb

The post Rebelutionary Testimonials: Part 7 appeared first on The Rebelution.

The Vikings were fierce pirates and warriors who terrorized Europe from the late 700’s to about A.D. 1100. Brutal and fearsome they looted and burned parts of England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, and Spain. Other Europeans were so frightened of the Vikings that a special prayer for protection was offered in the churches: “God, deliver us from the fury of the Northmen.”

Most historians attribute the Vikings devastating effectiveness to their warships, which were swift and light and could be easily dragged ashore. This allowed them to strike suddenly and then quickly retreat to the safety of the sea. However, my wise father has identified another contributing factor—one that holds incredible significance for all of us: The Vikings rowed themselves to battle.

Unlike the Romans, who used galley slaves to row their great warships, the Vikings took full responsibility for this strenuous activity. This tells us two things: 1) the Vikings didn’t feel that rowing was beneath them—they pursued competence in every area pertaining to their success, and 2) they were seriously ripped. No wonder the people of Europe were afraid of these guys—their muscles were moving twenty-ton boats through the water!

Here’s The Rebelution’s challenge: Do hard things. Learn a lesson from the Vikings. Do hard things and you will carry the battle every time. If you are willing to take on responsibilities that others delegate or neglect you will gain the benefits of that exertion.

Too often we delegate the responsibility for our education, our character, our future, etc. to others who hold far less of a stake in how things turn out. And more often than not a failure to perform in the areas of character and competence are due to a lack of past exertion.

Look around you. Many American young people are doing little more than “making it”—and this in a culture of unbelievably low standards. Few shoulder the burden of doing more than is required—yet that was the key to the Viking’s success!

In subsequent posts we will examine how we can “do hard things” by educating ourselves, tackling and maintaining normal responsibilities, and attempting the “impossible.” For now, I want you to ask yourselves the following questions:

• Am I choosing to Do Hard Things in my personal life? In my education? In the goals I set?

• Am I exceeding expectations or just getting by?

• Am I robbing myself of greater achievements because I’m unwilling to take on certain responsibilities?

The post A Lesson From The Vikings appeared first on The Rebelution.

I’m Just Not A Shower Person

I still remember my first shower. It was a horrible experience. I was eight years old and all I had ever known was baths. Baths were neat and tidy ordeals where the water flowed in from below my head and – provided I didn’t splash too much – stayed below my head.

I found showers to be an entirely different beast. The water, rather than flowing as a solid stream that was easily visible and avoidable, sprayed out as nearly invisible and unavoidable droplets that seemed to have a magnetic attraction to my eyes.

I did not ask to be promoted from Junior Bath Taker to Junior Shower Taker, but my parents had set the date for my graduation and protesting made little difference. It didn’t help that my twin brother Alex loved showers and had taken one earlier that week.

Before I could draft my formal petition, let alone get anyone to sign it, I found myself staring up at the dreadful shower head just as a brave soul stares down the barrel of his executioner’s gun.

However, once the trigger was pulled and the shower head began rumbling and hissing, my courage melted away, and I was screaming before the first drop hit me.

You see, in my mind there was no moral difference between making your child take a shower and stripping that same child naked and locking him out of the house during a thunderstorm. It was abandonment. I wasn’t a Water Nymph. I wasn’t a shower person. I was a bath person and I was happy that way.

The funny thing is that this morning, nearly ten years later, I took a shower and didn’t think twice about it. I even purposefully let the water spray on my face! It is incredible that what then seemed to be an impossible hurdle is now part of my everyday routines.

We’ve All Had “First Shower” Experiences

You probably can remember something in your own life that at the time seemed entirely beyond you. Maybe it was something as simple as tying your shoes or riding a bike without trainings wheels. Maybe it was learning to read or solving basic math problems in 2nd grade. These are things that are easy for you now, but were enormous challenges at the time.

My question for you is: What has changed? What is the difference between the enormous challenges of a child and the enormous challenges of a young adult?

What’s the difference between a difficult 2nd grade math problem for a seven-year-old and a difficult Algebra problem for a 15-year-old? Though an algebraic equation operates on a higher plateau than a double-digit multiplication problem that is compensated for by the fact that a teenager operates on a higher plateau than a child.

What’s the difference between my 12-year-old brother curling 15 pounds and me (at 17 years old) curling 35 pounds? Is it not likely that we would be equally challenged by our respective weights due to our different levels of strength?

Compare learning to dance with learning to walk. When you contrast the motor skills of baby with those of a young child you should conclude that though dancing is more complex, it is not necessarily more difficult.

As a musician I can attest to the fact that my difficult piano pieces in Level 9 were no more arduous than my difficult pieces in Level 3. The only variance was my level of skill and tolerance for practice. It is just as difficult for a seven-year-old beginner to practice “Chopsticks” for 30-minutes as it is for a music major in college to practice Lizst’s “Hungarian Rhapsody” for three hours.

If A Baby Can Do It, Why Can’t We?

With those examples in mind, I return to my question: What has changed? What is the difference between the enormous challenges of your childhood and the enormous challenges of your young adulthood?

And perhaps a more important question: What is the difference between the way you responded to those challenges as a child and how you respond to them now?

I constantly hear fellow young adults say things like, “You know, I did Algebra 1/2, but I’m just not a math person,” or “I’m a terrible speller, my brain just doesn’t work that way.” I’ve had other teens tell me, “I’m just a quiet person. I don’t like communicating much,” and “I’m such a compulsive shopper. If I see something I like I can’t help but buy it.” Or what about, “I’m just such a blonde!”

While I don’t doubt that many teens find math, spelling, communication, self-control and intelligence incredibly difficult, I find it very hard to accept that these difficulties should begin to define their personhood.

We would think it was crazy if a toddler said, “You know, I tried to get potty-trained, but I’m just not a toilet person.” But we sympathize with a fellow teenager who says that he’s “just not a people person.”

If a young child said, “I tried tying my own shoes, but my brain just doesn’t work that way,” we wouldn’t say, “That’s alright Johnny, we’ll just have someone else do it for you for the rest of your life.” But if we have trouble spelling we say, “It’s alright, I’ll just make sure I always use the spell checker.”

Low Expectations Strike Again

The fact is that as we get older we begin defining our limitations as what comes easily to us – and our rate of growth in competence and character slows and falters.

When we were children our limitations were not defined by difficulty. Our limitations were not defined by failure – even repeated failure. So what has changed? Why do babies, with inferior motor skills, reasoning ability, and general physical and mental strength, why do they have a nearly 100% success rate in overcoming their big challenges, while teenagers often falter and fail before theirs?

We Expect More of Babies Than We Do of Teens

The truth is that we are incredibly susceptible to cultural expectations and once we have satisfied our culture’s meager requirements we stop pushing ourselves.

Why does every healthy baby learn to walk while very few teenagers are sophisticated enough to have mastered the Waltz? One is expected, the other is not.

Why does every normal baby overcome communication barriers by learning to talk while very few teenagers overcome barriers between themselves and their parents by learning to communicate? One is expected, the other is not.

And why do we sympathize with the poor “non-math” teenager while we admonish the “non-toilet” six-year-old? Because using the toilet is a basic skill that is necessary for life, but unless they plan on becoming an engineer, most people never use Algebra.

We live in a culture that expects the basics, but nothing more. We live in a culture that expects for you to get by (i.e. be potty-trained), but not to thrive.

The Rebelution’s challenge to you is this: Have you really found your limits or have you merely reached a point where our culture’s expectations no longer demand that you succeed?

We Are Capable of Much More Than Is Expected

If you were abandoned in a foreign country with citizens who spoke no English, you would pick up the native dialect. And if your high school required everyone to complete Advanced Calculus in order to graduate you would find a way to do it.

Both necessity and expectations have incredible power to require much of us and make us strong, or to require little of us and make us weak. We live in a culture where few people do more than is required, yet that is the secret of effectiveness in the Lord’s service.

The application of this post goes far beyond math and language, dancing and speaking; those are simply a few helpful examples. The important question we must ask ourselves is: “Am I unable to do certain things, or am I simply unwilling to invest the time and effort necessary to succeed?”

This Is A Serious Issue

Classifying yourself as “this-kind-of-person” or “that-kind-of-person” is one of the quickest ways to greatly increase or majorly hamper your potential. Adults who at one time decided they “just weren’t computer people” are missing out on all the convenience and power of technology.

A person who decides early in life that he is “just not a public speaker,” and then stops striving for excellence in the area of public communication, has no doubt lost dozens of opportunities to impact the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people.

History is jammed full of examples of “extremely shy people” who not only overcame their fear of people, but also became famous leaders and communicators. Calvin Coolidge, the United States’ 30th President, is just one such example.

One of the most devastating classifications that can be made is when a person classifies themselves spiritually as “not really one of those extreme Christians.”

Millions of young people, even Christian young people, live through years of spiritual weakness and build up loads of regret simply because they found their identity in being a rebel.

Closing Thoughts

I wasn’t a “shower person” when I was eight, and I’m not sure if I’m a “campaign person” at 17, but by God’s grace and through His strength I can do anything. And so can you.

Nearly a decade after my first shower, one of the great challenges of my childhood, I find myself working long hours on four statewide races for the Alabama Supreme Court. When I find myself thinking that this current challenge is going to kill me, I just remember that I thought the same thing about my first shower. Then I smile, and keep on pushing.

Questions for Discussion:

• Are there areas in your life that have been labeled as “just not me”?
• If so, have you stop striving for excellence in those areas as a result of that label?
• What would the impact be on your future if you chose to overcome your difficulties in those areas and mastered them?

The post My First Shower Nearly Killed Me appeared first on The Rebelution.

“The Rebelution has strengthened and challenged me so much in my walk with the Lord. I was reading Jaquelle Crowe’s book, “This Changes Everything,” and I was so amazed that teenagers, who usually are labeled and given a way out of spiritual growth, could be on fire for the Lord. I discovered the Reb through Jaquelle’s book, and I began reading articles and devouring every submission! I was encouraged to find that I was not the only teen who truly loved God and longed for a revival. My first (and only!) article was published in April of 2024, and I was so blessed by Tabitha’s kind words and encouragement. I was so happy that my words could be used by God to build others up…. Thank you, all of you, for the hard work you have put into the Rebelution, and I pray that you will be able to strengthen and challenge those around you in their faith. Our Lord Jesus is faithful in every season. God bless you!” – Joanna Coleman

“The Reb has really helped me grow my relationship with God! I really wish I had found this site when I was younger.” – Logan Sonnenfeld

“The fact that TheReb is no longer going to be active is so sad for me, especially as I just discovered it in the past few months. After participating in CWW earlier this year, I decided I had better check out the book Do Hard Things as it was written by one of the authors featured in the video (well that, and the fact that all the sudden I was noticing this book everywhere: the library, book sales, a teacher’s house! I think God was trying to tell me something!). After reading the book, I also decided to check out the website. Before discovering Do Hard Things, CWW, and TheRebelution, I already knew that teens could do things that they were perhaps never capable of. However, I had never actually considered what kind of hard thing I was capable of. But after I discovered them, I did some soul-searching. Because of the encouragement from these resources, I’ve started my own blog (https://mlodyroses.wixsite.com/roses-in-a-thorny-wo), found several like-minded teens who I now call friends, and discovered what calling I think the Lord has for me (writer, violinist, and pastor’s wife . . . if I can find a young pastor, anyways). Beyond that, I’ve been doing deeper study in the Bible, not only for my writing, but also for my own personal growth. There are so many more verses that are popping out at me and teaching me things I’ve never thought of before. I’ve never felt this on fire about my faith before! More than that, my introverted self is beginning to come out of its shell, as I’m longing to find more Christian teens who also want to make an impact on our world. I’m sad to know that TheReb will no longer be an active website, but I’m so glad for the way it and its sister resources have enabled me to grow personally. Thank you to the wonderful team who has made this website possible, and for the impact y’all have made in my life!” -Melody Polar

“How do I summarize the Reb’s impact on my life in a paragraph? I first read Sara Starkey’s book, Love Riot, about two years ago. When I decided to check out the site she kept mentioning, I couldn’t believe what I had stumbled upon! It was a literal answer to prayer to find such a large group of young people who had mature faiths and stood uncompromised for God. The Reb gave me a community in a time when I had few people around me to help me grow in my faith. After months of praying, writing, and editing, I finally sent in an article for publication, the first time I had ever tried to be published as a writer. I remember jokingly complaining to my mom about waiting the requested “three to four weeks” for the Reb to tell me whether I would be published. Just hours after making that comment, I received a confirmation email saying my article would be published! It had been just over a week since I had sent my article! It was such an exciting weekend for me and my family and friends. I have since had two more articles published on the Reb, and each has been so special. I have also had the joy of connecting with other young, like-minded writers and following their blogs, especially since I have just recently launched my own blog (remnantblog.wixsite.com/blog). The Reb has been a testimony of the incredible work God is doing in our generation. I am beyond grateful for what the Reb has done in my own life and how it has helped me grow as a writer and as a Christian. While I am devastated that it is ending, I know that the impact and the message of the Rebelution will continue to live on. Let’s keep doing hard things, Rebelutionaries!” -Olivia Tracey

“I was fourteen when I was gifted a copy of Do Hard Things, and I have cherished the book and its message since. Over the last six years, The Rebelution (and the books published alongside the Reb) has given me so much encouragement, thoughts to ponder, and spiritual insight. I have learned so much about using social media for God’s glory, the joy of singleness, pursuing holiness, and countless other topics. Through the many articles and weekly Saturday ancedotes from Sara Starkey, you have helped me wade through dealing with anxiety, struggles with sin, and many seasons of waiting. Thank you to the Rebelution team and to the Harris brothers for inspiring us teens and young adults to do hard things!” – Cate VanNostrand

The post Rebelutionary Testimonials: Part 6 appeared first on The Rebelution.

We’re all familiar with names like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. These men, along with others, were our forefathers and the founders of our nation. They signed the Declaration of Independence and wrote the Constitution. They won the Revolutionary War.

Not only that, but their incredible accomplishments weren’t limited to their adult lives. John Hancock entered Harvard University when he was 13 years old. Samuel Adams completed his master’s degree before he turned 21. Thomas Jefferson frequently studied 15 hours a day during his time at the College of William and Mary.

Of course, at this point it’s easy for all of us normal people to place these guys in the “superhuman” or “so-smart-it’s-disgusting” category and move on. However, there’s a danger in thinking that God simply blessed America with a generation chock-full of patriotic super-nerds just in time to write the Constitution.

You see, once we label people as a “geniuses” we usually cease to feel the need to learn from them or to be challenged by their example. The truth is that our forefathers weren’t nerds and their early college entrances were not unusual for their time.

Rather, what stood these young men apart from their peers was (1) a seemingly corporate sense that age could not keep them from accomplishing great things, and (2) an extraordinary drive that we like to call the “do hard things” mentality.

As we explore the different ways these traits played out in the early years of some of our most famous forefathers, our hope is that we will all gain a greater vision of our own God-given potential and calling.

George Washington: “He Didn’t Mark Time”

We all know George Washington as the first President of the United States, the Commander of the Revolutionary Army and the Father of our Country. These are impressive titles and the jobs that went with them couldn’t be more difficult.

But a quick glance at Washington’s teenage and young adult years indicates that these weren’t his first big titles or even his first weighty responsibilities. Rather, what comes through is a man who, from his childhood, chose to do hard things, and then did those things to the best of his ability.

According to the George Washington Bicentennial Committee (WBC), Washington was born into a “middling rank” family, lost his father when he was 11, and was never considered particularly bright or educated by his peers. Nevertheless, he developed a “passion for education [that] caused him to concentrate on hard study” and he mastered geometry, trigonometry, and surveying by the time he was 16 years old.

At the age of 17, Washington received his first big job when Lord Thomas Fairfax, one of the largest landowners in Virginia (we’re talking 5.3 million acres here), named him official surveyor for Culpepper County, Virginia.

At the time surveyors were some of the highest paid workers in the country, second only to trial lawyers. This means that Washington, at age 17, was earning today’s equivalent of over $100,000 a year.

Don’t get this wrong. Washington wasn’t an ornament who sat in an office while adult men did the real work. His journals reflect the rigor of frontier life and the WBC describes the appointment as “the fitting of a man’s tasks to the square young shoulder of a boy without cutting those tasks to a boy’s measure.”

Washington was a man at 17 years old.

Three years later Washington received his next big responsibility when the governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, appointed him district adjutant of the militia, with the rank of major.

Then, when word came that the French were encroaching on Ohio territory, Governor Dinwiddie chose young Major Washington to lead a mid-winter expedition to assess French military strength and intentions, and to warn the French to leave.

We don’t know about you, but to us traveling hundreds of miles in the middle of winter to tell a large garrison of French soldiers to pack up and leave doesn’t sound very easy or appealing. That’s because it wasn’t.

Nevertheless, 21-year-old Washington not only successfully carried out this mission, but also continued to serve as a primary negotiator and principle actor throughout the French and Indian War.

By age 22 he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and by age 23 he was Commander in Chief of the entire Virginia Militia. He’d been shaving for less than a decade, but no one seemed to notice, and we’re sure he never mentioned it.

Perhaps the WBC put it best when they wrote, “[Washington] did not mark time in any of the important positions of his life…. Just as [he] stepped into a man-sized job as a surveyor, so when he accepted Governor Dinwiddie’s mission to Ohio he stepped not only into a man-sized task but into a path which led, as we now are able to trace it, directly to the American independence, of which he was the chosen instrument.”

As The Twig Is Bent, So Grows The Tree

Even if we’d never read a history book and were forced to go solely off of what we now know about the first 23 years of his life, we’d be fools not to predict that George Washington would grow up to be somebody. In fact, we might even insist that he’d become President someday — even bet on it.

That’s because, inside, we all know that young adulthood is not some mystical time period that has no effect on the rest of our lives. These years are the profound shapers of our lives. Here we set our direction, develop habits, and build momentum. As an old saying goes, “As a twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

This understanding is what our founding fathers had in common. It was the secret to their greatness. They put into practice the principle of Lamentations 3:27, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”

As young adults they adopted the determination and high ideals that went on to characterize their entire lives. Their history-making adult years were directly connected to their focused years as young adults.

It is no coincidence that the same Samuel Adams who organized the Boston Tea Party at age 51 wrote his master’s thesis in defense of the people’s liberties at age 21.

It is no coincidence that David Farragut, who became the U.S. Navy’s first Admiral at age 65, was given command of his first ship at age 12.

It is no coincidence that Alexander Hamilton, who became our nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury at age 34, was a clerk in a counting house at age 13.

Likewise, it is no coincidence that, as the primary author of the Federalist Papers at age 32, Hamilton had already been publishing political pamphlets since he was 19.

And, of course, it is no surprise that the same George Washington who became the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army at age 43, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Virginia Militia 20 years earlier.

A Revolution Worth Fighting

Of course, it’s one thing to understand this. It’s a whole different thing to apply it to our own lives. But if our desire is to impact this world for Christ, we have to.

We can learn a lot from our forefathers. They lived in a time very different from our own, but their example couldn’t be more relevant. In a world that is looking to our generation for direction and leadership and finding a bunch of kidults, the commitment to do hard things as young adults is a much-needed revolution.

Don’t get us wrong. Our generation won’t be shooting guns or throwing tea in the ocean. Our enemy today is not King George. Rather we do battle with a culture that looks down on true adulthood and celebrates immaturity and irresponsibility.

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul writes, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” As followers of Christ, we are called to a higher standard.

We need to be honest with ourselves. Is how we’re spending our time now preparing us for what we want to become? Are we doing hard things now that will equip us for greater things God may have for us in the future? These are the fundamental questions for this season of our lives.

Historian Peter Henriques, author of Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington, put it this way: “Washington became the man he strove to be.”

Henriques’ statement is not only true of Washington and the rest our forefathers, but it’s also true about us. We will become the men and women we strive to be.

Like our forefathers, this generation faces a crisis and an opportunity. A crisis, in the sense that we can no longer afford to avoid responsibility, and an opportunity, in the sense that we can choose today to buckle down and “do hard things” for the glory of God. The future of our nation and our world depends on it.

The post Becoming Men: Feats of our Forefathers appeared first on The Rebelution.

“The Rebelution has been a blessing from God in my life. I’ve always wanted to be a countercultural teen who shatters society’s expectations by rising far above and beyond them, but for most of my life, I didn’t know anyone who shared that goal. For so long I felt like I was the only teenager who was interested in following God wholeheartedly. When I discovered the Rebelution movement, it was a huge jolt of encouragement to me to find out I wasn’t the only one: thousands of teenagers all over the world shared the desire and passion to impact the world for Christ during our youth and not give others a reason to think less of us because of our age. TheReb has been one of my favorite blogs to read ever since I first discovered it. I eagerly looked forward to a fresh dose of practical, spiritual encouragement from fellow Rebelutionaries each week. Reading Do Hard Things also motivated and encouraged me to pursue the path of counterculture faithfulness. Looking to the future, one way I plan to continue doing hard things is by choosing an alternative path to college. But the main way I plan to continue choosing the path of the Rebelutionary—which is also the main lesson I have learned through the Rebelution—is to keep pursuing daily faithfulness in the small hard things, trusting that in time God will bring a harvest. Even though the Rebelution’s days as an active website are ending, I know the movement will go on. I have hope that generations still to come will rise up and carry on the call to do hard things for God’s glory.” – Hannah Grace

“The Rebelution has provided me with interesting and often needed insight into the word of God, and even the different perspectives of Christians around the world. I really appreciate all the hard work that goes into the website and all the other resources. It has often been a reminder of God’s faithfulness and an encouragement of perseverance for me.” – Hannah

“I subscribed to the Reb in March 2023. Since then, I have graduated and am currently in college. Through all the ups and downs of my gap year and starting the process of earning my associates, the writers at the Reb have always brought courage and wisdom to my inbox every weekend. Even though I haven’t done much with my life in the way of ministry and missions, the Reb and my fellow Rebolutionaries have definitely helped me be more faithful and dedicated in the little hard things each day brings. So, my thanks to the Harris brothers, Mrs. Starkey, and the rest of the old guard for showing me that I am not alone in my efforts to bring glory to the kingdom. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. To the evocati of the movement, thank you for all that you have done and all the wisdom you have shared. To the legionaries who joined up after me, I hope my simple words inspire you to carry the torch and bear the flame. To Abbi Langille, Rue Arrow, Summer Culver, and many others. I wish I had more eloquence to describe how I have been helped by y’all’s writing over the years. I wish I could individually thank everyone who has been a part of the blog and the movement, but I realize that would take more space than I have. So: ‘May the seas lie smooth before you. May a gentle breeze forever fill your sails. May sunshine warm your face, And kindness warm your soul.’” – Noah

“There’s a reason Peter Pan is a classic. It contains timeless themes that resonate through generations. I suppose we all fear growing up in our own way. I certainly did. Not because I didn’t want to get older, learn to drive, have responsibility, get a job, and buy a house—actually, all those things were pretty exciting to me. But in the week leading up to my thirteenth birthday, childish excitement turned into profound misery (many tears were shed) and abject dismay (I felt things deeply). I’m sure this was partly due to adolescence, but mostly, it was due to an overwhelming thought: ‘I don’t want to be a teenager.’ My view on teenagers was built by what I had heard from everyone around me—mostly negative—’lazy, sleepy, disrespectful, unproductive.’ (This wasn’t always explicitly said, but strongly implied). When people at church or family friends learned I was turning thirteen, their jesting exclamations of ‘Oh no!’ stung deeply. I felt stuck and frustrated by the opinions that my culture seemed to have on teen years. My birthday came and went. Of course, nothing drastically changed. I rebelled in my own way—I refused to submit to the stereotype of teens staying up late and sleeping in, so I cheerily held as best as I could to the mantra ‘early to bed early to rise’ and forced myself to get up early no matter what and didn’t complain about feeling tired. In hindsight, I realize that teenagers need more sleep due to actual developmental needs, and not just because they like to sleep, but at the time, it felt like a way to prove myself. At fourteen, I discovered the Young Writers Workshop and subsequently, Do Hard Things. I ordered the book and read it over one weekend (I had a stomach bug and was confined to the couch). I still remember my excitement as I devoured chapter after chapter. The more I read, the more I felt seen, heard, and understood, but also convicted, challenged, and invigorated. I can say with absolute certainty that next to the Bible, Do Hard Things was the most influential book I read in my teen years. It shaped me profoundly as a person and a Christian, and it set a trajectory for my life. It has influenced me in the big things: accepting opportunities, sending emails, giving speeches, taking jobs, and stepping out of my comfort zone. And even more so in the small things: reading my Bible, accepting challenges, writing stories, attending church, having conversations, choosing the harder path, and making unpleasant decisions. In daily choices, big or small, this book’s message guided me. But the question must be asked—why? I believe the reason this book made a difference in my life and thousands of others is because Alex and Brett Harris didn’t just write about an idea they thought would be cool. They wrote a book on Biblical principles. The driving idea wasn’t ‘do hard things so people think better of us’ but, ‘let’s do hard things for the glory of God.’ That makes all the difference. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this book and this mission. In my small corner of southwest England, the challenge to rebel against low expectations shaped me profoundly. Every day, in both the little and the big decisions, I am continually reminded not to slip into complacency but to remain faithful in the hard things—all for the glory of God. For that, I am very grateful.” – Sandrina

The post Rebelutionary Testimonials: Part 5 appeared first on The Rebelution.

Several of you have requested that we make a post explaining the difference between what we call “big” hard things and “small” hard things — which means that many of you weren’t around when we made that post back in February. This is our fault since we forgot to link to the post on the sidebar and it was quickly buried in the archives. To make full amends here it is again. Let us know what you think!

What “Bigger” Things Are We Talking About?

When we talk about “bigger things” that God promises to those who are faithful in “small things”, we are not necessarily talking about larger platforms and greater recognition and support. It can involve those things and often does — but it can also mean harder things done in the same obscurity as before.

It is a lot like the popular illustration in which a speaker will invite a member of the audience onto the stage, usually a guy who thinks he is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and ask him whether or not he can lift some small object, such as a canned food item. Once the participant confidently asserts his ability to do so the speaker requests that he hold the item straight out from his body and continue to do so until the speaker tells him to stop.

While the participant might initially feel confident he quickly begins to realize that it requires more and more effort with every passing second to keep the object in the air. The test of strength is not to ask him to lift some extraordinary amount of weight, but instead to hold a small amount of weight for an extended period of time.

This is the way it sometimes works with small things. As we are faithful in small things God will always ask more of us, but not always by giving us bigger things to do. Instead He might do so by asking us to remain faithful in the small things we are already doing.

As impressive as bigger (i.e. heavier) things may be, the greatest test of strength is to endure with whatever weight you’ve been given. God can be just as glorified by someone who endures to the end with five pounds than He can by someone who lifts 500 pounds once. That’s the kind of God we serve.

Working For The Lord, Not For Men

But this is where the idea of “working for the Lord and not for men” comes in. We should never be doing hard things for the recognition and admiration of men, but only for the glory of God. Despite the numerous earthly blessings that accompany doing hard things our ultimate reward is in Heaven when we stand before our Maker and hear Him speak the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

God knows better than we do what a great reward looks like. He knows those who have already been rewarded by the praise and adulation of men, as well as those who have served quietly — far away from the limelight.

The point, however, is not to seek recognition or obscurity, but rather to seek the glory of God. A heart that longs for the praise of men more than the praise of God — whether prideful in receiving it or resentful in lacking it — does not honor God.

Nevertheless, I think in Heaven we will be surprised by some of the people God honors most. We won’t recognize their faces or know their names. They will be the quiet faithful with whom God is well pleased.

Answer the following questions, then share your answers and other thoughts with your fellow rebelutionaries in the comments section below:

• Did this post change the way you view “big” and “small” hard things? If yes, share what you previously thought.
• Share about a person you know who is one of those “quiet faithful” that most people will never know about. How has their life impacted you or those around you?

The post Understanding Small Hard Things appeared first on The Rebelution.