Do Hard Things Session Online!

I know that I told a lot of people about The Birmingham Rebelution Conference that just weren't able to go. Even after the conference a lot of people asked me how it was. I struggled to try to tell them about the conference without making them sit and listen to me for eight hours. (which was how long the conference lasted.) I often wished they could just sit down and listen to Alex and Brett Harris themselves. THIS VIDEO DOES EXACTLY THAT!

Someone recorded the 2nd Session of the Birmingham Conference, Do Hard Things and posted it online. I found out about it from a Rebelutionary friend's blog who had posted about it. The Do Hard Things Conference has several sessions but this session is definitely one of my favorites!

This video starts out with worship, but in about 5 minutes, it will switch to video, and then in 15-20 minutes, to the actual message. Everyone needs to hear this message!

The great thing about it being online is that (unlike me) you won't have to sit in a pew to listen to it. You are free to fold laundry, clean the room, or exercise while listening to this great session. You can do something productive that must be done while watching something that must be watched! :)
So take a bit to watch this and then leave a comment to tell me what you think!

-Victoria

Heading to the Rebelution Conference!

My family is really excited about this conference coming to Birmingham. The Rebelution (a combination of the words Rebelling and Revolution) is a website that "encourages teenagers to rebel against the low expectations of our culture" or as the speakers at this conference often say, "to rebel against rebellion." People are also encouraged to "Do Hard Things."
But this isn't just a conference to go to and proclaim to the world, "We are rebels see us rebelling!" At the core and the center of the Rebelution is a desire to glorify God in our rebelling and "Doing Hard Things". Why would anyone want to do hard things? Because "Christ did the hardest thing by dying a death on the cross and we as Christians are called to follow Him." The key verse for the Rebelution is 1 Timothy 4: 12:

"Let no one despise your youth,
but be an example to the believers in
word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,
in faith, and in purity."

The Rebelution Conference is a place to meet like minded teenagers and their parents and to hear the speakers Alex, Brett (and their Dad) Gregg Harris speak encouraging and motivating sessions.
If you didn't register for this conference yet keep your eyes and ears open for next year's conference and see if there is one coming near you. But for now watch this video with clips of the sessions from previous years and visit www.therebelution.com and read some of their articles.

Zach Sunderland: Doing Hard Things

I first read about Zac Sunderland in an article that Alex and Brett Harris wrote about him on The Rebelution.
Zac Sunderland is inspiring people all around with what he is trying to accomplish...he is trying to be the youngest solo circumnavigator. Zac set out on this adventure to sail around the world by himself when he was sixteen years old. The goal was to get back home before he is 18 because no one has ever accomplished that. Now he is seventeen and is less then two weeks away from home...from his goal. What has driven Zac to try to do this amazing thing that most people would dismiss as impossible? In a recent blog post Zac shares:

I have spent a lot of time out here thinking about what is important and what I'd like to do with my life. I don't have all of the answers but I know this...without God in your life, you have nothing and I don't want to spend my life reading about what other people have done. I want to be the kind of person that people want to read about. I believe that my solo circumnavigation is just the beginning of many more adventures to come. Documenting them and telling others and hopefully inspiring others at the same time is what I want to do.

Zac Sunderland has blogged along his journey about the different challenges he has met up with along his trip, including pirates and storms.
He has been interviewed along the way by different TV stations and was recently featured on the cover of the ESPN magazine with the article titled "Do Hard Things". But what most of the magazines choose to ignore is that Zac is homeschooled and a Christian. Many of my fellow homeschoolers are trying to stand on the shoulders of the generation before them and reach to even greater heights.
Read more about him on his website or blog.

This video is from the beginning of Zac's trip when he first set out. In it you get an introduction to why he is trying to accomplish this journey.



-Victoria


In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
-Abraham Lincoln

The 2009 Do Hard Things Tour

Two years ago my family went to the Indianapolis Rebelution Conference. We had a great time listening to the speakers (Alex, Brett Harris and Gregg Harris), meeting like minded teens and their parents, and being challenged to do hard things for the glory of God! We made a lot of memories and this year I'm excited that once again we're going to get the opportunity to go to one of the conferences. This year my family and I are planning on going to the Birmingham Rebelution Conference! We are blessed that this years conference is only a couple of hours away from us. At the Indianapolis Conference I was surprised to see that some people had traveled from as far as Nebraska and Florida. (Last year there were some people from Europe at one of the conferences!) Since then I have gotten to know a Rebelutionary who went to the Indianapolis conference and lives in Nebraska. She shared with me, "That conference was well worth the 17 hour drive." So if you live close or far try to take advantage of this movement and go to one of their regional conferences. You won't be sorry. Also go to their website (www.therebelution.com) and read some of the things they write about!

-Victoria

Will I see you at the Conference?
Are you going to another location for The Rebelution Conference?
What do you think of The Rebelution movement and what it is doing?

Kristi Burton: Fighting Against Abortion

Kristi Burton is an inspiration to me. I found out about her from an article on therebelution.com. Whenever she was just 13 she decided to dedicate her time to fighting for those who are unjustly killed by abortion before they are born. Kristi founded an organization called Colorado for Equal Rights and just last May her organization took on the challenge of getting 76,048 signatures for a petition. She had the support of over 1,300 volunteers and 500 churches and she got 131,245 voters’ signatures! Now the petition is on the November ballot.
I applaud Kristi for taking on this challenge and doing what seems like the impossible! I would encourage you to watch this video and spread the word about the Colorado for Equal Rights organization and what they are doing. Be in prayer for the future of the fight against abortion. There are so many people around the world that are trying to raise awareness about how horrible abortion is. Also be in prayer that God would work through this petition and that it will be passed in November. Continue to fight for those who do not have a voice!

-Victoria

Do Hard Things

A week ago tomorrow our Do Hard Things Arrived in the mail. We pre-ordered our copies in the book bomb on Amazon.com. (Look at the side bar.)
After reading a post on the Rebelution we realized it has been a little more then a year since Alex and Brett first announced they'd be writing a book. You couldn't imagine our excitment when we found a box of books on our doorstep. After hearing the updates and praying for the book and it's message through the writing process it was so cool to see Do Hard Things on the shelf in Barns and Noble!
Do Hard Things contains a message that needs to be spread. The book is a challenge to go against what our culture defines as normal. Through the chapters we are encouraged to do things that are outside of our comfort zones, collaborate with other people to accomplish ideas that are too big for just us, do small hard things that don't pay off immediately like chores, and stand up for what we believe in even if it means going against the crowd. We are told throughout the book that our teen years are the launching pad for the rest of our life and we meet tons of other teens who have done hard things.

This is the Official Book Description:
The next generation stands on the brink of a "rebelution." With over 16 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to "do hard things" for the glory of God. Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact. Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.

Even though this book is written "for teens by teens" I think anyone could learn from the lessons put forth in this book.
One of the reason I love Do Hard Things so much is because it introduces me to so many real life people that are going against our cultures norm. I am encouraged to do things that might seem hard but I know I'm not alone there are many more people...brothers and sisters in Christ!
So go and purchase yourself or someone you know a copy. You won't be disappointed.
-Victoria

An Article That Inspired Us

Alex and Brett Harris just wrote an awesome post for Focus on the Family's Boundless Webzine. It is so encouraging to read! I think this article is a shortened and condensed version of everything the movement, the website, and the conferences are all about. Here's an excerpt:

And while it may sound more appealing to sign up for a less extreme version of the Christian life. Maybe instead of the platinum "do hard things" membership, we can tackle something more along the lines of the bronze "go-to-church-every-week" membership. Less benefits for less effort. Sounds good, right?

Unfortunately (or again, fortunately), God doesn't leave that option open to us.

Writes C.S. Lewis: "It is hard; but the sort of compromise we're hankering after is harder — in fact, it is impossible.... We are like eggs at present. And we cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

In other words, we can't just go on being ordinary, decent Christians, giving God part of our lives while holding back the rest. Either we are hatched and learn to fly or we are a dud that will soon start to stink. The ironic thing here is that although the hardest thing — the almost impossible thing — is to hand over our whole selves to Christ, it is far easier than what we are trying to do instead.

So now that you've read some of the article go check out the rest!

-Victoria and Spencer

Rebelution Conference

What an amazing conference! We went last year and it was so encouraging and inspiring! Unfortunately we can't go again this year due to the location and a very busy schedule. We were blessed last year when the conference was in Indianapolis and that is only a couple of hours from our house. Last September at the Indianapolis Conference I was surprised to see that some people had traveled from as far as Nebraska and Florida. Since then I have gotten to know a Rebelutionary who went to the Indianapolis conference and lives in Nebraska. She shared with me, "That conference was well worth the 17 hour drive." So if you live close or far try to take advantage of this movement and go to one of their regional conferences. You won't be sorry. Also go to their website and read some of the things they write about!

-Victoria