Florida Friends!

Kait Culbertson made this great video. I just wanted to share it with everyone, because these are all my awesome friends as well! :)




This post is dedicated to my Florida Friends:
The Lord has truly blessed me with a bunch of fantastic friends since I've been in Florida. Over time they've involved me in things that I've enjoyed and made lots of memories doing! (examples: ultimate frisbee, volleyball, campaigning, Civil War Balls.) So often they pulled me SO far outside of my comfort zone. But no matter how horribly I failed at my efforts my friends were usually there to encourage me and cause me to laugh at myself. (These are some of the best memories! *Smile*)
I've shared many laughs and jokes with all of you and I just want to let ya'll know how incredibly special you all are to me!

-Victoria

Planned Parenthood's Lies Are Exposed

I originally saw this video on The Rebelution. Take a few minutes to watch it and inform yourself...you will be grateful you did.

-Victoria

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

"Come What May" The Movie

I can't recommend this movie enough! So often our entertainment today portrays children as an inconvenience or a nuisance and purity before marriage as unnecessary. Come What May is a pro-life movie that promotes courtship and purity. This movie was made by homeschoolers and for most of them this was their first acting experience. A lot of people who have seen Come What May tell me that they don't like it because the acting isn't very good and it isn't very professionally made. But most people cannot say that this movie does not have an amazing story plot!

Come What May is about a young man, Caleb Hogan that starts attending Patrick Henry College. His father is a Christian but his mom is a feminist attorney. She tells Caleb that he can go to Patrick Henry College as long as he wins the Moot Court tournament. The subject of that year is to try to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Caleb is sure that he cannot win if he says that abortion is wrong. His partner Rachel and him clash as they disagree over what to argue in Moot Court. Caleb must eventually choose whether he wants to argue the winning argument even though it is wrong or debate the hard argument and put everything at stake. Along the way Caleb learns how difficult it is to stand up for your convictions.

This is a great movie! I would highly recommend it if your looking for something different than what Hollywood puts out, that is family friendly with Christian values.

Check it out!

-Victoria

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?

Fireproof: The Movie

Several weeks ago my family went to see Fireproof together. This movie was exciting, humorous, and amazing! There were a lot of dramatic and tense firemen scenes but there was also a lot of funny humor mixed in. The gospel was powerfully proclaimed and so was purity. In one of the scenes Caleb Holt (the main character, played by Kirk Cameron) kisses his wife. But since Kirk Cameron has committed to never kiss anyone except his wife they brought in his real wife and dressed her in the actress' clothes so you really can't tell that Kirk Cameron is actually kissing his wife. (Click HERE to see an interview with Kirk Cameron about this.)
Most people say this is a great movie for couples but I think anyone can glean from the wisdom in this movie! We felt comfortable watching this movie as a family since we knew we wouldn't be bombarded with bad words or other disagreeable contents. Because of a few tense scenes this movie might not be the best for smaller children.
Since this movie was made by Christians I really wanted to support it. I wasn't disappointed by what I saw! Sherwood pictures did an amazing job making this movie.
From the Fireproof blog, October 30:

As FIREPROOF prepares for its sixth weekend in theaters, more than 100 theaters will be adding it to their offerings. In all, 887 theaters across the country will be showing FIREPROOF. An interesting aside: through today, the end of the fifth week, the movie is still playing in 80 percent of the theaters where it opened on September 26!

I would highly encourage you to go see this movie while it is still in theaters and with this many theaters you shouldn't have a problem finding it near you! If you've already seen Fireproof I would love to hear what you thought of it!

-Victoria

P.S. Something interesting that Andrew observed is that all of the movies Sherwood Films has made begin with an "F" Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof.

John Piper video on the Presidental Race

This is a great video, please take the time to watch it. In this short video John Piper covers some of the difficult issues concerning this presidential race.

-Victoria

Spencer's Promo Video

-Spencer

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

Dr. Voddie Baucham on CNN

This video is a must see! We are all so encouraged by Dr. Voddie Baucham as he strives to show others what the scripture reveals about a women being our Vice President. He boldly proclaims where he stands and then never backs down.
I don't think I have to affirm that my family agrees with Dr. Baucham on his convictions. There are many others around the America who are also wondering, how can we vote with a clear conscience for a women to be our VP whenever the scripture clearly teaches that women are to be keepers of the home and followers, not leaders? Look around and you will see within the last few days the blogosphere has erupted with Christians questioning what everyone is so willingly following.
But in all that we do may God be praised and honored!

-Victoria

The Chapman Family On Good Morning America

This came on last Wednesday morning. It is really amazing how God has used this family and all that they have been through!

-Victoria

Men O' War

This is a really cool movie made by Isaac Botkin author of Outside Hollywood. He and his brothers and sisters did this over a course of five weeks as a teaching tool for San Antonio Film Academy:





Hope you enjoy!

~Spencer

Zach Hunter: A Modern Day Abolitionist

Zach Hunter has challenged so many people of all ages with his passion to end modern day slavery. Before hearing about Zach Hunter I had no idea that there was still a large number of slaves in the world today. Zach has written two books Be the Change and now Generation Change, which was just released last April. I've read Be the Change and would highly recommend it. The first time I read Be the Change I had a hard time putting it down! Zach is an excellent writer and is great at communicating his message.
Ever since before Generation Change was released I've been wanting to purchase it and read it. Now over at bookschristian.com for a limited time if you buy Zach Hunter's newest book, Generation Change then bookschristian.com will donate a dollar from each purchase to Zach's organization, Loose Change to Loosen Chains. I'm hoping to buy this book at this time.
Now is a great chance to be able to read Zach's book and at the same time help to free slaves! So while this opportunity is still available I would suggest you purchase a copy of Generation Change...and while your over there you might want to get Be the Change too. :D
In this interview Zach shares about his passion to end modern day slavery, how you can help to end slavery, and about his organization Loose Change to Loosen Chains.



-Victoria

Your Grace is Enough!

This song is one of my favorites right now! Whenever I first heard Your Grace is Enough the words that jumped out at me strong were "You use the weak to lead the Strong". It just awed me as I looked through my bible and realized that God does use those that are so unworthy, even His disciples where fishermen and tax collectors. How will He use us?
As I sing through the song I have to ask myself, is God's grace enough? God's grace and love are so much better then popularity and coolness in the world's sense, God is always present and never failing. I have come to realize that since becoming a Christian . This is a victory song for Christians all over the world that God's grace is enough!

-Victoria

Do you have a Holy Ambition?

This video is a little longer then most you tube videos at 7 minutes and 45 seconds but the message is so vital! I would encourage you to watch it in it's full extent and then take this video and share it. Do we have a holy ambition?
I have recently decided, after much prayer and consideration, that my holy ambition is,

To be a supportive daughter to my parents and an encouraging sister to my brothers. In the future I want to be a faithful wife to my future husband and a loving mother to my children. I always want to be a faithful servant to my Lord Jesus Christ. My prayer is that people will look at my life and see a reflection of Christ!

But I believe that in my life there will be different seasons. So whatever else God might throw in if He sees fit to do so I will willingly accept!

Some thoughts for consideration:
-Before this had you ever heard the word holy ambition?
-Did you know what it was?
-Do you have a Holy Ambition?
-If you do have one what is it?

Please share your thoughts!

-Victoria

Spreading the Word

I just had to post this video after Dr. Orrick was telling the story behind it on several Sundays ago during church. He was using this video as an example of guerrilla evangelism in his sermon.
I don't remember if this is exactly how it went but I'll try to tell it as accurately as I can.
He told us how he first shared the video with one of his classes then someone from that class posted it on u tube. Now you can search for this video on the Internet and find it on a series of different websites. Surprisingly, Dr.Orrick wasn't aware of this until the Dean of Boyce college told him about it and how he had shared it with his class. Now everyone from this fellow Professors class has memorized it and was showing it to their friends. "This is a great example of guerrilla advertisement!" He told Dr. Orrick. But Dr. Orrick compared it to guerrilla evangelism.
In case you don't know what guerrilla evangelism is Dr. Orrick explained it this way to all of us, guerrilla evangelism is when the leader creates something (in his case) and then the people that he shared it with go out and spread it to their friends and it keeps being shared and takes on a life of it's own. During this time the leader has hardly done anything, all the publicity has been done by the followers.
I've seen this happen with so many different things. It's so wonderful to see different people within their own circle collaborating together and in the end completing something big together! The excitement of one person telling another person about something is contagious. How have you worked together with someone and completed something that was to large to do one your own?

-Victoria

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