Rebelution

Two weeks and a day ago, my sister cassidy, two friends, my mom, and another mom all hopped in my big van and cruised out to Alabama somewhere. I have no idea what town or region we were in, but i do know why we went. Alex and Brett Harris, founders of the "Rebelution" and the "Do Hard Things" movement were holding a conference. In their book, Do Hard Things they make the argument that teens today have low expectations from the culture, however, most all teens are really capable of accomplishing the same things adults can. We went to the conference and were amazed. The band REILLY, who were led by Joel Harris for this event, opened the event by playing some worship songs. Then, Alex stepped forward and spoke about low expectations and how we must rise above them. In the next session, Brett spoke about, well, various things. One of which included dying to self. He made an excellent point in how often we say "Oh I'm just not a ____ kind of person." and we'll use that to get out of math or some other task, well, he pointed out an amazing fact. What if a baby said "Oh, I'm just not a toilet person. I prefer the diaper much more. Thanks though.." NO! That's rediculous you think, a baby has to learn how to use the toilet. It's just not an option. Same with us. We should strive for all things for the glory of God. The third talk was made by Mr. Harris. He spoke on the nature of plants, animals, and other things. It cannot be changed. In a similar manner, the spiritual side of man cannot be changed. It can be metamorphisized, yes, but not changed. He ended his speech powerfully with a series of questions and then a command. He asked the audience how many saw evidence of God in their day to day life. Those who answered "never" numbered 104. He then paused, and asked those specific 104 "would you like to be born again?" It was a bold question, as I would guess that the majority of those 104 thought themselves saved. The answers came through. 109 answered. 14 said no. 95 said yes. Sitting in my chair, my heart nearly exploded for those 14. They had no idea what they had said. However, my mind shifted back to the elderly man on stage. He defiantly told the 95 to please their savior and announce to all 2000 people at the conference: "Jesus Christ is Lord!" Goosebumps spread across my skin as I saw people stand and declare the triumphant statement. Then 3 teens near me said it. Tears threatened to stain my face. I dabbed them away as those people began to walk forward to be prayed over by the Harrises. As they were moving in, Mr. Harris stood staighter and lifting his arms as he said it, he asked all the believers in the building to shout the same line. INSTANTLY, the place shook with teens shouting "Jesus Christ is Lord" to their creator. It was an amazing moment. I don't believe I have ever witnessed anything as powerful as that. It was calculated that about 2,000 people were at that conference. All of those except those certain 14 shouted that line. I wonder what the building looked like to those driving by on the hyway. I can imagine a seven year old sitting in the mini van as his mom is driving to the store, and him exclaiming, "Look Mom!! Look at that church! It's SHAKING!!!!!!!!!" What a glorious moment in the hands of God. Finally, Alex and Brett finished the conference by speaking on not losing the fire in the souls of us all. They stated that often when Christians attend a powerful conference, they don't act on that power and simply let it die away. I agree with them, but I can still feel that power as I write this blog post. I highly reccomend their book, or if you would like a DVD better, they also sell "Do Hard Things" DVDs. www.rebelution.com