Do Hard Things, the Gospel, and You.

Bethany:

This is the last chapter of Do Hard Things! Hard to believe it's done, it went so quickly! I hope you all were encouraged to do harder things for God, whether they be big or small. I know I was!

In the last chapter Alex describes the beauty and simplicity of one of many people's biggest, hardest and ultimately best decision in life.....accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. One of the most well known verses in the Bible is;

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

While there are many more verses regarding the love of God and the death (and resurrection!) of Jesus Christ for our sins, this verse sums it all up beautifully. How I praise God for His love towards me and I thank Him for saving me from the firey pit of hell. If you are not saved by God's dear grace, consider joining us on the most exciting journey of your life! Loving and serving God all our days, can it get much better?

Jenna:

Going through Do Hard Things and discussing it, has been both a challenge and a delight for me!!I was of course, very encouraged to do the hard things, but more specifically the small hard things that tend to go un-noticed. I was convicted of not doing those hard things, yet I purposed to put a lot more effort into them because if I'm faithful in the little, I'll be faithful in much! I've been encouraged to do all for the glory of Jesus, and not for man.

Do Hard Things encouraged me to be a light in the darkness and to enjoy all of the hard things that I do...Easy? No! But a challenge? Yes, and one that I am going to take up!!!

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Thank you to everyone who read Do Hard Things with us!! We hope that it encouraged you as much as it did us, and if you are so inclined, we would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. What encouraged you, inspired you or challenged you?

Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for Making Brothers and Sisters your Best Friends in the post below. It is the next book that we will be discussing here, and we would love for each of you to join us. Both young and old will be challenged to not just "get along" with siblings, but to ENJOY, LOVE and NURTURE a blessed relationship with them. Of course you have to apply it to your own life, but this will give you a big start:D We look forward to starting it!!!

In Christ,

Bethany and Jenna

A Thousand Young Hero's!

This chapter is full of amazing stories of how young teens start wonderful ministries for refugee's, orphans and widows all across america and in other countries as well. The Harris brothers pose a question at the end: "What's your story"?

That is a big question, and as we all ponder and seek out the Lord's will for our ministry, we need to remember that the mission field is right in front of us! It may be right in our family, right in our backyard or neighborhood, or in our own Church family. Don't limit yourself to only going to Africa or China (as wonderful as it sounds). Also, it's not "our" or "my" ministry that we're starting - it's GOD'S ministry that HE is using us to work through!! What an honor to do HIS work!!
I'm praying for the Lord's guidance as I wait for Him to show me exactly which mission location that He wants me to work in. As for now, I am in my parents home and my mission is to be a Christ-like example to my younger siblings (which I'm always working on improving). I also have a big passion for blessing young moms around the area that need an afternoon of help with meals, babysitting, cleaning and much more. What is the Lord's will for my life?? Where does He want me to be? When will He reveal His plans to me?
These are my unknowns, but wherever and whatever I'm doing I am going to be a LIGHT for Jesus Christ and I pray that I bless all the people that I come in contact with. Wherever you are, you have a mission - pray and ask the Lord to show you what it is!


What's YOUR mission? We'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

*A note to all of our readers! We apologize for not posting on our regular schedule this week...we will adjust the schedule accordingly and thank you for understanding! One quick announcement: Our next book will be "Making Brothers and Sisters your Best Friends" by Sarah, Stephen and Grace Mally. Please order it or find it now so that you can be ready to start with us! There will be more announcements in the next week:)*


~Jenna

Generation Rising

Bethany

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses it's saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be throw out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.Matthew 5:13-16"

We are the salt. We are the ones who need to get out into the world and help "preserve" it for God. There's no one thing that we must do, God needs "world changers" everywhere! Whether it be a school, work, or a mission field, God needs you. Use all the techniques we've gone over in this book, collaboration, going out of your comfort zone, doing the hard thing. It's time for us to change the world! Give God the glory!


Jenna

"Has God begun to place a passion inside you to take action on a larger scale - to do hard things that will launch you into the thick of the Christian counterculture we call the Rebelution? If so, you're in a very exciting place. Getting hold of that kind of personal passion for the first time is often one of the primary passages between childhood and adulthood. Think of your holy ambition as a world-sized passion placed under the lordship of Jesus Christ..." Pg. 182

This is a subject that we seem to talk about daily, here in our house. The Lord has blessed us with so much even though we'd be considered "poorer" here in the states. However, we have a full family of friends, and all of our needs our met! We have fresh clean water at our convenience, comfortable warm beds, nice clothes, bibles, books and more. WE ARE BLESSED, and we are also blessed in Jesus Christ. The Lord has given me and my twin a passion for orphans... and during my single years while preparing for getting married (if the Lord wills), I want to be helping these orphans...I want to share my blessing with them both spiritually and physically.

Be thinking about what God has given you and what you can do to bless others, especially those that don't have the comfort and faith that we have. Let's be inspired to bless others. We can do BIG things with Him!

In Christ,
Jenna and Bethany

Taking a Stand

Jenna~

"When we make decisions to obey God - even when it costs us something - and to live out our faith in our day-to-day life, it will be hard, but it will be good. And it will be good because God loves to bless us when we are faithful to stand for Him." Pg. 154

Sometimes it seems incredibly hard to stand up and walk away from ______ , because that means that you are going against what others think - you have to be set-apart! But friends, being set-apart is a good thing, and we should be seeking to be set-apart for Jesus Christ. When we ask Jesus to come into our hearts, and we BELIEVE in Him, then the "old man" (our fleshly desires) are dead, and we are no longer living by him. We are FREE from sin, free from gossip, free from all that bondage, all because Jesus Christ laid down His life for us!
Don't be afraid to stand up and say to yourself "that is wrong, and I'm not going to do it..." don't be afraid to go against the ways of this world and follow Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Immanuel, our King!

Bethany~

Taking a stand in your circles is not the easiest thing to do. Peer pressure is against you, possibly your social status. Yet God isn't concerned with your social status, He's concerned about you and me and whether or not we will make a stand for Him. There are times when you may have to stand up against something that you know is wrong. I'll admit, it's gotta be about the hardest thing for teens to do. We are so worried about what others think about us (which we totally just have to get over)! We need to stand up and show others the way to Christ.

I love it how the Harris brothers put it:

" Our ultimate goal is not just that those around us would stop joining the world's way but that they would learn to love and embrace God's way. We ca accomplish this by being passionate ambassadors, eager to proclaim the goodness of God and stand for Him before the watching world."

And as rebolutionaries, our stand for what is good and right today will have an even bigger impact than we may realize.


Do you stand up for good, and walk away from evil???
In Christ,
Jenna and Bethany:)

Small Hard Things

How to do Hard Things That Don't pay of Immediately

Top 5 reasons doing small hard things is so difficult:

#1. They don't usually go away after you do them.

(like dishes, laundry, etc.)

#2. They don't seem very important.

#3. They don't seem to make a difference.

#4.They don't seem very glamorous.

#5. No one is watching.

Top 5 ways we fail to do small hard things:

#1. Procrastination

#2. Inconsistency

#3. Compromise

#4. Begrudging

#5. Cheating

Bethany:

This chapter is one of my personal favorites as it nearly applies directly to me. My personality it more likely to do hard things but set those little things off to the side. I have no problem tackling two hours of chores three times a day, but have a hard getting with keeping my room clean. I think I'm a prime case of not doing small hard things. You'd think....it'd be so easy! This chapter really helped me prioritize and see how important even those little jobs are.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

Here's a great paragraph out of the book:

"Rebelutionaries have to think straight about this problem or we'll get ambushed on our way to doing big hard things for God. And what's more, we'll miss out on the genuine significance and hidden benefits of what we like to call "small hard things."

Jenna:

Ah yes, doing those small hard things don't normally appeal to me, or seem glamorous!! I completely understand how it feels to look at the dish pile that NEVER goes away...and, it seems like my little 4 year old sister (who shares my room) always forgets to pick up her clothes and put them away - extra job;)

However, we are reminded in Luke 25:21 that if "You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much."

I was very blessed by the quote below:

"Small hard things are the individual repetitions - like a single push-up. They are seemingly insignificant by themselves but guaranteed to get results over time." Pg. 138

As we go through our daily routines, let's all purpose to enjoy the little hard things, knowing that over time there will be a guaranteed reward/result!!

Josh:

"Small things most often occur behind the closed doors of our homes, schools, or churches. They are rarely new or exciting, and they are often repetitive-even tedious. Small things happen on the level at which we normally live our lives. In fact, in the most basic sense they are our lives- the 'stuff' that makes up everyday living." pg. 135

Like Jenna and Bethany, the small things are typically not glamorous and most times tedious. But, many of the challenges and the hard things that come our way and cause the most character growth, are just the things that happen everyday! Let's embrace the small hard things and do them to the glory of God...

What are 3 small hard things you have a hard time accomplishing?

~Bethany, Josh and Jenna~

The Power of Collaberation

Ten things The Harris Brothers have Learned about Teams:

1. Start with Questions
2. Walk with the Wise
3. Don't overlook Home Field Advantage
4. Use tehnology to Grow your team
5. Treasure Constructive Criticism
6. Credit is Free if you Give it away
7. Other people are sinners too
8. Expect a nightmare or two
9. Don't give up
10. Success Happens (In more ways than One)


Jenna -

"Family is a God-designed vehicle for collaboration that most teens miss, even though we're right in the midde of it. God intended your parents to be your primary mentors, and unless you're an only child, siblings can be some of your best team members." Pg. 121

Although I'm inspired to do "something big", the opportunity is not in my lap! However, I have a team...there are at least 9 people on it, and that is my family!! My family knows me best - my strengths and weaknesses, and often times they can help me the most too:) Until something big comes along, I have a team to work with. To encourage each other and to prepare together should the Lord see fit to give us a "hard thing" to do!!

Bethany -

The first thing I thought of when I read this chapter was the verse in Ecclesiastes, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed." Big things are hard to accomplish when you are by yourself, so lower that pride a little and let others help out!

"American popular lore tries to persuade us that our destiny was won only by rugged individuals who stood tall, acted alone, rarely talked, and drank their whiskey straight. We're taught to admire the rebel, the loner, the maverick. But the facts suggest that the achievements of nations - like those of corporations, armies, universities, sports teams, churches and families - depend heavily on people coming together to co-labor: to agree on a common goal and then collaborate to make it happen."

Who's on your team?? Are they there to help you succeed?!

That First Scary Step

How to do hard things that take you outside your comfort zone...

Jenna -

"Everyone likes to feel strong and smart. That means as soon as we start to feel stretched or pushed past our limits, we hit the brakes, slam into reverse, and scoot back to our comfort zones. Who wants to risk feeling weak and stupid?" Pg. 70

By not wanting to do hard things (I know all about that...) we're really saying that:

"We don't want to do things that don't come easily or naturally. We don't want to break through our fears. And by our actions, we're also saying that God isn't good and powerful enough to help us do what we can't comfortably do on our own. And that's a lie the Enemy loves!" Pg. 71

When it comes to doing hard things, two circumstances stand out in my memory.

It occured 2 years ago when I had my Spring Piano Recital. I had my 2 pieces down to perfection, memorized and beautiful...we got to the church and I wasn't even shaking! Wow! I made it through the whole recital (I was 2nd to last) and my name was called...I walked up to the piano (almost tripped) and started playing. All of a sudden I couldn't remember the next chord. It got so bad that I had to turn around and ask my teacher for my music. Boy, it was SO tough and I JUST WANTED the floor to SWALLOW me up! Guess what? It didn't...I was up there with my mind spinning, face as red as a beet and I thought I was going to die. But I did it, and somehow I was still alive! And what a RELIEF to accomplish that even though I made mistakes.

The second hardest thing for me to do, occurred last year. I was in a play. I don't remember how I agreed to it because for those of you that know me, I dislike, to the greatest extent, performing in front of people... I would much rather be in the audience. I toiled in agony for a whole year, trying to memorize, trying to act...it was all in vain. I will be honest and mention that my attitude was not God-honoring which made my accomplishment little when I finally said goodbye to the stage. That was such a trying time in my life...just ask my poor mother who had to hear my complaints for that entire year - I'm so sorry mom:)

I learned from those two experiences, to put my best into every project that I am in and to do everything AS UNTO THE LORD! It will make the ending SO much more joyful and exciting!!

Bethany -

"Fear is the fence that keeps us stuck in our comfort zones. To be fair, we usuallly feel fear for a reason: often something is outside that should make us afraid. The problem is when we just sit there. We wait. And we wait. Why? Well we're waiting to stop feeling afraid before we attempt anything. And - just to be fair - we're often afraid to try something new because of painful past experiences. We tried stepping out before, and it blew up in our faces. We poured everything we had into something we cared about and our efforts fell short. We don't want to embarrass ourselves again.

The truth is, though, is that it's going to be a long wait. If we're waiting until the fear and feelings of inadequacy go away, we'll never venture outside our comfort zones. Until we take a step in spite of our fears, none of us will ever truly be able to do hard things." (pg.74-75)

Fear is a dreadful weight. It ties you down and gives you little freedom. A year ago I was a shy, homeschooled, sheltered, 15 year old sophomore given a task. With 14 days in advance, I was told to prepare a speech to give in front of judges. It had to be a memorized speech, so it wasn't like I could just go up there and start talking. On top of all that, it was the first speech I'd ever given in my life (outside of speeches given at home) so I wasn't exactly sure how it was all going to play out. I was scared. But I ignored the fear and got up there and gave my 8 minutes speech. Ever since then, I have loved getting up in front of judges and speaking. What an amazing discovery that I wouldn't have found if I hadn't faced my fear.

While you may be faced with fear that may be more than getting up in front of judges and speaking, you still have to face it. Get outta that comfort zone and DO HARD THINGS!

What are two HARD things that you faced and accomplished in your life?? PLEASE SHARE!!!

A Better Way

Reclaiming the teen years as the launching pad of life

Bethany -

So the teen years are looked at as the crazy partying years of a person's life. People have accepted this as the norm and there is even a name for them.....Kidults. "Legally, they're adults, but they're on the threshold, the doorway to adulthood and they're not going through it." I've seen this often, and it's terribly sad. Where is the maturity, the strength, the adulthood? Is our future generation going to even know these characteristics? They will with our help! It's all a myth! Teens CAN do hard things! Let's show them we can do it!

Jenna -

The teen years are given to me as a time to prepare for when I am an adult. I am still under my parents authority and guidance, and constantly learning things from them as they share their wisdom! Instead of partying through high school, I know that I need to be preparing for the work that God has called me too...how do I know what God has called me to??? I PRAY! I seek the Lord and ask HIM:) In His perfect timing, He will reveal to me what I am to be doing.

I'm asking myself the hard questions:

- Is how I'm spending my time right now preparing me for what I hope to become in the future?

- Am I doing things now that will equip me for the greater things that God may have me do?

Have you heard of the saying: "What you do when you're young is what you'll do when you're old"? In other words, I need to be preparing myself to do what the Lord asks of me, I need to give myself to His will.

I encourage you to ask yourself those hard questions too! Are you doing things now that will equip you to do the great things that God may have you do???!

Josh -

"After all, kidults are the logical result of the Myth of Adolescence, which encourages teens to view adulthood as spoiling the fun of the teen years rather than viewing it as the fulfilment of the teen years."(51)

Lets change that!

Let's be young people who "are rebelling against low expectations by choosing to get every possible benefit out of their teen years in creative, responsible, and highly efficient ways."(60)

I challenge you to tell us how you are doing hard things. How are you choosing to reap every possible benefit out of the teen years?

Real quick, let's take a peek at what we'll be talking about Wednesday:

5 Kinds of Hard

1).Things that are outside your comfort zone
2) Things that go beyond what is expected or required
3) Things that are too big to accomplish alone
4) Things that don't earn an immediate payoff
5) Things that challenge the cultural norm

What is a way that you can prepare yourself for the future?

In Christ,
~Bethany, Jenna, Josh~

The Myth of Adolesence

Bethany -

How old is the term 'teenager'? Not very old at all....just barely 70 years old. Before that, children grew into adults. There was no in-between age. Girls grew into women, boys into men. By the age of 15, they were considered adults. The expectations were much higher than they are today.
So, expectations of teens today are very low. Teens aren't exactly like taking charge of a ship or school anymore. David and Clara may have changed history, but they were really just average people who expected much out of themselves. They got results.

Now it's time for us to raise the expectation bar a little. It's our turn to have some high expectations for ourselves!!


Josh and Jenna -

We found this chapter full of encouragement to gut out the HARD things, but what do we comment on? We would love to have each of you share one hard thing that you're doing right now, or have done in the past...

Hard things can be working on a character quality, conquering something that you hate doing (like making phone calls lol) or making a decision that may not be your preference.

One hard thing that I (Jenna) am working on right now is not being bossy. I've got that "oldest sister syndrome" and it is not an easy thing to overcome, trust me! However, I don't want people to know me as "the boss", and so I pray that God will help me not be bossy...you'll have to ask my siblings if I'm making progress?.

Whether you're reading the book with us or not, please comment sharing a hard thing that you've done!

The Birth of a Big Idea!

Bethany -



The Rebelution - made up by two 16 year old twins "combining the words rebellion and revolution to form an entirely new word for an entirely new concept: rebelling against rebellion. More precisely, we define rebelution as 'a teenage rebellion against low expectations.'



"While this chapter talks primarily about how The Rebelution was begun, it has a few very important things to note. #1. The Rebelution is made up of teens just like you and me....very normal teens. Maybe we don't get all A's in school or maybe we don't typically tend to do anything hard just because. Well guess what, this book is DEFINITELY for you! These may be some of the things addressed in this book. #2. In this chapter, the Harris brothers tell us about a few different thing done but some of the rebelutionaries. Tough stuff, but they did it.



Now can we say that teens can't do hard things? I think not. I'll join Alex and Brett in saying:



(This) is our invitation to you - to join with us and other teenagers who are serious about changing the world's ideas about the teen years. In the upcoming chapters, we'll show you how.





Jenna -



Doing the "hard thing" isn't easy - at least I don't think that it is! I could list a whole bunch of "hard things" that I've done, or attempted to do, but since I wasn't putting my best foot forward I failed. In this chapter, I was reminded of how rewarding it is when I actually do something hard, applying all of my effort to it and even if my success isn't *amazing*, I have the satisfaction of trying my best instead of not at all.



In general, we as "teenagers" are often thought of as lazy, trouble makers, or constantly "testing our limits" and in general, not trustworthy etc. That is not what I want to be known for! I want to be a teenager who loves the Lord, is trustworthy, who has a hard work ethic, and does all with my best effort and for the glory of the Lord:)



What is your goal as a teenager? Are you going to help raise the "bar"/standard?





Josh -

The Rebelution is made by combining Rebellion and Revolution to make an entirely new word for an entirely new concept: Rebelling against rebellion. More precisely, we define rebelution as "a teenage rebellion against low expectations."

As I said in my last post here, teenagers are surrounded by low expectations, and when the there is no standard they fail to rise past the low expectations set by the culture. The Harris brothers are out to change that! And we as young christian teens with a vision to change the world can join them! Lets start a Rebelution!

Blessings,

Josh, Jenna, and Bethany

Most People Don't......

A Different Kind of Teen Book

Bethany:

Wooohooo! The beginning of a new book........and hopefully, a new life! Do Hard Things. Don't get scared away by this title, 'cause this is going to be a most exciting ride. When I first read this book, I was like "this is exactly what I've been trying to say all along! Teens have no goal in life and for 7 years of their lives they are shaping themselves into lazy, worthless bums with no goal in life." Sounds mean? It's the truth. I've seen it all over.

Alex and Brett have now stood up against it and is telling you all to join the club so we can follow the "better way - a way to reach higher, dream bigger, grow stronger, love and honor God, live with more joy - and quite wasting our lives. (pg. 8) So hop aboard, there's plenty of room. This is going to be an amazing journey............


Jenna:

I sat down yesterday, to read the first chapter of Do Hard Things, since I've never read the book before. When I finally looked up from the book, I realized that I was at least half way through:) I couldn't stop reading. This book is wonderful, and when I set it down, I truly felt pushed to do something hard, and take a challenge and stand for something...all of last night I was pondering what I should do, but then I realized that I should really pray about it, because God already has something in mind for me!

My goal in life is not to skate by on the bare minimum, but instead, to "rediscover the better way - a way to reach higher, dream bigger, grow stronger, love and honor God, live with more joy - and quit wasting (my) life." pg. 8 This book has already got me excited to "Do Hard Things" for Christ!! I want to be a different kind of "teen" and I want to use my single years to serve the Lord and not waste them.

Josh:
With great enthusiasm I can say "We started Do Hard Things!"

Today's society has developed a stereotypical teenager. The expectations for these teenagers are low at best. People view teenagers as lazy, self pleasing kids. And when that's what the bar has been set at, most teens see no motivation to be better than what people expect of them. When going through the book, we will see and be inspired to do hard things and live changed, productive lives for the Lord and not merely default to the expectation of the "average teen".

Let's Do Hard Things!

Alright, let's hear your thoughts!

~Bethany, Josh and Jenna~

Announcing...

Do Hard Things

by Alex and Brett Harris!

On December 14, we will start reading and discussing Do Hard Things, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You are more than welcome to read and discuss each chapter with us! We would love for you to participate, so get the book soon from either your library or book store!! If you decide to do this study with us, please let us know in a comment:) Also, we would love to get the word out about this blog and study. Would you consider posting about it on your blog?

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Below is the book description:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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We look forward to reading DHT, and hope that you will join us as we learn, encourage and challenge one another~

In Christ,

Jenna, Bethany and Josh

p.s. The reading schedule is on the side bar!