Do Hard Things
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
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Last Saturday, we attended the Do Hard Things conference in Dallas. The Rebelution – A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations – is an organization started by two homeschooled brothers. Alex and Brett Harris, 19-yr. old twins, proved to be excellent communicators during all the talks they presented. Their father, Gregg Harris was an encouragement via cassettes and publications to my parents when they were learning about homeschooling in the 1980s, and gave an excellent presentation on our sin nature which culminated in attendees rejoicing that the Lord saved some people at the conference. Below the photos is a list of notes from the conference.
The first use of the term "teenager" was in 1941 in Reader's Digest.
The current ceiling of expectation SHOULD be the floor.
God has high expectations for ALL, regardless of age or any other factor.
What is expected is accomplished.
Culture expects us to survive but not to thrive.
Have you reached your limits or just fulfilled the basics?
Until we get past our own strength, we won't need to rely on God's.
You don't get anything without effort.
Do Hard Things looks like:
1) getting serious about fighting sin in your own life
2) battling discouragement and complacency
You will always face either of these temptations
Do what's hard for you.
3) doing more than is expected
Vikings had the strength to win their battles because they rowed themselves to battle
Strength is built up, not inherited.
4) getting over fear of failure
All effort, even failed, produces muscle.
"When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either." Leo Burnett
5) different for each person
Men and women have different hard things to do.
6) doing small things for the most part
Obey Him in private because it's for Him.
7) your best life, which is not the same as easy
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried." – G.K. Chesterton
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heart = wanter
What we want in our heart defines who we are.We do have freedom of choice, but our choices are limited by our nature. A sinful nature is only capable of choosing how to offend God next.
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Companions:
1) not just alone
2 Tim. 2:22
Eccl. 4:12
Pro. 27:17
2) not just with peers
Pro. 13:20
1 Cor. 15:33
Eph. 6:1-3
Pro. 20:21-There can be a beneficial alliance between older and younger – strength + wisdom.
3) not just with people
books, movies, internet etc.
Choose wisely what you read, watch, and listen to.
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Practical applications:
1) have a hero
inspiration and assistance
gain their experience by reading their biographies
2) make friends with dead people (authors)
read books that have stood the test of time
read great books, not just good ones
3) take advantage of the Rebelution
visit the website
find companions (ie. the Rebelution forum)
4) find the secret rebelutionaries by being an obvious rebelutionary
spread the message by your life
light a fire under others by your example
5) ask older Christians "What do you wish you had known when you were my age?"
6) seek God
the ultimate Companion
know Him to live for Him
7) change something
just being excited doesn't change anything
structural(real support), not behavioral(emotion) change
sin and weight(not necessarily sin) both keep you from something
you can't change something in your life until you change something
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You can do hard things because CHRIST did the ultimate hard thing.
You owe Him your life.
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July 4th, 2008 at 8:46 am
What a great conference! Thank you for sharing your notes with me. Very good points. By the way, your website design looks very nice!
July 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Thank you, Esther! Actually, I cannot take credit for the design. It is a free template.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
thank you for sharing your notes. Our family had to leave the conference early and we missed the closing segment by greg and brett harris do you have any notes on what we missed? I would so much appreciate it.