THE REBELLION

The Return of Music Monday: Song of the Week

2010-08-23T22:12:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody! It's been awhile, but it's Music Monday time. This week we are going to have a song of the week. After thinking about it for quite some time, I decided to start this off with something a little out of the box.
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Song: "We Are Broken"
Artist: Paramore
Album: Riot!
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This song's meaning is one that is not lost on teenagers. So often we find ourselves broken and beat down, but we are reminded of how God towers over us. We want to know what we need to do inorder to get back on track. That's what this song is about, so enjoy!
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Love Never Fails (Post 7): Love in 3D

2010-07-30T15:06:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody! Hope you have had a great week! I just got back from Cedar Point, so you know that I've had a good one! We wrapped up our mini series called "The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love" last week, and if you haven't read those yet, then I hope you will go back and check those out. This week we will continue talking about love, and more specifically, love in 3D.
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For the most part when you think of 3D you think about amazing clarity, beautiful images, and it grabs your attention. It adds to the overall experience of going to the movies. Just as love should add to the overall experience of life. People should have their attention grabbed by the amazing love that we show them, and that God shows them. Whether it is you giving them a compliment, helping them out, or just the beauty and love that God shows through His creation. It's stunning when you see it, and sadly we don't see it enough. We pass by people, animals, trees, and moutains without noticing the beauty and love that God is showing through them. We don't realize how stunning it all is, and we don't stun people with our love either. What if we made an effort to show people, that we may not even know, how much we love them. Or what if we showed people that we didn't like how much we love them. That's right, I said it...well actually Jesus did. Matthew 5:44 says, "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
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If we can show God's love in such a vivid way as He does, then we will be the example that we are supposed to be. There are many people that you walk by everyday that NEED to be shown love. So, as christians, why aren't we usually taht person. You don't have to do anything big or elaborate, but we should do something! We are called to. We should help make God's love 3D. How could you do that? Let me know in the comments.
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Thanks for reading! If this is your first time, then thank you for giving this blog a chance and please check out the the archives. To those who are my regular readers, thank you for all the support!

Also, big thanks to Warped Tour for rocking! I had a blast!

Finally, I am bringing back Music Monday, but with a new twist. Each week will either feature somebody talking about a song that means alot to you (email me at whocanstopus@gmail.com if you want to participate) or it will feature a song of the week that I pick out. So, get excited! Have a great weekend!

Love Never Fails (Post 6): Summary...In Lyrical Form

2010-07-04T17:25:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody...Happy 4th of July! I know it's Sunday and I never post on Sundays, but I found something super cool. If you have never heard of Brandon Heath then you should get aquainted. He is an up and coming christian artist, and his song "Give Me Your Eyes" was one of the most played songs on Christian Radio in 2009. On his most recent album called What If We he has an awesome song called, of all things, "Love Never Fails." So, I hope you enjoy it!
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Song: "Love Never Fails"
Artist: Brandon Heath
Album: What If We
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Have a great week!

Love Never Fails (Post 5): The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love Part Quatre

2010-07-01T16:32:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! It's finally time for a brand new (and the last part of the Complex Infrastructure series in a series) post! I'm happy to be back at it, and ready to get going with the rest of this series. If you haven't read the other posts in this series (or have forgotten them because of my lack of activity) then please check them out before reading this one. So, far we have talked about what love is, what it isn't, and even how it is supposed to look. This week will some it all up with the perfect description of love.
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I Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
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I Corinthians 13:4-7 is without doubt the perfect explanation of love. It is heard at weddings, in cards, and is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. However, the most important part, and a part that is often left out, is at the beginning of verse 8 where it says..."Love never fails." It is such a simple statement, but it has been so overlooked recently that it has become irrelevent to people that are "in love." As teenagers we fall into this trap alot. I know I did. We meet somebody and they just seem like the perfect person. Everything about them is "everything that you have ever dreamed." Everything seems so sweet and romantic, and it all jsut seems perfect. Then, everything just seems to fall apart, you break up, and it seems like love is a lie. I've been there and done that. What we haven't realized is that while everything may seem perfect, and while everything in those first 4 verses is true, it is the little fact that love never fails that we need to remember. TRUE LOVE NEVER FAILS. True love is something that is rarely experienced. We often think that we have it, but do we really? How do we know?
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"I love you." Those are the words that we often say to eachother. Teenage girls dream of a guy saying that to them, and teenage guys get scared as they let them go. They are magical words that mean you really like eachother, and that you will always be together. I'm going to be straight up with you, it rarely happens. I dated the same girl from 8th grade until the end of my senior year, and whenever anybody said that, I said they were lying. It's not that I think dating is wrong, because it is somewhat necessary to growing up, but you have to be aware that most of these teenage relationships have an expiration date. My parents were lucky to find eachother in high school, and the same goes for several of your parents and some of the readers. However, it's a rare thing. I graduated with 120 people, and there were probably about 20 couples in the class. 1 of those is still together. It seems as if we date a few months then we are required to say I love you, but I have an idea. If love never fails, and we can't really know it until marriage, why do we say it? The idea of not saying I love you until marriage isn't my original idea. I have heard it tossed around, and one of my best friends is actually doing it. It seems hard, but how special would it be to hear those words for the first time as that guy proposes to you, or at your wedding? The reason we can do this is because Love is more than a word, it's a feeling, it's an experience, it's something that doesn't even need to be said if it's for real. In I John 3:18 it says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." It's always great to hear somebody to say it, but it shouldn't be needed. I'm not saying that it's good for everybody, but it's something to think about. Right?
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What this all boils down to is that TRUE love never fails. As I said, it's something that we rarely experience. Some people even feel that they don't have love from anybody, but that's not true at all. From the moment that you were born, actually before that even, until you die, and even after that...there is ONE love that has never and will never fail you. That is Christ's love. 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us..." We are loved so much, and so unconditionally, that Christ took all of our sins, pain, and suffering upon himself. He DIED for us. You can't get much greater love than that.
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So what do you think? Let me know in the comments! Also, I here's some extra reading on love:
-Proverbs 17:9, 17:17
-John 15:13
-I Corinthians 13:13
-Colassians 3:14
-I Peter 4:8
-I John 4:8
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Thanks for reading and bearing with me for the last month! If this is your first time reading, I hope you will go back and search through the archives. As always, feel free to comment on this post and any other post that you would like to comment on. We start a new part of the Love Never Fails series next week, so get pumped! Big thanks to the Reds for playing some great baseball, and to David Crowder* Band for being extremely awesome! See you next week!

So...What's Been Going On?

2010-06-28T21:44:00.001-04:00

Hey people! Long time no see. I truly am sorry that there has not been a single post, comment, or bit of useful info to come out of this blog in exactly a month. So why is that?
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The easy answer would be that I'm busy. I have been a counselor at camp, worked as an artist liaison at the Ichthus Festival, and been out of town for work. I could quite honestly leave it at that, and most people would accept it. However, when I began this blog I commited to being entirely open and honest with you. So, that's what I'm going to do.
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When one country goes to war with another country a country is typically united. They are all working towards the same goal, believe in what they are fighting for, and they can't be broken apart. However, when a country is plagued with a civil war...everything falls apart. There's no common direction, the nation is divided, and families are fighting against eachother. The easy answer is that I was busy, but the hard answer is that I was fighting with myself. Before the beginning of the 4 week "hiatus" I had begun to doubt myself. I was finding it hard to get people to do music monday (which I fully intend on bringing back as well), I was having a hard time making the posts seem intriguing and insightful to myself, and I thought that there was little point in me continuing. I wondered why anybody cared about what I put here, and I wasn't as excited with the posts. So, I decided I would take a week off, pray, and then come back to it. Well, that obviously didn't happen. I began doing the other things that I mentioned before, and slowly figured that everybody had forgotten about it. Things began to change though. Before leaving for Ichthus I opened my internet, and my 5 typical home tabs opened up. Facebook, insight webmail, gmail, Kentucky Sports Radio (Go Cats!), and finally this webpage. I quickly exited out of everything that wasn't facebook, but The Rebellion page kept popping up. I finally just got off the computer and left for Ichthus. Ichthus was a flurry of stress, fun, and work. I was running around daily and sweating to no end. However, I was able to get to the Galleria stage on Saturday afternoon and evening to see Aaron Gillespie do 2 acoustic sets. I'll talk more about Ichthus later, but I wanted to bring that up because something special happened. I went hoping to hear songs by The Almost and maybe an acoustic version of some Underoath songs. However, Aaron Gillespie played about 30 minutes of worship following a few of the songs I was hoping to hear. Soon I was wrapped up in every word, singing along, and for the first time being completely consumed in praising God. It was something I hadn't experienced in a long time. Then finally I went to camp to be a counselor and (my original drive for going) to play guitar in the worship band. Honestly, I was dreading it. I focus on issues that teens face, and I had no clue how to relate to 4th, 5th and 6th graders. So, I went into it thinking this would be a terrible week. As it turns out, it was exactly what I needed. I got to see kids come to Christ, sing along to some of my favorite worship songs, and realize that the childlike wonder I once had in my faith was gone. I had let myself get distracted from what God had led me to do, and distracted from the plan he had for me. So, tonight I decided I would write this, and hope that somebody still wanted to read it. Luckily, I received a facebook wall post from Courtney Lemay asking what had taken so long, and I realized that it was time. So, lets start fresh.
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If we are going to get a new start over I'm going to need your help. Rather that just means praying for me, calling me out when I miss a week, telling people about the blog, helping me out with a Music Monday post, or even just commenting on some posts. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right and not let other things get in the way. Once again, I am sorry...and I hope you guys will hang with me for the last post on the Complex Infrastructure series inside of a series. Thanks again to all the people that have been reading and supporting. Thanks to Aaron Gillespie, thanks to the kids, and thanks to internet explorer for malfunctioning. Let's get this going...nobody can stop us.

Love Never Fails (Post 4): The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love Part Tres

2010-05-28T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! Hope you've had a great week! If you've been with me the past few weeks you know that we have talked about love. What it is, what it isn't, what it looks like, and all that good stuff. This week, we will continue that by covering I Corinthians 13:6-7. So, lets get going!
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I Corinthians 13:6-7
"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
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To anybody that has ever had their heartbroken, or thinks love is all a joke...this verse seems to be the most ridiculous. It is also the one that we struggle with the most. True love almost seems like a fantasy. Something so far off, and so unrealistic that it seems as if it could never happen to you. Many people have had all these things from this verse broken. Maybe you have been cheated on, maybe you are on and off all the time, maybe your relationship is abusive, or maybe you just don't feel as if you deserve what you have been given. If you were to make a list of your ideal spouse, all of these things from I Corinthians 13:6-7 should be on there. Protection, trust, hope, and unconditional love are things that everybody strives for and wished they had. Luckily we have all been given that by Christ dying on the cross. His love certainly perseveres, protects us from Satan, gives us trust and hope, and it is always truthful. So, in light of that, you know that you have found true love if you are able to find somebody else who can handle all of these responsibilites. That will lead to a Christlike relationship, and it will greatly improve your life.
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Thanks for reading! Thank you to all my regular readers, and if this is your first post...I hope you will go back and check out the archives! As always, feel free to comment on this post and all the other posts. Big thanks to Ichthus for being only about 2 weeks away, and also to Ivoryline for making some awesome music!

Speaking of Ichthus, in two weeks I am going to take a break from the series and cover each day of Ichthus on the blog. I'll post pictures, talk about the bands, talk about the people I meet, talk about the awesome things that happen, and everyhthing like that. Also, next week we will finish up "The Complex Infrastructure..." portion of this series with a post about I Corinthians 13:8. So, hope to see you then! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Love Never Fails (Post 3): The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love Part Deux

2010-05-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a great week! This week we are going to continue talking about what love really is. However, inorder to understand what love is, we have to know what it isn't. Last week we talked about the first sentence of I Corinthians 13:4. Yes, only the first sentence. If you haven't read that one yet, please go back and read it! So, this week we are going to talk about the last part of 13:4 as well as 13:5-6. So, let's have some fun.
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"IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD, IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS... "
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When you think of love you think of precious moments, having fun, and everything else that goes along with it. When you think of the wrong vision of "love," all I see is this part of the verse. This is a problem with many teenage relationships. Jealousy, bragging, anger, selfishness, and many other things are what these relationships are built on. As I think back, I can remember how big of a deal this was in most high school relationships and even mine. It happens to everybody. It's part immaturity and part hormones...it's the perfect storm. You are always worried about their friends of the opposite sex, you feel better than everybody else because of your "successful" relationship, you fight alot because things aren't going your way, and things from the past always get brought back up. Sadly, this is even happening to adults. They let all these bad things destroy their own relationship, and in turn hurt their children and their families. That's the norm now, and yet another thing that the Rebellion is hoping to turn around.
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Somewhere we lost the true meaning of love. Relationships seem to be more about instant gratification, than being about the other persons well being. Christ always cares about us, and wants the best for us. He is the most selfless person, most humble person, and he truly loves you. So, since we are to live like him, we need to do our best to give the other people in our lives the same treatment that Christ has given us. We need to give them the most selfless, humble, caring, compassionate, unconditional love that has been given to us without reason. That is a great way to show people Christ, and just a great way to live. We need to let Christ's love overflow from ourselves, so that other people will understand just how much he loves everybody!
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Also, I wanted to say something else. We are going to get into healthy relationships in this series soon, but for right now...if you are in a relationship that isn't following God's blueprint for true love, then please take a moment and think about what is wrong. Whether this means you should have a conversation about it, pray about it, break up, or whatever is needed. You will cause more harm to you and the other person if you wait, so please take action on this.
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Thanks for reading! If you liked this post then go check out the others. As usual, thanks to my regular readers. I really appreciate you, and thank each one of you for the support you give me! Big thanks to The Classic Crime for making great music, and for putting on an awesome show Monday night! Also, big thanks to summer for being here!

Next week we will finish up "The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love" and begin to move on with this series. I feel like this is going to be a good series, so hopefully these haven't bored you too much. Have a great weekend, and see you Monday.

Music Mond-er, uh...Tuesday?: Jeremy Mink (a.k.a. The Minkus)

2010-05-18T17:36:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody! It's that time of the week again...for Music Mond-er,uh...Tuesday rather. This week, we have another student from Eastland Church of God named Jeremy Mink. He's a great kid, and I'm really happy that I've gotten to know him. So, here we go with this weeks post!
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My name is Jeremy, but you can call me The Minkus. Ever since a tragic event in my life, I had felt alone. I felt as if God had left me. I felt as if I all of my friends had left me. I felt as if there was not a soul in the world to call my friend. Until just recently, I had no idea how many friends I have had at my church. This is the reason for choosing my song. The song is "To All The Crowded Rooms" from Senses Fail's Still Searching.
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Song: "To All The Crowded Rooms"
Artist: Senses Fail
Album: Still Searching
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I'll start this off by saying that this is probably the most optomistic song on the whole album. The album is about someone who has lost faith and who is still searching for their purpose in life. It's very similar to my tale. The beginning of this song is great:
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"I don't lie / I love you all / I do and
To all of you dancing / just don't be afraid to fall it's true.
We will capture youin open arms
when you're tired and alone
My life is better than it ever was
My life is better than it ever was"
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That's what I feel the church is like. It's like a safety net for people who need someone to go to. You shouldn't be afraid to call on your church family to help you out. They can do a lot for you. I learned that myself. After I confessed my thoughts and feelings in front of the whole church people came to me with caring hearts wanting to lend a hand in any way they can. The next part is just as important.
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"I'll give blood to your dry veins
We do this for the passion
and not the fashion or fame"
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I see the blood as faith and the dry vains as an empty spirit. The church will help you back on your feet. Not because they want to be known for it, but because they really care. FInally, the main part of the song:
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"To All the Crowded Rooms I say
You gave me a home anyway"
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A crowded room doesn't have to mean a crowded church. I see Crowded rooms as people who have their own problems and horrible situations to deal with, but they still made room in their hearts and lives for whoever needed it. When I needed it the most, I was happy to have people who forgot about their own problems to help me with mine, no matter how much I wanted them to worry about themselves more than me.
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This song doesn't have to be just about the church to you. It can be any person or group that has put time in their lives for you when you needed it the most. When I felt alone after my best friend was in a horrible accident, I seriously needed someplace to go. I found my home with my church family. Always make sure you'll have someone like that to go to. But don't forget, God is there as well. And you can always go to him. His heart is never crowded because it can fit everyone. I'll guarantee that you're life will be better than it ever was before.
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DISCLAIMER: Some of Senses Fail's other material is explicit, and may not be appropriate for your child. Personally, I have no problem with it and encourage people to find meaning in any type of music, such as the way Jeremy has. However, I just thought I would warn you.
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Full lyrics for "To All The Crowded Rooms" by Senses Fail available here:
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/senses_fail/to_all_the_crowded_rooms.html

Senses Fail's Website:
http://www.sensesfail.com/
and Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/sensesfail
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Big thanks to The Minkus for an awesome post! If you would like to be apart of Music Monday please send me an email at whocanstopus@gmail.com. Feel free to comment on this post, and all the others. Also, I hope that you willl come back Thursday for the latest installment in the series "Love Never Fails." Have a great week!

Love Never Fails (Post 2): The Complex Infrastructure Known As Love

2010-05-14T01:41:00.000-04:00

Hey people! This is the first real post in the "Love Never Fails" series, and I'm really excited to get it started! If you haven't yet, I hope you would go check out the introduction. This week though, we are going to talk about the "complex infrastructure known as love" (The title's a little Relient K reference for you). So, lets get going.
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Love, like hate, is one of the most overused words of all time. We claim to love all kinds of things. Bands, tv shows, celebrities, movies, food, places, and all other kinds of places. It has gotten to the point that love almost means nothing more than kind of liking something. For instance, I catch myself professing my "love" for certain bands that I merely like all the time. We all do it. It's caused us to forget what the true meaning of love is.
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In I Corinthians 13:4-7 it says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." As I said in the introduction, that is the blueprint for love that has been laid out for us in the Bible. However, the most important part of these verses actually comes in the beginning of verse 8 where it says, "Love never fails." True love NEVER fails. Never has, and never will.
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I Corinthians will be our blueprint to what love is. It is going to be the basis for the entire series. We are going to talk about friends, families, relationships, Christ's love, and all kinds of other things. However, everything will tie back into these four verses. This week, we are going to talk about what love is. We will dive into just the first sentence of I Corinthians 13:4. Yes, only the first sentence, because it is that important. So, What is love?
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"LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND"
Love is patient and kind. Easier said than done, right? While many of you may laugh at this, it really is the truth. Love is meant to be patient. Nobody is perfect, and people are constantly and somewhat compulsively making mistakes. Too often though, we get caught up in those things and condemn them instantly. Then that is when love goes from being kind, to being unkind. This happens to everybody in every relationship. It doesn't necessarily mean that there is no love, but at the moment you seem to have lost touch with the true meaning. If you do love somebody enough though, you will be patient with them. You will understand that they can never be perfect, and you will accept them for who they are. Lucky for us, Christ is like this. Christ's love is certainly patient. For many of us, we either are a person or know of a person who has been avoiding a personal relationship with Jesus. I was that person. Thankfully, Christ didn't give up on me. He never gives up on anybody. He is the most patient of anybody. He is always there waiting and hoping. Ofcourse His love is also kind. Think about it, He gave up his own life for you. He had the kindness to lose His earthly body just so that you would one day be able to meet Him in Heaven. You can't get much more kind than that.
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Thanks for reading the first post of the series! Feel free to comment about anything you like. Next week, the post is going to be about what love isn't. So, I hope you come back for next week! Thanks to all my regular readers, you guys are awesome. Also, thanks to the Eastland Church of God Youth Group for letting me speak for the past 5 weeks! Wednesday night was great.

Also, big thanks to The Classic Crime (aka my favorite band of all time) because they write music that is incredible and I finally get to see them live on Monday (which means we may have Music Tuesday?). Anyways, they are awesome!

See you guys next Monday or Tuesdayish? It just depends! Have a great weekend!

Music Monday: Bethany Montgomery

2010-05-10T15:03:00.003-04:00

Hey! It's Monday again, so we are back with a new Music Monday post. This week, the guest blogger is Bethany Montgomery. I met Bethany at Eastland (where we both go to chuch), and she has really been a big part of the Rebellion series at Eastland. So, with that said, here we go!
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Hey, my name is Bethany and I have loved music ever since i can remember! I asked Josh to do Music Monday because there is a song that is really speaking to me at this moment, and really always had spoke to me! The song I wanted to post about was "Safe" by Phil Wickham.
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Song: "Safe"
Artist: Phil Wickham
Album: Heaven & Earth
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"To the one who's dreams are falling all apart
And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart
I can tell by your eyes you think your on your own
but you're not all alone"
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This verse of the song is my favorite because it makes me feel like the song is personal and it reaches out to me when I do have a broken heart. In reality God is with us and this song makes that very clear to me!!
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I had the lyrics of this song up on my computer screen, and a girl leaned over to me (she's not a christian) and said "whats that?" I told her that I was going to use it for music monday on our church youth groups blog. I showed her the blog and she said thats cool, and turned away. The i asked her to read the song lyrics and she looked and me and said "That's Awsome" and I said yeah it is, you should listen to the song sometime and she said ok i will!
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This song has an amazing meaning for me and its an amazing song! Take a listen to it, and I hope it will bless you!
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Full lyrics for "Safe" by Phil Wickham available below:
http://www.elyricsworld.com/safe_lyrics_phil_wickham.html

Phil Wickham's website:
http://philwickham.com/
myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/philwickham
and facebook fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/philwickham?ref=ts
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Thanks to Bethany for a great post! If you would like to be apart of Music Monday please send me an email at whocanstopus@gmail.com. Feel free to comment on this post, and all the others. Also, I hope you all come back Thursday when the series "Love Never Fials" gets underway. Have a great week, and I'll see you Thursday.

Love Never Fails: Introduction

2010-05-07T17:06:00.000-04:00

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS..."
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If you've ever been to a wedding, you have probably heard these verses. It is quite possibly the most perfect explanation of love there is. We all know that love is something that we strive for. Rather it is from our friends, families, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or Christ. We are always looking for that connection from somebody else. The kind of connection that makes us feel alive, and makes us want to keep moving forward. It's a connection that is hard to come by, and all too often we look for it in the wrong places. We are given the blueprint for what love is supposed to look like in I Corinthians. So, why don't we always follow it? Why do we compromise the truth just for instant gratification? Where does love come from? Where should we find love? How do we love? Why do we love? What does love look like?
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Obviously, love is one of the most confusing, joyous, painful, and powerful emotions. In the new series, Love Never Fails, we are going to discuss all of that. Love is one of the biggest things that teenagers want and need. It is many teens life force, but it's also just as many teens downfall. So, we are going to look at why that is. We will discover how love is patient and kind. How it does not envy or boast. How it's not rude, selfish, angry, or spiteful. How it comes alive with truth. How it protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres, and most importantly...how true LOVE NEVER FAILS.
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Thanks for reading this short intro to Love Never Fails. I hope that you all will come back next week for the start of this series. Also, I want to thank all my regular readers...I can't thank you all enough! Please, spread the word if you want!

Big thanks to freshman year for ending! Also, to This Season's Color for making some really great music!

Have a great week and I'll see you for the next Music Monday!

Music Monday: Courtney LeMay

2010-05-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody! It's that time of the week again...Music Monday! This week I have one of my friends named Courtney LeMay. I have known Courtney since 6th grade, and we have extremely similar music tastes. (Paramore/Relient K concert was fun. haha) So, I asked her if she would like to do one this week, and she happened to write a blog that is an excellent lead in to the new series...so enjoy!
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My name is Courtney, and I love music. There’s really not a song on my iPhone that doesn’t mean something to me. That’s part of the reason it took me so long to write this Music Monday for Josh—I had trouble picking what song to talk about. In desperation, I turned to my top-rated playlist, and that’s when I knew exactly what song I wanted to talk about. I’ve been a fan of Switchfoot for a while now; I can still remember listening to their Oh! Gravity album on repeat for a month straight every night while doing my homework. A song from their newest album is the one I’ll be discussing today, though. “Enough to Let Me Go” from Switchfoot’s Hello Hurricane.

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Song: "Enough to Let Me Go"
Artist: Switchfoot
Album: Hello Hurricane
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The song really speaks to me where I am in life right now. I’m finding out how different love is from the movies, from what I thought it was, and from what I wanted or expected it to be. Love isn’t finding the perfect person to complete you; I’m slowly learning it isn’t about finding a person at all. I had been in a serious relationship for many months, and one day I felt Him leading me a different direction. God was asking me to give up this relationship, and I knew I couldn’t ignore Him forever. To make a very long story short, I broke up with my boyfriend and took it pretty hard. Music is what I relied on heavily to get through the day, music and God’s promises of something better in my life; I found myself on my own and searching for something different. I was searching for myself, and the first verse speaks to this part of my life:
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“Oh, I'm a wandering soul/I'm still walking the line that leads me home.
Alone, all I know/I still got mountains to climb/on my own, on my own.”
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But I didn’t pick up on this very quickly. I was looking for God to give me that next great relationship at any moment, and it ended up causing me more pain. But God works in wonderful, unexpected ways to get His points across. My dad hadn’t been to church in a long time, but he suddenly began to go to Quest in Lexington. Intrigued, I went with him one week, and it was here that the message really spoke to me. I realized that you first have to get your life together before you can ever be concerned with letting someone else into your life in a serious way. It finally clicked. I don’t have a clue what God wants me to do with my life, but I know that I’ll never figure it out if I’m too busy being distracted by someone else.
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The song has a similar point in it. The song reminds me that letting go of those you love is the best way to learn to really love sometimes. The song sounds like patience in lyrical form, and that is definitely something I need reminding of. That’s where the chorus comes in.
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“Do you love me enough to let me go?
To let me follow through/To let me fall for you, my love?
Do you love me enough to let me go?”
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You might think of the cliché saying that if you love something, you’ll let it go, but I think there’s more to it than that. If you want to love something, you have to let go of yourself first. Love is about sacrifice, not about finding completion from the other person. First of all, God is the only one whose love completes you. Psalm 66:20 (NIV) talks of the awesomeness of God’s love:“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Another thing to remember is that you need to be complete in your own identity before you can ever make a relationship work successfully. This is something many of us just don’t hear enough these days. It might be a simple song with a simple message, but it has a powerful meaning if you’ll just listen for it.
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Full lyrics for "Enough to Let Me Go" by Switchfoot available below:
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/switchfoot/enough_to_let_me_go.html

Switchfoot's Website:
http://www.switchfoot.com/
and myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/switchfoot

You can find Switchfoot's music anywhere that sales music. If you get a chance to see them live, then do it! They are quite excellent.

Once again, big thanks to Courtney for an awesome post! Please come back Thursday to check out the new series called "Love Never Fails." I am really excited about this series, and I can not wait to get started. As always, feel free to comment on this post about the song, or anything else you want! If you would like to do a guest post for Music Monday please email me at whocanstopus@gmail.com. Have a great week everybody! See you Thursday!

I Dare Ya (Post 3): Just Do It

2010-04-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Sorry there was no Music Monday, but I've had a crazy weekend and was unable to have time to post one...so we will definitely have one next week! However, this week is the third post of the "I Dare Ya" series. This week we will be talking about how you can be the change in the communities you are apart of. Rather that is your group of close friends, your church, your neighborhood, your school, your family, your team, or whatever communities you are apart of. So, lets get going.
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This whole post is about changing your communities. So, how exactly do we do that? I think what it boils down to is just a few things. Those are: Respect, Being an Example, and Actions. Ofcourse, Faith is the biggest factor in all of this, and if you want to hear about that part of things then please check out my last post. So, why are these the most important? Let's get to that!
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RESPECT
Respect is a big part of making a change. Christians often get a bad rap for seeming disrespectful to people, and there are many that are truly disrespectful. For instance, there's a group that comes on my college campus almost weekly that causes a major stir. They wear shirts that say "~~Porn~~" as in they are against porn. Well, that's good...but they also have a sign that lists off pretty much everything that is not Christian. He then stands there and yells that everyone is going to hell, and that you need to be like him and stop sinning. This has caused alot of outrage on campus, and has led to many people turning their back on Christianity. Also, if you saw my post called "The IQ Test" then you know that many groups do this and that it is a common occurance. This is a major problem. The most vocal and noticeable Christians are the ones that people hate, and that benefit the community the least. If we treated everybody with respect, and also made postive changes around our community...then the positive side of Christianity would be more visible for once. In Proverbs 10:12 it says, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs." We need to treat everybody as if they were created in God's image, which they were. That means men, women, black, white, hispanic, gay, straight, junkie, alcoholic, and anything you can think of. We don't have to agree with what they do but we have to show them that we love them just the same. As many have said, love the sinner and not the sin. Or as it says in Leviticus 19:18, "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."
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BE AN EXAMPLE
Being an example is something that is extremely important in all aspects of life. Whether it's too younger siblings, classmates, and even adults. First I want to say that this doesn't mean you have to be perfect. That's impossible, however, you can show people how to be the change. You can show people how to help everybody around them, and you can show everybody how Christ has changed your life. As I said before we were made in God's image, and are asked to live in a Christ-like way. It's all about showing people where your love comes from, and it has to do with letting that love overflow into other people's lives. Living a life of excess, if you will. You can do this in many ways. You can tell people about how Christ changed your life, you can demonstrate Christ's love to others, along with many other things. Which brings me to...
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ACTIONS
To me, faith and actions go hand in hand. They are one in the same. If you have faith in Jesus Christ, and trust him completely, he will do actions through you. There are all kinds of things you can do. Talking to a friend that needs help, giving a homeless person food, volunteering at your church, helping somebody move, working with inner city children. There's all kinds of things you can do, but YOU have to do it. You may feel like you don't have time, or that you don't feel comfortable. However, God isn't always going to work in our comfort zone. Who knows, you may find something that you love.
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So remember, inorder to make a change in your community it's all about these 3 things. Respect, being an example, and doing actions. If we are going to be the change that we want to see, then we have to strengthen our faith, and do the 3 things that we talked about here. Just give it a try! I dare ya!
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Thanks for reading! I really appreciate you all checking this out. If this is your first time reading, then I hope you will take some time and check out the archives. Also, new series starting next week called Love Never Fails! It's going to be a good one!

Check out http://www.lifelovemusic.com/ to get an "I Am A Threat To Your Apathy" t-shirt!

Big thanks to Angels & Airwaves, Paramore, Drake, and Taylor Swift for keeping me too busy this week to get anything done! Also, big thanks to How I Met Your Mother for being the best show on TV...just sayin'. Have a great weekend! See you for Music Monday!

I Dare Ya (Post 2): Closer

2010-04-23T02:05:00.000-04:00

How's everybody doing? This week, I'm not going to play around. It's all business. The reason that I'm going to be that way this week is because we are talking about one of the most important things to being a Rebel. That would be your relationship with our Savior. If you have any intention of not conforming to the patterns of this world, then the first thing you have to do is get serious about your faith. Exactly one year ago, I had just begun to get closer to Christ. I told the youth group at Eastland the other day that April 21, 2009 was the most pivotal day of my life. On April 20th my longtime girlfriend broke up with me, and a bunch of other stuff was going on. It was extremely rough on me, so on April 21st I spent a majority of the day feeling bad for myself. Having been through a prolonged period of self pity not long before, I decided that I didn't want to do it anymore. That was the night I decided I needed to make a change, and it was the best decision of my life. Had I not made the decision to give all my struggles, pain, and my entire life over to Christ...I wouldn't even be sitting here typing right now. I wouldn't have the amazing friends I have right now. I wouldn't have the opportunities that I have, and my entire life would be different. This is why this means so much to me, and why I feel that this is something that I had to write about. There's never been any other decision that I have made or will make that will ever compare to my choice of getting to know my Savior better.
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So this week, is all about daring you to get closer to God. I want to encourage you to do whatever it takes inorder to move towards a strong relationship with Christ. There are many reasons why it's hard for teens to accept Christ. People see God as judgemental, and think that He only exists to call them out when they do wrong. However, that's not the case. Most people know John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I found it interesting though that my pastor pointed out John 3:17 which says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." God will call us out sometimes, because we sometimes deserve it. However, He loves us and his goal is not to condemn the world, but to save it.
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There are many other reasons. For instance, it may be the man screaming on a bullhorn with a shirt that says, "YOU ARE ALL GOING TO BURN!" on a college campus. It may be the Westboro Baptist Church who protests military funerals (Which is absolutely sickening). They may see Christians as hypocritical. They may be turned off by extremly political churches. They may not want to put in the effort. They may feel like they don't need Christ's help. For me, it was the fact that I felt it would change my life in a negative way. I thought that it would restrict my life, and make it boring. All I saw the "rules" (see where it ties in?), and the "rules" of Christianity scared me to say the least. This is what alot of people feel. What many people see is the parties, the "friends," the "college experience," the drugs, the lack of having to answer to God, and they feel that life would be boring with Christ. Well, I've come to find the opposite. Giving everything I have to Christ has really opened up a whole new world to me. Living the lifestyle of a rebel is like having a new adventure everyday. When you give up your life to Christ, and you fully trust him...it's exciting to see what he has in store for you next. Which brings me to my next point...
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Giving up your life to Christ can seem scary. As I've said several times on here, it seems ridiculous to give somebody else control. It's like picking up a hitchhiker and letting him drive your car, it just seems stupid. The whole idea opens up more ways for you to want to back out of it.
What if God wants me to go spend 5 years in Guatemala? I really couldn't leave my family behind, and I don't like their food. What if God wants me to be a youth pastor? I really don't like kids, and I can't think of cool stuff to do every week! What if God asks me to tell my friends about His love? There's no way I could do that. They would think I'm weird!
It's a natural reaction. However, God has a specific plan for each one of us. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God has a plan. His plan is one that will make us grow spirtiually as well has a plan to give us "hope and a future." Sounds good doesn't it? Well, that's not all there is to it. If we want to find the path that God has for us, we must become closer to him. Jeremiah 29:12-13 it says, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." We have to get closer to God in order to be rebellious. We have to seek Him with ALL our heart. We need to go above and beyond what we normally do, so that we can really tap into God's will for our lives. Also, don't worry about God forcing you to do something you hate. In Psalm 37:4 it says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." God knows what you long for, and He will use that for His good. He wants you to be happy. You just have to trust him!
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Jesus really wants to be our best friend. He wants to be the one that we run to in the lowest of lows, and the first one that we thank at the highest of highs. He always wants to be there for us, and He never wants to leave. That's why he died on the cross. That's why he gave up everything that He had on earth...for you. So, that's why we should give up everything to Him. He wants us to trust him completely. So, how do we form that kind of reltionship?
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There's alot of ways to grow closer to Christ. Of course, you can always pray more. This is my favorite. If you are ever at the gym, on a long drive, or just sitting around and you have something on your mind...just tell God. He's always listening! Whenever I am having a rough day, I always find it helpful to immediately tell God. You can find good books to read (My favorite is The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus). You can find a devotional book, and just spend time praying and focusing on the lesson. Reading your Bible is a must. You can read through it book by book, you can flip to a random chapter, or you could even go back and read your favorite verses. You could also start a prayer journal. This is where you will see the most growth. All you have to do is sit down in the quiet, get a pen and paper, and just write. Talk about prayer requests, what happened in the day, thoughts, song lyrics, verses, basically anything you want. Over time you will begin to look back at these and realize just how far you've come, and how much you have changed. You can look back at the hardest times in your life, and see how God pulled you through it. These are just some of the things that have been helpful to me, and if there's anything you like to do that I didn't mention...let us know in the comments!
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This is a very broad overview. It is by no means an end all, be all story of how you should grow closer to God. I encourage you to atleast start by praying as often as possible, and just see what God leads you to do. If you want to talk about it more I would be more than happy to answer emails, facebook messages, or talk about it in person. You can also leave comments in the comment section. Whatever is neccessary! Just know that God is always waiting to listen, to comfort, to teach, and to be your best friend. I dare you to go closer! I DARE YA!
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Thanks for reading! I hope that if you liked this post, that you will go and explore the archives. Also, feel free to leave comments. It makes this so much more fun! For all the regular readers, thank you so much! To everybody who has read a post, you all mean alot to me and it makes me happy to hear what you all think. If you want to talk more about this post then just email me at whocanstopus@gmail.com, or simply add me on facebook! I would be more than happy to talk to you all!

I would also like to thank my family for putting on an awesome cookout for me and some of my friends tonight! It was alot of fun! I would like to thank the Eastland Youth for letting me come and be apart of their Wednesday nights! Finally, I would like to thank Sent by Ravens for their awesome music, and summer for getting closer and closer! Have a great weekend...I'll see you Monday!

Music Monday: The Rebellion

2010-04-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! It's time for Music Monday again! This week, I thought I would change it up just a bit. I've been thinking, and I think that The Rebellion needs some sort of unofficial theme song. So, I got to thinking. I had several in mind, but I think I picked the perfect one! So, here it is!
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Song: "The Resistance"
Artist: Anberlin
Album: New Surrender
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"The Resistance" is exactly the song that explains what this is all about. It is a fast paced rocker that will get your adrenaline pumping. The lyrics in this song depict exactly what The Rebellion is all about. It starts out by addressing the people who are against it.

"You wanna watch us break?
Be the first to take us down
but your teeth are worn
and there's no stopping us now."

How much better can it get? As you saw in the last post, and likely experienced yourself, people want to watch us break. They want to see this all crumble and become nothing. However, they will slowly lose their grip on us, because there's no stopping us now.
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So, what happens when people try to stop us? Well, we have to hold together. Which, conveniently, is what the second verse to the song is about!

"Silent alarms are ringing
sounds of revolt draw near
a new united front
that you will come to fear
We will hold together
to become the change
voice for the voiceless
with every common man engaged."

I love this! People will begin to hear "silent alarms." They will sense that something is about to happen, something big. The revolt is coming. We will become the united front, and we will stand up side by side to become the change. We are the change.
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So what happens when we stand together and become the change? Well, people can either choose to watch or join in on the fun.

"Ignite and watch us burn

til every embers turn
man kind will feel inspired
when we set your walls to fire."

There's a fire that has been lit under us. It's a fire of passion and desire. It is one that is going to cause the change. It will be the change that will make "man kind feel inspired."
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This song is the perfect song for The Rebellion! I hope you all will go check it out, because it is the rally call for us. We have to stand together, and we will cause the change that makes man kind feel inspired! After all, WHO CAN STOP US?
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Full lyrics for "The Resistance" by Anberlin available below:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-resistance-lyrics-anberlin.html

Anberlin's Website:
http://www.anberlin.com/
and myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/anberlin

You can find Anberlin's music at any christian bookstore, any music store, and most retail stores.

Once again, I hope you check out the song. It is by one of my favorite bands, and it has come to mean alot to me and hopefully anybody that is joining me in this effort!

The new series called "I Dare Ya" will continue this Thursday! So, hope you can check it out! Also, if you would like to participate in Music Monday, please email me at whocanstopus@gmail.com!

Finally, if you are in junior high, high school, or just a parent that would like their teens to find out more about The Rebellion, then come check me out at Eastland Church of God this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. It promises to be alot of fun, and I hope you would consider coming out!

Have a great week!

Special Thought: They Can't Stop Us...But They'll Try

2010-04-18T23:08:00.001-04:00

This evening I got a text from a number I didn't know. So, I opened it wondering who it was. Following this text, I received several more from the same number. This is what they read:
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Text 1: "You should stop blogging"

I then asked why that was, and also asked who it was.
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Text 2: "They suck. And no one reads them."

Ok, fair enough. I know I don't have many readers, so it's not incredibly innacurate. I then asked who it was again.
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Text 3: "This is god"

I doubt that. So, once again I asked who it was, and didn't get an answer. So, I asked yet again while explaining that I didn't mind their opinion. In all honesty, I respect that they don't like it. However, I also think it is common courtesy to let me know who it was.
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Text 4: "Maybe you should learn how to write and maybe I'll listen. And you say you know people [that read the blog] but you have a grand total of zero comments on your blog."

Ok, that is true. Well, there are some on the first post, but I guess those don't count? Also, I know I will never be a good writer, so if that is holding you back from liking this...then that's fine. There are plenty of good writers out there, so I hope you will read them (Erwin Raphael McManus, Jesse Rice, and Rob Bell are some of my favorites if that means anything to you).
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Anyways, you may be wondering why I brought all of this up. At first, I decided I was going to just let it go, but I soon realized this is a perfect example of what will happen. People aren't going to like this, and I didn't intend for everybody to. There are going to be some people that want to tear you down and stop any progress you are making. What we need to do is keep going, and let it put fuel in our fire. Like I've said, if we do this together then nobody can stop us...and I mean NOBODY! I don't care if there are 1, 5, 14, 50, 100, or even if it's just myself that reads this blog, but if even just a little change happens in 1 person...well, it was all worth it. What we have to realize is that Satan will place roadblocks in our way, but we just have to roll with the punches and keep moving. God will even give you tests to see if you are truly sincere about what you are doing. You need to give it all you got, and He will reward you. You just have to trust Him!
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Finally, I want anybody who is reading this to know that I really appreciate that you even glanced at this. Yes, even the person that sent those texts...I'm glad you atleast glanced at the blog. So, know that even when things get in your way, you aren't alone and that you will get through it. Stay strong and just roll with the punches. There's a reason for everything.

Stickers!

2010-04-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

Hey! Check these out and tell me what you think! Personally, I'm happy with the way they turned out, but I may just be a teeny bit biased.
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I don't know when they will officially be available, but I thought I would give the readers a little sneak peak! I made them at http://www.zazzle.com/, so if you ever need custom tees, hats, stickers, etc. then they are the place to go! They do unbelievable work!

I Dare Ya (Post 1): Introduction

2010-04-16T01:36:00.000-04:00

How's everybody doing? This week we are starting a new series! If you haven't read last weeks post called "The Red Button" then I think it would help if you went and checked it out! So, lets get this started. In the last post I talked more about breaking the rules. I mentioned a metaphorical "Red Button" and how we are being dared to press that button, or do things that we aren't supposed to. It's one of the key concepts of The Rebellion. We have to break the rules inorder to make a change. So, I'm daring you to push that button.
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As teenagers, we don't always get a good rap. We aren't really expected to do much either. That's why it is so important for us to go for it! Just so that we can prove everybody wrong. I believe that if we were to step up and start making a difference in the smallest ways, that it would become infectious. It wouldn't be just us, it would be your friends, your mom, your dad, your little brother or sister, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your grandparents, your teachers, your coaches, it really could change everything that we know. We could flip the world upside down.
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Why haven't we tried this sooner? Well, apathy. We, me included, tend to feel apathetic to many things in life. Apathy is being indiffernt or not caring about things. We tend to feel no emotion towards things outside of our struggles. If your girlfriend/boyfriend is mad at you, that will always take control over worrying about the person who doesn't know where they are going to sleep. If we flipped that around, then it would make a world of difference. How we do this is to become empathetic. Empathy is basically when you experience things from somebody else's point of view. Walk a mile in their shoes if you will. This is what we would need. The best thing that I have seen lately is a shirt that explains my feelings perfectly. While others are apathetic, it's the ones that are being empathetic that will influence them. So, when I saw a shirt on http://www.lifelovemusic.com/ that said, "I AM A THREAT TO YOUR APATHY." I couldn't help but to take a sense of excitement at just the thought. We can be a threat to other people's apathy.
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So, in this series we are going to discover how we change ourselves, our friends, our community, and most importantly our relationship with our Savior. This is the next logical step to take, and I hope you all accept the challenge. I hope you will pust the red button, and step out of your comfort zone. I promise you won't regret it. Let's be a threat, and continue to ask the question...WHO CAN STOP US?
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Thanks for reading! If you liked this post I hope that you will go check out the archives! As for the rest of you all that have been reading...thanks. I can't thank you enough for giving me the time of day. I hope that you all will join me Monday for a new Music Monday post! If you would like to be apart of Music Monday please email your post to whocanstopus@gmail.com! Also, I hope that you will come back next Thursday as we officially get "I Dare Ya" up and running!

I would also like to thank Tucker, Brett, Kelly, Ashlie, and Josh (not me haha) for the distraction of Tolly-Ho tonight! Also, I would like to send the opposite of thanks to the Tolly-Ho burger for making me feel sick tonight. However, I will definitely be back haha. Finally, big thanks for B.o.B. for giving me some awesome music to write to!

Check out http://www.lifelovemusic.com/ for some awesome t-shirts made by Ben Kasica of Skillet.

Have a great weekend! See you all Monday!

Music Monday: Katie Nelson

2010-04-12T19:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! Hope you have all had a good day! Well, it's Monday. Which means it's time for another Music Monday! This week's Music Monday is coming from Katie Nelson from Liberty University where she majors in Dietetics. I don't know Kate personally, but she is friends with my friend Blaire, so she must be cool! So, I would like to thank her for her post! With that being said, I give you this weeks Music Monday...
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Hey! My name is Katie, and a song that has meant a lot to me in my walk with God is “God Speaking” by Mandisa. Aside from her CRAZY PIPES, the lyrics are incredible. It has made me realize that sometimes God speaks to us through some really strange things… they may be the hardest thing we will ever go through or the best thing, but HIS WAYS ARE ALWAYS BETTER. I have learned that above and beyond, and He has always proven faithful. So here’s the lyrics… enjoy!
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Song: "God Speaking"
Artist: Mandisa
Album: True Beauty
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Have you ever heard a love song,
that set your spirit free? 
Have you ever watched a sunrise
and felt you could not breathe? 
What if it's Him. 
What if it's God speaking. 
Have you ever cried a tear
that you could not explain? 
Have you ever met a stranger
who already knew your name? 
What if it's Him. 
What if it's God speaking. 
Who knows how He’ll get ahold of us? 
Get our attention to prove He is enough. 
He’ll do, and He’ll use
whatever He wants to. 
To tell us, I Love You.  
Have you ever lost a loved one 
Who you thought should still be here? 
Do you know what it feels like 
to be tangled up in fear? 
What if He’s somehow involved? 
What if He’s speaking through it all?  
Who knows how He’ll get ahold of us? 
Get our attention to prove he is enough. 
He’ll do and He’ll use
whatever He wants to 
To tell us, I love you. 
His ways are higher  
His ways are better 
Though sometimes strange 
What could be stranger than God in a manger?  
Who knows how He’ll get ahold of us? 
Get our attention to prove He is enough. 
Who knows how He’ll get ahold of you? 
Get your attention to prove he is enough. 
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever He wants to,
To tell us I love you 
God is speaking, I love you
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Mandisa's Website:
http://mandisa.sparrowrecords.com/

Once again, huge thanks to Katie for being a guest blogger! If you would like to participate in Music Monday please send me an email at whocanstopus@gmail.com!

Look out for the start of a brand new series this Thursday, as well as some other surprises coming up!

If you are a junior high or high school student (or a parent reading this that thinks their child would like this) from Lexington, Ky...come see me speak starting THIS Wednesday, April 14th at 7:00 p.m. at Eastland Church of God on Liberty Road! It will be the beginning of a 5 week series being co-taught by me and ECOG youth leader Julie Dodson! It's going to be a lot of fun! Also, if you all like what you have read and are interested in having me speak at your church, school, camp, college, or whatever please send me an email at whocanstopus@gmail.com! I love speaking and meeting new people so it will be great if you were able to have me speak!

Have a great week! See you Thursday!

The Red Button

2010-04-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

Hello everybody! This week I decided to put off the new series until next week because I wanted to do a post that is called The Red Button. Teeneagers naturally are intrigued by things we aren't supposed to do. Drink, be lazy, do drugs, have sex, skip class, and all the other things that go along with them. By telling us not to do it, it almost adds fuel to the fire. It's the equivalent of saying, "Don't press the red button." It makes it more interesting, and you really want to find out what happens when you do press it. That's what I want us to do, I want us to do things that we shouldn't.
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Intrigued? I hope so. You (especially the parents reading this) are probably going to wonder why I want teens to do things they shouldn't. Well, it's because that's what rebels do. We do things we shouldn't. When you think about teens these days what do you think of? I'm sure lazy came up, I'm sure some of you said out of control, and I bet somebody may have even said that they are uninterested in anybody but themselves. This is what teens are supposed to do. Sit on our butts, go do stupid things with our friends, and care about ourselves. Ofcourse, there are times and place for some of these things (If anybody knows anything about that, it would be me.), but we can't always do that.
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This is our red button. The suggestion that we can't change things, because we don't want to. That's getting tired and played out, and it's time we do something about it. What would happen if we did? What would happen if we all did something that we don't usually do? What if I helped out the kids at my church? What if I got together with a bunch of people and built a playground in the inner city? What if I helped out at a homeless shelter? What if I even just picked up my phone to check up on somebody I haven't talked to in awhile, or even just bought a random stranger a cup of coffee at Starbucks? What if I started reading my Bible and keeping a prayer journal? What if...
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We can't leave it at "what if." I don't know about you, but I'm interested to see what would happen. In fact, I know what would happen. People would be confused. Since when do teenagers do these things? Since when do they care about me? That confusion is all that we would need to make a big impact. We are soon going to be adults (like it or not), and if we can make even a little change now...I can only imagine what would happen in the future. It's just like I've said a million times. If we all decided to do this...WHO CAN STOP US? ...You want to press that red button now?
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Question:
What do you think you could do to "press the red button?"
(feel free to answer the question in the comments section!)
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Thanks for reading this post! If it's your first time reading, I hope that you like it enought to read in the future and to check out the archives! As for the next series, we will get it up and running this Thursday! We will be talking about how we can make the change that needs to be made, and what that would do. So, think of The Red Button as an interlude into that. Should be fun, so I hope you keep reading!

Big thanks to my comfy chair at my desk for letting me relax while I write, and also to Search the City for making some awesome music! Also to Blaire Barnhart for the spectacular idea to add a question to the end of the post!

Have a great weekend, see you on monday for Music Monday!

Music Monday: Julie Dodson

2010-04-05T16:50:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! This week for Music Monday I have my friend Julie Dodson. Julie is the youth minister at Eastland Church of God, and is a big reason why this blog even exists! So, here's Julie with her Music Monday!
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Song: "Jesus Paid It All"
Artist: Elvina Hall
Album: N/A
This song has been covered by many artists, so if you like it then there is bound to be a version that fits your taste.
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I've definitely been looking forward to posting today for Music Monday. One things that has been so amazing to watch is the resurgence of old hymns, redone by people like Crowder and Jars, rediscovering these lyrics that haven't just lasted for a couple of decades but hundreds, sometimes hundreds and hundreds, of years. My song is old- not 90's old, not 80's old, more like 1865 old. It's called "Jesus Paid It All" by Elvina Hall. She isn't known for writing any other song besides this one, but it's so powerful, affecting lives for almost a century and a half. The last verse and chorus says-
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"And when before thy throne
stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow"
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One of the reasons that these lyrics resonate with me over and over is that it's my story. I grew up as a good little Christian-acting girl, hearing of Jesus' work on the cross being enough to save me more times than I can count...and yet I still thought that somehow, I could work to deserve God...or mess up enough to completely kill my chances of being His. It wasn't until I realized that when I stand before God's throne, if I am asked, "Why should you be welcomed into everlasting life with Me (God)?" I used to think, "Oh, look at all the good I did and all the bad I stayed away from!" (Or on a bad day, I'd say, "I have no idea. No hope for me.") But, no. I've found the amazing joy and freedom to say now, "All I have to stand on is the crucified body and blood of my Lord, Jesus Christ, the holy and perfect sacrifice for the world." Oh, the freedom in knowing that it's true! Freedom from the works ladder, from trying and trying and trying to be "good enough!" "All to Him I owe"...and that's all I'll be able to say.
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My favorite recording of this song is from Passion '06- Check it out- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brVIlXlJRkQ&feature=related
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Full lyrics for "Jesus Paid It All" by Elvina Hall available below:
http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=559022

Big thanks to Julie for a great post! If anybody else is interested in being a guest blogger please email me at whocanstopus@gmail.com.

Have a great week, and be ready for the introduction to the new blog series on Thursday!

The Rebellion (Post 4): WHO CAN STOP US?

2010-04-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

So, up to this point we have covered all the issues that have to do with the Rebellion. We've talked about where we are, how we got there, and now it's time to ask what should we do? What do we need to do? and Why do we need to do it?
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The Rebellion is simply a movement. It is just a movement to change everything we have come to know. Sound crazy? Well, I expect it to seem that way, but I have no doubt that it can happen. Will it be easy? Absolutely not! But is it worth it? Absolutely yes! What we need to realize is that it's not just a one time thing. You can't just go out and do one service project or anything like that and expect it to be any better. This will take an extreme effort from everybody involoved. There's no halfway with this. We have to go full speed.
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So, how are we going to do this? First it starts with you. You have to lose control of your life by giving it to God. You have to break all the rules of religion, and not live a life that is "just good enough." Finally, you have to live a life of excess, and let the way you live speak for itself. You have to give up everything only to get more in return. Don't be scared, God won't lead you somewhere you are not meant to be. In Psalm 37:4 it says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." So, give yourself up to God and he will lead you not only where you are needed, but somewhere that you will love. By going above and beyond what is simply required, you will discover God's plan for you.
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There are several ways to go above and beyond. You can ofcourse pray more, worship more, read the Bible more. You could also do things like service projects and mission trips (domestic or international). I think it would be so much cooler to walk around campus and hear somebody be like, "Bro! This weekend was so crazy! I went to this homeless shelter and worked in the kitchen and even talked to some of them! IT WAS INSANE BRO!" Odds of that right now are obviously slim, but come on, a boy can dream can't he? I promise that you will enjoy doing such things. It is very rewarding, and an act that can change lives and show people that teens are not just sitting around anymore. We are doing amazing things.
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We need to be rebels! That's the whole point of going above and beyond ourselves. We can no longer just simply blend in to society. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will." We can't conform. We are the new rebels, the ones that will make the change that has long been needed.
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You may wonder if any of this has a shot at working. I mean, sometimes I'm right there with you. I ask myself all the time if this could epically fail, or be a waste of time. Everytime I do that though I go back to Romans 8:31 where the question is asked, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" If we are following God's will for our lives then who can be against? If we were to fight the current culture, and rise up and work together well, WHO CAN STOP US? The answere is simply...no one.
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Thank you for reading! If you liked it please follow the blog. Also, for the regular readers...please spread the word!

New series starting next week, so get excited! I will have an intro to the new series soon, lookout for it!

Big thanks to The Classic Crime for excellent blogging music and also to my back deck for giving me a nice place to sit down and type! Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!

Music Monday: Blaire Barnhart

2010-03-29T23:52:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! It's time for Music Monday again! This week, I have my good friend Blaire Barnhart blogging all the way from Liberty Unviersity in Lynchburg, Virginia. Blaire is one of my best friends, and I am very excited to have her as a guest blogger! So...I present...Music Monday!
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Song: "While I'm Waiting"
Aritst: John Waller
Album: The Blessing
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HEY EVERYONE! My name is Blaire and I’m a freshman at Liberty University! I am an elementary education major, and want to one day serve the poor in Costa Rica. I have been so moved by this blog and I thought I would send in my music Monday favorite Christian music song! I feel like it changes almost daily but one song I cannot get enough of is a song by John Waller called- “While I’m Waiting” Its all about being patient and waiting on Gods timing! The chorus is fantastic! It says- “I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience. While I’m waiting, I will serve you, while I’m waiting, I will worship. While I’m waiting…I will not faint. I’ll be runnin’ the race, even while I wait.”

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I love that because it reminds me that even as I sit on my knees praying for one thing, I am still called to follow and be a servant. To pray with abandon, and persevere and push through the tough times knowing that even as I wait it out, my call is still here. There is never a time of void for a Christian. The things I have learned about my God since I have been at school truly are incredible and far too immense to list but one thing I know for sure…We truly are to be REBELIOUS for the LORD. To live to serve Him in all we do should be our greatest desire.
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Lyrics to "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller available below:
http://www.lyricsmania.com/while_im_waiting_lyrics_john_waller.html

John Waller's Website:
http://www.johnwallermusic.com/

BIG THANKS to Blaire! If anybody else would like to be a guest blogger for Music Monday please email your post to whocanstopus@gmail.com.

Final post of The Rebellion series will be up this Thursday. It is called The Rebellion (Post 4): WHO CAN STOP US?

Just a Thought: I.Q. Test

2010-03-29T17:17:00.007-04:00

Occasionally I will have "Just A Thought" posts. These are basically just a special post about something that has been on my mind, something that pertains to a previous post, and things like that. For this post I wanted to talk about the "I.Q. Test" that I was asked to take today...
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Today, in between classes, I was walking from my Chemistry class to my Geography class that is inside the main classroom building on campus. Right outside of the building there was a booth set up. Now, there are often booths outside of the classroom building for anything from greek life to campus events. However, something caught my eye. There was a sign on top of the table that read, "ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN?" Well, yes. I believe that I am going to heaven, but they obviously weren't targeting me. I walked near the booth curious as to what they were hawking to the students. As I approached I noticed what seemed to be the leader having a conversation with a student about salvation. Well, less of a conversation and more of an argument. From what I could understand, the student wasn't a believer and the leader was explaining Christianity to him in an arrogant, and forceful manner. I approached wanting to get a piece of paper and a card that they were handing out. When I walked near the booth I was in a hurry, so I couldn't interject in the conversation, so I just walked near one of the girls handing out the paper and cards. She looked at my shirt and said that she loved Switchfoot (I was obviously wearing a Switchfoot shirt) and only gave me a paper (I suppose she assumed I didn't "need" a card because I was wearing the shirt of a Christian rock band) which was simply an invitation to a Bible study by an unspecified organization. I really wanted to see what that card said, because it was obviously the focus of the converstion being had by the leader and the student. So, after my geography class I went out there again, zipped up my jacket, and passed by. There, a new person handed me a card, and another paper. The card was an IQ test, well actually, it was a tract. Check it out below:

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Tracts have always been a popular form of communicating the gospel to people. As a whole, people have good intentions when handing these out. However, this really bothered me. First of all, the argument was uneccessary and I don't blame the student for being insulted by the tract. Secondly, why do you have to basically insult somebody's intelligence inorder to present the gospel. Finally, and this is the whole reason for this post, do tracts really even work? How are you supposed to change somebody's life by simply having a tract with a 3 sentence explanation on how to follow Christ? This may just be me, but if I wasn't a believer I don't think that: a.) this card would change my mind. b.) that I would attend the Bible study. or c.) that I would talk to one of those people. I think that you are more likely to change lives by being connected to the community you are trying to gain favor with. If you want students to come to the Bible study get out there and talk to them, and build those relationships. Right now I am reading a book called The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice. Though I am not far into the book, it talks about the lack of connectedness that exists in the church and everyday life. Connectedness is obviously the issue here. While I am happy they are out there trying to do something, I just wish that they would realize that we need a connection. We need something tangible that will lead us there, and not just a piece of paper that you can throw away. This is why Jesus and his disciples went out into the other cities and countries. If you simply sent along a scroll to be read to the people back then, instead of Jesus getting out and connecting with the people; there would be far fewer followers of Christ. It's all about relationships.

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Thanks for reading! Look out for another Music Monday tonight!

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice is available at any Christian Bookstore, as well as online.

The Rebellion (Post 3): Faith, Hate, and Things Like That

2010-03-26T02:43:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! I want to start this blog off by saying that I don't expect you to agree with everything I say. A small portion of this is my opinion on what is currently happening within college and with high school students in respect to their faith. So, with that being said, let's get this started. I have been particularly looking forward to this blog, because as I alluded to in the previous post, I think that the faith teenagers have, or don't have, is the #1 problem among the teenage culture. There are many reasons for this, and we will talk about those in this post.
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Christianity is a polarizing subject among teenagers. If you are not a Christian, then you likely can't stand Christians. It could be that you find them too preachy, or too political, or think that they simply hate everybody that is not Christian. If you are a Christian, you know that some of these are not true. Unfortunately, some of them are true among certain people...or atleast seem that way. The reason that this happens is because of the image Christianity has had for a long time. Many non-christians see Christianity as a rigid, by the book, perfectionist, hateful, hypocritical, organization. Now is this an unfair characterization? I would like to say yes, but for the most part it is not. The reason is the most vocal christians, and the most prominent christians seem to hurt the cause. Whether it is a preacher of a mega church on tv who comes across as insincere, or whether it is the people of Westboro Baptist Church who protest funerals of soldiers by holding signs saying that "God Hates Fags." It could also be a person at your school who condemns people to hell for things that they do. Even though it infuriates us, we tend to just sit back and talk about how bad it is. We have allowed for our faith to be perverted into a wide varitety of different meanings. Different denominations have different beliefs, and those denominations don't get along. You have legalistic Christians who do everything by the book, and if you mess up once you are in trouble. If you don't do everything perfect all the time...well, you are going to hell. If you don't do everything that they believe is right, then you stand no chance when it comes to judgement. You know...Bible Thumpers. This is where hate comes into play, and a large reason why Christianity is often unappealing to teenagers. This is why we have to overhaul this vision of Christianity. No more being insincere, no more hate, no more judgement, and alot more of Christ's love.
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Hate. It's such a strong word, but it is also something that many people see when looking at Christianity. Why is this? Well, that's quite simple...because we often, without knowing, perpetuate the sterotype. I just did an entire blog on drinking and drugs, and how they are a major problem among teenagers. So, I must hate people that do it, right? No. I have friends that do it, and I love them to death. However, people tend to assume that I do hate them, and then there are people that are just waiting to watch them burn in hell. How can you love these people? Aren't you supposed to hate them just like you do homosexuals, atheists, liberals, arabs, science, and pretty much anything else that is not within your church walls. I mean you are a Christian, right? Well, let's see...Jesus spent alot of time with tax collectors and sinners alike. He would share meals with them as it says in Mark 2:16, he offered them the gift of salvation in Luke 19:9, and he had a tax collector as a disciple (Matthew). Simply because these people may be "terrible sinners" doesn't mean we must hate them. We must do the opposite. Why would we give up on these people when our own God hasn't? Why would we not "love our enemies" as it says in the book we all trust? I don't know about you, but it just doesn't add up to me.
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The picture of our faith was painted long ago, and has since been redone to model our modern day religion. "Religion" is another thing that drives teens away. So basically it seems like you have to pray this much, or be this good, or worship just enough, and it just doesn't seem like something you want to do.We are now at the point where simply deciding if we should put anything in our "Religious Views" on facebook, is a smart decision because if somebody looks at this they might think I'm a "crazy Christian!" It also seems so restricting. I mean, how am I expected to give my ENTIRE life over to somebody I barely know just in the hope that He helps me out when I need Him? Then I am expected to pray to this guy, and ask for Him to forgive me? It's like I am talking to dead air!
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I was the person mentioned above. I was afraid of my image, what people would think about me, and I was scared of where this God would take me. When I finally got serious, I began to understand Jesus in a completly different manner. Where before I saw Him as somebody looking to take everything from me and force me to do things, I saw him as my Savior who was going to give me more in return. I thought I would be forced to do something I hated, just because God wanted me too. However I discovered that God will give you the desires of your heart as long as you commit to Him (Psalm 37:4-5). Jesus is more than just your savior though, He is your Best Friend. Sounds a little "kiddie," I know, but it is the absolute truth. Jesus always has your back, He loves you more than you could ever imagine, and more.
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This is where another one of the key points to The Rebellion comes in. You have to break the rules of "Religion." When you break the rules of Religion, you are essentially getting rid of religion. Sounds wrong doesn't it? Sounds like something you shouldn't do? Well, that's the point! If you are going to be a Christian you are expected to pray a certain amount, worship a certain amount, and be a good enough person. Well, I don't think that is enough. I want to break those rules. I want to pray more, worship more, and go above and beyond my potential, because Jesus is worth it. As I quoted in the first post of the series, Erwin Raphael McManus writes in his book The Barbarian Way, "It’s hard to imagine that Jesus would endure the agony of the Cross just to keep us in line." I believe that it is time we break these rules, and cross the line...because our Savior is MORE than worth it. Will we be perfect people? Absolutly not! Will we still be loved when we mess up? OFCOURSE! It's time that we overcome all the hate, all the stereotypes, all the rules, and go above and beyond what we could ever imagine! We must live our lives in excess, so that it is overflowing into other peoples lives! It's time we make a change, it's time we lose control of our lives and see what God has in store for us!
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Hope you are enjoying everything so far, and I hope you keep reading! Next week will be the final week of the series! I am going to cover how we can begin to make the change, and talk about whether or not we can be stopped. So, check back next week for The Rebellion (Post 4): WHO CAN STOP US?
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If you want to read more about how nonchristians percieve Christianity, then check out the book Unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity-- and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. You can pick it up on Amazon for pretty cheap or at any bookstore.

The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus is available on Amazon or any Christian bookstore.

I would like to give a special thanks to The Almost for making awesome music to listen to while writing a blog!

Have a great week! Check back on Monday for Music Monday!

Music Mond-er, uh...Tuesday?: Matt Jordan

2010-03-23T01:12:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Unfortunately Music Monday got moved to Music Tuesday, because of my poor communication skills. However, it's up just a little after Monday! For this week I asked my friend Matt Jordan to be the guest blogger! Matt is a freshman at Western Kentucky University where he is studying Psycology. Matt and I have been best friends since junior high, and share an affinity for the band Skillet (one of few bands we both enjoy). We saw them together twice last year, including a 4 hour trip to Terre Haute, Indiana in April 2009. As well as a trip to Memphis, Tennessee in October, on a Thursday night only to drive back 6 hours overnight so I could get to classes the next morning. So, without further adieu...I give you Music Mond-er, uh Tuesday?
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Music is one of the main structures in my life. If I had to guess I would say it's everyone else's also. There are many reasons for music. I have gone through quite a few stages musically. Early in high school my music style was lyrically based on my moods. Sure the sounds affected me too but it was the lyrics that I really paid attentioned to. I depended on music to get me through certain situations. Good days I played some happy alternative music, upbeat My Chemical Romance and so forth; bad days I played gloomier Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, and Avenged Sevenfold. In no way am I stating that these bands are worse because of their lyrics they were just what fit the mood. But there are other bands like Skillet that really helped me through some stuff. Skillet is a Christian band but they are also a band that anyone can listen to. At first I never knew they were Christian because their lyrics focused on pain and suffering but also redemption/salvation. Salvation is many things. Yes, eternal life in heaven but I believe there’s a person salvation to when it comes to our mortal lives. Skillet helped me discover my salvation in this life which has to do with my true happiness. With Skillet it is too hard to pick one song that has greatly affected me so I will mention one for now and hopefully be able to another day have the privilege of continuing this.
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Song: "Collide"
Artist: Skillet
Album: Collide
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“Collide” as simplified as it is as a song lyrically the line in this song that stood out was “There’s something deep inside that keeps my faith alive, when all you can do is hide from the fear that’s deep inside of you”. At this point when I first heard this song I was deep in a depression stage hanging, balancing my life and my faith. Growing up in a Christian family, school, and friends has been easy until this point. When you hit college when you really are on your own you start to ask “Who is really in control?”. I am not a guy that got in to things but my biggest problem was myself. I doubted, still do sometimes because I was blind to a simple fact. I had prayed many times for things but never heard an answer. I started to give up but there is always something deep inside that keeps me alive and this is all the proof I need to know what is the truth. I still could put a finger on why I felt so spiritually isolated and my bible study leader said one day, “With God you cannot communicate by just praying. It will be a one-sided phone call where you put God in the position to only listen. You need to dwell on the Word so you will be listening and He will be able to communicate back and it will be a complete conversation.” How wise those words are because it’s something so simple that it can be easily overlooked.
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To this day I am still struggling with some stuff but my music taste has taken a turn. I used to dwell on music that was about me which is very helpful because you don’t feel alone anymore. You learn that while unique you are like some person and so you shouldn’t dwell on your problems for there is always a solution. My lyric tastes have changed to other’s stories. As a psychology major I have always loved listening to people and their stories. I am so fascinated on how people live. Music is the best way to describe what you have gone through and what you did to change. If you ever want to give up listen to Skillet’s “Never Surrender”, a very well written song about getting through anything and everything. If you get anything out of this extremely long letter I hope you know now that life while full of pain, has even more life. People would not sing praises or reach out to the broken if that was not the case. Keep your head up and sing your heart out for music is one of many remedies that has a lasting effect on all of us.

-Matthew Jordan
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Lyrics to "Collide" by Skillet available below:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/skillet/collide.html

Check out the song on Itunes or purchase Skillet's album, Collide (as well as other Skillet releases) on Itunes, Amazon, Christian Bookstores, and other retailers.

Skillet's Website:
http://www.skillet.com/enter.php

Once again, BIG thank you to Matt!

The Rebellion (Post 2): How Did We Get Here?

2010-03-18T17:58:00.000-04:00

This is the second post of the series on The Rebellion. This post is about the party culture of drinking and drugs that have slowly made their way into high schools and junior high schools.
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Ever fall asleep in the car and wake up and wonder where in the world you are? Well, that's pretty much how I have felt for the past year. I "slept" through my years of high school. I really could care less what my friends or classmates did. Then I woke up and realized I had no clue where I was. The last I remembered, everybody was simply innocent kids, but now? Now, I don't know who these people are. Honestly, I was still trying to figure out who I was. It is at that instant that you begin to see something big has changed. People have changed. Rules have changed. Beliefs have changed. Morals have changed. Even some of my friends had changed. What do you do? What can you do? Is there anyway to fix it?
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The moment that I woke up, is the moment that I started caring about teenagers. I looked out on everyting that was going on. From alcohol, to drugs, to bad relationships, to bad decision making, to thrill seeing, to resenting the church, and everything in between; and I saw the need for something to happen. Too often I read that a group of teenagers were in a car wreck, or that the cops busted up a party over the weekend. It happens all the time. I also hate seeing people that I used to know as strong Christians, turning into people that blend in with the rest of the crowd. A majority of these changes occur in college, because people are given freedom. It's up to them to decide who they want to be. As I looked more into this though, I found that the behaviors that are typical of college students have become more common in high schools as well as some junior high schools. The culture of teens is changing quickly, and as of right now, there is no stopping it.
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So, what has happened? Well, first of all teen alcohol use is on the rise. According to http://family.samhsa.gov/, 74.3% of teens have tried alcohol. According to the same website, 28.5% of teens have been driven by someone who has been drinking. However, the most shocking part is that 1/4 of teens have drank alcohol before they were 13 years old. BEFORE THEY WERE 13! The frequency of having your first drink before 13 is also growing, and it is only getting worse:

12th Graders - 19.3%
11th Graders - 20.5%
10th Graders - 26.2%
9th Graders - 33.9%

It is slowly becoming normal for kids to drink, and it only gets worse in college. The first day of my english class I told a group of people that I didn't drink, and they could not believe it. One person even said that it was weird. That is what we have come to today, and that's why we need to fix things.
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Since alcohol has already been conquered, drugs is becoming more prevelent. On http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teendrugstatistics.html, they say that a little over 50% of students have used illegal drugs. This was as of 2003, so you can assure that the number has grown. What is causing us to do this, and why are people doing it?
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Reasons for teens to use drugs and alcohol vary from person-to-person. I believe that the nature of teenagers is often to do what they are told not to do. It's kind of like saying, "Don't touch the red button." Some people are going to do it just to find out what happens. Every teenager has a curiosity about things that are "bad" for them. This is often due to peer pressure, and I know we have all heard that rap before...so I will spare you. Another common reason is because it is a way to escape. Just like many people escape through music or books, people escape through drugs or alcohol. What would happen if we could replace their escape with something else? How would we even do that?
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It's hard to say what would be the best way to change what is happening. However, I think the best way is simply being an example. Show people there is another way. Sounds simple, but it is true. I have a close group of friends that are good about keeping eachother in line. We have just as much, if not more, fun than the people who choose to party. I think that if people would just find people that will hold them accountable, then a large part of the problem would be solved.
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That is only a part of the problem, though. We will have to work hard to truly fix what is going on. There are many ways people try to help. As I said before, being an example and being a light for Christ (aka living a life of excess) is one of the best ways. Shoving your beliefs into peoples faces is by far the worst way to get your point across. Too many people try to "save out of fear." They tell people that they are going to hell, or (and this is the worst I've heard) that God doesn't love them. That's no way to fix it, and it is a large reason why people reject Christ's love. Next week I'm going to dedicate an entire blog to the biggest issue facing teens, the role of "religion." I am going to talk about the role that Christianity plays in the everyday lives of teens. From Christian Teens, to Bible Thumpers, and why all of these play a huge role in what is going on. So, be sure to check out next weeks post "The Rebellion (Post 3): Faith, Hate, and Things Like That."
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Teenage alcohol use statistics from:
http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/alcohol.aspx

Teenage drug use statistics from:
http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teendrugstatistics.html

Music Monday: Josh Ballard

2010-03-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! So, one of my biggest passions is music. I plan on working in the music business someday, and I listen to it all the time. I decided that it would be interesting to have a guest blogger choose a song (Christian, popular, rap, country, rock, whatever) that means a lot to their faith. I believe that music is one of the best ways to experience emotions. Many people live vicariously through the music that they listen to, and it tells alot about the person. So, to get this started, I am going to post my own. If anybody would like to be a guest blogger, please send me an email or facebook message and we will go from there. Hope you enjoy Music Mondays.
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Song: "Be My Escape"
Artist: Relient K
Album: Mmhmm
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"Be My Escape" has been one of my favorite songs for years. It is catchy, well written, and a lot of fun to listen to. However, the lyrics are really what set it apart. The song is very applicable to everyone's life. It tells the story of someone who has fallen into a rut in their faith, and a person who has been struggling with feeling insecure. The person then calls on God at the end of the chorus saying:

"I've gotta get outta here / I'm begging You, I'm begging You, I'm beggin You to be my escape."
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In the following verse, it begins with the words:

"I'm giving up on doing this alone now / because I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how"

He is putting his life in God's hands and he is trying to learn how to live like God. That is how it happened with me. I was trying to do everything in my life by myself, but when I finally gave my life over to God, I began to see how I was supposed to be living.
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The most important part of the song for me comes at the end of the second verse.

"but the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair."

This line caused a good amount of controversy, because many people thought it was wrong to say that grace is not unfair. However it really does, and the beauty is how unfair it really is. In reality we would not deserve grace at all. However, God sent His son to take away our sins, and that is how we receive the grace that we don't necessarily deserve. The fact that we receive it, even when we don't deserve it is what makes grace unfair and I am so thankful for it.
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Towards the end of the song it says:

"And all I’m asking is for You to do what You can with me / But I can’t ask You to give what You already gave."

This one is pretty self explanatory. Jesus already gave His life, so He has already given us so much. We just have to rely on Him.
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So, that is personally one of my favorite songs. It explains the way I feel about my relationship with Christ, and how I came to Him. I was locking up all my emotions inside and not expressing them. Christ became my escape and made me who I am today. It's not necessarily fair, but his grace came over me and changed my life!
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Hey that was the first Music Monday blog! Once again, if you would like to join in then let me know. Expect the second part of the Rebellion series of blogs to be up this Thursday! Have a great week!
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Full lyrics to "Be My Escape" by Relient K available below:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/relientk/bemyescape.html

Check out the song on Itunes or purchase the album Mmhmm on amazon.com or at any music store.

The Rebellion: Introduction

2010-03-11T23:32:00.003-05:00

This is the first post of the first series that will ever be on this blog. I am very excited to get this going, so I believe the best way to get this started is to explain what all this is actually about. So, lets get the ball rolling!
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The Rebellion was formed out of a speech that I gave at my high school graduation. I wrote the speech as a final encouragement to my senior class before we went our separate ways. I was hoping that they would take atleast something away from what I said with them to the next part of their lives. However, that didn't really happen. I was hoping that we would be different. I had this idea that my speech would make a difference and that people wouldn't go to college and get caught up in what has become "the college experience." I knew that going to college for many would mean diminishing their faith, turning to things like drugs and alcohol, and blending into the "popular crowd." That is what happened to many people, and quite honestly, it broke my heart. That is why it is time to make a change.
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Rebel is a word that comes with a lot of negetive connotations. It is commonly associated with a violent person trying to violently take over a government, it used to be someone who was different from everybody else, and it is even negatively mentioned in THE BIBLE! That's right...THE BIBLE! However, the Bible also paints a pretty vivid picture of what THIS Rebellion is all about. In Romans 12:2 it says,"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will." That is pretty much exactly what this is about! Not conforming to the typical patterns of the modern day teen. It also mentions be transformed, so that you can test and approve God's GOOD will.
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Being a rebel. What does that even mean? Well, it means losing control, breaking the rules, and living a life of excess. Sound familiar? Sounds like the opposite of what you would expect. Inorder to make a change you have to break rules? Really? The answer to that is quite simply yes. What does losing control have to do with showing others Christ? Everything! Living a life of excess can in no way be an effective way to bring others to Christ and change lives, right? Actually, it does. See, while the things I mentioned do sound eerily similar to that of somebody who has gone down the wrong path...it is, in my opinion, the best way to change your life and the life of everybody around you.
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I think I'm going to start with losing control, because that is what you have to do first inorder for the others to take place. Losing control is a pretty scary proposition. The idea of not being able to control every little bit of your life is terrifying to most people. Once you get over that hump though, it is the best thing you will ever do. The reason I say that you have to lose control is because you have to lose control of your life and give it to God. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Then it continues to Jeremiah 29:12-13 where it says, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." God has a plan for all of us, all we have to do is give him control of our lives by calling his name and giving Him all we have.
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Now, on to breaking the rules. Sounds completly ridiculous doesn't it? What I mean is that we have to break the rules of this thing called "religion." I don't believe in religion to be quite honest, nor do I have a "religion." I have a friendship with my Savior! I have made Christ my best friend and I hope that you do too, because that is an important step to making change. The rules of "religion" have always been out there. If you pray just ENOUGH, be good ENOUGH, worship just ENOUGH, love just ENOUGH, then you are just good ENOUGH. Well, I believe that we can be better than ENOUGH! We can be so much more than that. We have to break all these rules. Erwin McManus put it best in his book The Barbarian Way when he said, “It’s hard to imagine that Jesus would endure the agony of the Cross just to keep us in line.” Think about that for just a second. Jesus died for us. HE DIED! He gave his life so that we could live forever. So, the best we can give him is just enough? No! He has never and will ever deserve "just enough."
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If you are losing control and breaking the rules, then you will already be living a life of excess. When you give everything up to Christ, break the rules and go above and beyond, then Christ's love will be in so much excess that it is overflowing from you and into the lives of other people. This is where change finally comes. You are influencing your friends, because they see that something is different about you. You are changing your community, because you are out making a difference in the lives of others, And you are making the change that is neccesary to improve the world that you live in.
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For this to take place it is going to take a lot of us. A rebellion has never taken place with just one person. It takes an entire army. In Romans 8:31 the question is asked, "If God is for us, then who can be against us?" If we band together with a common goal that is focused on our savior, then...WHO CAN STOP US? The answer is nobody. I don't know about you...but I'm feeling a revolution!
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The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus is available at any Christian Bookstore or on Amazon! Check it out! Also, be on the lookout for more blogs this week, and I wanted to give a shoutout to the ECOG youth! Thanks for having me, I'm excited to get the series underway!

Hey, I'm Josh!

2010-03-04T19:57:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody! I thought I would take the opportunity on this first blog to tell you a little about myself, and a little about what is going on here. First off, my name is Josh Ballard. I go to the University of Kentucky. Recently, I sat down for an interview with myself. This is the manuscript of what happened.
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So Josh, lets start this off by finding out more about yourself. What are some things you love?

Well first of all I love my Savior Jesus Christ! He is my best friend and has completely changed my life. I also love my friends and family. One of my biggest passions is music. I listen to all kinds of music, play guitar, and go to way too many concerts for my own good. I also dream of working in the music business after college. I also love sports. I have an almost unhealthy obsession with University of Kentucky basketball and Cincinnati Reds baseball. Lets see what else...um I love Coke Zero and sweet tea. I love How I Met Your Mother. Well, that's about all I can think about.
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Ok Josh, you mentioned music. What are some of your favorites?

Well, I am a huge fan of The Classic Crime. They are my favorite band of all time, and nobody will ever pass them. I also love bands like Anberlin, Search the City, Skillet, Switchfoot, Michael Buble, Fall Out Boy, Brad Paisley, and way too many more!
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I love all of those bands too! Is there anything you don't like?

Grammar. Louisville Cardinals. Chemistry.
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Is that all?

Oh! Also, I hate the fact that it is so hard to find Fruit Stripes Gum! I mean come on!
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Good point. Did I mention that you are a very handsome man?

No you didn't. Thank you Josh. As are you.
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Thank you. I've also noticed your physical prowess (or lack there of). Did you ever play sports?

I played football in high school and loved it! One of the best decisions of my life was to play football. I also played alot of baseball and basketball as a kid!
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That sounds like fun!

It was Josh...it was.
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So let's get to some serious business here. Why are you starting this blog?

I am starting this blog to kind of supplement The Rebellion. It's away to continue to be encouraged, to hear other stories, to learn how to grow in their friendship with their Savior, and
to make an impact in their community. That is the most important part of this blog. There will be guest bloggers, and other things that go along with it. Also, as with about everything I do, there will always be an ample amount of fun since I find it hard to take myself serious all the time.
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Ok, tell us about how you came to Christ?

Well it's a long story. Basically, I spent a large portion of my teenage years running from any situation where I could feel any kind of emotion or connection to Christ. Finally, it took a football injury my senior year, and a failed relationship for God to finally catch me. Sometimes it takes pain inorder to turn you into who God created you to be. Sometimes everything has to fall apart in your life just so it can all fall into place.
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What is your favorite Bible verse?

I love Jeremiah 29:11-13 which says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" I love this verse because at one point in my life I believed I had everything planned for myself. When everything seemed to collapse around me I thought all hope was lost, until I realized that my plans had to take a backseat to God's plans.
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What is The Rebellion?

The Rebellion was born out of a speech that I gave at my high school graduation. It was meant to just be an encouraging passing message to my fellow graduates. However, thanks to Julie Dodson and Eastland Church of God, the opportunity for this to become something bigger is there. I hope that The Rebellion will help teens stand up amongst their peers, and that they will be a better influence and stand out from the crowd. The Rebellion is simply a movement to get people to stray from the popularity of parties, drugs, and alcohol, to break the rules that religion can so often place on you, and to make a difference in their community through volunteering and making their presence felt.
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That sounds great! Thank you for sitting down for this interview.

Anytime Josh, anytime!
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So, that's basically me as well as a few answers as to what this is all about. I hope you enjoyed this fun, and somewhat awkward, conversation with myself. Hopefully, you were entertained enough to come and read my future blogs! Speaking of the future blogs, I have a lot of cool stuff planned, so be sure to stay tuned! If you have any questions or suggestions for future blogs just leave me a comment or send me a message on facebook or something!

God Bless,
Josh Ballard
Jeremiah 29:11-13