The fabulous life of a teenager, video series, by Alex and Brett Harris, part 4

Hello everyone,

Here is the next video. I hope you all are watching them! I will say to all of you who have commented or come to me with encouraging words, THANK YOU! It means a lot to get your feedback!

This is a perfect ending to our series and actually will be a good "kick-off" for the upcoming one, as it leads right into it. What we need to gather from this video is the call to put effort into growing stronger in Christ. Think of the Vikings; as Brett said, they would row themselves to battle though it was difficult, and through that diificult task they grew strong and were virtually undefeated.  Now apply that to the Christian life:
Don't  expect your parents or your pastor to "row you to battle". Don't sit in Church and only learn from what your Pastor is telling you; put forth your own hand and toil in the Word yourself. You will grow strong in the knowledge of His word that way and will be undefeatable by the enemy.  The Word is your sword, and if you are consistent in welding it you will become an expert.  Think of picking up a heavy sword and trying to fight a deadly army without practicing first! Or gaining the strength it takes to weild it with skill and precision! Our hermenuetics class at Church has blessed me in that point; I'm realizing how strong and "deadly" (towards our enemy, the devil) we can be if we have used our sword correctly... Pastor Gentry put it perfectly in the hermenuetics class: "A servant who knows how to use his tool correctly will be profitable, but one who does not know how will become dangerous".  Which are you; profitable or dangerous?
So how well do you know how to weild your sword? Are you gaining the strength it takes to weild it? Or are you relying on others older then you to do that for you? Remember, they won't always be there to do that for you.  Learn now, and glory in the strength the Lord has given you!

I know many times it can be hard to do the toil ourselves. It will take self denial and lots of hard work, but it is worth the effort on the end. Praise God for those who will try even when it is hard.  That is the spirit of a true follower of Christ and someone who strives to live for God's glory.  It will hurt in the beginning especially-just like a good work out will- but as you continue and begin to strengthen your mind and heart you will find it less of a battle.  God blesses those who put forth the effort in seekng after Him.  So, "be strong, quit you like men..."!
The beginning of doing hard things for Christ will start in your own heart.  God only gives great tasks to those who are faithful in the small, such as reading our Bible, praying, honouring our parents, caring for others... the list could go on and on. You get my point though.

                                                  It all starts at the HEART.

Our next series will be discussing exactly that.  We must strive for greatness of character, integrity, before service.  And it will always come first for a Child of God. 

If you all are wondering what Alex and Brett were talking about in the very beginning of the video on the issue of grown men and women who are still like teenagers, I would HIGHLY recommend you read their articles "The rise of the kiddult" ("The myth of adolescence" part 1 and 2 will also be helpful if delving into that subject,) at therebelution.com .  It seems to be a growing trend (and problem that will face the next generation) , especially in the U.S.  But I won't go into that now; I will just direct you to their articles. :)

Please be in prayer as we begin the next series; it is very important that the next series is taken to heart before all else, because it is the foudation of all other articles that will be posted.

Blessings,
1 Timothy 4:12,
Tawney Rae

The fabulous life of a teenager, video series, by Alex and Brett Harris, part 3

Here is part 3 of these videos. I hope you all are watching them and learning from the Harris twins' discussions!

This is probably one of the most important videos in the series. I hope you payed close attention to what they taught. I do not wish to re-state all they said, but the two points I would like to review are these:

Remember what was said in the beginning of the video?  Babies have to overcome their obstacles of learning to walk, talk, etc. and yet teens aren't expected to be able to properly carry on a normal conversation, let alone speak out in front of a crowd. This applies in many areas, but this is just one. We lower our standards to less then our God-given potential.

Also, the diving-board was mentioned. This is an awesome example of how we are to use the teen years; and how, if used properly, they can extend the lengths to which we are able to "dive into" service. If we cling to the "diving board", though, we will abuse the time and energy God gave us to prepare for the future "leap". But if we prepare we will take the leap gracefully, and "make waves" in the pool, persay. It's something for you all to think on.

Some questions for you:

If babies are expected to overcome their obstacles, what do you think should be expected of us in certian areas? Do you think the idea of how far our potential lies has been lowered?

In what areas are you, persay, "clinging to the diving-board"? Are you preparing yourself for service, or are you standing on the edge, scared of what lies in the waters? How can you take a leap today?

I hope this gives you all something to think on and that you all will leave your thoughts for me!

1 Timothy 4:12,
Tawney Rae

The fabulous life of a teenager video series, by Alex and Brett Harris, part 2

Hello everyone,

I thought I should be moving on to the next video now, since there are seven total for us to cover. I hope you all aren't afraid of commenting; I want the feedback from you all so I can have an idea when to move on, and to make sure that you don't have any unanswered questions or thoughts. It's also encouraging to know you've visited!  It's important, so leave me a comment!

Please pay close attention to this next video, and when you are done be sure to read the questions below and put your thoughts in the comments!

Wow, what an amazing story; I think we all can echo Zach's story in some way.  We all struggle with some area in our life on speaking out for the cause of Christ, or for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Once we learn to act in spite of our fears and let God speak through us, He will give us strength to overcome our weaknesses and do great, even hard, things for the glory of God.  "Courage is not the absence of fear", someone once said; and like Zach, if you learn to speak out in the midst of fear, you too may become "the most unlikely hero" of your generation.  Our generation needs more Zach's.  Young people who find a cause greater then themselves and their fears, and decide to act even when it is uncomfortable or hard.  I was greatly inspired last year when the Glorybound quartet came through, and one of the singers testified that he suffered from anxiety of even talking one on one with someone; and yet he felt that God wanted him to overcome that obstacle in his life and serve in a facet that challenged his fears.  God's strength was truly magnified by that. If only all of us had the same heart, the same vision; to attempt to do that which challenges us, instead of staying in the comfortable, the status quot of life.  So I challenge you today to find a cause greater then your own fears; to decide today to live doing great things for God.  If more of us would go beyond ourselves- relying on God -we could change the heart of this generation for Christ. 

    Will this world remember you were here for what you did for the cause of Christ and others?
                                 I pray they will remember our generation...
                                                                 That we lived for more then our self. 

The teens of our generation have the choice now -it is in our hands- we can decide to find our purpose and raise a cry for the world to hear. It's up to you now; what will you choose? The status quot and comfortable, or a life driven with purpose and passion?

Questions for you:

What fears keep you from doing what God put you on this earth to do?  Or are you doing what God wants you to in spite of your fear, etc.?
If you are pursuing what God has called you to, how are you overcoming the obstacles you face?

"Courage is not the absence of fear". How do you display that in your daily life as well; such as witnessing, speaking out about the truth on subjects that are not p.c. or popular (such as abortion, modern-day slavery, etc.)? 
Have you sought God and asked Him to show you if He would have you to be actively involved in fighting lies our generation faces daily (like Zach Hunter, and many many others who will be posted here as time allows) ?  If He has given you direction, are you acting upon it?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments, and join me as we continue this discussion very soon.

1 Timothy 4:12,
Tawney Rae

The Fabulous Life of a Teenager video series, by Alex and Brett Harris

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd start out posting these videoes by the Harris twins. I will admit that most of my thoughts have spawned from their book Do Hard Things and Start Here (I would HIGHLY recommend every teen to read them) , as well as their website (check it out at therebelution.com) ; so I thought I would post their video mini series for you all to watch. I will post the first one this evening, and some questions and comments for you all to respond to and think about.
Please take the time to watch each one as they are posted; they are short, ans are much more productive then any youtube video you might decide to watch during that time!

Did you catch the part where he said that the word teenager was not in print in the U.S. until 1941 in a Reader's Digest article? We have defined the young adult - the teen- since then, as a time frame where we are free to do as we please, instead of preparing for later on in life for greater things. We have so much potential with our energy, large amounts of free time, and less responsibilty then an adult, and yet we have lowered ourselves to less then we were meant to be. We have shackles of fear -of failure or of man- of laziness, so many things, that have made us think we cannot possibly reach forth and do great things for God in our teen years. So my questions to you are:

What lies do you believe that teens are being decieved by that hold them back from their greatest potential?
How do you think we can defeat those lies; inwardly and outwardly?

How do you think the teen has been defined specifically since the time-frame of the Reader's Digest article?

What " shackles" are holding you back from something that is hard for you, or that seems to great for you to attempt?

Feel free to post your thoughts or questions on this!

1 Timothy 4:12,
Tawney Rae

Why "A Generations Battle Cry" ?

  You may ask why I named this blog A Generation's Battle Cry. I will explain as best I can, and give you all an idea of what I have purposed for the theme of most of my posts to be:

 I have been realizing more as I go through my teen years how many lies the teens of America have been brought to deception and defeat by. We are told that when we hit 13 we are to be rebels, we are to live a life of uselessness, simply for self and for what we want now. I believe instant-gratification is probably best practiced by the young generation of the U.S., and it has become the normal, even expected, to see this in a teen.  We live for now, instead of using this time that is void of major responsibility to prepare for greater things.  The teen has the capability not only to prepare for great things in the future, but to do great things now... yes, I said now.  There are many that are already recognizing the lies put forth to teens across the country (and around the world) , and have decided to raise a standard against it.  (More on a few of them in later posts).  This is a culture-war that many teens are deciding to fight, and I believe that if enough of us decide to be the change that so many long for in America's teens, we will see the change.  A war is on the hands of the young generation of America, to fight for the next generation.  It's up to you now to make that choice to come alongside and fight, to raise the battle-cry... to be quiet no longer... will you join them?

The topic of many of my posts will be on different young men and women who have decided to go against the expectations of teens in our culture, and how we can also raise up a standard for the Lord in our society.  So please follow along as we dive into some important subjects very soon.  And be sure to place your thoughts, questions, or post topics you'd like to see in the comments.  I'd greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on the posts, even if you are not a teen.  Parents, we want your thoughts on these subjects: what you wish you might have done differently as a teen to prepare for adulthood, and what you think you should see in us as teens.  You were once "the next generation", so help us along to raise up the next generation for God's glory!  God bless you all!

1 Timothy 4:12,
Tawney Rae

The first post...more to come...

Hello everyone,

My very first blog post!!! So very exciting!!! Can't say much right now, am leaving to Church choir practice in a few moments, but I thought I had to at least say hello and I am so looking forward to blogging with you all! Please stay tuned for many posts to come soon! I can't wait to voice all these thoughts on our generation with you all... this is the battle-cry of the next generation!

Tawney Rae <3

(P.S.~be sure to check out my profile!)