tapiocapuddin

Meadow Vista, California--You are now famous!
The day that seemed like years off in January is now here and gone. (Note: life speeds up as you get older) The first ever Rebelution Tour conference is over, but it was a blast while it lasted! For starters, it was cold and snowy, but nothing a 4-wheel drive Tundra can't handle. ;-)

We picked seats on the back row (something never done in my "we sit in a circle" church (and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with sitting in a circle!)) and settled in surrounded by friends. Apart from actually meeting Alex and Brett Harris (the twins were little when I attended Josh's teen conference), seeing friends that live far away was so much fun! Lots of laughter, some pics, discussing the missing white chocolate, meangling, and declaring Ice Breakers Sours and oranges to be some of God's good things.

The four sessions were each awesome! I think my favorite was the Rebelution, but it's hard to pick. I think I'll leave it up to The Rebelution and other bloggers to describe each in detail (unless you have my sn and really want to know) and instead give you some quick summaries and quotes:

Rebelution-Alex Harris

Describing the "myth of adolescence" prevalent in society today, we took a trip to the past to see how some of the greats grew up. Guys like David Farragut and George Washington spent their time doing great things at young ages. And in their time, they weren't the exception! Alex used his former desire to own an elephant (anyone thinking playground status?) and his research on them to link us to the expectations our culture has put on us. Read this for the story. Today the twine is the low expectations and the twig is...I can't remember. :'( This is where I really wish I had copies of all their notes!! And I couldn't find the Google article he used...

In contrast, God's expectations of His children are much different than our godless society's. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Not many young people will call themselves "children," but many of them are willing to act like them. Alex challenged us that instead of being "conformed to this world," we need to "be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s], that [we] may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2). We need to "Wake up!" and "Break the twine!" As Josh said before them, these years are the "launching pad for life."

-[Teens today are] forced to remain childish for longer than necessary.


*Please excuse the quality of these pics and the ones to come. They're a compromise between dark and blurry. Let's just say churches should never put windows behind the stage...