As the father of the boys who started TheRebelution.com  – a blog that has sparked an international movement of hundreds of thousands of youth rebelling against the low expectations of today's culture - Gregg Harris knows something about how to raise "real-life rebelutionaries."

A pioneer of the Christian home-schooling movement, Harris spoke to hundreds of people last weekend in Anaheim at the first of 10 "Raising Kids to Do Hard Things" conferences. At the seminar, Harris offered the simple approach he and his wife have taken in raising Alex and Brett Harris, the bestselling authors of "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations."

Their parenting strategy - based on Psalms 112: 1-4 – teaches parents to create a home environment that encourages youth to "do hard things for the glory of God and for the good of others" and to become "mighty in the land."

"If your parents delight in God's commandments, you may become mighty in the land because you will get the benefit of walking with the wise and they will make you wise at an earlier age," Harris told hundreds of parents and teens gathered at the Marriott Anaheim. "By being wise at an earlier age, you won't waste so much of your time, and rather than running away from challenges, you'll begin to do hard things because they are good, right and are virtues."

The seminar, scheduled to be held in nine other cities this year, teaches Christian families how to do hard things together in every area of life – personal, family, education, business, ministry and the civic arena. Parents learn how to make their home "a household of strength," helping their families grow in godly character, practical competence and community influence and become an "embassy of the kingdom of God."

"Our dad is our hero," said Alex and Brett – twins who are now 20 and attending Patrick Henry College in Virginia - on the www.dohardthingstogether.com Web site. "Nobody has influenced us more than he has – both in what we're doing today, as well as how we think about life. So we've encouraged him for a long time to put his best ideas and insights into a new conference for parents and teens. It's not your average seminar – it's more like a strategy session with our dad, who brings a boatload of biblical wisdom and 35 years of practical experience raising us and our siblings."

The conference builds on the book, which encourages youth to make significant contributions to society and to break the mold of what society thinks teens are capable of.  Although today's culture promotes comfort and mediocrity and finding ways to escape hardship and pain, Alex and Brett give readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist the cultural lies that limit their potential. In a new book coming out on February 23 - "Start Here" – they give answers to 100 questions and problems they've received from youth on how to use the principle of doing hard things to deal with those circumstances effectively.

"It's just become a movement among young people and they really are turning to their parents and saying, 'I don't want to be an orphan in my own home. I want you to parent me. I want you to get on my case. I want you to help me not waste this time in my life,'" Harris said. "It's a refreshing thing for parents because now kids are saying, 'We want you to act like the parents that God wants you to be.'"

During last weekend's seminar, Harris said his sons often say it's easy to be lazy and foolish and to lose one's temper, but it's hard to keep one's temper under control, work hard and make wise choices.

"The thing that makes a virtue a virtue is that it doesn't come easy," Harris said. "And that's why we are called to do hard things. We are to do the good things, the right things - the things that don't come easy."

Harris said the concept is based on the Bible. In providing the law and the rest of the knowledge and wisdom in the Scriptures, God gave humanity instructions on how to enjoy the blessings of his kingdom. But the "dark, shadowy kingdoms of this world" – driven by fear and greed – have corrupted and enslaved humanity. However, Jesus' death on the cross – settling the debt for the sins of the world – offers humanity God's forgiveness and ultimately the Great Commission to "transfer as many people as possible out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of his son Jesus," Harris said.

Although Christians are saved by grace, Harris said believers are called to seek God's righteousness, to deal with sin in their lives and mature spiritually and to do the "good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

A model of these good works, Harris noted the Apostle Paul spent his early years persecuting the church and the rest of his life "repenting of destroying the church and laying his life down to establish godly churches all over the Mediterranean."

"It really comes back to the Gospel," Harris said. "Jesus saved us in order for us to be devoted to doing good works, and the good works are hard to do. If it wasn't hard, they would already have been done by somebody else. So the message is – this is what biblical Christianity has always been about. These are the kind of people you read about in biographies. You get to be one if you take God at his word and begin to trust God enough to obey him. You get to be one of those Christians who are remembered."

At the heart of the family strategy of raising children to do hard things is a household built – as described in Proverbs 24: 3-4 – on wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Harris said the household is not just the brick, mortar, wood and drywall, but a base of operations from which family members engage the world "much like an ambassador engages the nations he's been sent to reach." The basis of "God's jurisdiction of wealth," the household is a treasure God has entrusted us with, providing the family with room and board, tithes and offerings to the local church and taxes for the government.

"While you are doing all this, try to be a blessing to your community," Harris said. "Be good news. Don't be bad news. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which God has carried you and in its prosperity you too will find prosperity."

In the 40 years since he became a Christian during the Jesus Movement – "a hippy just wandering around in Laguna Beach, California when he saved me and called me into this ministry of reminding people what the household is all about" – Harris said he's discovered the secret to success in the Christian life is just to give God something to work with.

"Just do something he can bless," Harris said. "A lot of people are standing around with their hands in their pockets, saying, 'God move. God do something.' And God says, 'I've already given you something called the Great Commission. Why don't you do something? You go out there and I'll meet you there.' Give the Holy Spirit something to work with and you'll be amazed at how the Holy Spirit can work with anything and with anyone. And he delights in using people that the world never thought would amount to anything."

Harris said the four jurisdictions of God's kingdom correspond to the four seasons of life – the youthful discipleship period, establishing a household, becoming a leader in the church and ultimately a civic father or mother who is influential in their community, state or nation.

"This is what children need to understand," Harris said. "If you get it into your heart and your mind that God is preparing you for four distinct seasons of usefulness to him then you'll study with a lot more enthusiasm. You are not just studying in the hopes of getting a job in the next few years. You are studying to become a householder, to become a leader within the church and ultimately to become a city father in your community."

In 2 Corinthians 5:20, God calls on Christians to become "Christ's ambassadors" to a world in need of wisdom in high places. As ambassadors of Christ, Christians are to be both salt and light, resisting the corruption of the culture and rebuking what is wrong – sometimes boldly, Harris said.

"We should be people who are known for getting passionately excited about things that really matter and then express that skillfully," Harris said. "My sons Alex, Brett and now Isaac have all been involved in the speech and debate tournaments in the Christian home-schooling community for many years. One of the things I appreciate about that activity is it trains our young people to be strong in expressing their convictions about public policy, values, doctrine and apologetics. We need to train our children that way."

In a world of scarcity and lack – problems resulting from foolishness, a lack of wisdom and evil – Harris said the need for youth who do hard things (whether it's public speaking, organizing a rally, making a film or fighting modern-day slavery, abortion, poverty and AIDS in Africa) is greater than ever. And like rebelutionaries of the past – William Wilberforce, George Washington and others – today's youth can change the course of history.

"Nations rise and fall at the whim and will of God," Harris said. "We stand as a nation because of God's purpose and we will fall as a nation because of God's purpose. To defy the true and living God is national suicide and it will bring judgment. The way that judgment normally comes is that God will raise up other nations to punish us."

This is the lesson taught in the Old Testament and it's also the way the world has worked ever since Christ came 2,000 years ago, Harris said.

"Our nation will be judged unless God mercifully brings renewal and revival to our land," Harris said. "That's why our prayer as ambassadors of Christ is to let us be effective as salt and light within our spheres of influence. Let us be part of the solution and not part of the problem because if we all sit back, take a pass and do nothing and say nothing then we are simply a part of the process by which God's judgment comes upon our land."

Canadian Gold Medalist, Alexandre Bilodeau, Credits His Disabled Brother Frederic, For His Inspiration and Courage

The historical gold medalist also credited his older brother, Frederic with his success. Frederic has cerebral palsy and the way he's handled it has helped strengthen Bilodeau. "My brother is my inspiration. He taught me so much in life.," Bilodeau said "Growing up with a handicapped person teaches you a lot. This medal is his in so many ways."

theskichannel.com

http://www.theskichannel.com/news/skinews/20100214/Alexandre-Bilodeau-on-becoming-the-first-Canadian-to-win-Olympic-gold-on-Canadian-soil

Ash Wednesday services today commemorate the season of Christ's suffering through the imposition of ashes placed on the forehead as a sign of mourning and sorrow one's own sin.

Daily conversion frees and saves, Pope declares as Lent begins

"The Holy Father dedicated the General Audience on Wednesday in the Paul VI Hall to the significance of the Lenten season which begins today. He emphasized the importance of daily conversion for swimming 'against the current' of a society that promotes a 'superficial lifestyle' and 'moral mediocrity.'

Lent, Pope Benedict observed, is an 'acceptable and grace-filled time' in which we can better understand the words 'repent and believe in the Gospel.'

The call to conversion is one to take with 'extraordinary seriousness' because it 'reveals and denounces the easy superficiality that often characterizes our lives,' Pope Benedict taught.

'Repentance means changing direction in the path of life,' he said emphasizing that this is 'not with a small adjustment, but with a true and personal reversal.' It is going 'against the current, where the 'current' is the superficial lifestyle... that often pulls at us, dominates us and makes us slaves of evil and, so, prisoners of moral mediocrity.'

In our conversion, the Pope explained, we shoot for the 'highest measure of the Christian life' as we put our trust in the 'living and personal Gospel' of Jesus Christ.

'His person is the final goal and the deep meaning of repentance... he is the road by which all are called to walk in life, letting ourselves be illuminated by his light and sustained by his strength that moves our steps.'"

catholicnewsagency.com

While last weekend's seminar was focused on teaching parents about “Raising Kids to Do Hard Things,” Gregg Harris says the family strategies he outlined may also help youth dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues in today's high-stress culture.

The conference at the Marriott Anaheim came as a recent study found five times as many high school and college students are suffering from anxiety and other mental health problems as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era.

Although many factors may influence rises in anxiety and depression, the authors found society's focus on materialism, individualism, unrealistic expectations and unstable relationships may play a significant role. At the same time, the Great Recession and the economic hardships many families have endured has resulted in more anxiety and depression among young people.

“Consumer culture and individualism has raised the bar of expectations so high that mental health suffers as a result,” wrote the study's authors – psychology professors at five universities across the nation. “Over time, American culture has increasingly shifted toward an environment in which more and more young people experience poor mental health and psychopathology, possibly due to an increased focus on money, appearance and status rather than on community and close relationships.”

“I think depression is often a result of this sense that life is not working, whatever map I think I'm following doesn't seem to be taking me to where I want to go and I don't know who has the problem, whether it's me or that the world is just lousy,” Harris says. “And I think all of that together creates this kind of fog of gloom and despair.”

Harris says the antidote is the Good News of the Gospel – going beyond just a Gospel of personal salvation, but a Gospel that helps youth find a set of relationships that are going somewhere good and are ordained by God.

“We are always empowered by the Holy Spirit to be part of the solution,” Harris says. “We are never stalemated and checkmated to the point where now we have a hopeless situation and nothing can be done. The Good News is always affirming that regardless of what else is going on, our God reigns, he is faithful, we can act in the obedience of faith and there is a better future ahead.”

Troy Anderson

click here to read the full study Birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans
http://www.tothesource.org/2_17_2010/MMPIchangeCPR.pdf

Let's Strengthen Marriage Initiative provides support for the dual challenge in today's culture of finding a mate and sustaining a life long marriage commitment

Let’s Strengthen Marriage seeks to inspire a marriage ministry in every church across the nation. Local churches are uniquely suited to serve the relational and spiritual needs of its community.

Ideally, every church could plan and provide for:
• marriage preparation classes,
• marriage enrichment courses and small groups,
• courtship and dating seminars, and
• parenting instruction.

The Marriage Course and Marriage Prep Course are each 8-week courses, uniquely created for churches by the highly respected Alpha Course, which is used in more than 5000 churches throughout the United States and extensively throughout the world: http://www.alphana.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000032760

Family Life is a Christian organization helping couples build healthier marriages and families. A great resource for churches, Family Life offers a popular Homebuilders Bible Studies and Weekend to Remember Marriage Conferences. Learn more at http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.3082787/k.BF6A/Home.htm

Marriage Savers has worked in 200 cities to help clergy across all denominational lines join together to sign a public covenant to prepare engaged couples for lifelong marriage, enrich existing marriages, and restore troubled marriages. Find out more about how to form A Community Marriage Policy at http://www.marriagesavers.org/sitems/index.htm

Let’s Strengthen Marriage seeks to inspire a marriage ministry in every church across the nation. Local churches are uniquely suited to serve the relational and spiritual needs of its community.
Ideally, every church could plan and provide for:
• marriage preparation classes,
• marriage enrichment courses and small groups,
• courtship and dating seminars, and
• parenting instruction.

Let's Strengthen Marriage Campaign

http://www.letsstrengthenmarriage.org/

Jesus went on, "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive."

Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?

Luke 9:22-25

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