Saturday, May 3, 2008

"Do Hard Things"

I enjoy reading. In fact, I'm reading much of the time that I don't have to be doing something else. One of the best books I have read in a long time, and which I highly recommend, is "Do Hard Things." The most interesting thing about this book is that it is written by teenagers.

This book was recently written by Alex and Brett Harris, younger twin brothers of Joshua Harris, who is probably best known for his book, "I Kissed Dating Good-Bye." Alex and Brett are home-schooled young men who are tired of seeing the teen years wasted. Instead, they challenge teens to use the years from 13-18 as a time of launching into adulthood. They speak a lot about this on their website.

In "Do Hard Things," the Harris twins challenge teens (and adults) to rebel against low expectations. They set the bar high and go after it. This is a very encouraging read for anyone, but in particular for teens and parents of teens. It is a breath of fresh air in our culture. I don't read quickly, but I devoured this text in just a couple of days. I wish I had read this book when I was twelve years old.

May God raise up more teens to challenge the status quo! May our churches encourage this!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks good - I needed something like that when I was a pretty lazy teen without a lot of direction...

Eric said...

Brian,

It really is well worth the read.

Anonymous said...

My family had the privilege of going to the Rebelution’s Do Hard Things tour in Charlotte last month with another family in our church. It was so inspiring to see all the teens willing to raise their own expectations even if they are faced with low ones. Though I never heard anyone actually say this, it was just apparent that the teens that came were looking for more in their lives.
My parents have always challenged me and have fully expected me to be serving the Lord in my teen years. I am now 14 and am doing so. My biggest challenge has been having Christians other than my parents and those that knew me from early childhood to take me seriously. I’ve learned, however, that I can, in a sense “earn” higher expectations by living a life that reflects Christ. This is a daily struggle for everyone and not just teens. I am very encouraged and motivated to raise my own bar after reading “Do Hard Things” and I think everyone, young and old, should read it!

Eric said...

Alli,

It is encouraging to hear teens living actively for Christ. I'm glad to hear that you went to the conference in Charlotte. Let me encourage you to continue in doing hard things for God even if you have to stand alone.