Do Hard Things Chapter 9-

I have not blogged in a while, so I am going to get started again...

Taking A Stand-

One hard thing is going against the flow. When your friends may choose a different path it is important (and difficult) to stick with what you believe and not be swayed by the crowd. One phrase in Do Hard Things is "What defines you??" that is a very important question. For example.... you can say you are a Christian all you want, but you are defined by your actions. Meaning, if you just go along with the flow of the world no one will know you are a Christian, you will look like the world. Although in the moment it may seem hard, you will not regret taking a stand, on the right things, Biblical things, in the long run.

An example used a couple weeks ago at youth group was "where ever you are, you are TrueLife" so if you are even out shopping, at school etc. you are reflecting TrueLife. The same is true with Christianity, where ever you are, you represent what it means to be a Christian, a Christ follower. So if you are not acting like a Christian, you will not be a good example of one and you could even turn someone away from Christianity by your choices.

Also, along the lines of doing hard things, I will be singing and playing guitar, along with being on my youth groups worship team for Fine Arts this year!! For my solo I will be singing The Redeemer by Sanctus Real...this would have seemed impossible for me a couple years ago, but I am trying to live out what Do Hard Things is about.

Next Chapter.....Generation Rising

Do Hard Things Chapter 8-

Small Hard Things-

Hard things don't always have to be that big, most often they are small everyday things. For me some small hard things are thinking of others first, being cheerful when I do not feel like it, helping out around the house when I want to do something else, etc.  Even the little things are important because they can add up to big things. If I do these small things, think of others first, be cheerful when I don't feel like it, help out around the house when I really want to do something else, it makes harder things easier because I am learning and practicing the right response in the small situations first and I am growing!

 But small hard things can become harder than they need to be especially when excuses are made like "these things are not that hard.....I can wait a little longer to get this done" "this is just a little thing, what will this even change??" and "this seems really small compared to what he/she is doing" those are examples of excuses of how small hard things can get pushed off and ignored. If I am not thinking of other first, then it will become easier and easier for me to be more selfish, if I am not cheerful....grumpy around the house then it will make it harder for others around me and it is easier for me to slip into a bad attitude. That's just a small example of how some small things can grow into bigger problems making them even harder to fix and keeping you from what you could be!

I encourage you to start doing small hard things, whatever they are for you (and not forget about them) I listed only a few of my small things but I can think of many more I need to work on! Because we can't just all of a sudden start doing amazing, super hard things, it takes time and effort to get to that point. So why wait until later, or give it a chance to grow into a bigger hard thing to work on???? Start now!

Next chapter.....Taking A Stand

video and my thoughts

I thought you might enjoy this video. My friend Nick, from youth group, wrote his testimony and presented it in spoken word. He did it this way so he could share it as "poetry" with his English class in a public school a few months ago. He presented this at the Fine Arts competition I went to and he won for our state. He is competing this weekend in nationals. He is a great example of stepping out of the worldly idea of a "teen life" and actually living out what you say you believe. Personally, Nick, along with several other Sr. high boys, have been incredible examples to me in my time at the youth group and worship team (Nick is the drummer). My church has an internship program for the high school youth, and Nick along with several others have preached, led worship, etc. The internship program is all summer and the interns are trained in all areas of ministry that they are interested in. I am considering signing up for next summers intern program, actually I am certain I want to do it. For me that will be doing something very hard, but important to grow. I think its really cool how many great opportunity's there are in this youth group and church to challenge, encourage and grow me in my walk/faith. I signed up to serve in 2 ministries besides what I do for the Youth group worship team. I am exited to start serving by greeting and ushering. Both out of my comfort zone but I am trying to break free from having a "comfort zone."

Do Hard Things Chapter 7-

The Power of Collaboration-

In this post I am going to talk about collaboration/teamwork. It is when a group of people come together to accomplish a common goal, it can make the job/task easier, faster, and finished better, than if you were doing it alone. It has been said “A horse by itself can pull 2,500 pounds, so it would be expected that two horses could pull 5,000 pounds, but two horses together can pull over 12,000 pounds. That’s more than four times the weight that one horse alone can pull.” That’s a good example of collaboration and teamwork.

Some simple personal examples are, doing the laundry, making dinner, yard work, cleaning up the house, collecting the garbage etc. all of these tasks get finished faster, and easier when you have a team to accomplish the goal. Those are small personal examples.

When it comes to doing real hard things, there are some questions we need to ask ourselves. Is my idea directed by God, what do my parents think about this idea, who should be leading, what can I do to advance this idea, who else can help, how much do I care about this idea, and am I going to quit. (Will I see it through?) That being said, it is important to make wise decisions in who we team up with. Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” otherwise they could drop out and leave you with tasks you cannot do by yourself, which could ruin the hard thing you are trying to do.

Also, don’t overlook your family’s advice and assistance; don’t be afraid to use computers/technology to advance your goal. Be open to hearing what others think could benefit your idea/goal. Give credit to the people who deserve it. Be prepared for problems. (Because something will definitely go wrong at some point..be flexible) and most of all, don’t give up! Because eventually, success will happen....even if you cannot see how, or who will succeed.

So teaming up with others can help you accomplish things way too big to do by yourself. Once someone starts, more people might join in. Why wait to get started??

Next chapter......Small Hard Things

Do Hard Things Chapter 6 Raising The Bar-

Well...I did my best, that's what counts right??


Doing hard things is not about doing your best but actually doing all you can do. because a lot of times "I did my best" is an excuse for keeping your expectations low when really you can do more than your "best" Like if you plan to share Christ with someone and at the last moment you back out with the excuse "well...um I did the best I could" when in that situation there is a lot more you could have done. But you have to raise the bar and have expectations of yourself and not be willing to lower them because of your feelings in a moment. Because you never know what God has planned for those moment's. You could have a great opportunity ahead of you but if you back out in the middle of it then you could miss out on a lot of great things that God could have planned for you.


Also as I found out, one small step of growth can set of a chain reaction that will lead to bigger challenges, bigger opportunity's, and to even more growth. If you never step out of your comfort zone, you will find years that have gone by that had great challenges that you could have taken. Why wait to grow and mature?? Why let a moment of feeling afraid take away what you can do with your life??
You have to be able to trust that God has a plan for your life, the good and the bad and he knows what is best for you. Even though it might be hard to see why you have to deal with some things in that time. For me, I went from being a scared, shy boy hiding behind a keyboard to playing guitar on two different worship teams, one is for a college group and I am just going into 9th grade!!! Talk about one small step setting off a chain reaction, and I have no idea how God is going to use the passion for worship music and talents He has given me yet....but I am sure excited to find out.

Do Hard Things chapter 4-

OOPS.....here it is, Chapter 4! I had read it and had the post ready, but forgot to actually post it!!

A Better Way-

Growing up is not just flipping a switch and instantly you are totally grown up, it takes work and time to become who you are called to be. The teen years are supposed to be a time in your life when you are actually pressing on to that goal......not getting away from your responsibility. Because what happens is those years will drift by and you will look back (if you do at all) and see just how much you have missed, and how much you could have done. Unfortunately, much, or all the time that was wasted away teens have used to goof around, socialize, or just go with the flow of what the world says teens are capable of...wish is not much!! There is little talk or encouragement to use those years of preparation into adulthood! Then all of a sudden the teen is thrown into college and supposed to be magically mature, which statistics show doesn't happen.

So if you wait until your 30's (Teens-Kidults) as the world extends your "break" from responsibility, you can lose fifteen years! that is a really long time. because if you think about it, you only get a few years to shape your future. The teen years, and what you choose to do with them will affect the rest of your life.....so they should be used well. The better way would be to use those years to your advantage, to use them as a starting point!!

next chapter...Chapter six Raising The Bar.

Practicing what I read-

Today I am taking a break from the Do Hard Things chapters, to share something "hard" that I have done.

I have been playing acoustic guitar for the past eight months. When we came to our new church several months ago,  I thought that it would be really cool to play guitar in the youth group. So I finally decided to ask the worship leader if I could audition to play on Wednesday nights. Last Wednesday I auditioned infront of the worship dierctor, by myself, and I made the team! This is a BIG thing for me!!!! I had played keyboard on a worship team before, but I could just hide behind the music stand AND the youth group was very small.....about 20-25 people. But now I get to be lead acoustic guitar in front of a couple hundred youth, this would have been impossible for me a year ago!! AUDITIONING would have been impossible a year ago!! I am really excited for this opportunity (that I am able to do this now) and this has already helped me step out of my comfort zone even more!! I look forward to how being lead acoustic guitarist will stretch and grow me over the coming weeks and months.

Also...I missed chapter four of Do Hard Things so that's what my next post will be, thanks Grandma for reminding me!!

Do hard things chapter 5 That First Scary Step-

     A couple weeks ago, my youth group at the church I go to, had a practice round/rehearsal for a state-wide event called 'Fine Arts' where dozens of youth groups get together and some kids do things like short sermons, sing solos, drama, lead worship, guitar solos,drum solos, etc. which I think is a great example of stepping out of your comfort zone, sharing the talents God has given you with others. It was a great opportunity for me to see youth "doing hard things."

     This chapter is about if you don’t grow up when you are supposed to, you will miss out on big opportunities in your life. The first step out of your comfort zone can often be the hardest because questions will arise like “what will others think of me", and "what is out there that I do not know about?” It’s like your first time on a roller coaster or performing in front of people. At first it can seem terrifying, but after your overcome your fears, it might not seem as hard, it might even be fun!

    I am a perfect example of needing to step out of my comfort zone. I have had a lot of fear in areas that call me to step out of what I know. A couple of years ago, my parents encouraged me to join a worship team. Me plus playing the piano in front of of people (even a small group of 25ish) equals a completely terrified 12 year old boy! But I did it, and it turned out to be a great time of growth for me and I am thankful my parents encouraged me to join. Now I play guitar and am praying about joining an even larger worship team to use my talents for the Lord in front of hundreds of youth!

     You have to single out your fears and learn how to overcome them, like if it’s speaking in front of a group of people (also a GIANT fear of mine and my parents have signed me up for public speaking in the fall!!!!!!) than maybe doing exactly that will help you overcome your fear. By the way, it doesn't mean that courage is not having fear in your life at all; it is just blocking it out so it does not affect your choices, so you can accomplish what you are supposed to. Fear of what others think can often times hold your back from maturing, from becoming all God wants and has planned for you to be. You have to be able to let go of your fears and trust God, the only one who holds your future.

Next chapter…..Raising the Bar

Do Hard Things Chapter 3 A Better Way-

Chapter 3 explains how the teen years are the launch pad for your life, and how your need to realize the importance of those years.

Most youth act as if the teen years are just a break and they can grow up whenever they choose. Like they were never behind in their life but everyone who behaves like that will regret it later in life because the chose not to grow when they should have. It's not an instant switch to living a more mature life, it takes work and time to become what you are supposed to be. So if you choose to wait until later to grow up you will miss a lot in life.

And to make it even worse.....the world extends to "kidults" which is basically a new term started in 2005  referencing the time from the 20's-30's where now it even extends the "teen years" for another decade!! Now you have an even longer "break" from responsibility/maturity. Showing the world has extremely low expectations not just for your teen years, but for your life.

You have to set challenges for yourself to take you outside your comfort zone which will raise your expectations of yourself and help you grow. The things you should have done in your teen years you cannot get back later in life. The time to start maturing is now!

next chapter....That First Scary Step-

Do Hard Things Chapter 2-

Chapter two starts off explaining how Alex and Bret started their book and website. And how if people team up they can spread a message using their different talents way better than just one person on their own.

If people have greater expectations of teens (or anyone) then they will rise to meet that challenge if that is what is expected of them, and they have to be willing to go for the challenge. Like if a thirteen year old is expected to meet the expectations of a twenty four year old, they will rise up to meet that challenge. Most teens don’t do much (not hard workers, play a lot etc.) because they are not expected to, and feeds the world view of "teens". They will automatically set low expectations for themselves because it is easy in the moment. But in the long run, it will not help at all. Getting by with the least possible effort is never beneficial and will never help the person to grow/mature.

For example when you hear the word “teen” what first comes to your mind?? Lazy, moody, arrogant, selfish, that is what the world says about teens. What if more was expected from teens? That would completely change the world. It is impossible to have every teen in the world instantly change, but individual teens sharing the message with others is possible. If 1,000 teens that have heard the message from chapter two and shared it with one teen the number would obviously double……and so on. If people were committed to changing their own hearts and sharing with others it could have a big impact on the world. Low expectations also keep teens from digging deeper into Gods Word...actually maturing!  Which as a teen, being in the Word would definitely help your maturing as you get older, it is vital. Many teens are bound by the world’s low expectations keeping them from being what they are called to be; it is time to raise our expectations.

Next post…..The Myth of Adolescence

Do Hard Things-

The first chapter titled, Most People Don't......is about how the world has really low expectations for teens, and how the world says that the “teen years” are your time just to goof off and get away with the least expected from you, when really they are the launch pad for your life. If you just waste away your teen years doing nothing beneficial for your future then that will shape the rest of your life so it’s a good idea to start off right. Doing hard things doesn’t mean doing hard things like finishing a video game on a hard level, or doing things that are pointless hard things just because they are hard, it is doing things that help you step out of your comfort zone and taking steps in faith as you mature into a Godly man or woman.


It can be anything from something as simple as doing the dishes without being asked to, to sharing the bible with someone that does not know about it. Do hard Things is about a better way to start your teen years, and if you start during your teen years what could you accomplish in your lifetime??


Second chapter The Birth of a Big Idea....coming soon......

Transition-

I have not blogged in a while because I am not as interested in bugs as I used to be, and this was a blog about bugs. i have decided that now I am going to transition into blogging about my interests...books, guitar, etc. first I am going to start posting about a book I have been reading called “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. after each chapter I am going to post a little about it here.