Do Hard Things Giveaway

Multnomah is proud to present "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" by Alex and Brett Harris. This is what they have to say about the book and these fabulous twin brothers.

With over 10 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God.

Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins’ revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.

Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.

As many of you know, I've been living with and working with teens for over a decade now. Regularly, I comb the literary market looking for books that will challenge and inspire intelligent and motivated teens to live life on purpose, without conforming to the norms of the culture. It is a hard find! Most books talk down to teens or use slang that is just foolishness coming from an adult. Other books, loaded with sound Biblical advice miss the mark for the teen audience, as their examples apply to life experiences they've yet to come into.

Alex and Brett have combined relevant content, appropriate examples, and language that is easy to read, without being overtly slang-driven. Even though this book is for teens by teens, I was equally as challenged to consider what Doing Hard Things (DHT) would look like in my own life. The message was just as relevant for me, as I took their 5 hard things and began to evaluate my life: "Am I just getting by...because of low expectations...instead of doing all that I could be doing in this particular situation?"

Believe it or not, I found this book incredibly helpful as a parent, as it gave a perspective of how I could better communicate with my six and eight year olds about the challenges and dreams they have for their own lives. I am keenly aware now of the low expectations swirling around the culture and have a renewed determination to challenge my own kids to live as rebelutionariers instead of conforming to complacency.

Alex and Brett coined more than a few phrases and concepts in Do Hard Things, and also offer wonderful perspectives from many young people that have taken on DHT challenge. Here are just some passages that caused me to stand up and take notice of the premise and potential of DHT:

"I think I have thoroughly shocked my family by doing thins that they (and I) never imagined I'd be doing. It's amazing what we can do if we will trust God enough to step out of our comfort zones." (p. 22)

"As one education expert put it, 'Our current ceiling for students is really much closer to where the floor ought to be.'...The most our society expects from teens is really much closer to the least we should expect." (p. 36)

"The truth is that all of us are susceptible to low expectations. Once we have satisfied the minimum requirements, we tend to stop pushing ourselves." (p. 39)

"A rebelutionary takes the time to identify the areas where he or she could accomplish more by stepping across the line of what comes easily and coming out from behind past accomplishments, complacency, and low expectations." (p. 93)

The Harris brothers have done the hard thing in writing this book and stepping out against the low expectations of the culture. In doing so, they've given us all a valuable resource manual for evaluating our low-bar standard, motivating us to raise it up, becoming all that God intended us to be and all for His glory.

Author Bio
Alex and Brett Harris founded TheRebelution.com in August 2005 and today at age 19 are the most popular Christian teen writers on the Web. The twins are frequent contributors to Focus on the Family’s Boundless webzine, serve as the main speakers for the Rebelution Tour conferences, and have been featured in WORLD magazine, Breakaway, The Old Schoolhouse, and the New York Daily News. Sons of homeschool pioneer Gregg Harris and younger brothers of best-selling author Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye), Alex and Brett live near Portland, Oregon.

Would you like a copy of Do Hard Things?

Enter the giveway for a free copy, compliments of Multnomah! Just leave a comment about what hard thing you think you ought to take on along with your email address. A random commentator will be chosen on Friday, April 19th!