A Fantastic Weekend in D.C.

About two weeks ago, my brother Jonathan and I took a weekend trip up to the D.C. area for some encouragement, challenge, and good ol’ brotherly fellowship.

On Saturday we attended our very first Rebelution conference. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, or Alex and Brett Harris’ ministry, I highly recommend going to their website here. In a nutshell, when Alex and Brett were about 16, they became concerned that the young men and women in our culture are conforming to low expectations, immaturity, and irresponsibility that prevents and inhibits them from being all God has called them to be. Their motto? Do Hard Things! In other words, it's time for young men and women to stop viewing themselves as “teenagers,” and start seeing themselves through the light of Scripture. In Scripture, God makes no distinction between adults and “adolescents.” In fact, Scripture teaches “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” - 1 Corinthians 13:11.

Encouraging young people to rebel against the low expectations of our culture, Alex and Brett challenged everyone at the conference to do hard things. Those things might be huge projects (i.e. Zach Hunter, a 19 year old modern day abolitionist), or something as seemingly small as learning to accept responsibility around our homes by performing what most would deem menial occupations. In either case, young men and women are to rebel against our current youth culture of laziness and unproductiveness, which readily encourages young people to fill their days with frivolity while “sewing their wild oats.” If you, as a young adult, view your youthful life as such, then in the words of Ben Botkin in his family’s documentary Homeschool Dropouts, “I've got two words for you: grow up!” God has called us to so much more! Our young adult life is a God-given time to prepare for everything our sovereign God has purposed for us in the future.

For those of us who have heard this kind of teaching all our lives, it's very easy to become susceptible to a prideful heart and fall down the slippery slope of complacency. Complacency is dangerous, for it arrogantly raises us above others and confidently asserts that we have learned all that is necessary, all we are capable of, or all there is. As a young man inside the homeschool circle, I see many young men and women who graduate high school and then have no desire to further their education. And I'm not necessarily speaking of a college degree. What I'm speaking of is a complete lack of desire to continue stimulating their minds. Many homeschool graduates arrogantly assume they have learned all they need.

I admonish my fellow young adults, don't waste your life! Seek to become avid students of Scripture. Pick a subject you've never thought you were good at, or didn't particularly like, and master it by the grace of God! For me, math has always been a bit of a struggle, but I have a strange attraction to it because it forces me to apply and sharpen my God-given reasoning abilities, and gives me a glimpse into the brilliant mind of our God. This is a subject I'm seeking to master, even though I've graduated.

We should seek to discover what God is calling us to, and humbly submit to his leading. We should seek to understand and be willing to admit when we mistake our will for His perfect will. Then, be prepared for some challenges. God wants us to grasp how we can best utilize our youth to advance the Kingdom of God. As Alex and Brett stated, this starts when we identify sin in our own lives and seek to conquer it by the grace of our faithful Savior. Then, we will be vessels ready for use. Obviously, this doesn’t mean we will be perfect, aside from our Savior, no one was, is, or will be. What this does mean, is that we become young men and women who strive to walk in righteousness. Indeed, this is the evidence of our faith: the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in our lives. If we don't see evidence of the His work, it might be time for a heart check.

I won't attempt to summarize the entire Rebelution conference, because I want you to read the extended version. If you don’t already have it, I recommend that you purchase a copy of Alex and Brett's book Do Hard Things and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Aside from the challenging reminder of the conference, Jonathan and I also were able to spend some special time with our good friend Isaac Harris, who we met on set of Ace Wonder. Isaac's encouragement mixed with his mature, outgoing, fun personality is always very refreshing! Having the opportunity of spending time with him at the conference was a huge highlight for us.

We also discovered our “long lost sister,” (pictured below).

After taking the photo, we all three looked at it and stared in astonishment....we look like brother and sister! Hence, the title “long lost sister.” If you're not convinced at this one, take a look at this one :-)

Sunday, we met up with a really good friend who’s a student at Patrick Henry College and spent the morning worshiping with him. Strangely enough, when the worship service was over, our “long lost sister” was in the midst of those we were worshiping with! Maybe we really are related? ;-)

After a blessed afternoon with our friend, we parted ways, and headed to the heart of D.C. There, we met up with our Dad and observed and assisted him in a business meeting that evening; a meeting which included a traditional Chinese meal. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, fish with heads, squid, hot peppers, tofu, and a host of other things! This was the first time I’ve had the privilege of observing my father in his occupation (his company is such that going within the walls is next to impossible). Being able to assist him was an honor and a joy.

The next day, Dad traded places with us, put on his “Executive Producer” hat, and helped Jonathan and me in our business. We did some early concept/location scouting for a feature film in downtown D.C. (let the speculation begin!). This included a tour of the Capital building and the library of congress, as well as a LOT of walking around the capital grounds, the mall, and the Jefferson Memorial. I'll close this post with some pictures.

Press On!
Josh

Capitol Rotunda (common ground between the House and Senate)

Doorway to the Senate.

Doorway to the House of Representatives (Also, notice the painting of Pocahontas' Baptism).

The Library of Congress

The stairway to the landing overlooking the library itself. Unfortunately, photos are not permitted of the library.

Stairwell at the base of the Capitol Building.