A Return and A Trilogy

Well my last post was a welcome to October and now this could very well be a goodbye. I really don't know where time went this month. There were so many things I wanted to write about and share with ya'll, but obviously that didn't happen. However, it hasn't been a huge waste of the past few weeks.

I was interviewed over at Noveltea by another Go Teen Writer, which you can read here:
http://aidylewoh.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-sierra-bailey.html

I've also had a lot of fun writing a "Praying for your Future Husband" series:
{Part One}
and
{Part Two}

Yesterday I also got my scores back from my second round of SAT's. The Lord blessed all those hours I spent studying with a score high enough to get me a 1/3 tuition scholarship to the university I plan to attend next fall. The Lord definitely provides.

But mostly my time has been spent working on my NaNoWriMo project, which has turned into much more than just another one of my NaNo projects. The idea for this story has been floating around in my mind for years now. Actually, I think it was a combination of reading the Hunger Games and the Left Behind Series that triggered the idea. See, I love the dystopian genre, but I also love christian fiction. Sadly, you don't often see the two combined. Anyhow, there's always been this idea of a christian dystopian novel driving me crazy, but for the longest time I wasn't ready to write it. That was until a few months ago. First I felt God leading me to voice my beliefs instead of trying to tone them down. Then I got a chance to attend some eye opening Christian events. But it wasn't until a friend showed me a revolutionary song that everything came into play. That's all it took- me stepping out in faith, a few hours spent around others on fire for the Lord, and a song- for a trilogy to form. Let me introduce you to that trilogy.

~ ~ ~

The Rebelution Trilogy 

Twenty years ago, due to the threat of nuclear war, the world entered into a governmental and military union called 'United Nations of the World'. A Council of Seven was formed -one man for each continent- to lead the wold. Instantly Christianity was restricted, then deemed as a threat to world 'peace', and made an illegal act punishable by death. Many groups of Christians protested, rioted, and created secret ministries to fight against the government. Their rebellion was strong until the persecution overpowered them, leaving thousands of Christians imprisoned, starving in 'traitors camps' on the freezing Arctic terrain, or dead. Those that escape the 'attempts to eradicate radicals' consist of orphaned children, grieving parents, and lonely friends. But one day their wounds will heal, and with healing comes strength.
The Council has considered the battle won, but behind closed doors underground churches begin to thrive, silently biding their time, rescuing 'discovered' Christian's from the government, and raising a new generation of believers. Little does the Council know these children born in a time of change are taking up where their parents left off, calling for a Rebelution: A rebellion against society, A revolution that will change the world.    

  Book One: Defenders of the Word 

In the wake of her parents recent execution for Christian activity, twenty-year-old Alexa Bryant finds herself questioning the God she has placed so much trust in. Her fiance, a rich politician has just saved her life despite knowing that she herself is a traitor to the very system he supports. Allie, her little sister is being held in a 'Children's Ward', where orphans of Christian families are taken to be 'reformed'. And without knowing it Alexa has walked into a group of revolutionaries intent on gaining back the rights of Christians. Before her are two roads: life on the run or life in defiance. Rebellion looks to be her best bet, but why should she pledge her life to a cause that killed her parents, and why should she serve a god that has turned a blind eye to their suffering?  

Ten years ago John-Luke DelMonico swore he would carry out his parents plan to make a public stand for the Truth. Now at twenty-one he struggles with the scriptures, his calling, and his motive. He has found himself becoming a leader of other orphaned Christians, ones who's parents died standing for the Truth. Each of them would follow him in a campaign against United NOW.  A fight against the government means an inevitable death, but death isn't what he fears, at least not as a believer. No, there are far worse things than death. Fear of failure hold John-Luke back from the path he knows they must all take. But can he place his full trust in the Lord and allow Him to guide their steps?

Neither Alexa nor John-Luke can escape the plans the Lord has set before them. Live or die, they must make a choice. Conform with the rest of the world, or let the call to a Rebelution change their lives and their hearts.

~ ~ ~

Alrighty, well clearly its still needs a lot of work, but that's the general idea of the trilogy and book one. For me the theme is very hard to sum up, because a lot of symbolism makes its way into the book. The tag line 'Rebelution: a rebellion against society, a revolution that will change the world.' Is the simplest way to describe it. Not only is it a story about people standing up for their beliefs, but also a call for Christians to stop conforming to things of this world and radically embrace the message of Jesus Christ, as well as a  warning to those who have conformed. This isn't 'high fantasy' or 'futuristic'. This book is set in 2028, which is a year that most people of my generation will live to see unless the Lord returns. If we keep standing down and keeping the gospel to ourselves then this is what our future could look like. Yes, its exaggerated in many cases, but look at current events and the world around you. We're not too far from it.

Do Hard Things

              Lately I've been struggling with what God wanted me to do with my life.  I'd fallen into that pit where everything seemed frozen in place and no matter how hard you tried nothing changed.  I'd become too comfortable in my life as a Christian, nothing really pushed me forward, but nothing was holding me back.  I wasn't rebelling against God, but I wasn't putting out an effort either. 

            The other day my mom and I went to the our local christian book store where I came across a book by the Harris brothers called Do Hard Things, which is the inspiration of this post. If you're not already aware of the movement they started dubbed the Rebelution you can check their blog out here: The Rebelution

The Don't Attitude 

          

            I've been aware of the Rebelution since my later middle school years.  The concept was one I agreed with.  A revolution to 'Do Hard Things' and rebellion against the low expectations our world has set for teenagers seemed like the ideal way to stand up for Christ.  I became what you would call a silent revolutionary, the type that doesn't follow what the world deems as normal behavior, but also the type that doesn't try to counter that bad behavior.  My attitude became one of "well they do that and I don't".   My thought process was trying to justify my own actions, or lack thereof by comparing myself to what some might call 'gross' sins.  I didn't drink, smoke, or party.  I was still (and still will be until I'm married) a virgin, unlike most girls my age.  I didn't cuss or lash out at my parents.  

       

Questions 

          Just because I wasn't doing these things didn't mean I was following God's will for my life.  If you're chasing after God with all your heart then you're going to have a desire to serve him in every aspect of your life.  The problem was that desire had been pushed aside, neglected, and all but forgotten a long time ago.  No I didn't drink or go to parties, but was I trying to reach out to the ones who did?  I was still a virgin, but was I trying to keep my heart and mind equally pure?  My teenage years have been accepting of what my parents said was right and wrong, but was I taking those truths to heart?  Life was moving around me at a fast pace and I was stuck in a rut. I was tired of standing around doing nothing, but how could I do things for Christ when the great things I wanted to do seemed so far and distant?  Something had to change before I could move. 

Attitude Check 

     Back to the Rebelution and the Harris brothers.  All these years of being stuck in a rut I still considered myself to be a rebelitionary, because like I said following the world wasn't something I did.  But I'd never read their book or really followed what the Rebelution was all about.  Maybe if I had my attitude would have changed sooner.  I knew God had big plans for me, but the greatness of them seemed to hard.  Then we came across the Do Hard Things book.  Maybe this would show me what I was doing wrong, maybe it would show me how to do big things for Christ.  But instead of telling me how to fix things or do something grand it kept throwing everything back on God.  I had to trust God to get me out of that rut and not my own strength.  I had to let God guide my feet instead of trying map out a path of my own.  My first question was, "but when do I start getting to do big things? Aren't you going to tell me how to do them?" In my blind stubbornness I was skipping over the key points. They had already shown me how to get out of the rut and how to start living a life according to God's plan!  All I had to do was be willing to follow.  Finally the light turned on and I was ashamed.  I was ashamed that I'd already wasted valuable years of my life which could have been used to serve the Lord.  Instead I had spent those years trying to rely on my own strength to accomplish the things laid on my heart.  But my strength is imperfect and I needed help. The attitude change was so simple, but I'd made it hard. 

Doing Hard Things 

           Giving my life back over to God didn't have to be a hard thing.  I'd just been so focused on other things that they got in the way.  I finally stopped looking around at all the things I wanted to do and looked toward God.  I'd been at a cross roads, confused between where to turn, but once my eyes were opened the right path was pointed out.  That desire to love Jesus, to really love him with all my heart come back to me.  That's when I realized I didn't need to do something 'great' to follow Jesus.  I just needed to follow Him and he would do the great and amazing.  The things I did for Him didn't need to be extravagant.  It was the small things that counted.  In my own struggle to serve Christ I had confused 'hard' with 'great'.  The  simple things were the hardest.  Doing them in Jesus' name with the right attitude was what made them important.  Now I'm ready to start doing hard things with the right attitude- with the 'do' attitude.  I want to let Christ do these things through me.  Not through my own strength but through His.  How about you? Have you fallen into the rut of life? Are you confusing 'hard' things and standing up for Christ with 'big' and 'great' things? Are you struggling with your own desires? If so pray. Ask God to renew the desire to follow His will, ask Him to lead a guide you.  Give up the struggle and give your whole life over to God.