Legacy Youth Ministry Resources

Illustration texts

Ingrid Bergman vs. Elizabeth Taylor

"Ingrid Bergman was invited by Ed Sullivan to appear on his program around 1958 when she was living with an Italian film producer. She had left her husband and had a child. Before she actually went on the show, there was such a public clamor that he couldn't have her on. Can you imagine? Today every time Elizabeth Taylor gets married, it's seen as sort of a national holiday. The difference in the public reaction toward Ingrid Bergman then and Elizabeth Taylor now is solid sociological data of enormous consequence." (Christianity Today, "Listening to Mr. Right," interview with William Buckley, Jr., by Michael Cromartie, Oct. 2, 1995) ? Copyright 2002 Steve Miller - All Rights Reserved

I'll Keep An Eye On You

A missionary to a primitive tribe needed to clear a runway in a Jungle area, in order to be able to receive supplies from the daring missionary pilots that land on such runways. He hired tribesmen to help make the clearing, but found that they would only work while he was on the site. Once he left, they took an extended break until he returned. But he needed to leave for a period of time. Finally, he came up with a solution. He called the tribesmen to himself and told them he would be gone for awhile. They looked on in wonder as he popped out his glass eye, set it on a tree stump on the edge of the construction site, and told them that he would be keeping an eye on their progress while he was gone. They worked feverishly in his absence. (Lord's of the Earth, p. 192) While this true story gave the missionary the work he needed, was it in fact a deception that, upon further reflection, he should have decided against doing? What might have been the future consequences of such a deception? ? Copyright 2002 Steve Miller - All Rights Reserved

Absolutes Defeat Communism

Before the revolution which overturned the Communist government in Czechoslovakia, Father Vaclav Maly was taught by his parents, "Speak freely. If anyone asks you what we speak about at home, tell them. We don't say one thing at home, and another at school. Always speak the truth. That's where you'll find real freedom." This stubborn stand for absolute truth led to his involvement with "Charter 77" and his part in the Czechoslovakian revolution. Today, Czechs and Slovaks live in freedom, thanks to those who refused to compromise the truth under Communism. (Bud Bultman, Revolution by Candlelight, p. 25) ? Copyright 2002 Steve Miller - All Rights Reserved

The Result of Ignoring One Absolute

Western media tends to present premarital sex as the norm. Atheist Burtrand Russell, in his writings, reasoned that premarital sex was healthy. During the Sexual Revolution of the 60's, a new generation agreed. With "The Pill" effectively preventing pregnancy, many saw no need to limit sex to marriage, or to a heterosexual relationship. And to a person with no absolutes, this conclusion would have seemed reasonable. But who then could have known the devastating results of the sexual revolution? The media has well-documented the AIDS epidemic. But even prior to AIDS, America's Medical Health Association was calling sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) the worst disease epidemic in American society. Someone said that at one time Gonorrhea and Syphilis were the second and third most reported communicable diseases in the U.S. Only the common cold was reported more often. And some STD's such as Herpes Simplex II, have no cure. How do these diseases spread? Through multiple sexual partners. Losing sight of one moral absolute - one sexual partner for life - paved the way to today's epidemic and the resulting heartache. ? Copyright 2002 Steve Miller - All Rights Reserved

A Missionary Gets The Job Done

A missionary to a primitive tribe needed to clear a runway in a Jungle area, in order to be able to receive supplies from the daring missionary pilots that land on such runways. He hired tribesmen to help make the clearing, but found that they would only work while he was on the site. Once he left, they took an extended break until he returned. But he needed to leave for a period of time. Finally, he came up with a solution. He called the tribesmen to himself and told them he would be gone for awhile. They looked on in wonder as he popped out his glass eye, set it on a tree stump on the edge of the construction site, and told them that he would be keeping an eye on their progress while he was gone. They worked feverishly in his absence. (Lord's of the Earth, p. 192) While this true story gave the missionary the work he needed, was it in fact a deception that, upon further reflection, he should have decided against doing? What might have been the future consequences of such a deception? ? Copyright 2002 Steve Miller - All Rights Reserved

If God Does Not Exist

If God does not exist, then everything is permitted. (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

Keeping Commitments

Integrity is keeping my commitments even if the circumstances when I made those commitments have changed. -- David Jeremiah

Shula on Convictions

The problem with most leaders today is they don?t stand for anything. Leadership implies movement toward something, and convictions provide that direction. If you don?t stand for something, you?ll fall for anything.? -- Coach Don Shula

Truth and Freedom

The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear. -- Herbert Agar

Jefferson on Style Vs Principal

In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principal, stand like a rock. -- Thomas Jefferson

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