Legacy Youth Ministry Resources

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Supreme Importance of Going For It

?You?ve got to get to that stage in your life when going for it is more important than winning or losing.? Tennis Champion Arthur Ashe

Solzhenitsyn Finds Purpose in Prison

?Bless you prison for having been in my life for it was there lying on that bed of rotted straw that I found the purpose of life. It?s not prosperity as the world would have you believe, but the development of the human soul.? (Soviet Political Prisoner Alexander Solzhenitsyn)

Havel on Destiny

The real test of a man is not when he plays the role that he wants for himself, but when he plays the role destiny has for him. (Playwrite Vaclav Havel, leader of the revolution that toppled Communism in Czechoslovakia, first president of the newly formed Czech Republic) (Found in Halftime, p. 23, from the collection of Barry St. Clair)

Sell Sugar Flavored Water, or Change the World?

Several years ago I read a book by John Sculley. Then President of Apple Computer, he shared a most interesting story. Before moving to the head of Apple, Sculley was President of Pepsi. With all the security and status a young professional might want...in one of the world?s most prestigious companies, he was about to be confronted with a big challenge. An executive head-hunter approached Mr. Sculley to inquire about his interest in leaving Pepsi to head an upstart high-tech computer company. After many months of brushing the head-hunter aside, something happened. One night Sculley received a call from the man with this statement: Do you want to sell sugar flavored water the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world? John Sculley could not escape that challenge and left Pepsi to head Apple Computer. (From the collection of Barry St. Clair)

Carver on Legitimate Reason to Live

"No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through [it]." [Renowned Scientist and Educator George Washington Carver]

Faith, Purpose and Relationships

?You need a faith to live by and a purpose to live for, so that you will be easy to live with.?

An Idea to Live and Die For

The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do...to find the idea for which I can live and die. (Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, quoted in Halftime, page 61)

Washington's Supreme Purpose

"My supreme purpose is to please God and to share the light he has given me with others." (George Washington)

Vin Diesel Catches the Vision

When Vin Diesel read the rough first draft of the script for the movie XXX, he wasn't impressed. So the director got him on board by casting the vision. He said, "Xander Cage is a nihilist. Xander Cage is the least likely to save the world. Xander Cage doesn't care about the world. Xander Cage is recruited by the CIA to save the world, and in the process he learns patriotism and the value of life." Coming not long after the 9/11 terrorist attack, you can imagine the impact of this theme. Vin Diesel caught the vision and dedicated himself 100% to the project, preparing himself with an "extreme-sports version of weightlifting for three months," including motocross, snowboarding, speed climbing and some Navy Seals training in San Diego. Often our youth can't get excited about our programs because we've failed to cast a vision, giving them the big picture. We're not just attending Bible Studies; we're preparing to impact our generation for Jesus. We're not just doing a little service project; we're changing our world. Keep the vision before them and watch their excitement build.

Classical Guitarist Changes Goals

You've probably heard Christopher Parkening's incredible classical guitar work in movies such as "StepMom" or on cd's, such as "Simple Blessings." He began playing the classical guitar at age 11 and soon was touring the world. Christopher's goal in life wasn't to be the world's best classical guitarist. "My goal in life was to some day own my own ranch and trout stream. By age 30, I'd found my dream stream on a ranch in Montana. That's when I stopped playing the guitar." For several years Parkening retired from the concert world and fished trout to his heart's content. With his goal accomplished, you'd think he'd be the happiest person in the world. But according to Parkening, "I again became very unhappy with my life. I don't know how to describe it, but my life became boring to me. It was totally empty. I had the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and yet I thought, well, what's left; what's missing?" While visiting friends in California, Christopher found what he was missing. A friend invited him to attend church where John MacArthur was preaching a sermon on the subject of examining yourself. When he heard the verse in Matthew 7:21 "Depart from Me, I never knew you...You never did the will of My Father" Christopher was absolutely convinced that "if I had died that night, Jesus would have spoken those very words to me." "My parents introduced me to the Christian faith when I was young;" said Parkening. "I was baptized and read the Bible occasionally, but I had never really done God's will. I wanted to be saved from hell, but I never wanted a Lord of my life that I should follow and trust and obey unconditionally." Broken over his selfish life, Christopher went home that day and prayed that Christ would be BOTH Lord and Savior of his life. While reading God's Word one day, a verse leapt from the page: "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" [1 Corinthians 10:31.] That's when Christopher realized there were only two things he know how to do: fly fish and play the guitar. Today, Christopher Parkening plays the guitar for God. Since his return to the music world he has played with every major orchestra in the nation, traveled the world on countless concert tours even played for the President of the United States at the White House! "I have a joy, a peace, a deep-down fulfillment in my life I never had before. My life has purpose. My true goal in life now is to be a good and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was only when I gave God my life and my music that I learned the secret of true happiness." To read the full story visit: www.parkening.com ? Copyright 2002 written by CK Miller, adapted from Christopher Parkening's website www.parkening.com

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