Legacy Youth Ministry Resources

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The Church as the Conscience of the State

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

Einstein on Authority

To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself. -- Albert Einstein

Changing Your Course

(The truth of this story, in a similar form, has been questioned. Since it's authenticity is questioned and we don't have a source, I'd introduce it as, "I heard a story about?) One night at sea, a ship?s captain saw what he thought were the lights of another ship heading toward him. He had his signalman blink to the other ship. ?Change your course 10 degrees south.? The reply came back, ?Change your course 10 degrees north.? The ship?s captain answered, ?I am a captain. Change your course south.? Another reply came back, ?Well, I?m a seaman first class. Change your course north.? The captain was mad now. "I said change your course south. I?m on a battleship.? To which the reply came back, ?And I say change your course north. I?m in a lighthouse.? The Point? God's truth is the lighthouse, an unchanging absolute. Unfortunately, most people try to argue from their own limited perspective that their circumstance is the exception.

Looking for a New Bouncer

We need to be careful to treat all people with respect (I Peter 2:17) This can come in handy, as was found out by a big burly fellow who entered a bar and started talking to the bartender. Big man: ?I see by the sign in your window you?re looking for a bouncer. Ya fill the job yet? Bartender: Not yet. You had any experience? Big man: No, but watch this! He walked over to a loudmouthed drunk in the back of the tavern, lifted him off his feat, and threw him sprawling into the street. Big man: How?s that? Bartender: Great! But you?ll have to ask the boss about a job. I just work here. Big man: Okay, where is he? Bartender: Just coming back in the front door.

Police Tell it Straight

God tells us to respect our authorities. If we obey them, we have no cause to fear. If we flagrantly disobey, we'll probably get justice, not mercy. Here are some of the comments you may get when you're caught? "The handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch out after you wear them awhile." "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired." "So, you don't know how fast you were going. I guess that means I can write anything I want on the ticket, huh?" "Yes sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I am the shift supervisor?" "Warning! You want a warning? O.K., I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket." "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or dog?" "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven." "Life's tough, it's tougher if you're stupid." "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to have quotas, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we want." "Just how big were those two beers? "In God we trust, all others are suspects."

Marilyn Manson's Fear of Authority

Often we think of the most rebellious as the most free. They do what they want when they want to do it. Yet, that kind of rebellion ultimately leads to less freedom and more fear, particularly fear of authorities. God's Word says, "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you." Shock rocker Marilyn Manson stands for rebellion and absolute "freedom" from authority. Yet, as a result he must live in fear. In his own words, "I've always been paranoid about the police, because even when I'm not doing anything illegal I'm thinking about doing something illegal. So whenever I'm around a cop, I get uncomfortable and nervous, worried that I'm going to say the wrong thing or look so guilty that they'll arrest me anyway." (Written by Steve Miller, Copyright April 25, 2002. Source: Marilyn Manson in his autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Regan Books, 1998, p. 100.)

Can't Choose the Rules

There is no such thing as a life without authority. You can choose the game, but you can?t choose the rules. (from Halftime p. 155; from file of Barry St. Clair)

Good Manners Opens Doors

Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot. --Clarence Thomas

Mardones Changes His Attitude

Benny Mardones was a successful songwriter and singer who exploded onto the music scene in the 80's, especially known for his song, "Into the Night." He sent radio personality Delilah a story of how an event in his life forever changed his attitude towards authorities. At eighteen years of age, Mardones' dreams of rock and roll stardom had to wait until he got out of the military. Stationed in Europe aboard the USS Springfield, he had a terrible attitude toward authority. In his own words, "?I was antiauthority. I grew up hanging on street corners and thought of myself as a tough guy. Nobody told me what to do. Well, as you can imagine, I was always in trouble or on report for insubordination. Even when I obeyed an order, it was with an attitude." One morning Chief Sullivan and the ship's chaplain told him the bad news that his grandfather had died the night before. They were giving him emergency leave to be with the family and perhaps make the funeral. He couldn't believe it! His grandad had been like a father to him, a tough man who gave stability to his world, the patriarch of his family. He simply couldn?t die. Desperately wanting to see his grandfather's body before they buried him, he flew to Italy to catch a flight to the USA. His attitude continued to sour. He was thinking, "The navy sucks! I ain?t never taking another order, ever. If it wasn?t for the navy, I?d have been home and Grandpa somehow would still be alive." Then a petty officer told him, ?Seaman Mardones, you?ve been bumped off your MATS flight ? officers from NATO headquarters flying out to Washington. Sorry, we?ll try to get you out tomorrow.? At that point, he emotionally snapped. He yelled, "My grandpa's dead. I gotta see him. Please!" But the petty officer replied that there was nothing he could do. Hopeless, Mardones sat down by his duffel bag and started crying. But an officer heard of his plight and gave up his seat for him. Mardones first stammered, then unashamedly hugged the officer. Although the other officers looked rather stunned, the sacrificing officer hugged him back and said, "Good luck, son." Because of this authority, Mardones made the funeral, which helped bring closure to his significant relationship with his grandfather. This totally changed Mardones' attitude towards authorities. In his own words, "I never looked at officers or people in positions of authority the same ever again." (Written by Steve Miller, copyright April, 2003. Source: Love Someone Today : Encouragement and Inspiration for the Times of Our Lives by Delilah, Fireside; (May 2001), pp. 159-161

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