The Leader
AMONG men there are always
those who stand above others as leaders. The same is true among
the lower
gregarious creatures. The leader often achieves his position
because of strength or power. This is true among the lowly and very
common creature, the barnyard hen.
In every group of hens there is
always a queen. This queen may peck any of her subjects with
little fear of ever being pecked in return. Every hen in the
flock also has a place in what is known as the "pecking order." The
queen
may peck whomsoever she chooses. Another hen may peck all but the
queen. The next fowl in line may peck all but those superior to her,
and so on to the last hen who has the misfortune of being pecked by all
and dare not peck any.
Among cattle, baboons,
geese, and many others the rule of the strongest or most clever
becoming ruler holds true.
But as among men so among animals it is dangerous to follow after
certain ones. Your object of loyalty can mean the difference
between life and death.
Among sheep there is frequently an orphan lamb which
is pitied and taken under the protecting care of the ranchers to be fed
by bottle and raised away from the flock. These sheep are called
"bellwethers." Because it has been protected and coddled the
bellwether acquires a self-reliant, bold attitude. When the day
comes for it to be returned to the flock it boldly saunters over to the
timid flock and is immediately accepted as leader. There is no
fighting, no proving of his ability as the strongest: he is simply
accepted without question. The other sheep put full confidence in their
new leader and unreservedly follow where he leads.
To the destruction of the
sheep the bell-wether proves to be a traitorous leader. For during
marketing season he leads his wooly procession into waiting
trucks and then stealthily bounds out of the truck before his followers
know what has happened.
Leadership is important not
only in animal life but even more important and of greater
consequence in the lives of men. There are many who vie for our
allegiance. Men all put their confidence in someone or something and
often shockingly discover they have trusted the wrong leader, be it
person or principle.
There is one who has proven Himself worthy of all trust and He said,
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me." Matt. 16:24.
Like the Wind
FOR AGES men have been
awestricken by the powers and forces which are constantly at work
in this mysterious world of ours--gravity, tides and currents, air
forces, electricity, and the wind. The wind is an awesome thing! What
is the wind? Moving air, yes, but what causes it to be stirred into
motion, sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce?
The wind is almost as
mysterious as the soul of man. We see the soul function, we feel its
effect, we know its power but it is born as secretively as the wind.
The power of the wind is
tremendous. There are the hurricanes which are born mysteriously
in the warmth of the southern waters and run like monstrous mouths two
hundred to three hundred miles wide and often ten thousand miles long
attaining a speed of two hundred miles per hour as it bellows its
fury on land and sea. We know the force of the funnelshaped winds of
the tornado, generally born in hot sticky weather, whizzing around
the countryside, ambling here and there, whirling at a speed of
two hundred to eight hundred miles per hour.
The force of the wind can be
seen from the phenomenal tricks it has displayed. Stems of grass have
been found injected into wooden fence posts like they were hypodermic
needles. Such playful jokes as picking up a horse and depositing it
unharmed a mile away or stealing away the cow being milked leaving the
milker without the source are among the achievements of the
notorious tornado.
The hurricane, like the soul
of man, is not primarily measured by the width or length of its fury,
but by its force. The soul, like the tornado, is not measured by its
blackness or the circumference of its funnel but by its power. The
power and force of the soul determines its greatness.
We need big souls today. The
soul that is bathed in the warmth and love of Christ is a potential
hurricane in the kingdom of God. The soul and life linked with the
Eternal Spirit of God is a power that cannot be measured or
resisted. Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you" Acts 1 :8.
If the Baboon Doesn't Watch....
THE GROTESQUE-LOOKING BABOON of the African jungles
is his brother's keeper. And if he fails, the penalty is high.
One of the fascinating practices of baboon tribes is to select certain
baboons as guards. When the tribe is resting or eating, a lookout is
placed at a strategic point. He must warn the tribe of approaching
danger. And woe to the lookout who falls asleep on the job!- - if he
fails to warn of danger, he is torn to shreds.
The Lord has appointed all who know Him as watchers to warn others of
coming judgment. What if we fail? "0 Son of man ... I have set thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word
at my mouth, and warn. them from me ... if thou dost not speak to warn
the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but
his blood will I require at thine hand" (Ezek. 33:7,8).
(These brief sketches were written by Dallas and Elaine Roark and
appeared in Teens, and Search weekly issues
for children. Written in l958 Sept.14, Sept. 28, and
June 1 respectively)
The Jet Stream
One day last year a B - 47
bomber took off on a 2700-mile jaunt. Three hours and 47 minutes later
it had consumed the 2700 miles at an official ground speed of 714
mph. The amazing speed was accomplished by joining forces
with a 165 mph wind in the great air river called the jet stream.
The jet stream is a river of
air about 35,000 to 40,000 feet up at the base of the stratosphere. The
stream weaves a snake-like course over China, the United States and the
Mediterranean area at speeds ranging from 100 to 500mph. There is a
similar stream in. the southern temperate zone over Argentina.
By joining forces with this
great power a plane is carried to its destination in cut-rate
time.
The stream was first discovered near the end of World War 2, when B-29
bombers were being flown to southern Japan. Flying at 35,00 feet, the
bombers ran into west winds of more than 250 mph. And the mighty birds
of the air sometimes found themselves flying backwards in 400 mph
headwinds!
Investigation was started
immediately by meteorologists. It was discovered that these
winds, which were three times the speed of a hurricane, were wide and
shallow. The width is greater than all the rivers of the world put
together. It is believed that the frigid weather of the cold north and
the tropic heat of the south work the conflicting air into a frenzy
creating the jet streams.
This scien tific
discovery promises power and economy to the pilot who enters its path.
But those who try to go against it may only find themselves moving
backwards. Even so the Lord gives great power to those who are heading
in the right direction. But those who oppose Him may find His power
being used against them. "Hearken unto me," the Lord says, "I will
carry you and will deliver you." Isa. 46:34 .•
(This brief story appeared in Search, Nov. 1, 1958