LCN Article 8/28/2019
The Theme of Separation in the Fall Festival Season | LCN Article | Living Church of God
The Theme of Separation in the Fall Festival Season September / October 2015 Dexter B. Wakefield
A story is told of a time long ago when a wise old Native American chieftain wanted to name a successor to rule his tribe. The two candidates for the position were very different men. One was tall, athletic, outgoing and very popular—and a good politician among the people. The other was shorter, quieter—maybe a bit overweight—and although not as outgoing, he was very
respected by the people. The chief called them together and told them about a high, faraway mountain—one moon’s journey away. Travelling there would be a long, arduous and dangerous undertaking, and successful completion of it would require all their survival skills. Their task was to make their way to the mountain while living off the land, to climb the mountain and find, on the bald, granite top, the lone pine tree located there. Each man was to climb the tree and return with a pine branch from it. The chief wanted to see who would be the first to return, after which he would decide whom he would designate as his successor. A few weeks later, the popular candidate was first to return with his pine branch—none the worse for the journey. Days went by, then weeks passed. Finally, the other man returned. He was tired, thinner… and had no pine branch. In the presence of the whole tribe, the chief asked why he had not brought back what he had been told to obtain. He replied, “There was no tree on the top of that mountain.” He was made chief immediately! https://www.lcg.org/lcn/2015/september-october/theme-separation-fall-festival-season
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