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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
This brief glimpse of the activity of the Boys' Brigade will interest all who are con cerned about the salvation of boys.
HOLD THAT LINEI By Kenneth Hanson
ID YOU ever get a letter from a real boy? . . . Then read this: “How is everything going with you and the Bri gade? I was ‘off the beam,’ as Colonel Ben would say, but I am ‘on the beam’ again and standing up for Jesus . . . In school they have a nickname for me and my two boy friends, Lawrence and Wallace; they call us ‘Sunday School boys.’ Most of the boys swear and half of them smoke, and I think some of them tell dirty stories. .. It is quite hard to keep from going with them, but I have put my trust in the Lord, and He has brought Lawrence and Wallace to me, and likewise me to them. KE y'-'/v' “Standing up for Jesus, Arthur------” If you receive many letters like that you begin to get an idea of how tremendously important “standing up for Jesus” is to boys. So many times the staff workers of the Christian Service Brigade, that new organization sponsoring a Christ-centered boy’s club, hear from or talk to boys that theirs is an ever-growing conviction that the Lord Jesus can be very real to them. Dick, a lad in Detroit, accepted Christ as his Saviour in a Brigade meeting several weeks ago. Colonel Ben Jones encountered him the other day in a heated argu ment with Billy. “ Christ does walk beside you wherever you go!” in sisted Dick. “Aw, He don’t either . . . how could He?” “He does too! I read it in my Bible. .. That’s right, isn’t it?” he asked, appealing to his Captain. The Captain explained carefully. Billy scratched his head thoughtfully. Later at story time Billy said simply,
“I want Jesus to walk with me too.” Now He does.
The most natural thing in the world for a boy is to be a hero-worshiper, whether of a baseball pitcher, movie star, or of just “ big brother.” As a sunflower turns .to ward the sun, so does the heart’s desire of a boy to wop ship turn toward the Lord Jesus Christ, if He is made known to him. Story of Three Boys A new pastor came to a church on the North Side of Chicago. He saw at once the need for more than Sunday School activities to hold the intermediate and senior fel lows. After attempting several projects, he finally an nounced a club meeting for a Friday evening. Twenty fellows came out, fifteen of them strangers. As this pastor worked and prayed and played with these boys week after week, many of them gave their hearts to Christ. The group increased. One boy, named Len, who had been a Christian before this battalion was formed, wanted to really serve Christ, so he was given leadership of a squad. At first he “flopped” gloriously because he lacked the “punch” such a job required. Nevertheless he stuck to his guns and soon learned lessons of leadership. At the same time that Len was thus developing on the North Side of Chicago, another lad came into a battalion on the South Side of Chicago. This was Jack, reared in a home of culture, choir boy in an Episcopal church, and a letter man in football. One Thursday night he passed a church out of which came sounds of boys talking and laughing together. Curious, like most fifteen-year-old fel lows, he investigated. A bunch of fellows were playing “hot hands,” the kind of a game rugged boys really en joy. Jack was invited into the game and soon lost himself in the fun. Before he knew what was going on, he was taking part in a quiz contest. His squad won. Now the
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