12a

War Cry THE

salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Est 1879

The play’s the thing Back page

No 7093

FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS

1 December 2012

20p/25c

Entertainment One UK

WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME?

FESTIVE SEASON CAN POSE PROBLEMS writes CLAIRE BRINE

IT’S Christmaaaas! And to celebrate, the pupils of St Bernadette’s Primary School in Coventry are entering a Song for Christmas competition.

Cinemagoers will see the highs and lows of their adventure in Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!, now on general release.

Under the direction of new teacher Mr Peterson (David Tennant) and longstanding classroom assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton), the kids learn their festive songs and dance moves and head off to Wales, where the singing contest is Turn to page 3

Mr Peterson (David Tennant, left) and Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton) take pupils to the competition

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The War Cry 1 December 2012

News

FIRST SERVICE OF ITS KIND TAKES PLACE AT ABBEY

Professor Parsons helps four-year-old Grace Dearing to lay a wreath

War children remembered CHILDREN laid wreaths outside Westminster Abbey last week at a service of remembrance of young people who have suffered in war.

The service was the first of its kind to be held as a result of the joint work of the abbey and Professor Martin Parsons of Reading University, who has spent more than 30 years researching the effect that wars have had on children.

It was attended by schoolchildren –

including some whose parents are in the Armed Forces – and by church ministers, among them the leaders of The Salvation Army in the UK and Republic of Ireland, Commissioners André and Silvia Cox. Professor Parsons says: ‘The idea of this service is to make people aware of the effects that war has on children and to get Parliament and local authorities to adopt 20 November as a War Child Remembrance Day as it is in some other countries.’

SHIRLEY WILLIAMS EXPLAINS HER BELIEFS

Baroness has faith in Jesus’ WILLIAMS attitude to women BARONESS has revealed that Jesus’

MP CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY

Women take initiative on poverty CHRISTIAN women in business, the Church, politics and the media talked about ways of ending poverty when they attended the launch last week of a new initiative, Woman to Woman.

Speaking at the event at the Houses of Parliament, Caroline Spelman, MP, said: ‘Whether it’s a woman struggling to raise her children single-handedly or a woman carrying her emaciated child for miles to feed her, it’s often said that poverty has a woman’s face.’

She continued: ‘As women we need to show solidarity with women who are less

fortunate than ourselves.’

The Conservative MP for Meriden highlighted that in some areas of the world, rape was being ‘used a weapon of war’, and campaigners spoke of how the illegal trade in coltan – a mineral used in mobile phones – was leading to violence, rape and even the death of women.

Woman to Woman plans to run a Your Call campaign next year to raise awareness of the issue.

attitude to women is one of the reasons she is a Christian.

The guest at the latest in a series of Westminster Faith Interviews, the politician told journalist Clifford Longley that, whereas the disciples seemed dismissive of women, Jesus ‘time and again stopped to talk with them and to listen, and at the end he comes down on the side of comforting and encouraging them.’

SERVICE HELD AT ARBORETUM

ANNA DEALS WITH THE LOSS OF HER PARENTS p8 COMMENT

p6

GARDENING

p7

PUZZLES

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INNER LIFE

p13

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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WHAT’S COOKING?

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Memorial depicts helping-hand Army A SERVICE held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire marked the dedication to God of a Salvation Army memorial. The memorial – depicting one hand reaching up to another – marks The Salvation Army’s close relationship over many years with members of the Armed Forces and their families. The service included music by Burton-on-Trent Salvation Army Band and was attended by UK Salvation Army leaders Commissioners André and Silvia Cox. The National Memorial Arboretum contains more than 200 memorials to people and organisations, military and civilian, who have served the UK.

Let’s Imagine Design

INSIDE

The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the names of individuals and details of their circumstances.

Send your requests to PRAYERLINK, The War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your envelope ‘Confidential’.

PRAYERLINK

JO PARSONS

YOUR prayers are requested for Flora, that she will make the right decision; for David, who wants to stay away from drugs and alcohol; for Irene, who is in pain; and for Stephen, who has been told he cannot walk again after he was hit by a car.

1 December 2012 The War Cry

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They are miles from where they need to be

Entertainment One UK

From page 1 taking place in a remote castle.

Competition against rival school Oakmoor and St Cuthbert’s College may be tough, but the kids have their eyes firmly fixed on the £10,000 prize and the possibility of achieving the Christmas No 1.

As the journey to the castle gets under way, Mr Poppy and the kids are excited. But Mr Peterson is anxious – and he has every reason to be.

It turns out that getting a bunch of lively schoolchildren to Wales on a rickety old bus is as problematic as getting a pregnant woman to Bethlehem on a donkey. Things do not go smoothly.

First, the bus runs out of fuel, so they all have to get out and walk. Next, they discover they have taken a wrong turn and are miles away from where they need to be. When they finally spot the castle in the distance, they realise they’ll have to cross a mountain to reach it. The ascent is OK. But the descent is dangerous. No wonder Mr Peterson’s stress levels seem to rise with each step.

By the time the children reach the castle, the competition has already started. Are they too late to perform?

They hope not. They have travelled a long way to sing. They believe they have a shot at winning. To overcome so many setbacks only to fall at the last hurdle would be devastating.

To face one obstacle after another can be soul-destroying for anyone. Even if we have the

Rival pupils from Oakmoor school register for the competition

best intentions for ourselves and others, continual knock-backs can cause us to lose focus and strength. What’s the point in keeping going when it is so much effort?

When we feel as though we are fighting one battle after another, the easiest thing to do would be to stop trying. To turn around and head back to where we started. But if we give up – and go back to our old ways – we may never know what we could be in the future. We may never reach our potential.

Jesus warned his followers that life would

present them with difficulties. But he also told them that he would help them through any struggles. Ultimately, he promised that if they believed in him, no problem would be too big to tackle.

Jesus said: ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 New International Version).

Whatever obstacles come our way, Jesus will give us the strength and courage to face them.

He will bring us peace as we work through them. And he will give us his power to overcome them.

A life following Jesus may not always be easy, but one thing is for sure: when we trust in him, we are on to a winner.

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What’s going on

Teams help New York to THE SALVATION ARMY RESPONDS TO SANDY

T

HE wind broke trees and electricity poles.

The water damaged houses and shops and flooded parks.

Hurricane Sandy caused destruction and disruption when it reached America.

But The Salvation Army had been training for times such as this, says Damaris Frick. Damaris is a Salvation Army international emergency worker, based in London. After Sandy hit the States, she flew out to New York to observe The Salvation Army’s response.

‘The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services in Greater New York has been building capacity to cope with disasters for many years,’ she says. ‘It provides training and resources, and it assists individuals in crisis so that it is better prepared to serve whole communities affected by disasters. The EDS team has also built relationships with other major players in disaster relief, which is why The Salvation Army has a seat in the city’s emergency operations centre.

‘In short, The

Picking up a drink from a mobile canteen after the destructive Hurricane Sandy

1 December 2012 The War Cry

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weather the storm Salvation Army was as prepared for Sandy as it could have been.’

When Sandy struck, The Salvation Army was quick to respond. Teams began to feed displaced people at shelters and took mobile canteens on the streets.

‘By the time I arrived in the country,’ says Damaris, ‘many people were still without electricity and heating. It was tough for them, because the wind was followed by snow, so we were trying to distribute blankets, warm clothes and hot meals.

‘Our main task was to co-ordinate the city’s food access plan, which covered a dozen distribution sites as well as the provision of food in shelters for people with special medical needs, for example, elderly people.

‘But there were challenges to overcome in getting the help out. As a result of the wind and then the snow, not all roads were accessible. It was hard for us to move around.’

As teams carried out their work, they came face to face with the hardships that Sandy had caused.

‘We heard a lot of stories about people who lost everything in the hurricane. There may be a lot of stories, but you can’t forget that each is an individual tragedy.

‘A guy came to one of our distribution sites and said: “I just wanted to thank you. Yesterday, you guys gave me blankets. It was so cold last night, and I don’t know what I would have done without them.”’

There may have been a lot of people who needed help, but there were also large numbers of people in the wider community who wanted to help. The Salvation Army drew on that willingness.

‘The Salvation Army has some organised contacts – for example, with one university that has brought volunteers out every day. There have also been spontaneous volunteers – families that turned up and said: “Here I am. What can I do?”’

Among the volunteers to help The Salvation Army was TV presenter Kelly Osbourne.

‘Kelly was in the city for a music event, and she wanted to use the day before it to help people affected by Sandy,’ says Damaris. ‘She got in touch with The Salvation Army and was sent to Staten

Damaris Frick

Above: Kelly Osbourne (centre) joins the work

Left: cleaning kits and drinks were provided

Island, where she worked for several hours.’

After its initial response to the storm, The Salvation Army will get to work on a community recovery plan. Damaris says it is well placed to carry it out. ‘We have a long-term presence in these communities so there is no exit plan. After the media lose interest in victims of Sandy, The Salvation Army will still be there to meet whatever needs arise. It is in these communities for the long haul.’

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The War Cry 1 December 2012

Comment

Health warning

Media

BBC/KATE SCHOLEFIELD

Sunday, Monday, abbey days

IT has been a bad year for whooping cough.

According to the September figures from the Health Protection Agency, ten babies have died from the condition in England and Wales.

The number of cases confirmed across the whole of the UK by the end of September was 7,379 – a 20-year high.

Before routine immunisation was introduced in 1957, whooping cough could affect 100,000 people and kill 300 people a year. While not eradicated, it has not been the killer it once was. So why the sudden surge?

One GP tells The War Cry that ‘some yummy mummies don’t want their children immunised against anything because they read scare stories of vaccinations going wrong’.

How widespread that attitude is is uncertain. The sure fact is that there can be no complacency in the face of suffering and death.

Today (1 December) is World Aids Day. Introduced in 1988 – the first global health day – it is a time to commemorate those who have died, to transmit facts, dispel misconceptions, challenge prejudices and campaign for change.

Today, 24 red-ribbon days later, HIV/Aids is not the killer in the UK it once was. In 1995, 1,723 people died of Aids-related illness. Last year, it was 375.

Thanks to education and the development of antiretroviral drugs, 90,000 people in the UK are living with HIV. But the drugs are not a cure.

People cannot be immunised against HIV/Aids. The ‘cure’ – just as with those yummy mummies and whooping cough – lies in attitude and action.

The UK is a long way from believing, as some African cultures do, that having sex with a virgin girl will cure a man of Aids. But a carefree attitude to sex is destructive.

Carefree sex is self-harming.

Sometimes, carefree sex leads to selfloathing. Sometimes, it results in an unwanted pregnancy. Sometimes, it leads to abortion. Sometimes, it arrives at a deadly virus – too late for a sugarlump cure.

TV CAMERAS go behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey in a BBC Two series which begins on Friday (7 December 9 pm). Over three parts, Westminster Abbey follows the lives of people who work in and attend services in the historic place of worship, including the Dean, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, the surveyor of the fabric Ptolemy Dean and the choir.

Beachfront nativity is no shore thing

‘SANTA Monica’s 60-year tradition of beachfront nativity scenes has ended after a court upheld a ban on religious displays in an effort to stop a long-running row between atheists and Christians,’ reported The Daily Telegraph.

According to the paper, church groups used to set up their Christmas displays in Palisades Park, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, but in 2009 non-believers challenged the longstandJesus was clean-shaven, ing tradition. Last year, young and handsome in atheist groups demanded many early images. ‘Just that they be allowed to for him to grow a beard set up their own displays took five or six hundred and posters. When they years, and it would be did, many of the signs another half century after that before he was pictured were vandalised.

During the summer, in pain, on the cross.’ the Californian city’s He argued that early council voted to ban all Christian societies displays, regardless of preferred to show Jesus whether or not they were performing his miracles. religious.

Early artists’ close shave with Jesus AHEAD of his series The Dark Ages: An Age of Light on BBC Four, Waldemar Januszczak wrote in the Radio Times that ‘artists of the 4th and 5th centuries faced a momentous task – they had to invent a religious imagery’.

Pointing out that there is no physical description of Jesus in the Bible, the art historian described how

Homeless young people online on song A GROUP of homeless young people have written and recorded a rap as a tribute to a Salvation Army centre which offered them shelter and support.

The rap ‘Feels Like I Made It’

celebrates the Springfield Lodge Lifehouse in South London, which works to give homeless young people a fresh start in life. The rap was recorded in the centre’s own music studio and can be viewed on YouTube.

Centre manager Ivan Congreve said: ‘Everything we do at Springfield Lodge Lifehouse is aimed at growing independence and self-worth and helping people feel accepted for who they are and not what

they have done in the past. This includes our Bare Beats recording studio, where they can thrive and develop friendships and social skills among their own peer group, through the medium of music.’

1 December 2012 The War Cry

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Have yourself a berry little Christmas

THERE are some lovely berries around this month. Holly and mistletoe, of course, are in season and Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without them.

There are others too. Pyracantha – also known as firethorn – looks wonderful at this time of year with masses of yellow, orange or red berries. The dormant winter months are ideal for planting out new bare-rooted specimens. Plants bought in pots can be planted all year round.

Rosa rugosa is another durable, easy-togrow shrub with attractive orange hips. They will eventually be taken by birds but look great while they last.

Let’s not forget the beauty of common English ivy.

by LEE SENIOR With its purplish-black berries produced late into the winter, this is a particularly underrated plant in terms of its importance to birds.

It is worth noting, though, One of the toughest perthat holly, mistletoe and ivy ennials is Bergenia, known are poisonous. commonly as elephant’s ears because of its leathery, glossy, thick, green leaves.

Bergenia Bergenia is evergreen and will grow just about anywhere, making it one of those dependable plants we all need for the difficult areas in our gardens. It can be planted on banks as a viable alterna-

LEE SENIOR

The great outdoors

and don’t forget…

Pyracantha

tive to grass.

Bergenia will creep on top of the soil, making it a good ground-covering plant. It flowers without fail during spring, with colours ranging from white, through magenta to lilac pink. The variety ‘Sunningdale’ is particularly tough. It can be planted out now and during milder spells throughout winter, and it complements other shrubs that flower in spring, such as Viburnum, Forsythia and Ribes (the flowering currant).

Borders

Mulch y o winter, ur borders du u r well-rott sing leaf moulding ed gard en com or post.

Tulips

It is not to bulbs. L o late to plan t ate plan better th ting is a tulip disease an autumn pla ctually nting fo resistan r ce.

IF you have had d another season of blighted Q potatoes, help is s at hand for those who don’t wish to spray them with chemicals. Over the past few years, ry exciting breakthrough in breeding. g there has been a very A type of potato, Sarpo rpo Mira, is proving itself to be particularly resistantt to blight. This maincrop variety also shows good resistance to slugs. It is n a good all-rounder in the kitchen, too.

In season this month are parsnips, sprouts, leeks, swede, Jerusalem artichokes, kale and winter cabbage. Quite te a choice, which shows ws that all our hard work rk earlier in the summer er did not go to waste.

Library picture posed by model

Growing veg is worth the hard work

Shrubs

If any sig arrives, nificant snow b conifers rush it off shrubs or evergreen to damage prevent any works w. An old broom ell.

Wishing a happy Christmas to all my fellow gardeners!

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Interview

There is life after the death of my parents

W

HEN saxophonist Anna Lamplough spoke to The War Cry in 2009, she concluded by saying that ‘whatever happens, I know I am in God’s hands’.

Today, she maintains that those words are true. After losing her father last year and her mother just three months ago – both to cancer – Anna found herself clinging on to her Christian faith like never before.

‘Losing my parents to cancer has made my faith waver at times,’ she says, ‘but God has done amazing things in my life. I am very blessed and thankful.’

Anna says her experiences of bereavement have resulted in her having a stronger relationship with God. Throwing herself into prayer and Biblereading over the past two years has given her comfort and a deeper understanding of faith. In spite of her suffering, Anna is managing to ‘hold it all together’, which, she believes, is thanks to God. Today, Anna says she finds it easy to talk about what happened to her parents.

The moment in 2010 when she learnt that her father, Graham, had developed cancer sticks out in her mind. Anna was working at a Salvation Army holiday week in Bognor Regis. It was a normal day in September.

‘Dad had been unwell for some time and had undergone a few medical tests.

We were waiting for the results. While

The Studio/KEITH TINKLER

Saxophonist ANNA LAMPLOUGH tells Claire Brine about coping with bereavement at Christmas

I was in Bognor, my sister rang me with the news that he had cancer. I collapsed with the shock.’

It turned out that Graham had cancer of the pancreas and secondary cancer in the liver. Doctors told the family that he probably had only weeks to live.

‘But after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Dad’s tumour shrank,’ explains Anna. ‘Lots of people were praying for

him. I was convinced that God would do a miracle and that my dad would get completely better.’

Graham remained positive. But then he faced another blow. He suffered a heart attack.

‘After that, Dad’s health deteriorated quickly,’ says Anna. ‘Doctors said he couldn’t have any more chemo, because

1 December 2012 The War Cry

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Anna’s parents, Viv and Graham

they feared it would trigger a second heart attack. He became jaundiced and so his skin turned yellow. His body also swelled with water. Towards the end, Dad struggled to communicate with us, so he got quite frustrated. Seeing him go through all that was horrible.

‘On 15 July 2011, Dad died. Mum was with him at the time. It was very sad.’

Anna coped with her grief by seeking support from God and friends from the Birmingham Citadel Salvation Army church, which she attends. She wondered why the miracle she had prayed for hadn’t happened.

‘I was disappointed,’ she confesses.

‘But I believe God healed my dad in another way. His body has been healed through his going to Heaven.

‘I think that as a family we were healed too, by the way in which we pulled together. During my dad’s illness, my relationship with Mum became much stronger. And my friendships developed. I used to be so busy with my work as a musician that I didn’t spend much time with my friends.

Today, I realise how important it is to see them.’

A

nna points out that her faith also developed. While her dad was dying, she took comfort from praying and reading the Bible.

‘I took so much encouragement, reassurance and strength from it,’ she says. ‘It was amazing. When my nan died from cancer a few years ago, I was a wreck. But with my dad’s situation, I felt I could cope.’

After Graham’s funeral, Anna threw herself back into work. She kept herself busy by performing in various function bands, playing in orchestras for theatre productions and teaching saxophone at a secondary school. But just as she was starting to come to terms with her loss, the family received some bad news.

‘Mum had been feeling ill and was struggling to swallow properly,’ Anna remembers. ‘Towards the end of last year, my brother, sister and I told her that she needed to go to the doctor.

After a lot of tests, we found out that she had cancer of the oesophagus. It was a massive shock.

‘I said to God: “What’s going on

here? Please, not another ordeal for us to go through.” I was still getting used to Dad not being around, so when I heard about Mum I felt as though I was being hit when I was already down.’

Anna’s mum, Viv, was told that her cancer was operable. Doctors pointed out that the procedure was tricky.

‘Mum went into hospital for the operation, but when the doctors opened

We found out that Mum had cancer of the oesophagus.

It was a massive shock

her up, they discovered that they couldn’t do the procedure after all. Her tumour had welded itself to the aorta.

They told us that removing it would kill her instantly.

‘Back on the ward, Mum woke up, thinking she had had the operation. My brother, sister and auntie had to explain to her that it hadn’t gone ahead. She was devastated. It broke my heart.’

Doctors recommended that Viv should have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Anna describes the endless hospital appointments as a ‘whirlwind’.

Turn to page 10

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Interview

From page 9 But the treatment seemed to work.

Viv’s ability to swallow improved.

‘By the time summer came round, doctors thought that things were looking better, so they decided to give Mum a rest from treatment for a couple of months,’ Anna says. ‘I booked a holiday to Cornwall to get away. It was a blessing.’

Sadly, Viv’s break from treatment did not produce the positive results doctors were hoping for. She became very sick.

‘Mum’s swallowing got worse again and she kept vomiting. It wasn’t pleasant. We were told she didn’t have long left.

‘I decided to write Mum a letter, telling her how I was feeling generally and how I felt about her. Doing that really helped me. I gave it to her and she said she appreciated it.

‘I remember that throughout her whole illness, Mum had been quite frightened. But in her last days she became very peaceful. She said she had spoken to God about everything. She died on 3 September this year.’

After losing her mum, Anna felt tired. She prayed for strength to cope.

She kept trusting in God. ‘I asked God when my heartache would end. I wanted some good news for a change. But I didn’t get angry with God,’ she says. ‘All the time, I felt as though I was in his hands.

‘Since losing my parents, I have learnt that it is OK to have bad days.

In her last days Mum became very peaceful.

She said she had spoken to God about everything I’m not Superman, after all. Sometimes I forget that Mum and Dad have gone and I want to phone them up to tell them something or ask for help. Then it suddenly hits me that they aren’t there and I start to cry.’

A

nna finds that keeping busy helps her as she learns to deal with her grief. As Christmas approaches, she is busy playing in an orchestra for a production of West Side Story in Leamington Spa. But she is also promoting her second album, entitled Christmas!

‘The CD features easy-listening, jazzy arrangements of Christmas

songs,’ she says. ‘Some of the tracks are secular, such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, whereas others are more traditional, such as “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger”. And if people get bored of just hearing me playing the sax, there are a couple of solos by a singer, Rob Moye.

‘Christmas can be a difficult time for some people, and my hope is that this jolly little album can bring a smile to someone’s face. I want to help people enjoy the festive season and remind them that it is still a time to celebrate.’

Over recent months, Anna has been performing concerts across the UK. When she plays in churches, she shares her story with the congregation.

‘I want to help people who are in a similar situation to me,’ she says. ‘My heart goes out to them. Some people

Anna (left) and her sister Lucy with their parents

1 December 2012 The War Cry

who are going through bad times don’t feel peaceful or they have a lot of questions. So when I tell my story, I explain that my relationship with God keeps me going. I want to show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel.’

Anna has always believed it important to remain positive through adversity. It seems to come naturally to her. But even she isn’t sure how much she will enjoy the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

‘To be honest, I’m dreading it all,’ she says.

‘I think it’ll be tough. Not having to buy Christmas presents for my parents any more is sad.

And not getting a Christmas stocking from them will be strange as well. But I’m going to try to see it as an opportunity to do things differently. I’ll get to see people who I wouldn’t normally

11

spend time with at Christmas, and that’s good.’

As Anna contemplates the year to come, she has no idea what is in store.

She knows she is still grieving for her parents – and will continue to do so for some time. But she is hopeful that happy times lie ahead.

‘Over the past two years, I have changed so much – I hope for the better! I used to be so focused on working, but now I try to grasp every opportunity. I make sure I spend time with my loved ones.

‘I’ve become a lot stronger. And I think my experiences have brought a new depth to my life. Whatever is going to happen next, I don’t worry about the future. I know that God is with me.’

I want to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel

Anna performs gigs to promote her new CD

Christmas! is available at sps-shop.com

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The War Cry 1 December 2012

Puzzlebreak

SUDOKU

WORDSEARCH Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these words associated with the nativity story Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solution on page 15

ANGELS BABY BETHLEHEM CAMELS CATTLE CENSUS

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Strange (7) 5. Entrails (5) 7. Soft leather (7) 8. Eat away (5) 10. Space (4) 11. Perturbed (8) 13. Insecure (6) 14. Harm (6) 17. Registered (8) 19. Avoid (4) 21. Armistice (5) 22. Academy (7) 23. Luscious (5) 24. Merciful (7)

ANSWERS

O P B E T H L E H E M S S A N

D N R J E E E K I S H D E E W

P O H E E A E L E N R B N P S

E U N S I N N K E E P E R E A

F L U K N A S E H C R E H E U

S U S N E C L P N N A N D C E

T S N L M Y E A R I E T H N B

DONKEY FRANKINCENSE GIFTS GOLD INNKEEPER JESUS JOSEPH KING HEROD

A D O R E H G N I K N R T A N

B E B T S M N D M N R E B L P

L I G H I E A Y M A R Y C L E

E E S C W T R C T R N P Y M E

Y E U R B R B S T F I G Y A L

T K S L H Y E N E N O O E Y T

H P E S O J E G N A M L S R C

I E J N K I K A H F N D T C A

MANGER MARY MYRRH SHEPHERDS STABLE STAR WISE MEN

HONEYCOMB Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

DOWN 2. Fervent (7) 3. House cover (4) 4. Flag (6) 5. Extra work (8) 6. Buoy (5) 7. Fat (9) 9. Fortitude (9) 12. Wealthy (8) 15. Attain (7) 16. Writing instrument (6) 18. Awaken (5) 20. Dash (4)

1. Voluntarily leave a job 2. Place where two of more sides or edges meet 3. Two-wheeled handcart 4. Type of salad 5. Carefully choose 6. Shakespearean heroine

QUICK QUIZ 1. Which novel by Charles Dickens features the character Bill Sikes?

2. According to the nursery rhyme, what is Mama going to buy Little Baby if the mocking bird won’t sing?

3. How many pairs of wings does a dragonfly have?

4. On which river does Balmoral Castle stand?

5. What breed of dog is Snoopy?

6. By what name is Lesley Hornby better known?

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Bizarre. 5 Offal. 7 Chamois. 8 Erode.

10 Room. 11 Agitated. 13 Unsafe. 14 Impair.

17 Enrolled. 19 Shun. 21 Truce. 22 College.

23 Sweet. 24 Lenient.

DOWN: 2 Zealous. 3 Roof. 4 Ensign. 5 Overtime.

6 Float. 7 Corpulent. 9 Endurance. 12 Affluent.

15 Achieve. 16 Pencil. 18 Rouse. 20 Elan.

QUICK QUIZ 1 Oliver Twist. 2 A diamond ring. 3 Two. 4 The Dee. 5 A beagle. 6 Twiggy.

HONEYCOMB 1 Resign. 2 Corner. 3 Barrow. 4 Caesar.

5 Select. 6 Juliet.

Inner life

1 December 2012 The War Cry

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In this Advent series, RON THOMLINSON takes a look at the nativity story in the light of today’s technology

WINDOWS

WHAT if the Romans had had broadband and there had been wi-fi in Nazareth?

How many Facebook friends might Mary have had? Would Joseph have trended on Twitter? Surely, the angels could have Skyped the shepherds. The wise men would have been LinkedIn, and Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, could have logged the stages of her pregnancy on an app. Imagine, if the animals. God and all his creation would central characters of the be reconciled.

Nativity had been addicted I am definitely not an Isaiah, but if Advent is all about expectation, to social media, would we preparation and obedience, I have to be celebrating Advent at all? ask myself: Do I expect God to say Would God’s word have got anything to me at all? And if God through to them? should whisper into my heart, how

ON THE

WORD

WEEK 1: BC – BEFORE CYBERSPACE

I am glad none of those things existed then. God is not into texting. He speaks to people in whispers.

Advent is the moment when we focus on Jesus’ birth, prepare ourselves to receive him once again and keep ourselves alert for his Second Coming.

This spirit of expectation was portrayed not in a frenetic blog but in gentle words written by the prophet Isaiah a long time before Jesus was born (see Isaiah 11:1–9). Isaiah had heard the Divine Whisperer. Isaiah inspired people to hold on to hope even when there was no more hope to be held on to. He envisaged a world so peaceful that children no longer needed to be separated from dangerously wild

would I respond?

In our digital age, it is easy to be surrounded by so much noise that we cannot hear ourselves think, let alone speak. Some people have a laptop seemingly welded to their knees. Some can’t bear to be parted from their mobile phone. Under these circumstances, God doesn’t stand a chance at getting our undivided attention.

This Advent, let’s regularly switch off our social media devices, create a quiet place, read a Bible passage, be still and pray: ‘Dear God, will you please whisper a little more loudly?’

As James Morgan wrote in a poem: ‘’Tis to the quiet heart he loves to come.’

How many Facebook friends might Mary have had?

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14

The War Cry 1 December 2012

HAVE you decided what to buy the children or grandchildren for Christmas this year?

Some of us may have our gifts wrapped and ready while others are perhaps putting off hitting the shops for another day. But, whatever stage of preparation we are at, it is certain that toy retailers have been thinking about the festive season for months.

by JIM BURNS

If we were to make a Christmas list to God, what would be on it?

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offers us the gift of salvation. He brings us a sense of peace. He gives us strength. He bestows joy upon us. He offers us hope to face an unknown future. How do we know?

Because when he grew up, Jesus said: ‘I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10 Good News Bible).

We may not deserve the gifts Jesus gives – or even ask for them – but he promises that we are always welcome to receive them. And the best bit is that the gifts of Jesus, offered out of love, are available throughout the year, and not just at Christmas.

The question is: will we accept them?

B LO

Back in June, staff at Hamleys toyshop in London produced a list of what they expected would be their bestselling items this Christmas-time.

The list featured a web-shooting Spiderman and a break-dancing Mickey Mouse.

I was surprised to see Cabbage Patch dolls and the table football game Subbuteo also on the list, simply because these are not new, flashy toys. It is interesting that some of the games enjoyed by children in the past are just as popular on kids’ wish lists today.

If we were to make a Christmas list to God, what would be on it? Would we ask for wealth, good health, happiness?

The truth is, God has lots of presents all ready to give to us through his Son, Jesus. We just need to ask him.

By coming into the world, Jesus

SA

A

LVATION

Library picture posed by models

Christmas gifts last all year

Food for thought

What’s cooking?

Chicken pasta in tomato and thyme sauce

1 December 2012 The War Cry I’M Michael Darracott. I have been an executive chef in several large establishments in charge of cooking for 200-plus people.

I have also written a number of books. It gives me great pleasure to offer my recipes in The War Cry. I invite readers to send in recipe ideas, to be considered for publication here. I would also like to offer help with any cooking-related problems you have. So send in your question and, if it is selected, an answer will be published on this page.

Email your recipes and questions to chefmike56@chefmikedarracott.com

Cook with chef MICHAEL DARRACOTT chefmikedarracott.com

Apricot sponge pudding Ingredients: 3tsp golden syrup 420g can apricot halves, drained 150g self-raising flour 100g caster sugar 4 drops of vanilla essence 2tbsp vegetable oil 180ml milk

Ingredients: 300g rigatoni 8tsp vegetable oil 30g courgettes, chopped 10g red pepper, sliced 10g green pepper, sliced 1 small onion, diced 15g green beans, sliced 400g chicken breast, cut into small chunks 200g can chopped tomatoes 10g tomato purée Salt and pepper, to taste 2tsp garlic powder (or 1 fresh clove, crushed) 4tsp thyme

15

Method: Boil the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Heat 4tsp vegetable oil in a frying pan, then add the courgettes, peppers, onion and green beans and cook.

Heat 4tsp vegetable oil in another pan and cook the chicken. Add to the vegetable pan.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, salt and pepper, garlic and thyme and mix together.

Drain the pasta and stir into the pan. Cook the dish for about 4 minutes on a low heat, stirring continuously. Serve hot.

Serves 4

SUDOKU SOLUTION

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease the base of a 900ml ovenproof pudding basin, then pour the golden syrup into the bottom. Place the apricots over the top.

Mix the flour, sugar, vanilla essence, vegetable oil and milk in a bowl, then pour over the apricots. Bake for 45–50 minutes, then serve.

Serves 4–6

STARS

IT’S a question in the minds of teachers and parents from John O’Groats to Land’s End: which child will get the starring roles in the school nativity play?

writes ROSEMARY DAWSON

IN THEIR

EYES

the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law’ (Galatians 4:4 Good News Bible).

People were looking for their long-promised saviour in a palace, not in a smelly, dirty stable – and they definitely weren’t expecting God to show himself in the form of a child.

The Christmas story isn’t about the characters argued over by teachers, parents and pupils – Mary, Joseph, shepherds and kings. It is about the starring role – the one occasionally played by an egoless baby – Jesus.

Unlike the characters who saw the baby Jesus, today we know the end of the story. We know that Jesus grew up and went about doing good. We know that he came to show us how to live in God’s presence and to save us from our wrongdoing by dying for us on a cross.

He calls us to follow him. But will we follow his cue?

It’s not necessarily the cutest children who get the coveted roles

The Salvation Army (United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland) on behalf of the General of The Salvation Army.

Printed by Wyndeham Grange, Southwick. © Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army, 2012

Library picture posed by model

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The potential future stardom of these tinsel-clad angels, shy shepherds, worried wise men, jittery Josephs and modest Marys depends on the teacher’s decision.

It’s not necessarily the prettiest or cutest children who get the coveted roles.

Sometimes the teacher chooses the ones who won’t get paralysed with nerves or sidetracked by a waving granny.

Although doting parents and grandparents are likely to forgive almost anything that goes wrong onstage, when the curtain goes up, the little angels have only one opportunity to get it right.

At that show-stopping moment in history some 2,000 years ago, God put on a one-night-only production. There was no dress rehearsal for the coming of Jesus.

But then, God had been preparing behind the scenes for centuries – in fact, ever since humankind blotted its copybook and let sin into the world by disobeying its Maker.

The script tells us that ‘when

The stage is set for the Nativity