Skip to main content

1c_

Page 1

War Cry THE

H S A L SP OUT!

salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Est 1879

No 7099

FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS

19 January 2013 20p/25c

CELEBRITIES HIT THE POOL – BUT WHOSE DIVE WILL BOMB? asks CLAIRE BRINE

Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley

SPLASH, bang, wallop! A batch of fresh celebrities is preparing to tread the boards in the ITV1 diving competition Splash! In the third and final heat tonight (Saturday 19 January), Olympic diver Tom Daley and his panel of judges will assess the contestants as they try to master their moves and execute some complicated dives. Over previous weeks, viewers have watched various celebs topple their way Turn to page 3

© ITV


2

The War Cry 19 January 2013

Sentamu visits Army

p8

CHURCH TWITTER CAMPAIGN

Season’s tweetings

INSIDE

SINGERS FIND HOPE THROUGH MUSIC

p4

COMMENT

p6

LIFESTYLE

p7

PUZZLES

p12

INNER LIFE

p13

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

p14

WHAT’S COOKING?

p15

News CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED

North Korea ‘toughest’ NORTH Korea is still the country where it is most difficult to be a Christian, according to an annual report on persecution. Every year Open Doors, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, publishes an index of countries which infringe the religious liberty of believers. The organisation says that the mere possession of a Bible in North Korea can result in imprisonment or execution. Photo courtesy of the Mercury newspaper, Hobart, Tasmania

THE Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, visited the Salvation Army church in the city to launch a project to tackle homelessness. York has adopted the No Second Night Out scheme which has been piloted in London. It aims to link homeless people with the community and organisations that are able to help. Those taking part in the scheme – including The Salvation Army – aim to identify new rough sleepers and immediately help them off the streets and to a place of safety before they fall into a dangerous rough-sleeping lifestyle. Members of the AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRES public can play a part in the project by calling a StreetLink helpline if they see a rough sleeper. ‘Homelessness is a problem which forces us to reconsider the values upon which we are building our society,’ said the Archbishop. ‘The challenge of No Second Night Out is to provide better choices for people. ‘The idea behind it is not just to take people off the streets, to “sweep them out of sight”. Rather it is to move quickly to find a place of safety for those without a home, and, where possible, to reconnect them to their own community.’ Major Andrew Dunkinson of York Salvation Army says: ‘The national StreetLink phone number, website and app provides us all with the opportunity of reporting a rough sleeper. That call might be the first step from homelessness to permanent housing.’ Salvation Army member Ken Boland serves The StreetLink number is food in the City Hall Refuge Centre, Hobart 0300 500 0914.

ANTHONY CHAPPEL-ROSS/The Press, York

PROJECT TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS IN YORK

SALVOS HELP STRICKEN COMMUNITIES IN TASMANIA SALVATION Army emergency response teams provided bedding, food, clothes and financial assistance to communities affected by bushfires in Tasmania. The organisation’s emergency services co-ordinator Warwick Wilson says: ‘We are committed to remaining in these communities for as long as we are required and will continue to provide emotional, financial and personal support to people affected. Our prayers are with these communities.’ The Salvation Army is also assisting communities in Victoria and South Australia as they face bushfires.

ALMOST 9,000 tweets were sent over a 24-hour period during Christmas using the hashtag ‘#ChristmasStartsWithChrist’, as part of the Church of England’s Christmas Twitter campaign. In November, the church encouraged congregations to ‘live-tweet the joy and meaning of Christmas’ in a series of 140character messages. Many churches across the country took part in the campaign by tweeting snippets of their sermons using the hashtag. The Rev Arun Arora of the Archbishops’ Council says: ‘This is the first time IN a ceremony dating back more the Church of England than 1,000 years, the College of has adopted Twitter for a Canons at Canterbury Cathedral Christmas initiative and elected Bishop Justin Welby we are delighted with the as the 105th Archbishop of results. We are already Canterbury. looking at using Twitter The Dean of Canterbury for our Lent campaign, Cathedral, the Rev Dr Robert Love Life Live Lent.’ Willis, explained the ancient pro-

Primate elected in Canterbury cess that will follow the election: ‘The decision is taken formally to London. In St Paul’s Cathedral on 4 February, I shall present this to the Queen’s commission. They will say that it is valid, legal and right, and at that moment Justin Welby becomes in all powers the Archbishop of Canterbury.’


19 January 2013 The War Cry

3

From page 1 from board to pool. Some of them completed their dives gracefully enough to impress the voting public and secure a place in next week’s semi-final. Those with fewer votes had to compete in a dive-off, after which the judges decided who should stay and who should go. Battling tonight for the two remaining semifinal slots are five more contestants, including Shameless actress Tina Malone and Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo. They may feel as if they have been thrown in at the deep end as they learn their new skill, but Tom – their mentor – is on hand to help them stay afloat. The London 2012 bronze medallist knows the qualities the contestants need if they want to be good divers. ‘It’s important you are fit and healthy, but half the battle is getting over the fear,’ he says. ‘Diving is a very psychological sport. You may be capable physically, but you have to overcome your fear of heights, pain and water. ‘The main quality you need as a diver is bravery. You have to be willing to give it a go.’ Leaping into the unknown – whatever that may be – is never easy. When people try something new, there is no telling what might happen. There is the possibility of getting hurt, making a mistake or looking foolish. Things can go very wrong.

In diving you have to overcome your fear of heights, pain and water

But there is also the possibility that everything will turn out all right. When we embrace the unknown, the outcome may be even better than we could have ever imagined. For many people, the Christian faith represents something unknown. Because they have only a vague idea of what God is all about, they are too afraid to go near him. They worry about making a fool of themselves. But fear that prompts us to shy away from the possibility of Mentor Tom relaxes having a relationship with God by the pool means we risk missing out on a host of opportunities that come as a result of knowing him. When we acknowledge that our lives belong to our Maker, we can receive the strength to become better people – people we never knew we could be. We can find courage in situations where we thought we had none. We can know what it feels like to be unconditionally loved and forgiven. Turning our lives over to God can feel like a big jump to make, but God understands our fears. And that’s why he promises to stay with us – not just in the good times but also in the bad times when we feel we may be overwhelmed. ‘Do not be afraid,’ he says. ‘When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you’ (Isaiah 43:1, 2 Good News Bible). We can stay with what we know, getting by with the life we’ve got. Or we can throw ourselves into living God’s way and discover a whole new depth to our being. Will we take the plunge?

© ITV


4

Interview

S

WEET IXTEEN

Teenager JACOB LLOYD is enjoying recording music and playing live – but, he tells RENÉE DAVIS, he has had to get through bullying at school and family turmoil to reach this stage

A

T 16 years of age, Jacob Lloyd has recorded an EP and an album and regularly performs live in coffee shop concerts – but life has not always been easy for the singer-songwriter from the West Midlands. He started using music as a way to escape from his troubles.

‘When I was seven years old, my dad walked out on my family. ‘When I was 12, I was bullied every day for about nine months. At its worst, the bullying spread to social networking sites. People set up malicious pages attacking me.’ Jacob says he was bullied because of his Christian faith. ‘I didn’t swear, and when all the other kids were making fun of someone who stood out, I wouldn’t join in but would stand up for them.

Resound Media

‘Music was something that allowed me to get away from my problems,’ he says. ‘It helped me get out all the feelings and emotions that I couldn’t really rationalise.

STANDING UP: Jacob has overcome being bullied


19 January 2013 The War Cry

5

I never hid my faith. I guess that’s what made me stick out ‘I never hid the fact that I was a Christian. Anyone who knew me knew about my faith. I guess that’s what made me stick out. ‘In the changing room during PE, two or three of the lads would start laying into me, and that was a really threatening situation to be in.’ Eventually, things got better for Jacob. He spoke to his parents about the bullying. His stepfather managed to find the pages on the social networking sites, and Jacob and his family went to see his teachers. ‘A couple of the people who set up the pages were excluded from school and I received some apologies. But I left the school before the end of the academic year. It had just gone too far.’ Jacob moved to another school, where life became easier. Looking back over the hard times, Jacob sees how God worked in those situations. He says they strengthened his faith.

‘T

he biggest strength I got was from my mum,’ he explains. ‘Despite what had happened to our family, she stayed strong, and stuck by her beliefs.’ Jacob’s mother found happiness again. Jacob’s stepdad (whom he now calls ‘Dad’) was very supportive of him. ‘He made the house feel like home again. He completed the family. He is

also a big supporter of my music.’ Jacob’s stepdad taught him a few chords on the guitar. When Jacob was 12, he began writing his own songs. He drew inspiration from his relationship with God and his own life. His first song ‘I’m Me’ told of his experiences of bullying. When Jacob was 13, he moved to a new church, where he was encouraged to take his music further. ‘I recorded my first album Home in a studio in the basement of my church. ‘I wrote all the songs,’ he says. ‘It was very home-grown and wasn’t as good O For more as my current music. But making it was information visit definitely a process which enabled me jacoblloydmusic.com to grow. The album was an accumula-

tion of all my experiences.’ Soon after, Jacob’s talent caught the attention of Sound Consultancy, which develops and mentors musicians. Jacob started performing and telling his story at the Sunday Night Live Christian entertainment events in coffee shops. His latest EP is Somewhere New.

‘I

t was the next step up from Home. It shows the progression in my songwriting and musicianship. I’ve continued to write about things I believe in and that are close to my heart. One of the songs is about my dad leaving.’ Jacob aims to inspire and encourage people. He offers the following advice to those who are struggling: ‘Stay prayerful and stick with it. If you’re being bullied, tell someone – it always makes you feel better when you have someone to talk to.’ Now in his final year of school, Jacob is keen to go into medicine but continues to write music. He plans to record a new album in the summer. ‘I’ll keep going with my music and studies,’ he says. ‘If I have to make a decision between music and medicine, I’m sure God will take me down the right path.’


6

The War Cry 19 January 2013

Find The War Cry on Facebook and Twitter at /TheWarCryUK

Comment

Media

Unscripted error BBC/Neal Street Productions/LAURENCE CENDROWICZ

PLAYING the part of the Queen has been rewarding for Dame Helen Mirren. In 2007, she won an Oscar for her screen portrayal of events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Next month, she plays the monarch in The Audience at London’s Gielgud Theatre. In advance of the opening, the February issue of Woman & Home includes an interview with one of Britain’s most accomplished actresses.

Recall for the TV midwife TO mark the centenary of the Q birth of composer Benjamin Britten, tenor Ian Bostridge told The Guardian of his ten favourite works, including A Ceremony of Carols. Of the composition – written for children’s voices and the harp – he said: ‘Britten uses children’s voices to great dramatic effect here, underlining the universality and seriousness of the Christian message.’

THE second series of Call the Midwife – which follows the lives of nuns and midwives in London’s East End in the 1950s – begins on BBC One tomorrow (Sunday 20 January 8 pm). In tomorrow’s episode, nurse Jenny Lee (played by Jessica Raine, left) celebrates her birthday with the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House. The series is based on the memoirs of midwife Jennifer Worth, who died in 2011.

Oldest man praised faith BRITAIN’S oldest man, who made headlines when he died at the age of 110, was a Christian minister. According to the Daily Mail, the Rev Reg Dean attributed his long life to ‘the love of friends, doing things for joy and not prize, always looking for the best in people and not the worst, having a religion you can trust and becoming a vegetarian’. Mr Dean was ordained in the 1920s and volunteered as a military chaplain in Burma and India during the Second World War. He later served as a minister in the United Reformed Church, before retiring at the age of 80.

Clare teams up with faith show CLARE BALDING is ‘thrilled’ rilled’ to be presenting her first Good od Morning Sunday programme on n Radio 2 tomorrow (20 January 7 am). The sports presenterr says: ‘I’m looking forward to exploring loring the whole nature of faith and nd why it’s so important in people’s ’s lives.’ On the same day, the e longrunning Sunday Half Hour ourr is being rescheduled and repackaged ckaged as The Sunday Hour (6 am). m). Diane Louise Jordan will continue tinue to present the weekly programme of hymns and prayers.

BBC

It is when questioned about faith that Helen is at complete odds with the Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. ‘I’d describe myself as a Christian who doesn’t believe in God,’ Helen is quoted as saying. ‘I can’t help being Christian because I was brought up in Britain, and the morality of Christianity is part of the fabric of this country. But I don’t believe in God. I have tried to believe but I just can’t.’ It is good to hear Helen appreciate the influence of the Christian ‘mood music’ surrounding British society. Much of British law is founded on Judeo-Christian values that stem from the Bible. The freedoms, rights and responsibilities British citizens enjoy are founded on biblical principles. Christianity – in the form of church architecture, sacred music and religious art – is a massive part of British culture. Much of the social and community care in Britain is motivated and/or carried out by Christians. Within Parliament, Christians have been at the forefront of social reform. Christianity has its nuances, its interpretations and its emphases (hence so many denominations) but a God-less faith is not one of them. Being a Christian is not an accident of birth. It is based on a personal decision to be born again and to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. To be a Christian who does not believe in God is simply not in the script.


Lifestyle

19 January 2013 The War Cry

7

Recall all that new year resolve? Library pictures posed by models

Anger can lead to heart trouble

DO you find yourself blowing a fuse now and again? The frustrations of work, busy schedules, traffic, queue jumpers and annoying relatives are just some of the things that can make our blood boil. Depending on our personality type, we may find it difficult to keep the lid on our anger. Research suggests that anger and hostility are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Angry thoughts and emotions can easily brew up when we’re tired and under pressure, but – as with unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking or a poor diet – it’s up to us to take control. Everyone gets angry, O Talk to someone about your feelings or express them by but we need to retrain ourselves writing or painting. so that the next time someone O Don’t blame others for your anger – work out how to jumps a queue or a family reuncontrol it better and channel it into something more ion gets a bit fraught, we can positive, such as non-competitive exercise, housework or stay cool, safe in the knowledge cleaning the car. that our heart is better off for it.

How to keep stress levels down

O If you’re feeling particularly worked up, concentrate on your breathing, inhaling slowly through your nose. Count to ten before you speak, picture yourself in a different place or recall a happy memory. Through regular practice, you’ll be able to enter your calm zone sooner on the next occasion you feel provoked. Health tip provided by Heart Research UK. For more information email lifestyle@heartresearch.org.uk

Relaxation and breathing exercises can help reduce stress

THE new year festivities are over – but are the resolutions as well? Although millions of people attempt to keep them, by February many resolutions are no more than a dim memory. But they needn’t be. Whether you have pledged to start exercising, to look after your money, to decorate the house or to change jobs, it is not necessarily going to be easy to carry out your resolution. One reason people abandon resolutions is that the results do not happen as quickly as they thought. Working harder, exercising and eating healthily may make life better in the long run, but keeping a resolution day in, day out, can be a struggle. To help you keep your resolution: Give yourself a realistic target date. Write it down and display the words somewhere so that you will see them every day. Ask someone you know to encourage you so that, when you feel like quitting, you will have some support. Once you start achieving your goal, write a list of benefits you are starting to enjoy, and look at it regularly to remind yourself why you are making the effort. Plan a reward for yourself once you accomplish your resolution.


8

Interview

Angel song brings JENN BOSTIC tells Philip Halcrow that when she wrote a song about the death of her father, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders

A

S a young child, she would sing ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’ while her father accompanied her on the piano. After he was killed in a car accident when she was ten years old, Jenn Bostic kept on singing. Music helped her in her grief. Now one of her songs is comforting people in their own times of loss. It has received more than one million plays on YouTube. It generated a huge response from lis-


19 January 2013 The War Cry

9

message of

comfort teners when Simon Bates played it on his Smooth Radio show. And it causes a stir when she plays it live. On the phone from Nashville, Jenn speaks about ‘Jealous of the Angels’. The subject of the song and her musical career have their roots in her childhood in a small town in Minnesota. ‘It was written about my dad, who

passed away in a car accident,’ she says. ‘He was a hobby musician. He played guitar, accordion, piano – name an instrument and he could play it. After dinner every night, we would all sit around as a family and sing together. I still remember my dad playing piano and me singing “On the Sunny Side of the Street”. He always wanted to instil that passion for music in us. ‘When he passed away, music was one way my family could still connect with him and feel his presence. It was also my therapy. It helped me to get through that painful time in my life and to know he was in a better place.’ Following in her father’s footsteps, Jenn had begun to take piano lessons when she was about five years old. ‘I’d always had a big passion for music,’ she says, ‘but the first time I sat down at the piano after I lost my dad, I closed my eyes and started playing and it felt as though he was standing over my shoulder and was – in some way – still with me. It was then that I had a gut feeling that I wanted to pursue music, in some capacity, for ever.’ Jenn says she started writing songs ‘right after the accident’. But her music-making went through many progressions before she wrote the song that has struck a chord with people far beyond Minnesota. She says she ‘rebelled and quit the piano lessons’

Music helped me to get through that painful time and to know my dad was in a better place

DADDY’S GIRL: Jenn with her father, James

when she was in high school, before she ‘refound’ herself in college. After Jenn moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, she played in a covers band. ‘We performed country, rock and pop covers, touring the little cover band circuit that they had there.

‘I

guess it was in my senior year of college that I really started to take writing seriously. Every weekend I was singing all these hits from over the years and they gave me an idea of how to form a song.’ When Jenn graduated from college, she felt that music was ‘the path that I

Turn to page 10


10

Interview

I asked God for a sign that my dad was watching over me

From page 9

was supposed to be on’, so she moved to Nashville. Songwriting is now a part of her life. ‘I write probably three times a week,’ she says. Jenn had written a few songs about the loss of her father ‘but nothing that got all the emotion out’, she says. ‘It took me so long to process what had happened, to let it sink in, to realise how it had affected my life. So it wasn’t until 14 years after the accident that I wrote “Jealous of the Angels”.’ In the song, Jenn sings about the numbness she felt after her father’s death, about not understanding why God allowed him to die. She sings, ‘God must need another angel/ Around the throne tonight’ and confesses, ‘I’m just jealous of the angels’. Jenn says: ‘When I wrote it, it felt as though a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And I remember that after I wrote it, I prayed and asked God for some sort of sign that my dad was watching over me and was proud of me. I began to pray that prayer every night. I knew it was a relatively selfish prayer, but I prayed it anyway.

‘E

arly in the morning on Christmas Eve that year, my best friend called me up and said: “I had a dream last night. Your dad was in it and said: Please tell Jenn I’m so proud of her and what she is doing.” ‘That was a defining moment for me. My friend’s dream affirmed me.’ Jenn’s Christian faith has helped her in the years since her father’s death. ‘Church has always been part of my life,’ she says. ‘My parents made sure I went to Sunday school. ‘When I was around 13 or 14, I attended a Christian youth conference. I heard about the Columbine school

It is amazing that the most painful time in my life can help to comfort and heal other people


19 January 2013 The War Cry

shootings and about a girl who stood up for her faith in the middle of them. I thought I wanted to live a life like that. ‘When my dad passed away, we all had to figure out our own ways of grieving. We did spend a lot of time in prayer. But in the first year or so after the accident, we were still working out how what had happened was going to affect our lives. We were in shock.’ In ‘Jealous of the Angels’, Jenn sings about praying that her dad would ‘just walk back through that door’. She elaborates: ‘I would sit at the dinner table and honestly feel he was going to come home from work as he always had. It hadn’t sunk in. ‘I was really mad at God for a while. When it first happened, I thought it was unfair. I didn’t understand how he could take my dad away from me.

‘But it has been beautiful to see how “Jealous of the Angels” has instilled some sort of hope in people who have heard it. It is amazing that the most painful time in my life can help to comfort and heal other people.

‘I

can’t remember a show where someone didn’t come up to me afterwards or email me that same night, saying they were affected by the song. It overwhelms me.

I can’t remember a show where someone didn’t come up to me afterwards, saying they were affected by the song

11

‘Every single one of those emails is a gift in letting me know that the song is making a difference. If people are moved by the song, I feel I have done my job as a songwriter – and I’ll let God do the rest. ‘I’ve grown and learnt so much through my faith, and it has helped me to deal with every situation in life.’ The reaction to ‘Jealous of the Angels’ has convinced Jenn that there is a purpose to her music. The girl who sat down at the piano after her father’s death and had a ‘gut feeling’ that she should pursue music enjoys playing in schools and teaching children

about music. At the end of December, she made her first appearance at the illustrious country venue, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This year, she is due to play her first dates in the UK, where radio stations – including Radio 2 – have been giving ‘Jealous of the Angels’ airplay. ‘My goal is to help people through music. I have one song called “Change”, which is about being who you’re supposed to be rather than being a second-rate version of somebody else. Another song “Not Yet” encourages people not to give up on their dreams. ‘People listen to music for many reasons. When you listen to music, you often want to be encouraged or get some positive energy from it. But there are also times when you want to listen to a super-sad song because you need to get some emotion out. ‘Music can help you do that. It can be part of the healing process.’

O ‘Jealous of the Angels’ is available on Jenn Bostic Music


The War Cry 19 January 2013

12

Puzzlebreak WORDSEARCH

SUDOKU

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these words that start with ‘water’ BASED BED BIRTH BISCUIT BOATMAN BUFFALO BUTT CANNON CHESTNUT CLOCK COLOUR COOLER CRESS

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solution on page 15

QUIC CK CR ROSSSW WOR RD ACROSS 1. 5. 7. 8. 10. 11. 13. 14. 17. 19. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Perception (7) Young dog (5) Bewildered (7) Spacious (5) Eager (4) Dead end (3-2-3) Vibration (6) Help (6) Tied (8) Compact (4) Slack (5) Elucidate (7) Arouse (5) Theft (7)

Y A M M B E D Z T O W E R W N

O T B I A W P L B E O D E H S

M E P A L I I I R D D N C E X

A T O D S L N N P I A H R E D

DIVINER FALL FOWL FRONT GATE HOLE JUMP LEVEL LILY LOGGED MAIN

R N L T Y E H G G L E V E L E

K E O Q L T D E P S M B S U G

S L S O R I F S T R O P S F G

T E B I S C U I T O G L T J L

MARK MEADOW MELON MILL PIPE PISTOL PLANE POLO PROOF REPELLENT RESISTANT

N P N A J T O M O C L H O U B

O E B U F F A L O I G E S C B

R R M Y O N E N O I V P M K K

F P A W M R A E T U O P S O I

U W L E D I S O I P R O O F L

SHED SIDE SKI SLIDE SPORTS SPOUT TIGHT TOWER WAY WHEEL WINGS

HON NEY YCOM MB Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

DOWN

ANSWERS

W L H I V N O N N A C T A H O

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 12. 15. 16. 18. 20.

Be enough (7) Festival (4) Boredom (6) Heaven (8) Religious (5) Very pretty (9) Sailor (9) Expected (8) Copy (7) Disclose (6) Startle (5) Incentive (4)

1. Done every seven days 2. Measurement of someone from head to foot 3. Reddish brown 4. US state to which Dorothy wanted to return in The Wizard of Oz 5. Paper or cardboard container 6. Walk in a leisurely way

QUICK QUIZ 1. Which of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ was also one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’? 2. What are Roquefort, Parmesan and Monterey Jack? 3. Which Impressionist painted water lilies in his garden at Giverny? 4. What colour blood cells does bone marrow make? 5. Who starred as lawyer Fletcher Reede in the 1997 film Liar, Liar? 6. Complete the saying: What goes up…

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Insight. 5 Puppy. 7 Baffled. 8 Roomy. 10 Avid. 11 Cul-de-sac. 13 Tremor. 14 Assist. 17 Fastened. 19 Firm. 21 Loose. 22 Explain. 23 Waken. 24 Larceny. DOWN: 2 Suffice. 3 Gala. 4 Tedium. 5 Paradise. 6 Pious. 7 Beautiful. 9 Yachtsman. 12 Foreseen. 15 Imitate. 16 Reveal. 18 Shock. 20 Spur. QUICK QUIZ 1 Charles Bronson. 2 Types of cheese. 3 Claude Monet. 4 Red. 5 Jim Carrey. 6 Must come down. HONEYCOMB 1 Weekly. 2 Height. 3 Russet. 4 Kansas. 5 Packet. 6 Stroll.


Inner life

19 January 2013 The War Cry

TIME AND TIME AGAIN In this series, ROSEMARY DAWSON looks at what the Bible has to say about time

WEEK 3 A WALK along the beach. A stroll in the park. Sitting in the garden on a sunny afternoon. Listening to music or reading a good book.

13

Time

out

Sounds idyllic! But what if we’re just too busy to take even a short break? What if the pressures of life simply don’t allow that luxury? For many people, every minute of the working day – and often beyond – is governed by timetables, deadlines and schedules. Emails and mobile phones can add to the burden and encroach on quality ‘me’ time or family time. To quote John Rowles’s 1968 hit: ‘So much to do, if I only had time, if I only had time,/ Dreams to pursue, if I only had time, they’d be mine.’

Taking time out isn’t some newfangled, untried, mystic notion. Centuries ago, God gave this timeless advice to busy people: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 New International Version). Jesus knew about life in the fast lane. Huge crowds followed him everywhere, listening to his teachings and constantly demanding that he perform healings and miracles. How did Jesus cope with these pressures? Not with celebrity tantrums, tranquillisers or alcohol, but by making time to be quiet in the presence of God, his heavenly Father (see Mark 1:35–37). This enabled him to return to the people who needed him most with renewed strength and power. Taking time out now and again is not wasted time. It’s a necessity for the wellbeing of body, mind and soul. Stepping back from our worries and problems can give us a better perspective on how to cope with them – and if we also choose to share them with God, our heavenly Father, we are using our time well. Telling God how we feel is like

Library picture posed by model

Stepping back can give us a better perspective

LOOKING FOR HELP? having a conversation with a good friend who understands and knows all about us. Some call it ‘prayer’. One Bible writer describes it like this: ‘You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction’ (Psalm 23:3 The Message). As countless people throughout the ages have found, taking time to discover God’s peace is the best solution to the stresses and strains of life. O Next week: Time’s up

Just complete this coupon and send it to The War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN Please send me Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army Contact details of a Salvationist minister Name Address


The War Cry 19 January 2013

Food for thought

Would you

Library picture posed by model

The War Cry

I wonder what exactly happened Registered at Companies House as a newspaper under the Newspaper Libel and Registration Act 1881

Give a gift subscription of The War Cry Print version £26 (UK) or £44.50 (overseas) App version gift card £9.99 (plus £1 p&p)

O

D A ND

E

SALES AND DISTRIBUTION: Tel: 01933 441807

Founder: William Booth General: Linda Bond Territorial Commander: Commissioner André Cox Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Secretary: Major Martin Hill

F IR

Call 01933 445451or visit sps-shop.com

The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888

E

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

listening when we talk to him. The Bible points out just how close God is: ‘Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love’ (Romans 8:39 Contemporary English Version). Not even unbelief. Whatever we think or know about God – and whether we believe what the Bible says or not – does not alter how God feels about us. He loves us and d forgives us. Now and for ever. We’d better believe it!

TH

Editor: Nigel Bovey, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Stephen Pearson Editorial Assistant: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Renée Davis Chief Designer: Gill Cox DTP Operator: Denise D’Souza Secretary: Joanne Allcock War Cry office: 020 7367 4900

by FRED CROWHURST

MY

The story is a strange one and, therefore, perhaps difficult to believe. Did Samson catch the foxes one by one, then store them in a barn until he had 300? Did the foxes in the region have extremely long tails, which helped Samson carry out his extraordinary feat? I wonder what exactly happened in this story. I am also filled with wonder when I read other, happier, parts of the Bible. After all, it is a book where a man sleeps in a den of lions and survives, and where 5,000 people are fed on just a handful of loaves and a couple of fish. It is also a book where normal people have a relationship with the Creator of the entire Universe. The story that God sent his Son, Jesus, to die on a cross so that we could have eternal life sounds unbelievable too – doesn’t it? But it isn’t. God really does love us that much. He shows us by the way in which he forgives us, whatever we have done wrong; by helping us to become better people; by caring about how we feel and by

?

it

R

THERE is a story in the Bible that tells how the Israelite Samson caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together. In an act of vengeance against the Philistines, he fastened torches to the tails, lit them and let the foxes loose so that they set fire to his enemies’ wheat fields, vineyards and orchards. If the RSPCA had been around back then, it would probably have had Samson prosecuted for cruelty to animals.

believe

B LO

14

SA

A

LVATION


19 January 2013 The War Cry

What’s cooking?

Pork with apple and thyme cream sauce

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

Minestrone soup

Ingredients: 4 medium pork loin chops 2tbsp vegetable oil, for frying 1 onion, finely sliced 110g sliced mushrooms 1 cooking apple, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 140ml apple juice Salt and black pepper, to taste 1tsp garlic powder 1tsp rosemary 1tsp paprika 1tsp oregano 1tsp thyme 210ml crème fraiche ¼ tsp cornflour (mixed with a little water, for thickening)

15

Method: Place a wok over a low heat, then fry the pork in the vegetable oil until almost cooked. Set aside. Add the onion, mushrooms and apple to the wok and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the apple juice, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, paprika, oregano and thyme. Stir in the crème fraiche and cook for another 3 minutes. Move all the ingredients to one side of the wok, then add the cornflour mixture, stirring all the time. Return the chops to the wok and cook for a further 4 minutes, continuing to baste the chops in the sauce. Serve hot. Serves 4 SUDOKU SOLUTION

Ingredients: 1 onion, roughly chopped 10 small Brussels sprouts, shredded 5 celery sticks, roughly chopped 3 medium potatoes, diced 4 carrots, roughly chopped 430g plum tomatoes, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 vegetable stock cubes, dissolved in 2l boiling water 1tbsp vegetable oil 2½ tbsp tomato purée 1tsp oregano Salt and black pepper, to taste 140g spaghetti Method: Place all the ingredients (except the spaghetti) in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti and lower the heat to take the mixture down to a simmer. Leave to cook for 30–40 minutes, then serve. Serves 6


Caters News Agency

THE

LICKLY LAD WITH their history, architectural elegance and wondrous sacred spaces, Britain’s cathedrals take some licking. One man knows exactly how much. Just before Christmas, Lawrence Edmonds licked his last cathedral.

Cathedrals are places to find peace of mind

Lawrence Edmonds visits Gloucester Cathedral

YOUR LOCAL SALVATION ARMY CENTRE

In what – by way of a warning against the folly of overindulgence – might rival one of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, over drinks in a London tavern, Lawrence accepted a wager of his friend and flatmate, Adam Drury, to lick every Anglican cathedral in the UK within five years. The deal was signed and sealed on a scrap of paper. With the loser facing the prospect of having to streak round York Minster, Lawrence hit the road. He had an additional deadline: to lick every English cathedral by 16 June 2012. In what must rank as one of the most bizarre reasons for going to church, Lawrence travelled thousands of miles – from Truro to Inverness and Norwich to Londonderry – to taste every one of the UK’s Anglican cathedrals. By 5 December, he had won the bet. As well as tasting the masonry, Lawrence kept a photographic record and wrote reflections of his visits and potted histories of the buildings in a blog. ‘Although not a Christian myself,’ he writes, ‘I do respect other people’s beliefs and places of worship and would never dream of trying to offend anyone. Hopefully, this blog will help to promote the outstanding cathedrals we have in this country, many of which are currently suffering financially and need thousands of pounds a day just to keep their doors open.’ Cathedrals are places to find peace of mind and peace with God. But we do not have to wander the countryside to discover him. The Bible invites us to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him’ (Psalm 34:8 New International Version). This is an invitation – to find peace, safety and comfort in our Maker. It is also a challenge – to get a taste of how better life is when we commit ourselves to living life his way. Are we up for the challenge?

Do we have the taste for a challenge? asks NIGEL BOVEY

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, 2013


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
1c_ by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland - Issuu