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War Cry 9 March 2013

THE

salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Est 1879

No 7106

FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS

20p/25c 20p/ 20p/2

SITES TO BEHOLD TV explores holy places Page 8

IN THE

LINE

DANCERS FACE REJECTION IN A WEST END MUSICAL ABOUT AUDITIONS Page 3

MANUEL HARLAN

Hello again, yellow brick road

Page 16

The War Cry 9 March 2013

FOUR speakers discussed modern attitudes to sex at the latest Westminster Faith Debate.

During the debate – one of a series exploring religion in private life – American author and academic Donna Freitas spoke of a ‘hook-up culture’ on campuses in the States, in which students aimed to have brief encounters from which they could walk away unattached. But, she said, it was surrounded by angst, and students did not seem to realise that they could choose to set boundaries.

News

WESTMINSTER FAITH DEBATE

Let’s talk about sex

Religion, she added, could provide rituals for slowing down and reflection.

Catherine Pepinster, Editor of Roman Catholic journal The Tablet, pointed out that Germaine

Greer had paid tribute to the nuns who had educated her, because they had encouraged their students not to trivialise sex.

Author Jenny Taylor, who writes on religion and culture, said Freud’s ideas

A SURVEY commissioned by Christian Aid has found Q that 34 per cent of Britons say they are boycotting the products or services of a company because it does not pay its fair share of tax in the UK. It also found that 45 per cent say they are considering a boycott. Sixty-three per cent thought that strong action on tax globally by the G8 could help lift millions of people out of poverty.

about sex and humanity needed to be rejected, and Maureen Kendler of the London School of Jewish Studies argued that UK society’s view of sex was in a mess because of a wider culture of individualism. She said ‘a very weird view of self-esteem and entitlement’ led people to define themselves sexually in terms of personal satisfaction instead of responsibility and mutual respect.

PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLER VISITS SALVATION ARMY

YOUR prayers are requested for Marion, whose cancer has been recurring; and for two-year-old James, who has leukaemia.

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

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Michael Carrick pitches up

CLAIRE ANDERSON

Michael meets the children

ga n i m o c Be an

i t s i r h C

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God.

ENGLAND and Manchester United footballer Michael Carrick met young people at a football project being run in the Fitton Hill area of Oldham by The Salvation Army and community group 3StyleSports.

During the visit, the midfielder watched the children train and took part in a questionandanswer session with them.

The football project is helping to tackle antisocial behaviour in the area. It brings

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

COMMENT – p6 LIFESTYLE – Amen Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

children together, focuses their energy and helps them to integrate with each other.

After the visit, Michael said he saw how the project gave children the chance ‘to come together as a community and as friends and to develop into well-rounded individuals’.

Chris Neilson, the leader of Fitton Hill Salvation Army, described the visit as ‘a real treat’.

He said: ‘In the past, Fitton Hill has been associated with antisocial behaviour, but The Salvation Army is working hard to show young people they have potential, and it is developing that potential through sports.’

p7 PUZZLES – p12 INNER LIFE – p13 FOOD FOR THOUGHT – p14 RECIPES – p15

9 March 2013 The War Cry

ONE singular sensation has hit the West End. Theatregoers are packing stalls at the London Palladium to see it. A Chorus Line – the musical in which a group of would-be stars audition for their chance to be on stage – reveals to audiences what it’s really like to be a jobbing performer. One thing it’s definitely not – and that’s easy.

It’s 1975, and Broadway director Zach (John Partridge) is looking for a dream cast for his latest production. He watches dancer after dancer, audition after audition. Each performer gives it their best shot. But there’s no time for pleasantries. Those who fail to impress are sent home without so much as a goodbye.

MANUEL HARLAN

Zach whittles down the mass of dancers to a final 17. To help him decide which four girls and four boys to cast, he asks them to tell him a bit about themselves. He wants to know the things that aren’t written on their CVs. Val reveals that she turned to plastic surgery to boost her career. Diana recalls her struggles with a past drama teacher. Cassie, a former solo dancer and an ex-girlfriend of Zach’s, tells him that she is jobless. She is desperate for any role she can get her hands on – even if it’s in the chorus.

‘I don’t want to wait on tables,’ she cries.

‘I’m a dancer. A dancer dances. Give me somebody to dance with. Give me a place to fit in.’

After getting to know the dancers a bit better, it is left to Zach to make his final decision.

Some will be chosen to dance another day.

But others will get a sinking feeling when they are told: Thanks, but no thanks.

It hurts to be told we are not good enough.

It can leave us feeling useless, past it and utterly rejected.

Perhaps we have applied for a job and lost out by the skin of our teeth. Maybe we have taken someone on a date, only to be let down gently during the course of the evening.

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Some will be told: Thanks, but no thanks TOP THAT: dancers do their best in ‘A Chorus Line’

Whatever happens to us, being turned down is part of life. And while we may not be able to change all the situations that result in rejection, we can always choose how we respond to them – and what to do next.

After being told ‘no’, we can become angry at others, be hard on ourselves and think we will never amount to anything in future.

Or we can realise that no matter what others say, God cares about us just as we are and has high hopes for our future. We need never fear rejection from him, even if we have acted badly.

God’s Son, Jesus, told his followers: ‘I will never turn away anyone who comes to me’ (John 6:37 Good News Bible).

However people treat us, we can rest assured that God’s love towards us never changes. He accepts us all, regardless of how well we perform in life (or not). When we turn to him, he is willing to forgive us for the times we slip up and offer us guidance about what steps to take in future.

Is it time to start acting under his direction?

By CLAIRE BRINE

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What’s going on

Taking the

‘I

T’S a blessing to have walked past today and seen your sign outside the door,’ says one woman, after spontaneously dropping in to receive advice at The Salvation Army’s legal clinic.

Every Thursday between 10.30 am and noon, the hall in Gloucester is open to anyone who needs legal advice. The clinic is headed up by solicitor advocate Graham Wallis, who is a member of the congregation.

‘We have been running the clinic at the church since last September,’ says Graham. ‘Before that we held it for two years at The Salvation Army in the Forest of Dean. We do what we can to help people.’

Graham explains that all kinds of people access the legal clinic. Some see the sign and walk in from the street. Others book an appointment in advance.

Graham tries to spend about 30 minutes with each visitor, offering advice.

‘Whatever the problem, we will help anybody. People might come in because they are in trouble with the police, they are looking to draft a will or they need help with family or employment matters,’ he says. ‘I also see a number of elderly people who are worried that they will lose their money if they need to go and live in a care home.’

During my visit to the clinic, three visitors seek Graham’s help. For each of them, Graham makes notes on their situation, asks questions and concludes by suggesting what action they should take next. His friendly manner puts them at ease. He is sympathetic to their circumstances.

‘I heard about the legal clinic through a friend,’ one of the visitors tells me, ‘so I rang Graham to make an appointment. I had always known the Sally Army building was here, but I had never been inside it before.

‘I have been unemployed for more than a year so I can’t afford a solicitor. Graham has been very helpful with my situation and made suggestions as to what action I should take. This is a marvellous service, and I thank God for it.’

Some problems, Graham explains, can be resolved quickly. But if visitors need further help from a solicitor, he points them in the right direction.

‘I make it clear to people that, while I am offering a free consultation, I am not their solicitor and they are not my client. I can offer only my advice. If they continue to need a solicitor after the appointment, I will tell them. But they are under no obligation to use me, just because they’ve seen me this once.’

Graham set up his own law firm in 2006.

Whether he is working at the firm or the legal clinic, he tries to make sure he provides ‘an identical level of service’.

He says: ‘I believe that Jesus came for everybody. So, as much as I can, I try to treat everybody I see in the same way.

‘Our aim in running the legal clinic is to help those who turn up, whoever they are. If people are attracted to the idea of coming to church as a result of the Christian work they have seen here, that’s all well and good. But it’s not a condition we impose.’

After more than ten years working as a solicitor, Graham says that nothing shocks him any more. But would his faith make him uncomfortable about representing a client who may have committed a crime?

‘My job as a solicitor is not to believe or disbelieve a client, but to represent them as best I can on the instructions they give me,’ he says.

law into his

CLAIRE BRINE

own hands GRAHAM WALLIS tells Claire Brine about the legal advice service offered by The Salvation Army in Gloucester

9 March 2013 The War Cry

5

OPEN HOUSE: the legal clinic opened in Gloucester last September

Our aim is to help those who turn up, whoever they are ‘It’s not for me to have suspicions about what they say.

‘For example, if a client comes to me and says, “I have been accused of shoplifting. Five people say they saw me do it but I didn’t”, I would represent them based on the facts they have told me.

‘But if, on the other hand, a client came to me and said, “I shoplifted – but I want you to tell the court that I didn’t”, then I wouldn’t agree to represent them, because they have admitted to the crime.’

Although the law can be a complicated business, Graham believes that the world will always need lawyers, because people will always need help with problems.

‘The law is the means by which society tries to resolve problems that cannot be resolved in another way,’ he says. ‘Perhaps if we were to follow Jesus’ teachings a bit more – such as loving our neighbour – then there would be less need for the laws that exist.’

ADVOCATE: Graham helps people with wills and employment matters

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The War Cry 9 March 2013

Comment

Who’s counting?

DESPITE living in an age when everything from a restaurant visit to an online purchase is subject to being invited to give ‘feedback’, there are some things that as a nation we don’t know. When it comes to the legal activity of downing a swift half, it appears that Britain’s drinkers don’t know if they’ve had one or three too many.

Last week, researchers at University College London announced that they had found a 40 per cent difference between the total amount of alcohol sold and the amount drinkers said they consumed.

If under-reporting is taken into account, the adult UK population drinks an average of 20.5 units per week – 8 units more than suggested by existing studies.

This means that 75 per cent of men and 80 per cent of women exceed the recommended daily limit of four units for men and three units for women. (For people over 65, it is 1.5 units.)

Contradicts Quoted in The Guardian, Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said that the study ‘contradicts the claims of the alcohol industry that only a small minority drink too much, and is yet more evidence of the need for strong government action, including a minimum unit price for alcohol’.

The study also suggests that people are in denial about their drinking.

Not enough drinkers take the health implications of alcohol seriously enough. It’s always the other guy who has the drink problem.

Nobody likes a nanny state. We don’t want to be told not to have a good time. We want to be free to make our own minds up – free to choose. But it’s alcohol, not health limits, that won’t let us do that. Way before we can’t think straight, drink has the power to rob us of the ability to count how many we’ve had.

Find The War Cry on Facebook and Twitter at /TheWarCryUK

Media

Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen play a mother and son

Resources give guilt-edged chance to talk

DAMARIS Trust is providing free resources to help church groups reflect on themes in the Barbra Streisand film The Guilt Trip, released yesterday (Friday 8 March). The resources include film clips to spark discussion and a leader’s guide. For more information visit damaris.org/guilttrip

Faith changes lives THE Archbishop of York has written a book of true stories telling how faith has changed lives.

In John Sentamu’s Faith Stories the Archbishop introduces a collection of people – including a consultant urologist, an associate director of a theatre company and an RE teacher – and allows them to explain how faith makes a difference

to the way they live.

Dr Sentamu writes: ‘With God the impossible becomes possible. The ordinary can achieve the extraordinary.

Insurmountable barriers can be overcome, and those without hope become the inspirers …

Each of us has an incredible story to tell.’

John Sentamu’s Faith Stories is published by Darton, Longman and Todd.

Woodbine Willie remembered ‘WHAT can we learn from Woodbine Willie?’ asked Bob Holman in The Guardian, before highlighting the ways in which the First World War chaplain is ‘relevant today’.

The writer commented on the life and work of Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, who left behind his life as a parish priest to become a war chaplain in 1914.

Nicknamed Woodbine Willie because he gave out cigarettes to the troops, he joined the soldiers on the Western Front when they went over the top. He also won the Military Cross when he ran through shell-

fire into no-man’s-land to fetch supplies of morphine.

After the conflict, Kennedy spoke out against war and called for an end to poverty and unemployment.

In The Guardian, Mr Holman commented that ‘we urgently need more campaigners like him’. He went on to say: ‘[Willie] believed that, as all people were equal in the sight of God, wealth should be shared … He never failed to apply his principles to his personal life … he frequently gave away his clothes and possessions to poor people. Today, a growing number of Christians – and others – are rejecting greed. Willie shows us that individuals can point the way to a better society.’

PEOPLE following The Salvation Q Army’s New Testament Bible Challenge are reading the whole New Testament, five chapters a week, over the course of a year. For each day’s reading plan and discussion notes visit salvationarmy.org.uk/biblechallenge

9 March 2013 The War Cry

Lifestyle Turn down the cost – and save energy HOME improvement company Anglian ran a competition to find out homeowners’ tips on saving energy and money. The company then chose its favourite suggestions, which included: O Share and save. Go grocery shopping with a friend and share the fuel costs; share meals with your friends to save money; and turn the heating down a little and snuggle up on the sofa with your partner, children or pets.

O Replace the dial on the thermostat with a scale indicating ‘cost per hour’ rather than temperature, re, to

remind yourself of costs.

O Use cheap fleece blankets to add an extra layer to your curtains for the winter, making sure no heat escapes. They can be hung from the same fittings as your curtains.

O Attach an external letterbox to your house, blocking up the flap in the door so hot air

cannot escape.

Anglian says that many of the tried and tested energy-saving suggestions are still popular and effective. Wearing extra layers of clothes, putting tinfoil behind radiators to bounce heat back into the room and using draught excluders at the bottom of doors can all make a positive difference.

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Keep heating costs down

Shopping tips are shelf-explanatory CONSUMER information website What Consumer has compiled a list of moneysaving tips for shoppers’ trips to the supermarket.

Write a shopping list and stick to it.

Don’t be tempted by ‘buy one get one free’ offers. The price of one item may be more than two items of another brand. And ask yourself whether you really need the product.

Buy dried pasta, not fresh. The quality will be the same and you will be able to get the al dente effect. The only time it’s worth buying fresh pasta is for lasagne, as it significantly reduces cooking time.

Avoid the more expensive boxed cereals. Porridge oats are far cheaper than many other cereals, contain no added sugar or salt and are nutritionally superior.

As far as possible, make meals from scratch. Items that are ready to eat or involve less preparation tend to be more expensive.

Library picture posed by model

Look out for packs of fruit that has been deemed too large, too small or misshapen for standard pricing. The fruit is as good-quality as that in regular packaging, but cheaper to buy.

Make a list and keep your eyes peeled for cheaper deals

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Interview

S

OME places and stories have a ‘wow factor’, says Ifor ap Glyn, the presenter of a TV series about sacred sites.

Ifor spent ‘an enjoyable but sometimes cold couple of months’ visiting not only churches but caves, wells and hills for BBC Four’s Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain’s Holiest Places.

It is still cold outside when, over a hot drink at BBC Broadcasting House in London, Ifor gives an example of the ‘wow factor’.

‘What I have in mind is the he story of Lady Julian. I’m sure in the past I’d heard the name Julian of Norwich and probably logged it as being strange trange that a woman had a man’s name.. The truth is that her name has been lost ost but she was known as Julian because se she was so closely identified with the Church of St Julian, where she was walled led up.’

In the 14th century, Julian of Norwich lived in a little cell in the church, devoting her life to prayer. She wrote Revelations of Divinee Love, in which she explored the human man condition and the unconditional love ve of God. ‘I’d read about stylites – holy men living on top of towers – and people going into the sea to pray and other kinds of asceticism,’ says Ifor. or. ‘But inn most forms of asceticism there here he re is is a point at which the person can stop and have a break before returning turning to it. For Lady Julian there was no break. The wall was not broken oken down so she could have some ome time outside. Incredible, incredredible.’

Ifor’s trips round the counntry were guided by Nick ck Mayhew Smith, the series es consultant and author of the he book that inspired the series, es, Britain’s Holiest Places. Ifor recounts that it led to him ‘rowing out to St Herbert’s Island inn the middle of Derwentwater’, ‘standing ding in the burning cold of St Winifred’ss Well’ and ‘climbing Pendle Hill, whichh is associated with the Quaker tradition’. n’.

Later, over the phone, Nick ck says he

A place can be sanctified by religious use in the past

Location,

Presenter IFOR AP GLYN and consultant NICK MAYHEW SMITH tell Philip Halcrow about making a TV series on holy places

holybritain.co.uk

Ifor (left) and Nick visited sacred sites, including Pendle Hill

9 March 2013 The War Cry

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Location, Location hopes the TV series will show that ‘the appeal of our Christian heritage can be a lot wider, a lot more visual and a lot more physical than sitting in a church service for one hour a week. It struck me when I was writing the book that nowadays we don’t say: “I’m just going up the nearest mountain to pray.” But that’s what they did in the past. Our country is littered with places connected with that kind of outdoor devotion.’

Nick picks up on one of the places mentioned by Ifor.

‘George Fox climbed up Pendle Hill, where he received a vision that prompted him to develop his new Quaker movement, which took religion out of the old, traditional churches and to the people.

‘It’s a very steep hill and from it you’re looking down on flat countryside. So if you climbed up there as George Fox did in the 17th century, and looked out, you would get an almost divine view over the human world. You get a sense of awe at nature.

‘These landscapes do attract something deep in the human soul. It’s a universal thing. Pendle Hill is by no means the only hill that has attracted that kind of devotional interaction.’

Having crossed the country with Nick, Ifor has contemplated what makes a place holy.

‘The continuing use of somewhere for religious purposes is important in making a place holy, although it didn’t apply to many of the sites that we visited,’ he says.

These landscapes do attract something deep in the human soul

‘But a place can also be sanctified by religious use in the past, in which case it might be like a dried-up riverbed – the banks are still there and the water could still run through it.

‘The third factor is that many of these places are in stunningly beautiful settings. They are places to contemplate the Divine, the glories of God’s creation.

‘The beauty of a location would not in itself make the place holy, but it might make it somewhere where you

Turn to page 10

10

Interview

From page 9 are more inclined to holy thoughts. It might be a place that would help you to pause. Stillness is important. Most of these holy places are quiet. They are oases in our busy world – even the places in the middle of cities. We went to Mungo’s shrine in Glasgow Cathedral. Glasgow is very busy and the motorway runs within about a quarter of a mile of the cathedral – but the crypt is as quiet as you would expect any to be.

‘These places lend themselves to contemplation. You can contemplate the Divine and, because they normally have some kind of longevity, you can measure your own mortality against a longer timescale.’

Ifor comes from a Welsh family that moved to England. He describes himself as a bilingual Londoner, and the series was filmed in English and Welsh-language versions. He grew up attending Nonconformist Welsh chapels in the capital. But, as ‘someone who goes to church on Sundays’, he was still surprised – and had his understanding increased – by his encounters with

different Christian traditions.

He remembers his visit to St Melangell’s Church in Pennant Melangell, the possible resting place of the 7th-century nun who gives her name to the church. Worshippers write prayer requests on cards and leave them at the shrine where she is remembered.

‘Seeing those little prayer cards was very moving,’ says Ifor. ‘Even then, part of me was nagging away, saying: “Why are they putting cards under the shrine? Why don’t they just pray themselves? Why do they leave a card for someone else to pick up?” But another way of looking at it is that the card is itself a prayer.

These old factories

‘I

could never understand why people lit candles. I’d wonder how a candle could be a prayer. But I realise that, as long as you’ve considered why you are lighting the candle, the mundane act makes you think about something spiritual, about

Glasgow Cathedral – an ‘oasis’

the Divine.

‘In chapel, we are “led in prayer” – and prayer can be just a shorter, more poetic sermon. Perhaps it does not have the same sense of imploring as those prayer cards. The kind of prayer written on the cards was much more stripped down. It was basic – little children saying, “Granny, where are you? We still think of you.” It was almost helpless.

And we are all helpless. Whatever our religious inclinations or not, we are all mortal.’

Some of the holy places themselves have experienced some kind of demise.

‘Most of the sites we visit are Christian,’ says Ifor, ‘but, as the title of the series suggests, some of them

9 March 2013 The War Cry

11

abbeys were prayer Ifor at Whitby Abbey

BBC/Western Front Films/EMYR JONES

come from outside those traditions. We visited the henge at Knowlton, a circular enclosure for pagan worship. Later a church was built in the middle of the circle. Both sites have fallen into ruin.’

Ifor began the series by looking at ruins, including those of abbeys. Even such disused places of worship have a fascination, he says.

‘There is something about ruins.

Why should we care about them? But these old abbeys were prayer factories.

They were churning out prayer. People were devoting their lives to prayer. I suppose we find that kind The second episode of Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain’s Holiest of commitment fasciPlaces is scheduled for broadcast on BBC Four nating, because it’s a on Thursday (14 March) bit unfamiliar to many of us.

These places lend themselves to contemplation.

You can contemplate the Divine

holybritain.co.uk

‘We’re all impressed by commitment. We noticed that during the Olympics. Do we have a yearning for a time when people did religion well?

Perhaps we feel we’ve got a bit flabby about it and wonder what we would be like if we put our minds to it.’

Ifor visited more than 30 sites for the series. He would like to go back to them. He hopes that viewers will be encouraged to visit such sites – and even think about the meaning behind them.

‘We’ve tried to approach the subject in an inclusive way,’ he says, ‘And I think that anything that gets people to consider their spiritual side and maybe think about going to church is not a bad thing.’

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The War Cry 9 March 2013

Puzzlebreak

SUDOKU

WORDSEARCH Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these types of pies Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solution on page 15

APPLE BANOFFEE CHEESE AND ONION CHERRY CHICKEN CHOCOLATE CREAM COTTAGE

QUIC CK CR ROSSSW WORD D ACROSS 3. Canine (3) 7. Specimen (6) 8. Bred (6) 9. Aptitude (6) 10. Garland (6) 11. Grain (3) 12. Doctor (6) 14. Inn (6) 17. Lorries (6) 21. Be the property of (6) 24. Employ (3) 25. Part of foot (6) 26. Allege (6) 27. Visitor (6) 28. Alarm (6) 29. Purchase (3)

ANSWERS

E D T S H C T O C S O A K A A S

I D I T H G N S E G A T T O C S

P U G E D N O W E P L E I H F D

E M C A K F I E F A E C O P D N

C I K K M R N E F P M C T S N N

P P T A M E O T O N O A A N M P

FISH GAME KEY LIME LEMON MERINGUE MEAT AND POTATO

D P P N E A D P N L N C T N U H

F I P D O F N O A S M R O M I D

W S M K M H A T B E E L P P A D

E S S I T M E A E S R K D C A E

MINCE MISSISSIPPI MUD PECAN PORK PUMPKIN RHUBARB

A I G D N C S T P N I E N H N P

E S I N R C E O L N N I A E P P

F S H E P H E R D S G S T R A T

F I A Y D E H I R H U B A R B S

O M S C H I C K E N E P E Y C A

O O E H R A N K E Y L I M E M E

SCOTCH SHEPHERD’S STEAK AND KIDNEY SWEET POTATO

HONEEYC COMB B Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

DOWN 1. Impair (6) 2. Implore (6) 3. Borrower (6) 4. Increase (6) 5. Fondle (6) 6. Tender (6) 12. Headgear (3) 13. Deer (3) 15. Mineral (3) 16. Loiter (3) 18. Airfield track (6) 19. Oxen (6) 20. Magnificent (6) 21. Loveliness (6) 22. Gloss (6) 23. Not wide (6)

1. Fruit 2. Oily substance 3. Older or of a higher rank 4. Looking 5. Heaviness 6. Works in a restaurant

QUICK QUIZ 1. Which character was the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Disney’s Fantasia?

2. What kind of creatures live in a formicary?

3. Who established the Metropolitan Police?

4. In which city was the Titanic built?

5. Who was the first person to swim the English Channel?

6. Urtica dioica is the botanical name for which plant?

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Dog. 7 Sample. 8 Reared. 9 Talent.

10 Wreath. 11 Oat. 12 Healer. 14 Hostel.

17 Trucks. 21 Belong. 24 Use. 25 Instep. 26 Assert.

27 Caller. 28 Terror. 29 Buy. DOWN: 1 Damage. 2 Appeal. 3 Debtor.

4 Growth. 5 Caress. 6 Gentle. 12 Hat. 13 Elk. 15 Ore. 16 Lag. 18 Runway. 19 Cattle. 20 Superb.

21 Beauty. 22 Lustre. 23 Narrow.

QUICK QUIZ 1 Mickey Mouse. 2 Ants. 3 Robert Peel.

4 Belfast. 5 Captain Matthew Webb. 6 The stinging nettle.

HONEYCOMB 1 Banana. 2 Grease. 3 Senior. 4 Seeing.

5 Weight. 6 Waiter.

Inner life

9 March 2013 The War Cry

A MAN goes up to the coach that is about to carry him away from his sunny holiday destination. Armed with a pair of pliers, he sabotages one of the tyres before returning to the swimming pool. In its TV ad, one travel agency is suggesting that it provides ‘holidays you won’t want to return from’.

It’s good to take a break, whether that means a holiday at home or abroad, a day out or just a walk in the countryside or a stroll in the park.

Jesus sometimes went up a hillside or a mountain to rest from the demands of crowds who wanted his teaching and healing of body and mind.

On one such occasion, he took Peter and two other disciples with him to pray on a mountain.

As he did so, ‘the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning’ (Luke 9:29 New International Version). He was joined by two significant men from Jewish history: Moses and Elijah.

This ‘transfiguration’ had a profound effect on Peter. He wanted to preserve the special moment by building a lasting memorial. But then a cloud covered them, and they heard a voice saying: ‘This is my Son,

CROSS ROADS

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In the lead-up to Easter, ROSEMARY DAWSON looks at crucial moments in the life of Jesus

2: The Transfiguration

It’s great to get away from it all. But at some point we have to deal with difficult situations

whom I have chosen; listen to him’ (9:35).

Peter wanted to prolong the experience, to stay on the mountain, far away from the stresses of everyday life. Who could blame him?

It’s great to get away from it all. But, however much we push difficult decisions or situations from our minds, at some point we have to deal with them.

Pretending they don’t exist or hoping they go away only delays the inevitable, and sometimes makes things worse.

Jesus knew where his destiny lay: at the foot of the mountain, with the people who needed him, and eventually with death on a cross. He faced his fears headon, with the assurance that God was with him all the way.

God is there for us too. In the big moments or everyday uncertainties, we can count on him.

O Next week: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

LOOKING FOR HELP? 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

Library picture posed by model

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The War Cry 9 March 2013

Food for thought JENNIFER HEATON

Anchor is a shore thing AN old hymn asks: ‘Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?’

I couldn’t help but hum the tune as my husband and I walked along the seashore at Ravenglass on the west coast of Cumbria.

by JENNIFER HEATON and me a long time to adjust. But we have been helped by our decision to rely on the love of God to hold us fast.

In the Bible, God’s Son, Jesus, says: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28 New International Version).

Jesus is willing to guide us and help us through our darkest hours. He is

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strong enough to heal our deepest emotional wounds. Sometimes his love is clear to see.

Sometimes it is shown indirectly, through the care and concern of friends.

When our problems feel as if they will overwhelm us, we can rely on God not to let us down. It is worth putting our trust in his life-changing love, because then we need never feel cut adrift.

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In front of us was a huge, rusty anchor. It must have been there for years. It was securely fixed, but the ship that had been attached to it had long gone. I wondered what was the story behind it.

Whatever this anchor’s history, I was also prompted to consider what I see as ‘anchors’ in my own life – and to reflect on whether or not they had helped me through my personal storms.

It is more than ten years since our son Jonathan died. During that time of bereavement, I have needed a very strong anchor to stop me drifting into the depths of sorrow and self-pity.

On that day in October 2002, my life changed in an instant. It changed for ever.

It has taken my husband

The anchor at Ravenglass

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9 March 2013 The War Cry

What’s cooking?

Chicken and vegetable spring rolls

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

Chicken and plum curry

Ingredients: For the filling 2 chicken breasts, cut into bitesized chunks 1tbsp vegetable oil 1½ tbsp light soy sauce 1tsp lemon juice 2 mushrooms, sliced 1 carrot, finely sliced 1½ cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1tsp ground ginger 1tsp paprika 85g bean sprouts 1 spring onion, finely sliced 1tbsp cornflour, mixed with 1tbsp water 12 spring roll wraps 4tbsp olive oil

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Method: Fry the chicken in the vegetable oil over a medium heat, then pour in the soy sauce. Add the lemon juice, mushrooms, carrot, garlic, ginger, paprika, bean sprouts and spring onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

Place a wrap on the worktop and fill the centre with a little of the chicken mixture. Fold in the top and bottom edges, then glaze all round the edge of the wrap with the cornflour mixture, before rolling up.

(Glazing will stop it from unfolding in the pan.) Repeat this process with the remaining 11 wraps.

Pour the olive oil into a pan and fry each wrap until it turns SUDOKU SOLUTION light brown, then serve.

Makes 12

Ingredients: 4tbsp vegetable oil 2 onions, diced 1 carrot, finely sliced 1 celery stick, finely sliced 600ml water 3½ tbsp curry paste 4 chicken breasts, sliced 10 plums, peeled, stones removed and diced 4 mushrooms, sliced 135g fresh or tinned peas ½ red pepper, finely sliced 5g sultanas 1 small apple, diced, cored and peeled Salt and pepper, to taste Method: Boil the plum pieces for 3 minutes, then drain. Set aside.

Put the vegetable oil in a wok. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables turn light brown.

Add the water and stir in the curry paste. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the chicken, plums, mushrooms, peas, red pepper, sultanas and apple to the mixture and cook for a further 15–20 minutes. Serve with boiled rice.

Serves 6

ROADWORTHY? Oz and Theodora make tracks

Magician is not in Kansas any more

YOUR LOCAL SALVATION ARMY CENTRE

writes RENÉE DAVIS

CINEMAGOERS are off to see the wonderful wizard of Oz again.

Many love the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, but Oz the Great and Powerful, released yesterday (Friday 8 March), tells how the wizard came to be.

James Franco stars as Oscar ‘Oz’ Diggs, a circus magician whose tricks don’t always work. After a disastrous show, he flees Kansas in his hot-air balloon.

When a deadly tornado strikes, he cries out for another chance to live a better life and do great things. He lands in a place that also happens to be called Oz. Sisters and witches Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz) tell

© Disney Enterprises, Inc

Oz that he is the great wizard told of in a prophecy, one who can rule the land if he rids it of the wicked witch.

Oz knows he does not have the required wizard powers, but – lured by fame and fortune – he plays along. He sets out along the yellow brick road to find the witch. It’s a dangerous ploy.

Along the way, Oz meets third sister Glinda (Michelle Williams).

She knows that he isn’t who he says he is, but convinces him he has more qualities inside him than he thinks.

Perhaps this is Oz’s chance to do great things.

Maybe he needs to put aside selfish ambition and take on responsibility.

Perhaps this is Oz’s chance to do great things

Oz may be a bit of a mixed character, but he is hardly alone. Perhaps there are times when we put our selfish aims before our responsibilities towards family or friends.

Maybe we are sometimes not entirely truthful in order to get what we want.

We could do with a second chance – with an opportunity to live a better life. We can have one.

Jesus came into our world to show us the truth about ourselves and God. He was not bluffing when he said that we could be forgiven for the times we have been selfish – and that by putting our trust in him we could discover ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10 Good News Bible).

There’s no doubt about it.

Jesus’ way is the best one we can follow.

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Printed by Wyndeham Grange, Southwick. © Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army, 2013