Issuu

SINCE

1879

6 July 2019 20p/25c

S YEAARRCRY 140 W THE OF

ON THEIR BIKES

MAKING EVERY DAY COUNT Network supports the early years of childhood

Tour de France starts its early stages

WILD ABOUT BORNEO Judi Dench goes on location

She has survived GLORIA GAYNOR ON THE TOUGH TIMES AND TURNING POINTS BEHIND HER NEW ALBUM ‘TESTIMONY’

What is The Salvation Army?

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in over 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

From the editor’s desk PRIMARY school children in Wales are hoping to clean up at Pontypool Indoor Market when they start selling their own brand of soap on Monday (8 July). The year five pupils from George Street Primary School have produced palm oil-free soap bars after learning about the deforestation caused by palm oil plantations. They hope that selling their soap will help to educate the adults who buy it. According to environmental charity WWF, the oil can be found in almost 50 per cent of all packaged products in supermarkets. It says that, to meet demand, vast swathes of the world’s rainforests are being destroyed to give land over to growing the palm trees. The children’s action is well timed. This week ITV showed the first part of Judi Dench’s Wild Borneo Adventure. In the series, the actress visits the rainforest on the island. There she witnesses the devastating effect the demand for palm oil is having on an area she describes as ‘the lungs of the world’ because of the part it plays in reducing the planet’s carbon emissions. But the programme does more than just highlight the environmental challenges the rainforest is facing. As we report in this week’s War Cry, Judi also discovers the beauty of the forest with its 3,000 types of trees and she highlights the way new species of flora and fauna are being discovered each year within it. As we view such scenes on our TV screens, we have to acknowledge the part we need to play to help secure the forest’s future. The demands we make on the Earth, both individually and collectively, cannot be at the expense of the planet as a whole. We need to come clean: most of us can find more environmentally friendly ways to live. And the time to act is now – before it is too late.

What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

SINCE 1879

140 YEARS

OF THE WAR CRY Issue No 7430

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight War Cry office: 020 7367 4900 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Contents

Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant

Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England and Wales is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

FEATURES 3

The line of Judi Actress explores rainforest

Jersey cream A century of yellow at the Tour de France

Not just toddling on Parents make each day count

More than surviving Gloria Gaynor talks about her gospel album

REGULARS 4

News and media

Browsing the Bible

Now, there’s a thought!

14 Puzzles 15

What’s cooking? Front-page picture: Shutterstock.com

Atlantic Productions

6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • TELEVISION 3

BORN TO BE

WILD

UNTING for crocodiles, speedboating down a mighty river, exploring coral reefs and hanging out with orphan orangutans are all on the itinerary in Judi Dench’s Wild Borneo Adventure, which concludes on ITV on Tuesday (9 July). During the two-part series, Dame Judi discovers more about one of the richest rainforest ecosystems on the planet, where new species are still being discovered. Guided by conservationists and experts, she meets a winged mammal called the kubong, a diligent dung beetle, and a snake she nicknames James Bond. She expresses unbridled delight about the diversity that surrounds her. In last week’s episode, the actress flew by helicopter 125 miles into the heart of the rainforest. She was awestruck by the views below, remarking: ‘It is spectacular. I never imagined it would be quite so overpowering to look at. It’s like flying over broccoli!’ Later Judi was winched up one of the rainforest’s tallest trees, which soars to a height of more than 100 metres. It provided her with a view of the canopy, which sustains up to 30 per cent of rainforest life. Being in the jungle also stirred another of Judi’s senses. She heard its symphony, which croaked into life at dusk

Meeting an orphaned baby orangutan

Judi Dench flies high in jungle adventure, writes Emily Bright Judi is hoisted up to the rainforest canopy

with cicadas, grasshoppers and crickets. She was struck by the sheer scale of the insect kingdom, learning that as many as 80,000 species coexist within the Borneo rainforest. Throughout her journey, Judi is astonished at the rich ecosystem she encounters. ‘The jungle is beyond my wildest dreams,’ she says. ‘Around every corner there’s an extraordinary creature.’ Whether we see an orangutan swinging from rainforest trees or simply admire a butterfly in our back garden, there is beauty to behold wherever we look. Over many thousands of years, humankind has delighted in the world on which all life in its diversity depends.

She expresses delight about the diversity that surrounds her One Bible poet expressed joy when reflecting on the beauty of nature by praising God for his abundant provision. The writer enthused: ‘How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures’ (Psalm 104:24 New International Version). The writer believed that the richness of life derived from a magnificent and mighty God and that all life depended on him. Many other people have expressed their irrepressible joy that they could encounter such a God in their everyday existence, knowing he would sustain them through whatever they faced. We may feel that our springs of strength have dried up, or that we are falling prey to our circumstances. However, God offers us a rich abundance of life and love, if we’re willing to walk towards him. He can strengthen us with his peace, love and guidance. We may feel that our lives are rooted in past mistakes, broken relationships or difficulties, but we have a tremendous chance to grow closer to God.

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

Salvation Army backs refugee resettlement plans THOUSANDS of refugees will be resettled under a new government scheme that has received the backing of The Salvation Army. Home secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to resettle approximately 5,000 of the world’s most vulnerable refugees within 12 months of the

new scheme starting next year. He also pledged to establish a process to speed up emergency resettlement. Launching the initiative in the Houses of Parliament, the home secretary set out his plans as part of a roundtable with faith leaders on resettlement, asylum and faith-based persecution. The community sponsorship programme, which allows faith groups, charities and businesses to help resettle refugees, will continue. ‘This is welcome news from the government,’ says The Salvation Army’s refugee response co-ordinator Major Nick Coke, who attended the meeting. ‘The Salvation Army has worked with local authorities across the UK, engaging with refugee resettlement since 2016. TWO Christian Aid campaigners cycled 160 miles from their home ‘We were also one of the very first organisations to embrace in Hampshire to Westminster and back to join thousands of others the community sponsorship scheme, so we know first-hand the lobbying their MPs on climate change. life-saving impact this support is having on people who have fled conflict and persecution.’ Husband and wife Wayne and Sian Andrews joined the mass lobbying event The Time is Now, which was organised by the Climate Coalition. During the event, supporters of Christian Aid, Surfers Against Sewage, the Women’s Institute and other groups met with MPs THE government has issued a renewed call for churches to urge them to tackle to utilise its £10 million green energy fund. climate change. Communities across England can apply for feasibility Campaigners also grants of up to £40,000 for projects involving solar battery set off alarm clocks and storage, wind power, hydroelectricity and geothermal mobile phone alarms heat. at 2 pm to signal that it Further grants of up to £100,000 will also be issued for was time to take action business development and planning applications. The on the issue. government hopes the grants will help to increase energy ‘The Earth’s alarm self-sufficiency in rural communities and boost jobs in clock is ringing and our green technology. MPs have to wake up,’ ‘This £10 million fund can help sports clubs, churches explained Sian, who is and schools not only save money and reduce emissions a member of St Luke’s by creating their own clean energy, but also make money Church in Hedge End. by selling it back to the grid,’ said energy and clean ‘I want to stand up growth minister Chris Skidmore. against injustice and More than 150 rural communities have already benefited poverty, and climate from grants for the energy saving initiative, generating change is one of the enough electricity to power almost 30,000 homes. greatest injustices Among its applicants is Salisbury Cathedral, which is being faced by people looking to install solar panels on the roof of its cloisters. today.’

Bike riders push for action at climate change lobby

Government wants churches to use green grants

A GP SURGERY is prescribing in-house n chaplaincy services to tackle the ‘spiritual needs’ of patients, according to The Times.

Karis Medical Centre in west Birmingham has an in-house chaplain who can listen to patients and help them tackle spiritual issues that could have an impact on their health. The chaplain is funded by the local healthcare authority. Chaplaincy referrals have included ‘a widow suffering from depression and insomnia … and an alcoholic homeless man’ whose life was transformed by joining a church. The head of Karis Medical Care Practice, Dr Rob Bryson, explained: ‘There are factors in our humanity which are not just emotional: they are issues to do with meaning, belonging, connectedness, hope and being valued. They seem to matter a lot in healthcare. ‘We are all overwhelmed in general practice with distressed people. And when we know there is someone who can be trusted to help with this person and walk alongside them, then I think we all want it.’

A COMMUNITY peace project created at an n Edinburgh church has received an endorsement from the House of Commons.

Thirteen MPs signed an early day motion commending Duddingston Kirk’s pebble mosaic path of peace. Located in the green spaces connected with church, the path was built by volunteers and children from primary schools. Tens of thousands of colourful stones sourced from Scottish quarries and countries as far away as Japan adorn the path to create peace symbols such as hearts and doves. A metal vine sculpture built next to the path allows people to inscribe the name of a loved one on a copper leaf and place it on one of 170 pegs. Visitors are invited to lay flowers at the base of the artwork, and a bench is provided for quiet reflection. Tabled by Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard, the early day motion paid tribute to ‘the hard work of volunteers to create a lasting legacy with a positive message for humankind at a time when a rhetoric of hate is increasing across the world’.

6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 5

AHEAD of The Salvation n Army’s annual Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking

on 22 September, churches are being encouraged to hold events to educate people within their communities about the issue. A guide suggesting prayers, Bible readings, biblical reflections and songs for the day has been created by the church and charity’s USA Southern Territory and International Social Justice Commission in New York. In its foreword, the guide explains: ‘Through the annual day of prayer, our churches will make commitments to take action to prevent human trafficking and exploitation in our local and global communities and to care for victims of this crime. Together, we can stop trafficking and bring God’s good news of freedom for the oppressed.’

CYCLING IS NOT AN EASY RIDE HEELS down. The Tour de W France gets under way today (Saturday 6 July), with riders rolling

Church of Scotland

A peace symbol on the path

Shutterstock

Briton Geraint Thomas wearing the yellow jersey last year

Winning is a team effort, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

out from Brussels for the first stage of the race. Over the next 23 days, riders in 22 teams will be competing to win the world’s biggest annual sporting event. This year marks 100 years of the yellow jersey, or maillot jaune, which is worn by the race leader at the end of the previous stage. It was introduced after the First World War by the creator of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange. The competition itself was set in motion to help increase the publicity of his sports newspaper L’Auto, which was printed on yellow paper, hence Desgrange’s choice of colour for the jersey. The ‘golden fleece’ has come to be associated with some of the best cyclists in history. Eddy Merckx still holds the record, having worn the yellow jersey 111 times throughout his career, the longest stretch being for 96 days. The jersey is a prized element of the race. Last year’s winner, Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas, told CNN: ‘Riding around wearing this [the yellow jersey] is the stuff of dreams.’ Whoever wins it and ultimately the race cannot do it alone, however. Riders race in teams, with one team leader being protected by the others. About his team-mates, Thomas said: ‘We have stuck together through tough times. I owe them a lot.’ Sporting competitions aren’t the only occasions when it is useful to be part of a team. Having a support system can help us to stay on track during difficult days in our lives, and victories can be even sweeter when shared with others. Over the course of history, Christians have benefited from having someone who sticks with them, however rocky the terrain. Jesus, the Son of God, made a promise to his team of disciples, saying: ‘I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20 New International Version). If we team up with Jesus, we will find ourselves on a fast track to the best that he has to offer: adventures beyond our wildest dreams, support in tough times and the promise of his presence throughout the twists and turns of life.

We have stuck together through tough times

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

to be counted on JOANNA GORDON tells Sarah Olowofoyeku about a network that helps parent-and-toddler group leaders to make the days count

JOURNEY to Mars and back would take the same length of time as it takes an undergraduate to earn a degree in the UK – approximately 1,277 days. It is also the amount of time that elapses between a child being born and going to nursery. The people who make up the national network 1277 don’t have their heads in the clouds, nor do they have their noses in academic books. Their focus is on those crucial developmental days in a child’s life. The motto of 1277 is: ‘Make them count.’ Joanna Gordon, who is linked with the informal network of church-based toddler groups through her own toddler group work, says that 1277 seeks to signpost and connect toddler group leaders and teams to information and support. ‘It was set up in 2009 when a number

of organisations, including The Salvation Army and Care for the Family, were putting together a Good Practice Guide for Parentand-Toddler Groups. The organisations then became aware that lots of churches were running toddler groups, but there wasn’t any connection between them.’ The mum of three and former teacher believes that toddler groups are essential.

I was lonely. I wanted to have a space where I could be known She describes them as ‘environments in which families and children can be nurtured’. Twenty-two years ago, Joanna set up her toddler group called Daniel’s Den.

Parents, toddlers and volunteers enjoy activities in the park

‘I had been a teacher for many years and felt that parents were looking to me to teach their children basics that I think parents should have taught at home,’ she says. She was also motivated to start the group by the birth of her son, who was four months old when the first Daniel’s Den session took place. Joanna had been struggling and wanted help to prevent other parents from experiencing the same issues. ‘I was lonely and isolated,’ she recalls. ‘I wanted to have a space where I could know and be known within a community. ‘I called it Daniel’s Den because of the story of Daniel and the lion’s den in the Bible. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he prayed to God, and he got out of the lion’s den because he prayed to God. People often pray that God will bless them with a child and then they have a child and it feels as though they are in a den of lions, a scary place.’ Daniel’s Den is a Christian charity, but Joanna believes that the group is for everyone. She says she wants it to be a place where people feel as though they matter and have a sense of belonging. ‘Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and people of no faith come,’ she adds. ‘We feel that Daniel’s Den should be accessible, and everyone should feel welcome. It is what people are looking for and what they want for their children.’ The members of Daniel’s Den treasure the sense of community and support they receive from each other. Joanna tells the story of a woman who had been dealing with postnatal depression while raising three children under the age of five. She

6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

Joanna Gordon

1277 helps us consider how we can be effective in our communities was apprehensive about going to the toddler group but, encouraged by her friend, she decided to attend. ‘She came one Tuesday,’ says Joanna, ‘and she left eight years later.’ Daniel’s Den, based in Brent, northwest London, works with about 300 families from 45 nationalities across six venues. ‘We offer the love of Christ in a language that everyone understands,’ she says. ‘We also offer parenting support, both implicitly – by modelling behaviour during play in the group – and explicitly – by giving out parenting cards or running courses.’ She shares the ideas that are working well for Daniel’s Den with other toddler group leaders via a 1277 Facebook group. About 1,700 leaders from across the country are connected virtually through the Facebook group, enabling them to exchange ideas and ask questions. ‘We’ve all got our strengths and our weaknesses,’ Joanna says. ‘So 1277 gives us an opportunity to support each other, and consider how we can be effective in reaching our communities.’ Prayer is one thing that 1277 believes is valuable to the work being done by toddler groups across the country. During the network’s month of prayer last month, it reflected on how faith could be compared to a mustard seed. ‘The idea was that much can grow from little things,’ Joanna explains. ‘We want toddler groups to grow into spaces where families of all shapes and sizes can come and feel secure. ‘We want to provide an environment where each person can be valued as an individual. As a church we should be able to offer an unconditional welcome to all.’

8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

G loria hallelujah! 6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9

GLORIA GAYNOR tells Philip Halcrow about the faith that has led her to record an album of gospel songs

T first in the song, Gloria Gaynor is singing about being afraid – perhaps even petrified. She evokes the sense of being hurt and thinking that you can’t go on living in the same way. But the song is, in the end, about weathering the storm. She reassures listeners that ‘no matter how bad it feels’, they can know that ‘God is able’, and she encourages them to lay their troubles ‘at his feet’. The sentiments of that song, ‘Joy Comes in the Morning’, are on repeat throughout her new album, Testimony, a collection of gospel songs. It is 40 years since Gloria Gaynor reached No 1 in the US and UK singles charts with ‘I Will Survive’. But, although the disco of that million-seller and the gospel of her latest release may sound poles apart, Gloria says that the music on both is linked. The title Testimony suggests a story of faith, and Gloria sees ‘I Will Survive’ as being part

I really feel that ‘I Will Survive’ was a tap on the shoulder from God of a key moment in the development of her relationship with God. She even references the era in some extra words she has added to the Christian classic ‘Amazing Grace’, which appears on the album. ‘There was a time,’ she sings, ‘when I was broken,/ Didn’t know which way to turn./ I was paralysed, wondering why,/ Hanging on to hope by a thread.’ Gloria explains: ‘“Amazing Grace” tells my

story. It refers to the time when I had fallen onstage at the Beacon Theater and the next morning woke up paralysed from the waist down. That was a wake-up call.’ The story of what happened next has gone down in pop history. Her future with her record company was looking bleak. Then a song that had been planned as a B-side – and which she recorded while wearing a back brace – became a huge hit, outstripping the variable chart successes she had achieved with disco reworkings of songs such as the Jackson 5’s ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ and the Four Tops’ ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’. Looking back, Gloria reflects: ‘I really feel that “I Will Survive” was a tap on the shoulder from God, saying: “I’m here and I’m going to help you through this time of hospitalisation, surgery, paralysis. I’m going to help you in the hope that you will recognise my presence in your life and begin to follow me.”’ It was not the last time that Gloria would feel God urging her to recognise his presence. Nor was it the first time that she had thought about God. ‘Years after I became serious about my faith and was baptised, thinking it was for the first time, I found an old baptism certificate from when I was 16 years old,’ she says. ‘And the memories came flooding back of how I had gone to my mother and told her that I wanted to dedicate my life to God. None of my family had been baptised and none of them went to church regularly except my grandmother. But I decided I wanted to go to church and to dedicate my life to God.’ When Gloria tells the story of what may have prompted her to go to church, she does

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10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

From page 9

so with interjections of laughter. It was, she recalls, a ‘silly incident’. Gloria saw a copy of a periodical that printed ‘sensationalised stories, 99 per cent of which were made up – and I read an article that said that the Earth was going to collide with the Moon. As a teenager, I believed it. ‘After that, it seemed to me that the Moon was getting bigger every night. When I saw it getting bigger and bigger, I thought: “Oh no! It’s going to happen.” ‘One night I woke up to go to the bathroom,

let them die in their sleep rather than wake them up and make them suffer with me. ‘So I decided just to go to bed and pray that the Lord would take us to Heaven when we died. ‘Of course, I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining and everything was fine. Later that day, I learnt that the crashing noise I’d heard was the first international jet flying out from the relatively new Newark airport – we were in the flight path. The flight had been delayed by the fog that I had seen, and the fog had been so red because the bar across the street from my house had forgotten to turn off its neon sign. ‘Looking back, I think it’s amazing how all those elements came together to feed the Gloria sings in imagination of a teenager – and all started by a ridiculous article. Miami last year ‘But I decided that I needed to get in touch with God in case something terrible did happen.’ Gloria began attending church and was baptised. In time, though, she felt that her church was not teaching her how to connect faith with her everyday life. ‘So I drifted away from it,’ she says. Although she could say goodbye to her church, God was not going to let her go. First

and on my way back to my bedroom I looked out the window and saw this red, thick fog that came right up to the building. I couldn’t see the ground or the neighbours’ window. I was thinking: “It’s happening! The Moon is colliding with the Earth!” ‘To make it worse, I heard this horrible, crashing noise, which I’d never heard before. I thought: “It’s happening and the buildings around are falling!” I was going to tell my family, but then I thought that if they were going to die, I should

Our lives were just performing and partying came the ‘tap on the shoulder’, when her cry for help after her accident was followed by the arrival of her hit about survival. It was followed up by another powerful experience. ‘My husband and I had gone out to California to do some shows for “I Will Survive”,’ she remembers. ‘Our lives at the time were just performing and partying. I was insecure and was trying to get in with the in-crowd and be a part of all that foolishness. ‘We were in our hotel suite with a group of acquaintances who we partied with. I don’t remember who they were. And I honestly don’t know what but, ever since, I have thought that something evil was about to happen and that I was going to be involved in it. ‘I remember the Holy Spirit grabbing me by the collar, as you might grab a little child that is playing with fire. And he said: “That is enough.” ‘I was visibly shaken. I ran to the bathroom, saying: “Oh my God!” And I realised that it was indeed my God that was pulling

6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11 PA

There can’t be anyone whose love for us is greater me away from that group of people. ‘I never went back to those kinds of parties again. It felt to me as if God was saying to the Devil: “This one is mine. You can’t have her. She dedicated her life to me. She forgot, but I haven’t.”’ Gloria slowly started to return to her faith. ‘Someone had given me a Bible, but I had never read it. I blew the dust off it and began to study it. Eventually I started to go to church, and my life was completely turned around.’ Bible passages struck a chord with her. She remembers: ‘The one that shook me to the core was Isaiah 7:14, which says: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”. When I realised that meant Jesus was God in the flesh and that he had come to show us the way, to guide us and be part of our lives, I was floored. I was amazed to think that he would do that out of love for us. And if he did that for us, how could we not let him guide our life? ‘There can’t be anyone whose love for us is greater and who so much wants what’s best for us. ‘So since then, back in 1982, God has been my guide in everything that I’ve done – which is not to say that I haven’t stepped away from his guidance from time to time and done what was comfortable. I have done that too many times. And when I have looked back, I’ve said to God: “What was I thinking? I’m so sorry.” I was sorry not because I had betrayed God, but because I’d been so stupid not to have walked in the path that’s best for me.’ Gloria’s desire to celebrate her relationship with God has sent her to a genre of music that she has known for years. She remembers listening to gospel music throughout her childhood, and enjoyed recordings by acts such as Sam Cooke, Shirley Caesar and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. Alongside new compositions, Testimony includes gospel standards ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ – and Gloria took an old-school approach to recording many of the tracks. ‘Much of the album was recorded with everybody in the studio at the same time, which isn’t done very much any more,’ she says. ‘It generates a spontaneous creativity that can only happen when people are together, inspiring

Gloria arriving in London the year after ‘I Will Survive’ went to No 1 one another.’ Gloria is glad finally to have fulfilled her longstanding desire to record an album of gospel music. She values the genre as a way of ‘imparting the love, the mercy and the grace of God and showing how much better life can be if we are surrounded by it. ‘I wanted to get back to the idea of gospel as reflecting a faith that can be at the centre of your being. ‘And that,’ she testifies, ‘is why I sing the new words to “Amazing Grace” – I wanted to show what amazing grace means to me and how it applies to my life.’

l Testimony is released on Gaither Music Group

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances. Send your requests to Prayerlink, War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your envelope ‘Confidential’.

Becoming a Christian 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 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. Amen

Lamentations

Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book in the Scriptures

S the book that bears his name testiA fies, the prophet Jeremiah had an unenviable God-given duty. He had to

warn the nation of Judah of its impending doom and explain that it was facing God’s punishment because of its spiritual unfaithfulness. The phrase ‘the word of the Lord’ dominates the Book of Jeremiah. By contrast, according to tradition, the Book of Lamentations is Jeremiah’s personal response to the fall of Jerusalem. Before it fell in 587BC, the city had been under siege for the better part of two years (see 2 Kings 25:1 and 2). Here, Jeremiah, in five separate laments, graphically recounts the realities. In the first, the once-bustling Jerusalem lies wasted, deserted, despised and desolate. Looted of its treasures, its citizens trade their dwindling possessions for food. The city is abandoned by allies and by God – all because of Judah’s intransigent sinfulness. In the second lament, God appears as an enemy. He has destroyed the nation, levelling her fortifications and abandoning the Temple. The onlooking world rejoices, while God is seemingly untouched by the grief and suffering of his people. The third lament is Jeremiah’s description of the personal effect that being God’s spokesman had on him. Mentally traumatised and physically emaciated, he is the butt of public rebuke. Consequently, he is bitter,

restless and cynical. But he is not totally disillusioned. He writes: ‘Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his

The once-bustling Jerusalem lies wasted, deserted, despised and desolate compassions never fail’ (3:21 and 22). It is a glimmer of light in the depths of his darkness. Restoration is possible. Jeremiah’s fourth lament contrasts Jerusalem’s present desolation with its earlier glory. Men are a shadow of their former selves. Children beg for food. The once wealthy are now destitute. Mothers are desperate, cooking their own children for food. In the fifth and final lament, Jerusalem is populated by widows and orphans. Leaders are tortured. Boys are put to hard labour. Women and girls are raped. Jeremiah prays for God’s mercy and restoration.

Key verse

w ‘Though he brings grief, he will sho g compassion, so great is his unfailin 2 3:3 love’ (Lamentations New International Version)

Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Looking for help? Just complete this coupon and send it to War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army Contact details of a Salvation Army minister

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6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Audrey Fairbrother

QUICK QUIZ 1. Who played the populist politician Vivienne Rook in the TV drama series Years and Years? 2. What is the standard monetary unit of South Africa? 3. Which journalist wrote the books Catastrophe and The Secret War? 4. Who had a No 1 hit in 1962 with the song ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’? 5. In physics, what is mass times velocity? 6. Which country won the Fifa World Cup last year? ANSWERS 1. Emma Thompson. 2. The rand. 3. Max Hastings. 4. Ray Charles. 5. Momentum. 6. France.

CBAD a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk Twitter: @TheWarCryUK Facebook.com/TheWarCryUK

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Hide-and-seek was a real curtain-raiser IDE-and-seek has been a popular game for generations of H children. I remember as a child the thrill of looking for a spot to hide where my friends would struggle to find me.

One of my granddaughters, Grace, used to love to hide. When I went to visit, I would have to search for her. On one particular occasion, as I was arriving at her house, I saw her standing on the front bay windowsill. She thought she had found a brilliant hiding place behind the lounge curtain, but was unaware that from outside the house I could see her. Of course, when I went inside I still began a She thought for her, much to her delight. she had found search There are times in life when the desire to hide is not a game. We may feel that we want a brilliant to go into hiding, away from pressures and hiding place stresses. Sometimes we might even want to be hidden from certain individuals. Facing our responsibilities can be difficult, but it is hard to escape from them. The Bible tells how a man named David went through many tough situations. There were times when he felt as though he wanted to hide from his circumstances. But he realised that, while he could not get away from the challenges, God knew how he was feeling and that there was equally no hiding place from his loving care. David asked God: ‘Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me’ (Psalm 139:7–10 New International Version). Rather than hide from difficulties, we can seek out the guiding, strengthening and loving hand of God and find that he will help us to face our challenges.

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 6 July 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1. Well liked (7) 5. Indian lute (5) 7. Sport venue (7) 8. Disturb (5) 10. Small insects (4) 11. Break into pieces (8) 13. Fruit (6) 14. Respiratory condition (6) 17. Recollect (8) 19. Correct (4) 21. Tool (5) 22. Lighten (7) 23. Flowers (5) 24. Playhouse (7)

2. Ghost (7) 3. Meat joint (4) 4. Note (6) 5. Slow (8) 6. Sample (5) 7. Smashed (9) 9. Private conversation (4-1-4)

HONEYCOMB

12. Incitement (8) 15. Gather crops (7) 16. Seek out (6) 18. Injures (5) 20. Tropical plant (4)

SUDOKU

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

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

1. Donkey friend of Winnie-the-Pooh 2. Solicitor 3. Scandinavian country 4. In abundance 5. Book in the New Testament 6. Red fruit used in salads

WORDSEARCH

ANSWERS

CANDOR CONFIDENCE FAITHFULNESS FIDELITY FRANKNESS GENUINE HONOUR INTEGRITY LOYALTY PRINCIPLE RECTITUDE RIGHTEOUSNESS SINCERITY STRAIGHTFORWARD TRUSTWORTHY TRUTHFUL VERACITY VIRTUOUS

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on 5 2words 6 associated 1 7 3 with 8 honesty 4 9 the grid to find these

1 9 7 5 8 4 3 2 6 I U B L Z Y P B X L Q S X P M X H X 8 4 3 9 2 6 5 7 1 K V A F S X R E I V G U X M X O J X 9 I 8F Z T U O B Z N V A H 2 7 3 5 6 1 4 Y T I L E D H S N X R E N S C L O U A O V K C C 7 3 1 4 6 9 2 8 5 T E Z I O Y C I W R L T U I O W F Z 5 2 1 I 8 T Y W S C 9 3 7 R P B S V T 4 I 6 N T E G R O I P F B I 6P C E G F 1 4 8 9I H R M X J 2 7 5 3Z W H G L O C L E N D A V E L M Z B I 3 7 8 6 I C U A U Z B M 5 1 4 9 2 T Q O H S A E R G K S W Y S T R A F O R W A R D 2 5I G H T 9 3 4 7 1 6 8 U G A C P E Z T B I H E N I U N E G R X V P A V O Y T T F U E O B D S S T S G R V N T U U P U H J J C N V J J Y N Y U L D R S N L G U C S X B P P W V S A E T O Z N N P K U W B P N K B W Y Z Y Z L R X E V L R K R O M L N O F R A N K N E S S N A E L Y Z N L Z J H J N Y Y Z S Z S X B Y F M

HONEYCOMB 1 Eeyore. 2 Lawyer. 3 Norway. 4 Galore. 5 Romans. 6 Tomato. QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Popular. 5 Sitar. 7 Stadium. 8 Upset. 10 Ants. 11 Fragment. 13 Tomato. 14 Asthma. 17 Remember. 19 True. 21 Drill. 22 Relieve. 23 Roses. 24 Theatre. DOWN: 2 Phantom. 3 Loin. 4 Remark. 5 Sluggish. 6 Taste. 7 Shattered. 9 Tête-à-tête. 12 Stimulus. 15 Harvest. 16 Ferret. 18 Maims. 20 Aloe.

9 8 4 5 1 2 3 7 6

3 6 8 2 4 7 9 5 1

4 5 9 1 6 3 2 8 7

7 1 2 8 9 5 6 4 3

1 4 7 9 2 6 5 3 8

6 9 5 3 8 1 7 2 4

8 2 3 7 5 4 1 6 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

9 8

3 6

4 5

7 1

1 4

6 9

8 2

6 July 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Tofu steak with coconut and lemongrass rice 50g frozen soya beans 2 sticks lemongrass

10g fresh coriander, chopped

150ml reduced-fat coconut milk

2 large spring onions, finely sliced

150ml water

2tsp black sesame seeds

100g brown rice, rinsed 1½ tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce 2tbsp lemon juice 1tsp sesame oil 1tbsp cornflour 300g firm tofu

SERVES

Pinch salt

Pinch ground black pepper 1tbsp groundnut oil

Roasted cauliflower, grape and Wensleydale salad 1 medium cauliflower, broken into small florets

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas Mark 6.

2tbsp olive oil Pinch salt Pinch ground black pepper 1tbsp lemon juice 1tsp Dijon mustard 25g sultanas 40g vegetarian Wensleydale cheese, crumbled 60g seedless red grapes 2tbsp walnuts, crushed

SERVES

Place the cauliflower in a bowl and toss with 1tbsp oil. Season well and spread on a suitable oven tray. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until nicely browned. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, to make a dressing, mix the remaining oil with the lemon juice and mustard in a bowl. Add the sultanas and leave to soak.

1tbsp mixed seeds

Once the cauliflower is cooked, place it in a bowl with the cheese and grapes.

10g fresh parsley, chopped

Toss together with the dressing. Sprinkle with the walnuts, seeds and parsley to serve.

Bruise the lemongrass by lightly crushing it with a rolling pin or knife handle. Place it in a saucepan together with the water and coconut milk. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the rice. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. To make a dressing, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice and sesame oil in a small bowl. To prepare a coating for the tofu, place the cornflour on a small plate and season. Lay the tofu on kitchen roll and gently squeeze it dry. Cut into 4 slices lengthways and coat with the cornflour mixture. Heat the groundnut oil in a large non-stick frying pan until it begins to smoke, then add the tofu and cook each side for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Once the rice is cooked, remove the lemongrass and stir in the soya beans, coriander and spring onions. Set aside for 5 minutes. Place the rice and tofu on two plates. Drizzle the soy dressing over the tofu and sprinkle with the sesame seeds to serve. Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org

The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope Psalm 34:18 (Good News Bible)