War Cry 11 November

Translators put their belief into words

WAR CRY

11 November 2023 50p/60c

Much ado about something TV and radio programmes mark Shakespearean anniversary

Military service led to unexpected life battles

What is The Salvation Army?

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.

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.

WAR CRY Issue No 7653

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight

From the editor’s desk THE 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is a moment of time each year when many people across the UK pause in silence to remember the sacrifice of those people who have served their country in the armed forces – and those who continue to do so.

The date and time mark the moment when the guns fell silent as the First World War came to an end in 1918. People said it would be the war to end all wars. Yet in the 105 years since, wars have raged around the world, including today, as we see harrowing news pictures from places such as Ukraine and Gaza.

In this week’s War Cry, we speak with war veteran Kevin Russell who served as a medic with the British Army in Oman, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Although he left the military in 2005 the impact of what he experienced while working in war zones affected his life for many years afterwards.

Kevin tells us that he ‘went numb emotionally’ as a way to cope with living life under fire.

‘Locking my feelings away enabled me to do my job better, because I wasn’t worried about dying any more,’ he says.

In a candid interview, Kevin explains how suppressing his feelings led to a breakdown last year, leaving him scared to go out. After having PTSD diagnosed, he received specialist help, but he was also helped by his Christian faith.

‘When I was broken, it was God who put me back together,’ he tells us.

Kevin is not alone in that experience. Whether in the military ranks or on civvy street, millions of people the world over have experienced God helping them to put their broken lives back together. No life is so damaged that God cannot fix it, if he’s asked to – and that’s something well worth remembering.

When you’ve read the War Cry, why not pass it on ➔ ➔ ➔

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Lyndon Buckingham Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn Published weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

Printed by CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper

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INFO 15 Your local Salvation Army centre

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CONTENTS FEATURES

3

An old act to follow BBC marks a Shakespearean anniversary

6

Found in translation The people working to put the Bible into more languages

8

‘I had nightmares’ The effects of war on an army medic

13 Money talks Why financial matters matter REGULARS

4

Team Talk and War Cry World

14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC/72 FILMS/TOMI GACAS

Docuseries shines spotlight on Shakespeare’s life story TV preview by Emily Bright

F

OR years the works of playwright William Shakespeare have echoed around the globe in theatres, classrooms and lecture halls, as well as lighting up our TV and cinema screens. So it seems fitting that there are celebrations under way to mark the 400th anniversary of the compilation of his complete works into a single book.

The BBC is broadcasting popular film adaptations of his plays from years past as well as radio and TV programmes about his life and works – among them Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius, which began on BBC2 on Wednesday (8 November).

In the three-part docuseries, which features a dramatic reconstruction of Shakespeare’s life, actors including Judi Dench, Brian Cox and Jessie Buckley join historians and literature experts in exploring the Bard’s story.

The contributors discuss Shakespeare’s ambition, showmanship and personal tragedies – and his rise from a glover’s son in Stratford-upon-Avon to one of the world’s greatest writers.

The first episode started in the year 1587. Twenty-three-year-old William Shakespeare boldly decided to leave his wife and three children behind in search of

Actors Brian Cox and Judi Dench feature in the series

success in London. It wouldn’t be easy – the capital was overcrowded and rife with crime and disease.

But when he walked into a theatre, it unlocked a world that he’d never seen before. As a budding writer fascinated by history and literature, he threw himself into the theatrical world he had come to love and began to work his way up from stagehand to one of the most famous playwrights in history.

The programme tracks how he made a splash with his debut play, Titus Andronicus, which was packed with sex and violence, and tried to win over the monarchy and political elite through his history plays Henry VI and Richard III. Next Wednesday’s episode looks at how a family tragedy shook Will to the core, how his critics threatened to crush his career and how masterpieces such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet

Storytelling has power

flowed from his quill.

During the series, Judi Dench reflects on why the playwright is known as such a genius. ‘It’s his understanding of everything – of love, of anger, of jealousy, of rage, melancholy.’

She has a point. Shakespeare’s plays cover a wide spectrum of human experience, from tragedy to comedy, from murder to mirth and from romance to revenge. Storytelling has the power to change the way that we perceive the world.

And no work encapsulates the human condition more than the Bible. Many millions of people take heart from the true stories of courage, hope, lament and joy within its pages.

The Bible reveals how God loves us all so much that he gave everything to restore a relationship with us. Those who have taken its words to heart have had their lives transformed. Giving it a read for ourselves might be the greatest act of our lives.

11 November 2023 • WAR CRY • 3

BBC/72 FILMS

Love’s labour’s not lost

BBC/72 FILMS/TOMI GACAS

Shakespeare is brought to life by Daniel Boyarsky

Team talk TEAM WA

talk ‘ TALK’ j Grow on!

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters A FORMER tree of the year that had been chopped down to make way for the HS2 rail link is ‘alive and well, regrowing from its transplanted stump’, reported The Guardian.

According to the paper, the more than 250-year-old pear tree – situated in Warwickshire – became ‘a cause célèbre when it was first threatened with destruction’, with thousands signing a petition to save it. But despite having won the tree of the year award in 2015, ‘it was felled in 2020 by HS2 contractors’ and its stump replanted in a field 100 metres away.

‘It was feared that attempts to keep alive the much-loved tree … would fail because its trunk was hollow,’ explained reporter Patrick Barkham. ‘But to the delight of local people, the stump and rootball … is vigorously sprouting new shoots and leaves.’

Amy Middlemist, the landscape lead at the contractors Balfour Beatty Vinci, pointed out that ‘regrowth has happened because the tree’s root system, with the right amount of nutrients, has stored some of the energy produced in photosynthesis and directed it into new growth’.

I’ll take Amy’s word for it. Understanding the science of trees is not my strong point – but I’m glad to see that the ancient pear tree is showing signs of new life. It goes to show that, with the right timing, and with the right conditions, situations which may appear hopeless at first can find a way to get better.

Without wanting to sound too twee about it, I believe the same principle applies to people. Perhaps there have been times in our life when we have felt beaten down or uprooted. Maybe we think our time of flourishing is over.

It’s not. I believe that, when we know God, it’s always possible to make a fresh start in who we are. Leaving the past in the past, we can work on growing in God’s love, which strengthens us to become kinder, more joyful, more forgiving people. With the Bible as our spiritual food, we can find guidance for any situation that crops up in our lives.

When we root ourselves in God, it’s possible to thrive in ways we never imagined. Why not branch out and see?

Tatts great for Gogglebox vicar

A TATTOOED vicar has featured in the second series of a Welsh version of Gogglebox, reports news service Nation Cymru.

The Rev Kristie Griffiths, who says she ‘loves the art of tattoos’, appears in Gogglebocs Cymru on the Welsh language channel S4C, alongside her sister Annaly Jones.

Kristie, who serves 12 parish churches in Carmarthen, southwest Wales, is married to a professional tattooist.

Her left arm has a full sleeve of tattoos, including flowered crosses and the names of her daughters. She got her first tattoo when she was 35, 10 years before deciding to train as a vicar.

Ahead of the series, she said: ‘I’m definitely a bit of an anomaly but I think everyone is accepted at the table with God. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about love and acceptance.

‘I find that when I’m walking in my collar with my sleeves rolled up, it’s a conversation starter. People come up to chat to me about it and I really enjoy talking to people about what the Church really is.’

It’s always possible to make a fresh start

Team talk 4 • WAR CRY • 11 November 2023

Kristie with sister Annaly

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A VICAR in Shropshire has made headlines for spending two nights a week working in a pub.

According to the Mirror website, the Rev Gary Ward splits his time between running All Saints’ Church in Claverley and serving customers at the Crown Inn. He hopes that by working in the pub, it will help people to see that ‘vicars are just normal’. He also points out that bar work is an important part of his Christian outreach in the community.

‘I meet a lot of people who wouldn’t normally cross the church threshold,’ he says. ‘After a while chatting with people, it moves onto a deeper conversation. We haven’t gained loads of extra people to the church, but where it has helped is weddings and christenings. It’s making connections.’

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Football first for survivors

THE Salvation Army has staged what it believes to be the first football tournament for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery.

The event, which took place at a Goals five-a-side football centre in Birmingham, was held to celebrate the achievements of modern slavery survivors both on and off the pitch. It also reflected The Salvation Army’s belief that team sports improve participants’ physical and mental health.

Eleven teams, whose players are supported by the church and charity’s safe houses and outreach services across England and Wales, took part in the competition. The winning team was made up of survivors representing The Salvation Army’s partner, Hestia, in London.

Major Kathy Betteridge, The Salvation Army’s director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery, said: ‘Today’s event shows the importance of sport in helping people build physical and mental resilience and a strong sense of community as they rebuild their lives.’

Chosen convention draws thousands

Do you have a story to share?

MORE than 3,500 fans attended a convention in Dallas to celebrate The Chosen, a film series about the life of Jesus and his followers.

Supporters of the show from around the world, including Australia and South Korea, gathered at the Chosen Insider Conference to meet crew and cast.

‘It was overwhelming and beautiful to see over 3,000 people in one room cheering and laughing and celebrating our show,’ Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator, told Religion News Service. ‘But even better were the countless stories of impact viewers were able to tell us personally.’

One such viewer was Thomas Mathew Rodre, who said he attended the conference because he had a spiritual conversion after watching the first episode of the series eight months ago.

‘This scene where Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, redeemed Mary Magdalene, had such a spiritual impact on me. I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour right then and there,’ he said.

a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Education for Christians in AI

Jonathan Roumie preaches to the crowds as Jesus in ‘The Chosen’ COURTESY OF THE CHOSEN

A NETWORK has been established to help churches learn how to make the best use of AI technology.

The AI Christian Partnership is made up of organisations, including YouthScape, the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion and the Christian think tank Theos.

Chris Goswami, founder of the network, said: ‘How can we actually educate Christians to engage with AI in ways that align with the gospel, promote human flourishing and aren’t negative and scary? That is our goal.’

Chris, who is a Christian chaplain and blogger, is an advocate of a hybrid approach to using AI in church, for example by asking it to provide useful tools for a sermon without it writing the sermon completely. He believes that AI is an invaluable tool for church mission.

11 November 2023 • WAR CRY • 5

Now you’re

speaking my

language

T

UT KONY was only 10 years old when he left his home in south Sudan to escape the troops that had invaded his village. Some years later, he discovered a faith that gave him a certainty about where he would go when he died – a message particularly meaningful to someone born and raised in war.

Encouraged and excited by his newly found faith, he wanted to communicate it to others who, like him, were in need of hope.

‘I went to Darfur in Sudan to share about Christ,’ says the Rev Tut Kony. ‘I went to displaced camps where Christian organisations from all over the world rushed to help. We shared the love of Christ with the people we met, and many of them came to know the Lord.

‘They started house churches in Darfur, but the knowledge of the Bible of those who were leading was very shallow, so we took them on board for a disciple journey for six months before sending them back to their respective areas.

When they learnt that their language could be heard by God and they could pray in their language, they asked us when they could have a Bible in their own language.’

Tut says that he and his colleagues didn’t have an answer until they came into contact with mission organisation Unfolding Word, which carries out what it calls church-centric Bible translation (CCBT).

Through CCBT, churches contribute to the making of the translation that they will use. Unfolding Word believes that, by doing so, translations that are relevant to people’s contexts will be produced and they will also learn more about the Scriptures in the process.

‘People come to know the Lord,

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The Rev Tut Kony and Rick talk about their translation work, which helps people across the world understand the Bible in their mother tongue Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

The Rev Tut Kony

There are 7,000 languages spoken on the planet

because they know for the first time that God can speak to them and they can also speak to God in their own language.

‘Language is part and parcel of their identity. By bringing the gospel into their language, we are confirming that their identity is OK. God created them in their language and their tribes on purpose.

So we are preserving their language and they can see themselves as part of God’s mission in this world.’

There are 7,000 languages spoken on the planet, and the Bible is available in less than half of them. Rick is the

managing director of field operations at Unfolding Word, which offers translation training in countries in South America and East and North Africa.

‘We train church networks how to do Bible translation for themselves,’ he says.

‘We teach fundamentals first, starting with a set of simple stories that convey the message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in very simple language, so we can lay the foundation for how to

approach the translation. Then we begin to look at the Bible texts themselves, starting with narrative books such as Jonah and Ruth – which are fairly easy to translate – and then gradually build understanding that will allow the translation teams to deal with more difficult doctrinally weighty books such as Romans and Ephesians.’

The length of time it takes to complete a whole Bible translation varies,

The Bible answers the big questions of life

depending on how many people are working on the process. Rick estimates that a team of 20 people working full-time can complete a Bible in five years.

Although some people may question the value of investing so much time into translating the Bible into new languages, Rick is certain of the work’s importance.

‘Language is tied very closely to your understanding of reality,’ he says. ‘It’s how you communicate at the deepest part of who you are. So to have Scripture in your tongue produces the best understanding of what God intended in the message that he gave.

‘It also brings the simple but powerful realisation that God speaks your language. When it isn’t your mother tongue, there’s this impression that Christianity is for someone else and God doesn’t care about your language.’

And what is found in the Bible, says Rick, ‘are the answers to every big question of life – such as: where did we come from, where are we going, why are we here?’

Rick says: ‘I am very glad that I have the Bible in my own language. When I read it, it reminds me of who I am and helps me understand what I’ve been saved from. It is an indispensable guide to how God thinks about life and how I ought to think about life, how I ought to interact with my peers and colleagues and what I should do in the middle of all the world’s turmoil.

‘If I didn’t have Scripture, all I would have is the stuff that comes in my ears from all sources of media. Scripture is the source truth against which you can judge all these other things, so that you can keep your sanity in this world and live in peace.’ l For more information visit unfoldingworld.org

11 November 2023 • WAR CRY • 7

Finding mental

In 2003, Kevin served as a medic in Iraq

HO

To mark Remembrance Sunday (12 November), veteran KEVIN RUSSELL reflects on life in the British Army and how his faith in God helps him to cope with PTSD Interview by Claire Brine

‘I Kevin Russell

At the scene of a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, 2005 8 • WAR CRY • 11 November 2023

HEARD an explosion and saw a flash. Missiles were coming down. Suddenly, I thought: “I could die here. If a missile hits right now, I’d know nothing about it.” I kept walking, got the injured guy to the bunker and we were safe. But that night I couldn’t sleep. I just lay in bed, shaking.’

When Kevin Russell, a former medic in the British Army, talks about his military career – which took him to Oman, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan – there are certain stories that make for harrowing listening. In Iraq, particularly, the threat to his life triggered a reaction in him which, years later, resulted in a crushing diagnosis.

‘That night when I couldn’t sleep, I kept thinking about the missiles and how my number could have been up,’ he reflects. ‘The next morning, something happened to me that happens to a lot of soldiers and medics.

I went numb emotionally.

‘Locking my feelings away enabled me to do my job better, because I wasn’t worried about dying any more.

I could just get on with whatever was in front of me. But it also meant that I didn’t deal with anything – and that’s what led to my PTSD and, ultimately, a breakdown.’

In February last year, Kevin – who left the army in 2005 – told his wife, Lorna, that he ‘couldn’t do it any more’.

hope after the wounds of war

OPE HOPE After Iraq, Kevin completed three months in Afghanistan Admitting to battling suicidal thoughts, he phoned Combat Stress, the charity that provides clinical treatment and mental health support to military veterans.

‘I was signed off from work for five months,’ says Kevin, who today works as a Mental Health Act manager in Basildon.

‘During that first week, all I could do was cry. I was scared to go out. I knew things were bad, because taking my own life seemed to be a better option than facing my feelings. But I knew I couldn’t put my family through that.

‘After an appointment with a nurse who

explained to me how PTSD affects the brain, I had weekly appointments with a consultant psychiatrist. We talked about some of the events that I’d experienced in the army.

‘Sometimes I’d tell her a story which took me about 10 seconds to say out loud, but then she’d help me to pick it apart, and that’s when I realised that there was so much more to it. I had to find a way of making peace with all the things that had happened to me. I also had to accept that a lot of what happened wasn’t my fault.’

Kevin joined the army in 2000 and trained as a combat medical technician.

I went numb emotionally

Back home, marking Remembrance Sunday The idea of serving his country had appealed to him since childhood.

‘Initially, I wanted to be an infantry soldier,’ he says. ‘But in my final interview before I started basic training at Lichfield, I was convinced by a sergeant to join the medics. It felt like a great opportunity to develop and learn different skills, and there were opportunities all over the world. I remember thinking that I could get a good long career out of this.

‘My first job as a medic was with a general support regiment in Aldershot.

It was my job to treat casualties, then

Turn to page 10 f

11 November 2023 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9 send them back to the front line or transfer them to hospital, depending on their injuries. I’d also do the daily sick parade, dealing with soldiers’ coughs, colds, ingrown toenails and that sort of stuff.

‘Sometimes my duty was to be on the ambulance, which meant you were waiting for calls to come in, then you’d have to blue-light it off to wherever you were needed. I was trained to do field surgery, so I could do minor procedures like tracheotomies, but basically the medic’s job was to stabilise the casualties before evacuating them to a place where doctors could treat them properly.’

In 2001, Kevin spent three months in Oman, providing medical aid to the army, navy and air force troops taking part in Exercise Saif Sareera. The following year, he travelled to Bosnia, where he spent six months running a medical centre as part of a Nato peacekeeping mission.

‘There were no real threats during those times,’ he says. ‘Oman was good in that it was my first overseas job and I got used to how everything worked. In Bosnia, we were based up in the mountains, so it was a beautiful place to be.

‘Going to Iraq felt very different. It was the start of 2003, and we knew that we were going into a war situation. We didn’t know exactly what we would be facing.

But we came under fire from long-range missiles many times.’

It was during this time that Kevin began to consider the possibility that he might not make it home.

‘When the air-raid warnings went off, we used to go into these little shelters positioned next to our medical facility,’ he explains. ‘But if we had a casualty who was too ill to be moved – perhaps they had a spinal injury, for example – then a

medic would have to stay with them.

‘One day, my staff sergeant was asking for a volunteer to stay behind, and I offered. It sounds strange, but I said to him that I’d rather die than one of my colleagues. I had a faith – and I knew that many of them didn’t. I wanted to give them the chance to live.

‘At this point, another colleague piped up: “Yeah, I volunteer Padre to stay behind because God will look after him!”

Since basic training, I’d been given the affectionate nickname of Padre. Everyone knew I was a Christian.’

A few weeks later, when the air-raid siren sounded, Kevin remained with an injured soldier while missiles dropped nearby.

‘Everyone else went off to the shelter, but I stayed with this guy and tried to keep him calm,’ says Kevin. ‘He was very nervous and, in the end, said he wanted to move. Slowly, I helped him walk to the shelter, though we could hear these explosions happening around us. That was when I thought: “I might die here.”’

While Kevin was relieved to make it through the missile attack, he was finding

I thought: ‘I might die here’

Casualty evacuation training in Iraq with American Black Hawk Helicopters, 2003 10 • WAR CRY • 11 November 2023

In September 2022, Kevin travelled to Buckingham Palace to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II

it increasingly difficult to cope with the unpredictability of life in the military.

‘I was jumping from one thing to the other,’ he explains. ‘Being under fire is such a waiting game. There were a number of times when I thought I might die. You can imagine how stressful that is.

But then there were also days which were mundane because you were checking medical equipment or dealing with soldiers who had diarrhoea. Switching between the two was what we dealt with every day.

‘Through it all, I carried on. I knew there were problems, but I ignored how I felt and tried to lock everything away.’

In the toughest times, Kevin sought comfort from his Christian faith. His relationship with God had always been an important part of his life.

‘I was honest about it from the start,’ he says. ‘And I got the nickname Padre because my colleagues joked that I was on a “hotline to God”. Some of them wondered why I’d be reading my Bible before going on guard duty in the middle of the night. Others said: “When you’re bothering God tonight, can you mention this problem for me?”

‘If people wanted to ask me about faith, I’d always be happy to talk.

‘But in Iraq, my faith, which had always been quite strong, became unemotional. I knew that God was there, and I continued to pray and read my Bible, but I didn’t feel connected to him. I think I had locked up my feelings so much that

I struggled to hear him.’

In 2005, Kevin gave his notice to leave the army, wondering where God would lead him next. He married Lorna, settled in Basildon and worked in various temporary jobs. Then the army contacted him, asking him to consider being a reservist on tour in Afghanistan. He said yes.

‘It was supposed to be an easy tour for three months,’ he says. ‘But it all changed very quickly when a lone gunman came out and started shooting at two of our vehicles. One young lad lost his life, and six of the seven other soldiers had gunshot wounds. When they reached us, I tried to look after them. They were all in shock.

‘The worst incident of all was when we had to deal with a twin suicide bombing.

So many lives were lost that day. It had a major impact on my mental health.’

After serving his short stint in Afghanistan, Kevin returned home. He settled into married life and found another job. But adjusting to normal life after being in a war zone was difficult.

‘I had nightmares for a while,’ he says. ‘And I couldn’t deal with things. If I was out for a walk, I’d suddenly panic that someone had a rifle aimed at me.

Or if I heard a loud noise, I had to tell myself: “That’s not a bomb, it’s just a car backfiring.” Sometimes I found it hard to walk on the grass in the park, because I kept having to assure myself it wasn’t a Bosnian minefield.

I knew people were praying for me

‘I knew how I was feeling wasn’t good, but I kept on suppressing everything. I told myself I’d be fine. And then Covid happened.’

Working for the NHS through a global pandemic, caring for a father-in-law who had terminal cancer and also worrying about his own dad who had suffered a stroke pushed Kevin to the limit. He told Lorna that he couldn’t cope any more.

Struggling to see a way forwards, he ranted at God. ‘I asked him why this was happening to me,’ he says. ‘Having PTSD meant I couldn’t read my Bible. I couldn’t go to church. Going out the front door scared the life out of me. I was shattered. My confidence was at rock bottom.

‘But then I tried to rely on what I knew about God from the past. I knew he hadn’t changed. I knew that he was with me. I knew people at Basildon Salvation Army were praying for me. They knocked on Heaven’s door at a time when I couldn’t.

‘I also remembered that, in the Bible, it says that Jesus wept. And if Jesus could cry, then it was OK for me to cry too.’

With the help of therapy, medication, friends, a loving family and a faith in God, Kevin grew to accept his diagnosis and continues to find a way to live with it.

He is back at work, back at church, open about his mental health and slowly rebuilding his relationship with God. ‘When I was broken, it was God who put me back together,’ he says. ‘He guided my footsteps all the way through. I may not have a clue what the future holds for me, but I know that God has a plan for my life – and I’m open to whatever it might be.’

11 November 2023 • WAR CRY • 11

Wisdom in the words

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, Lon­don SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

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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.

Lydia Houghton explores song lyrics that have a note of truth about them

A Swift clean-up THREE albums, a sold-out tour and a film. Taylor Swift has had a busy year.

Her concert tour, the Eras Tour, is set to make $4.1 billion, and the accompanying film broke box office records before its release. After she smashed Madonna’s 36-year-old record for ‘most attended female concert in US history’, it’s fair to say that the singer-songwriter could get a permanent spot in the Guinness World Records book.

And that’s not all – Taylor has now released the re-recording of her 2014 album 1989 (Taylor’s Version). It’s a perfect opportunity for fans to take a trip down memory lane and discover a favourite song on the album ‘Clean’.

The track is awash with water-themed imagery, as Taylor sings about pouring rain and perfect storms. The song is renowned for its ambiguity, with arguably the most mysterious line being: ‘When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe.’ The chorus ends with the words: ‘And by morning, gone was any trace of you,/ I think I am finally clean.’

Another writer who had something to say about being clean was John, the author of a few books of the Bible.

Commenting on key principles of the Christian faith, he writes: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9 English Standard Version). While Taylor Swift’s lyrics convey a sense of a new start, John explains that we too can experience one by confessing to God the things we do wrong. If we do, we are reassured that God will forgive us.

Although we may still have to face the consequences of our wrong actions, God will show us how we can move on in our lives and not be held back by the traces of our past mistakes. There is a fresh start to be had.

Taylor Swift sings about being ‘clean’ by morning – but God can do that for us right now, if only we trust him to clean up our mistakes. His forgiveness signals the dawn of a brand-new life.

There is a fresh start to be had

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

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

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

Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 11 November 2023

Time to talk money

QUICK QUIZ 1

In the board game Scrabble, how many points is the letter ‘D’ worth?

2

Which country won this year’s Netball World Cup?

3 4

In the periodic table, which chemical element is represented by ‘Si’?

Buenos Aires is the capital city of which country?

5

Who wrote the children’s story A Bear Called Paddington?

6

Complete the proverb: Better late than…?

ANSWERS

Campaign encourages people to feel more confident about their finances Feature by Emily Bright

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ON’T talk about money, religion or politics – or so the saying goes. But Talk Money Week, which began on Monday (6 November), ignores the first of those rules and aims to generate conversations on the subject instead.

According to the campaign organisers, one in three people says that thinking about their financial situation makes them worried.

Money Helper believes that talking about money with friends, family and experts can help us feel more confident in managing our income and in dealing with future changes to our financial situation.

The Salvation Army has never shied away from facilitating conversations about money. It has been at the forefront of alleviating debt for many years. A recent example is the support that it gave to more than 100 people across the Fylde Coast in Lancashire by providing them with the budgeting skills they needed to escape homelessness.

In collaboration with the Multiply Project – a government initiative which aims to improve adult numeracy – The Salvation Army in Blackpool offered budget support to clients of the Bridge Project, its onsite drop-in centre, for those experiencing homelessness. Course participants included rough sleepers, sofa surfers and people living in temporary accommodation.

Jillian Franks, manager of the Bridge Project, said: ‘We wanted to provide a programme that would equip our clients with the skills to better their life and to enable them to have the power to change their life.

‘The course promotes independence as well as mental wellbeing and provides a road to recovery, ending the cycle of homelessness by giving people the skills to manage money, hold down rental agreements and break the pattern of spending money as soon as it comes in.’

Since its inception in 1865, The Salvation Army has supported countless individuals facing challenges with the practical side of life.

Through its work, which is inspired by its foundations in the Christian faith, unnumbered people have found freedom from debt and a new life that is of immeasurable worth.

One in three people worries about finances

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14 • WAR CRY • 11 November 2023

8

ADVENTUROUS AUDACIOUS BOLDNESS COURAGE DARING DAUNTLESS FEARLESS FORTITUDE

GALLANTRY GRIT HARDINESS HEROISM INDOMITABLE INTREPID SPIRIT VALOUR

SERVES 4

Curried prawn pilaf recipe INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil and fry the onion, cumin and korma paste in a heavy pan for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are soft.

1 small onion, finely chopped 1tsp ground cumin 3tbsp korma curry paste 300g basmati rice 700ml reducedsalt chicken stock

Add the rice in small amounts, stirring to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the stock, then cover and continue to cook on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the stock.

Add the prawns, peas and coriander and cook until the prawns are piping hot, adding a little hot water if needed. Serve immediately.

24 cooked king prawns, deveined 250g frozen peas 1tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

SERVES 4

Prawn ramen bowl with spicy kimchi INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1tbsp sesame oil

Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the garlic and ginger and cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then add the noodles and broccoli, cooking for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the prawns and cook until they are piping hot and the noodles and broccoli are cooked through.

2 garlic cloves, minced 8cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated 750ml reduced-salt vegetable stock 4 nests medium egg noodles 1 broccoli head, cut into small florets 350g cooked and peeled prawns

Season the broth to taste with a little soy sauce.

Divide the ramen into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of kimchi.

Serve with the lime quarters.

Reduced-salt soy sauce 215g jar kimchi, drained 1 lime, quartered

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GOD IS PRESENT IN THE MIDST OF ALL THE CHAOS THAT SURROUNDS US Henri Nouwen

WAR CRY