War Cry 22 August 2020

22 August 2020 20p/25c

Dingle all the way SERIES LOOKS BACK ON EMMERDALE’S COLOURFUL CLAN

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 more than 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

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 7488

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 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN 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 Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies 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, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

ONLINE a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

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EDITOR From desk From the editor’s desk SINGING is good for you. So say scientists quoted on the BBC Future website. The experts said that singing can boost our moods and sense of social connection.

SOME people have a real head for heights, while others try to avoid Perhaps it is with thesebedroom benefits window. in mind that people been looking out of a first-floor To those in have the second joining online choirson during lockdown.

Inthis thisweek’s week’sWar issue, category, the article pages 6 and 7 of Crythe may War Cry’s Olowofoyeku joins a virtual rehearsal of the London seem truly Sarah incredible.

International GospelNik Choir to discover for herself the pleasures Circus performer Wallenda describes his experiences of people have found of singing alone, yet together with Falls others. tightrope walking above the raging torrents of Niagara and, Austen Hardwick has found similar value in describes running. withMeanwhile a gas mask on, over a live volcano in Nicaragua.

Nik Thisvolcano week’s crossing War Cry also interview withHe the marathon that as a includes ‘story of an faith over fear’. explains how runner found that his sporthim helped regain hisgo lifewell after his beliefwho in God has sustained whenhim his to challenges and he suffered three strokes while in his early forties. when they have gone wrong.

However, it wasinnot only that running that helped Austen’s recovery.

Nik is not alone finding his Christian faith has a significant His sometimes Christian faith playedimpact a vital on parthis in life. himAlso taking a positive and dramatic in this week’s issue, approach toAnthony all that he faced. we speak to Thompson, an American pastor whose wife I was in hospital,’ says,study ‘I asked Godchurch. to takeEight what was‘When shot and killed while sheAusten led a Bible at her I waspeople going through and to transform me through it.’ other were also murdered.

Christians believe that God can any situation anything When his wife’s killer appeared viatake video link in courtortwo days after thatshooting, they do or face and it tothe make a positivetoimpact the Anthony wasuse given opportunity speak in to others’ him. own. That has beenAnthony the experience Oliver Inlives frontoroftheir a stunned courtroom, said thatofhepainter forgave him.

Pengilley.

‘I felt so peaceful,’ he tells us in his interview. ‘It let me off the Oliver developed successful career as an artist with some hook fromhad anger, hate anda despair.’ ofAnthony his worksays selling sums money. as he tells thatfor it significant was his faith in aof God who But, forgives that the War Cryhim thistoweek, he grew frustrated. empowered give that forgiveness to his wife’s killer – an act didn’t see of it,’God’s he says.

Nowtohe travels to that‘Ichanged histhe lifemeaning and allowed peace flood his heart. churches over the world paint pictures worship Being a all Christian does nottoprotect anybodyduring from the hurts and sessionsthat andcan hisbe faith-based artwork has helped otherthough, people in sorrows experienced in this world.

It does, their own faith journey. provide a source of strength and comfort to deal with those painful It is an and amazing that God take to any skill a person hasheld situations offerstruth the chance forcan people live without being or any theyorare and can transform it into something back bysituation fears, anger anfacing incapability to move forward from the past. that can change their lives and the lives of the people around them.

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

Family history

Series looks back at the Dingles

4

Sing it out

Songs of Praise highlights the work of

The Salvation Army

6

Don’t look down

How high-wire walker faced his fears

8

I forgave my wife’s killer

Church pastor’s amazing story

REGULARS 12

Team Talk

13

Out of the Mouth of Babes

14 Puzzles 15

salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

2 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

6 Front-page picture: © ITV

War Cry Kitchen

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TELEVISION © ITV

Dingles in the Dale Sarah Olowofoyeku catches up on Emmerdale family history

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TREAKING through a meadow, creating a medieval theme park in the front garden and kissing cousins are just a few of the shenanigans the Dingles have brought to the Dale over the past 26 years. In Emmerdale Family Trees, viewers can take a trip down memory lane with one of Emmerdale’s best-loved families.

The first of two episodes about the family was broadcast on ITV on Thursday (20 August).

Many generations of the Dingle family have appeared on Emmerdale, with Zak Dingle and his wife and three children arriving in 1994. Today, 28 members of the Dingle family reside in the fictional village of Emmerdale. Emmerdale Family Trees, which will also include episodes about the Tates and Sugdens, looks back at iconic moments in Dingle history, such as their mastermind moneymaking plans and their questionable family romances.

Lisa Riley reflects on her character, Mandy Dingle, marrying her cousin, as well as the episode in which Mandy and some of her relatives donned disguises and played tour guide for a bit of extra cash.

In another scam, the Dingles set up an attraction in their front garden, but

Almost every family has its fair share of drama the council soon shut it down. It was, says Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle, ‘another disaster in a vast catalogue of Dingle disasters’.

While many of their storylines were entertaining to watch, the Dingle family also went through difficult times. Emmerdale Family Trees highlights those stories that produced some of the soap’s more tender moments.

The Dingle family have been on ‘Emmerdale’ for more than 25 years The Dingles have experienced the heartbreak of baby loss, terminal illness and euthanasia. Lucy Pargeter, who plays Chas Dingle, says that her acting in the scene in which Chas’s baby died a few hours after being born was the hardest she has done. Last year, the family suffered its biggest loss when Lisa Dingle, Zak’s wife, died. She was ‘the heart of the Dingles’.

However, regardless of the painful situations they face, Lisa Riley says: ‘The Dingles are always able to lean on one another.’

The Dingles young and old are a bunch of loveable rogues, who have had to deal with alcoholism, surprise siblings and the blessing and curse of the family name.

Almost every family has its fair share of drama. Births, marriages, deaths and everything in between are part and parcel of the world in which we live. While, like the Dingles, some families stick together through their hardships, other families fall apart. Some family names carry a lot of worth, whereas others have a bad reputation.

Whatever our family situation or status, we can all be a part of another family.

Christians see themselves as children of God and refer to God as their heavenly Father.

If we choose to commit our life to God, we can experience the benefits of being a part of his family, whatever our circumstances may be. But best of all, we can come to know the perfect love of God our Father and feel his presence with us, no matter what’s on the programme.

22 August 2020 • War Cry • 3

Sounds like Sarah Olowofoyeku talks to some of the people involved in this weekend’s Songs of Praise, which highlights the music and work of The Salvation Army

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ANN STEWART

HE BBC has made a song and dance out of music in this weekend’s Songs of Praise. The episode broadcast tomorrow (Sunday 23 August) marks the 40th anniversary of The Salvation Army’s International Staff Songsters (ISS) choir, as well as highlighting some of the church and charity’s work at a training centre it runs in Hadleigh, Essex.

‘During the pandemic, Hadleigh Farm Estate has been doing food distribution, and we saw that in action at a church in Basildon,’ says Andrew Fenner, one of the programme’s producers.

‘And we spoke to two members of the ISS, their conductor Dorothy Nancekievill and Lesley Nicholson, who is also a prison chaplain.’

I caught up with Lesley over the phone after the episode had been filmed to find out more.

‘On the day, the programmemakers were strict with the two-metres rule – there was somebody with a long measuring pole and we had to stay

The ISS sing in the grounds of Trentham Gardens for tomorrow’s episode of ‘Songs of Praise’ 4 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

in position,’ she says. ‘But it was a great experience. The Songs of Praise team were enthusiastic and it was lovely to film some songs in the beautiful surroundings of Trentham Gardens.’

In the episode, Lesley spoke to JB Gill about her work and being in the ISS. ‘Being a prison chaplain can be quite demanding and draining,’ she tells me. ‘But I’ve been in the ISS for a long time and have lots of close friends in it. It’s a privilege to sing together. The saying is “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, and being in the group fills me up and enables me to be in the situations where I’m serving and giving of myself.’

As well as experiencing the benefit of being a member of a singing group, Lesley has seen the ways in which music itself impacts the people she works with.

‘I started a choir in one of the prisons.

When the guys came in initially they slouched down and were not sure whether they wanted to sing at all. But when we finally performed, they got a positive reaction from the others, and you could see them stand tall. It helps their self-esteem. Prison can be a dark, dismal place, but music can bring some colour.’

Lesley recalls how music also struck a chord with some women prisoners.

‘A few years ago, I arranged for the ISS to come and sing in a service at the women’s prison where I work. In the ISS, we always conclude with the song “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” by John Rutter. We moved round the room, as we normally do, so that we were encircling the women as we sang. Women came to me afterwards with tears streaming down their faces, saying that it was like being in Heaven and surrounded by angels singing over them.’

The song continued to affect one of the women, says Lesley, ‘long after the concert.

Every time she sees

The programme-makers were strict with the two-metres rule

Heaven ISS member Lesley Nicholson and ‘Songs of Praise’ presenter JB Gill

me she speaks to me about the song, how she still remembers it and what an impact it had on her. Recently I went to see her after she had just come back into prison, and she was curled up on her bed, detoxing and not in a good place.

‘I called her name and she didn’t respond. But then I went over and leant right up to her open hatch, cupped my hand and started singing, “The Lord bless you…” She got up and came over with this big smile on her face. There was a real connection with the music.’

While there have been restrictions because of the coronavirus lockdown,

FEATURE

Volunteers at Basildon sort food collected from Hadleigh Farm

which has meant that activities such as services and singing can no longer take place, Lesley and her colleagues in prison have found new – and effective – ways of working.

‘We have been hand-delivering leaflets weekly,’ she says. ‘At first I was probably quite negative about it, I didn’t think it was any real substitute for our services and groups, but I went to visit one woman who had been receiving the weekly material and she showed me that she had kept every single leaflet in her Bible. She had various bits underlined and showed me on one leaflet a prayer that she had

prayed to become a Christian.

‘She told me that she felt so different after praying and had even said no to an offer of drugs, which she wouldn’t have normally. To me that meant that, even though what we are offering feels very limited, God can still work.’

Andrew Fenner describes Lesley’s interview as a ‘fascinating insight into a world most of us know little about’. And the rest of the Songs of Praise episode highlights a wide variety of The Salvation Army’s work, in which church leaders and members see God at work through their efforts to help people in need.

22 August 2020 • War Cry • 5

DOWN Tightrope walker NIK WALLENDA tells Emily Bright how he faced his fears

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Sports Illustrated Pictures by TIM BOYLES unless otherwise credited

6 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

OLTEN lava bubbled below American aerialist Nik Wallenda as he inched his way across a tightrope over a live volcano in Nicaragua. Attached to a safety harness and armed with a balancing pole, he wore a gas mask and oxygen tank to protect him from sulphuric gases and ash. The walk was broadcast live by an American TV network on 4 March this year, and Nik’s relief and delight at completing the feat were clear to see.

‘There were times when it became extremely windy and hot,’ Nik tells me.

‘Just days prior to the event, we had stabilising wires snapping because of the gas eating through them.

‘It was exciting and challenging, and was the story of faith over fear.

‘I pursued the goal for about six years. Wire-walking takes extreme concentration, and in my training I prepare for the worst-case scenario.

I train with winds of 120mph. As I’m walking the wire, I’m constantly battling with my mind. If I get hit with a gust of wind, immediately I think: “Dude, you’re crazy, grab the wire, you’re not going to make it.” But I have to counter that with the fact I’ve trained and prepared properly.’

One of Nik’s biggest battles came in February 2017, when several members of his team sustained critical injuries in a training accident in Florida.

‘We were attempting an eightperson pyramid, and five of my friends and family members fell to the ground,’ he remembers. ‘I caught the wire and held on. They were taken to hospital, and I didn’t know if my sister Lijiana was going to live. She broke every bone in her face, and needed 73 screws and plates.’

Lijiana’s liver and kidney were bleeding, and she was put into a medically induced coma.

Nik turned to his Christian faith for strength. He reflects: ‘That was a time where I asked: “God, what’s going

INTERVIEW

TO THE WIRE on here? What is this all about?” My faith certainly sustained me, but there were times where I questioned why accidents had happened.

‘Then I realised that it’s my choice to get on a wire and take risks. God doesn’t mandate that I do that. When I do it, I choose to bring glory to God’s name, because I believe that is my calling. But I don’t believe that God magically holds me on the wire, nor do I ask him to. God has given me wisdom and it’s up to me to prepare and train.’

Encouraged by an injured friend to get back up on the wire, Nik carried on with his performances and fulfilled existing commitments. But after returning from a well-earned break, a fear about his career crept in.

‘It got the point where my fear was debilitating,’ Nik recalls. ‘I didn’t think I would able to perform any more.

And that was because I was reliving the family’s accident over and over again as I got on the wire. I decided to figure out a way to get through this mental block. After I got through it, it reminded me that a lot of other people are gripped by fear too.’

So Nik decided to write a book about his experiences, called Facing Fear, which will be published next month. He explains: ‘The book is about how I was able to get back up on that wire. I wrote it to inspire and help others who are going through fear. If I can get from one side of a volcano to another, they can also pursue their dreams.’

Nik has pursued his dreams for many years. He was born into a family of circus performers known as the Flying Wallendas, who have a heritage dating back to the 1780s. Nik began tightrope walking at 18 months old.

Since then, he has set 11 Guinness World Records. He became the first person to walk across Niagara Falls

Nik crossing the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua

on a tightrope at its base and to walk over the Grand Canyon. Last year, he completed a momentous wire-walk with his sister Lijiana above New York’s Times Square.

‘I was proud of my sister,’ he says. ‘We showed the world that you might get knocked down but you can get back up, stronger than ever. It’s an amazing story of redemption. All things are possible with God, and that was really what the walk was about.

‘When I walk the wire, I am constantly talking with God, and I am in close relationship with him. The Bible says that God will provide a

My fear was debilitating

peace that passes all understanding.

And he always delivers. It may not come at the time I want it to, but when I look back, God always does deliver.

‘I am constantly, on the wire of my life, seeking God, and reaching out to him. I know that I can count on him, and that he’ll never leave or forsake me.’

l Facing Fear will be published by W Publishing on 15 September 22 August 2020 • War Cry • 7

I forgave the Charleston gunman who killed my wife In 2015, a man entered a church in South Carolina and, in a racially motivated attack, shot nine people dead. ANTHONY THOMPSON, whose wife was killed in the shooting, explains to Claire Brine how a willingness to forgive brought him hope

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ended with his world turning upside down.

It was Wednesday 17 June 2015, and the Emanuel AME Church was about to hold its weekly Bible study.

‘It was Myra’s first time to lead the group that night, and she was doing her final preparations at the dining room table,’ Anthony remembers. ‘She wanted me to come and help her, but I said: “No – we’ve been working on this for months. I’m done with it!” She was such a perfectionist.

‘As we talked, I told Myra that I would come to support her at Bible study, but she replied that she didn’t want me to. She said that I needed to be at my own church – the Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church – because it was running its first session of a new vacation Bible school that night, and so there would be a lot to deal with. Her words convinced me.

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ASTOR Anthony Thompson walked to the podium at the front of the courtroom. He didn’t know what he was about to say. But when he looked into the eyes of Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old killer who had attacked a community in Charleston, South Carolina, words of love came pouring out.

‘I forgive you, and my family forgives you,’ Anthony said. ‘And we would like you to take this opportunity to repent.’

While a baffled media gazed on, Anthony meant every word that he said.

The terrible grief he was feeling for the loss of his wife, Myra, was crushing him.

And he knew that in order for healing to begin, he needed to forgive her killer.

Speaking over a Facetime call from his home in Charleston, Anthony tells me about the normal summer’s day which

Anthony and Myra on their wedding day

‘Before she left the house, I noticed she had a joyful look about her. She was very happy, and I couldn’t quite understand why. But rather than disturb her feelings, I thought I’d ask her about them later, when we both got home from our churches. Of course, I never got the chance to do that.’

Myra arrived at her church and the Bible study got under way.

Myra led the Bible study While the small group of regular attendees were exploring the parable of the sower from Mark’s Gospel, an unfamiliar young man entered the room, a bumbag round his waist.

‘One of the group, Polly Sheppard, told me that Dylann sat down and listened to the Bible study,’ Anthony explains.

‘But at the end, when Mourners paid their respects at a memorial outside the Emanuel AME Church 8 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

INTERVIEW

they all closed their eyes to say the Lord’s Prayer, he took a gun out of his bag. The first person he shot was the pastor. Then he started shooting everybody else.

‘While Dylann was attacking people, he yelled: “I’m here to kill black people. Black men are raping white women and taking all our jobs.”’

At 9.06pm, after firing 77 bullets, Dylann casually walked out of the church. Eight people from the Bible study group were already dead, including Myra. One more was critically wounded, and died later.

‘When I got home from my church that night, I was expecting Myra to be there, but she wasn’t,’ Anthony says. ‘Then I received a phone call from one of the Emanuel Church members, telling me that there had been a shooting and I needed to get down there. I dropped the phone and went.

‘When I arrived, the police told me that people from the church had been taken to a nearby hotel. Thinking that meant everyone was safe, I thanked God. I ran to the hotel to find Myra. When I walked into the room, I could see only three people from her Bible study. A woman called Felicia Sanders was holding her granddaughter and crying. And Polly Sheppard sat with her head resting on

Turn to page 10

➥ 22 August 2020 • War Cry • 9

From page 9 the table, also crying. I tried to figure out where Myra was. Felicia looked at me and said: “Myra’s gone.”

‘I ran out of the hotel and sank into the flowerbed. I begged God: “Please let nothing have happened to her.” Then I ran to the church. Somehow I got through the police tape and reached the door. I tried to go in, but an FBI agent pulled me back. I asked him why the people inside the room couldn’t come out. He said: “I can’t tell you.” That’s when I realised they were all dead. Myra was dead. I fell down to the ground crying.’

The next day, Dylann was found by police and arrested. Two days after shooting his victims, he was charged with nine counts of murder and appeared via video link at a bond hearing.

‘The victims’ families were asked if we wanted to say anything to Dylann,’ Anthony recalls. ‘I didn’t want to say a word. But then I heard God’s voice in my head, saying: “Get up. I have something to say.” As I walked to the podium, God said to me: “You’re a sinner. Jesus died for you like he died for Dylann.” I thought: You’ve got to be kidding me – I’m not going to say that in front of a courtroom.

‘But when I stood on the podium, all I can remember is opening my mouth and telling Dylann that I forgave him. And I meant it. Suddenly I saw that he was God’s child, just as I was. It was the right thing to do.’

The moment Anthony forgave Dylann, the intensity of his grief shifted. It was still painfully present, yet Anthony felt ‘light as a feather’.

He remembers: ‘I felt so peaceful. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.

I found that forgiving Dylann was for my benefit, not for his. It let me off the hook from anger, hate and despair. I realised that Dylann was going to be punished according to the laws of man, so I could let go and move forwards in my life.

Forgiveness brings healing.’

After the bond hearing, Anthony felt called by God to begin a new mission in his role as a pastor: to spread the gospel of forgiveness.

‘At first, I didn’t want to do it,’ he 10 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

confesses. ‘I was grieving and didn’t even want to get out of bed. I cried every day. I kept to myself. Although I didn’t question God over Myra’s death – because I knew that Dylann killed her of his own free will – I was ready to throw the towel in with my preaching.

So I screamed at God, saying: “You can throw down your fire and brimstone and burn me up in it, but I’m not going to preach about forgiveness!”

‘But in the end, I did. And I discovered how important it was. Some people didn’t understand forgiveness. They thought it was a feeling rather than a choice. They

thought Dylann needed to apologise before I could forgive him. Some people even thought I forgave Dylann too quickly, so it couldn’t have been real. Lots of people have the wrong definition of what forgiveness is. It’s something I couldn’t do on my own. I needed God’s help.’

With a desire to spread the message of forgiveness globally, Anthony decided to share his story by writing a book, entitled Called to Forgive. In it, he reflects that forgiveness has to be more than not seeking vengeance and doing your best to cope. He also explains how his Christian

People thought I forgave Dylann too quickly

INTERVIEW

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After the shooting, hundreds of people attended a public memorial, community prayer and healing vigil to remember the people killed faith influences the way he feels about Dylann, who during his trial was convicted of 33 federal charges and, in 2017, sentenced to death.

‘When I looked into Dylann’s eyes at the bond hearing, I saw a scared young man who realised what he had done,’ Anthony says. ‘When I spoke to him about Jesus, in that moment he looked up at me. I don’t want Dylann to die. I want him to live and repent, asking God to forgive him. But he may never do that.’

From his prison cell, Dylann wrote in a journal that he had no regrets over his actions, saying: ‘I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed.’ Anthony could not comprehend

such a lack of remorse. So in another attempt to tell Dylann about Jesus’ life-changing love, he wrote him a letter, which he includes in the book.

‘I wanted him to know that Myra was a pillar in the church, in the community and in the school she worked in,’ he says. ‘I told him that she was a real and important person and he had taken that important person out of my life. I also said that he was responsible for what had happened.

‘But I said again that I forgave him – and if he needed my help to give his life to the Lord, I would do that. I’ve heard nothing back from him.’

Five years have passed since Anthony

lost his Myra. His message of forgiveness – which he was once reluctant to preach – he today describes as his lifeline.

‘The mission keeps me going,’ he says.

‘I see forgiveness as the key, the cure, the everything. My forgiveness may not affect Dylann in any way, but it has been life-changing for me, allowing God’s peace to flood my heart. I will never take it back, ever.’ l Called to Forgive is published by Bethany House 22 August 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

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 Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. 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.

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

Team talk

talk ‘ ’ Team talk

A question from sport Philip Halcrow gives his take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

FOR years, the question ‘What happened next?’ was a fixture in TV’s A Question of Sport. Emlyn Hughes, Bill Beaumont, Ally McCoist and others would be shown some sports footage that was frozen at a vital moment and would try to work out what piece of drama or comedy followed – the kind of clips of flukes, tricks and dodgy decisions that now appear almost instantly on Youtube or Twitter. At its heart was the reality that sport can be chaotic, funny and unpredictable.

Football has recently been facing some more serious questions about what happens next.

Eight players from a Scottish Premiership team broke coronavirus lockdown restrictions and met in a bar. Then, a player from another club contravened quarantine rules.

Amid the cancellation of fixtures, Nicola They established Sturgeon spoke of not wanting to put the new clubs, with the season in jeopardy but of having to issue football a ‘yellow card’. Players have apologised, and aim of benefiting with the Scottish Professional Football League agreed communities to implement a player education programme.

In another time and place, a bunch of young lads were helped by a respected figure in the community to get their football club up and running. Twice when their behaviour led to their being thrown out of their base, he continued to help them.

What happened next? The team turned into Tottenham Hotspur. Half a century later, their reputation for fair play was still being attributed to the man who had cared for those first players – church Bible class teacher John Ripsher.

Football historian Peter Lupson has revealed how church figures such as Ripsher played a role in establishing many clubs, with the aim of benefiting communities.

The language of football often overlaps with that of religion – not only in the observation that a poor defence ‘parted like the Red Sea’, but also in talk of ‘redemption’ or ‘atoning’.

Football can highlight the human capacity for wayward words or actions. The faith that John Ripsher and others have followed says that when we go wrong, it’s worthwhile asking why. But it insists that the no-less-pressing question is: What happened next?

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Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen Tick one or more of the options below, complete the coupon and send it to

a

War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

12 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

Address

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

EXPRESSIONS

Rosemary Dawson on the life lessons she has learnt from her grandchildren

Millie the Gruffalo

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q

quick quiz 1

In which south of England town was the TV sitcom The Office set?

2

What type of bird is featured on the national flag of Mexico?

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3

In what year was Nelson Mandela released after spending 27 years in prison?

4

What is the hottest planet in our solar system?

5

Which girl group had hits in the 1990s with ‘Save Our Love’, ‘Just a Step from Heaven’ and ‘Power of a Woman’?

What 2016 film told the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who helped Nasa’s space programme during its early years?

ANSWERS

1. Slough. 2. An eagle. 3. 1990.

4. Venus. 5. Eternal. 6. Hidden Figures.

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ET me introduce you to ‘No 9’ – our youngest grandchild, aged two and a half. Her posh name is Amelia Grace, but for now she only answers to the name of Millie.

She loves dressing up, and was delighted when someone gave her a Gruffalo costume that their child had outgrown. Millie wore it all day.

She loved it when other children pointed at her on the way to and from school with her brother and sister, and she gave them what she thought was a Gruffalo growl. She would even have worn the costume in bed if her mother had let her.

First thing in the morning, Millie couldn’t wait to put the costume on again. She chased her big sister Evie round the house before she went to school, making Gruffalo growls. Evie played along with the game, pretending to be scared and screaming. Millie must have really thought she was frightened, because she took off her furry costume’s head and shouted reassuringly, ‘It’s me!’, as if her sister didn’t know that anyway.

There’s never any danger of mistaken identity with God. He knows our name, and everything about us even before we call out to him. An Old Testament writer describes it like this: ‘O Eternal One, you have explored my heart and know exactly who I am’ (Psalm 139:1 The Voice).

Every individual is special to God. He will never forget us or mix us up with someone else – even if we’re disguised as a Gruffalo.

BOOK REVIEW Lights for the Path Madeleine Davies SPCK JOURNALIST for the Church Times Madeleine Davies writes a heart-wrenching account of how, when she was 12 years old, her mother died from cancer. She is refreshingly honest about her grief, and gives sage advice, encouragement and consolation to bereaved readers.

Madeleine explores the philosophical questions that death raises, allowing readers space to contemplate them rather than offering oversimplified solutions. Madeleine also delves into how her Christian faith has sustained her, sharing Bible verses that have proved particularly helpful.

The key strength of the book is how the author draws on a wide base of knowledge and experiences. Each chapter interweaves first-person testimonies of the bereaved with professional advice from counsellors, academics, doctors and members of the clergy.

This book is a valuable resource in tackling the taboo around grief and provides an insightful guide to those who are in mourning.

Emily Bright

22 August 2020 • War Cry • 13

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 3. Morass (3) 7. Film or TV electrician (6) 8. Sell (6) 9. Fee (6) 10. Anglican church service (6) 11. Fastener (3) 12. Breakwater (6) 14. Over there (6) 17. Dimension (6) 21. Curt (6) 24. Donkey (3) 25. Bicycle (6) 26. Political conference (6) 27. Rescind (6)

by Chris Horne

28. South American cowboy (6) 29. Number of commandments (3) DOWN 1. Male parent (6) 2. Public brawl (6) 3. Slight wind (6) 4. Curmudgeonly (6) 5. _____ Island, New York borough (6)

6. Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend (6) 12. Girl (3) 13. Kernel (3) 15. Sphere (3) 16. Groove (3) 18. Overjoyed (6) 19. Old Testament judge (6) 20. Small village (6) 21. Delegate (6) 22. Hearsay (6) 23. Dilemma (6)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

9

7 5 1 7 2 5 8 9 3 9 5 9 5 2 4 6 1 2 8 3 7 9 5 6 4 1 3 9

1. Portable steps 2. Female parent 3. Relating to the nasal passage 4. Electronic pen 5. Take a different route 6. Turn around

Answers QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3. Bog. 7. Gaffer. 8. Retail.

9. Charge. 10. Matins. 11. Zip. 12. Groyne.

14. Yonder. 17. Length. 21. Abrupt. 24. Ass. 25. Tandem. 26. Summit. 27. Revoke.

28. Gaucho. 29. Ten. DOWN: 1. Father. 2. Affray. 3. Breeze.

4. Grumpy. 5. Staten. 6. Minnie. 12. Gal. 13. Nut. 15. Orb. 16. Rut. 18. Elated.

19. Gideon. 20. Hamlet. 21. Assign.

22. Rumour. 23. Plight.

HONEYCOMB 1. Ladder. 2. Mother. 3. Rhinal.

4. Stylus. 5. Divert. 6. Rotate.

9 5 4 8 3 6 2 1 7

8 7 1 2 9 4 5 3 6

2 3 6 1 7 5 8 9 4

6 9 2 7 5 8 3 4 1

3 4 5 9 6 1 7 2 8

7 1 8 4 2 3 9 6 5

5 2 9 6 1 7 4 8 3

1 8 7 3 4 9 6 5 2

4 6 3 5 8 2 1 7 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

6 1 2 8 3 7 9 6 4 1

3

9

14 • War Cry • 22 August 2020

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

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

2

Wordsearch

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

9 and 8 diagonally 2 6 3on the 7 grid 5 to 1 find 4 5 these 7 3British 9 TV 4 comedy 1 2 programmes 8 6 ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS 4 1 6 2 5 8 9 7 3 Z T E C C X G G M X Q N M Q S F L Q BLACKADDER 8K 2K Z 1 Y 7H S 9 L 4Q R H M Q 6 3 5I B C M I E DAD’S ARMY F S S M T H E L A S T L E G E Y U Q 3 9 7 5 6 2 1 4 8 X L U F Y E C A T S D N A N I V A G FAWLTY TOWERS 6 4 5 8 1 3 7 9 2 S U O L U B A F Y L E T U L O S B A GAVIN AND STACEY L D I N X T Z B R E D D A K C A L B 2 5 8 3 7 9 4 6 1 GOODNESS B Q C L O U M X W Q F E X N X J D F GRACIOUS ME 1 3 9 4 2 6 8 5 7 Q F A W L T Y T O W E R S X R V X M MIRANDA N U R T Z T E G Q G F E A W W I Z D 7 6 4 1 8 5 3 2 9 NOT GOING OUT OUTNUMBERED PORRIDGE

RED DWARF

THE INBETWEENERS THE IT CROWD THE LAST LEG THE OFFICE

R V G H P B T L H M E B Z W Q C W A P H S E N B H G Q A G M Q D D C G D Q Z S I F L E H K Z D U Z I Q D W S H H E T R N O T G O I N G O U T E A X H N C Q Z F L T F R T A Z R V V R T U D R D C F Z G G R U X R Y F E M M M O O Z F I A Y X O O Y G I G Q Y F Q O W R Q C V W E P M R B I M Z D Z C G D L W E B R C P F T U I R Q G

5

D Tuna and bean jacket potatoes Ingredients

Method

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas Mark 6. Prick the potatoes, then bake towards the top of the oven for 1 hour or until tender.

400g can cannellini beans, drained 200g can tuna in water, drained and flaked 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 4 spring onions, finely chopped

SERVES

4

2tsp tomato puree

While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the cannellini beans, tuna, red pepper, tomatoes, spring onions and tomato puree in a bowl. Season with a pinch of pepper.

Once ready, split the baked potatoes open and fill them with the tuna mixture. Serve immediately.

Black pepper

Potato and poached egg hash Ingredients

Method

2tsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, then add the bacon. Cook for 2 minutes.

Tip in the potatoes and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally until browned.

Add the spring onions and tomatoes and cook over a low heat for a further 5 minutes.

2 rashers lean back bacon, chopped 400g cooked potatoes, cut into chunks 4 spring onions, finely chopped 4 tomatoes, chopped 4 eggs Black pepper

Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water for 3 or 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

Share the potato hash between 4 warm serving plates and place a poached egg on top of each dish.

Season with a pinch of pepper, to serve.

SERVES

4

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Public Health England website nhs.uk/change4life 22 August 2020 • War Cry • 15

Let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry Amos 5:24 (Good News Bible)