14 June 2014 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION |  June  | Issue 6594 | $1.50

FIREZONE

Life Lessons

Lego from the

Movie ANN’S STORY

A Life More

Colourful

THANK GOD FOR FLEAS

SURVIVING A BAD RUGBY SEASON

GROSS INEQUALITY COSTS EVERYONE

A MISSION MADE FOR ROLLESTON

HOW DO I BECOME GOD’S WORK OF ART?

0 WarCry 14 June 2014

Kia ora Choose your colour WAR CRY

The Salvation Army Te Ope Whakaora New Zealand, Fiji & Tonga Territory FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL André Cox TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Robert Donaldson The Salvation Army’s message is based on the Bible. Our ministry is motivated by love for God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in his name without discrimination.

War Cry exists to support and advance The Salvation Army’s message, ministry and mission.

EDITOR

Major Christina Tyson GRAPHIC DESIGN

Lauren Millington, Amber Wilkinson STAFF WRITERS

Ingrid Barratt, Vanessa Singh CONTRIBUTORS

Martin Barratt, Kris Singh (music reviewer)

PROOF READING

Major Jill Gainsford OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box 01, Marion Square, Wellington 141 Phone (04) 4 4 Fax (04) 2 01 Email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department Phone (04) 2 040 Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org $ per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT MakeReady | www.makeready.co.nz

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All Bible references from the Holy Bible, New International Version, unless otherwise stated.

Articles are copyrighted to The Salvation Army, except where indicated, and may be reprinted only with permission.

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Many of the stories shared in the pages of War Cry over its history have taken courage to tell. In the time I have been editor, I have been reminded time and time again of people’s courage in the face of adversity—and of the power of God to heal and restore.

This week’s story by Ann Stewart is an example of one such story. Ann has a wealth of life experiences—good and bad. In this way, her story is like that of any one of us. Sadly, though, Ann experienced what is uncommon for most within The Salvation Army, although regrettably it is true for a very small number: she suffered abuse at the hands of a Salvation Army church member.

Perhaps remarkably, Ann was able to work through the pain of that experience and the difficult detours it introduced into her life, including alcoholism. Today, she testifies to the wisdom of trusting her life into God’s care, recognising that while one of God’s supposed followers had failed her in his sin, this did not mean God was not on her side.

The Bible is clear that God sides with the person who is abused against those that pervert their position of power. The Bible also speaks strongly of the need for God’s people to protect the vulnerable and the innocent from abuse. This, of course, is one of the reasons why there is universal condemnation when abuse is perpetuated at the hands of a churchgoer—because we all inherently know that this is not what God wants. We see such action for the hypocrisy that it is.

I remember reading once the testimony of someone who had experienced some terrible hardships. This person said, ‘The tragedies of life will always colour our lives, but I intend to choose the colour!’ After years of challenge, Ann has found healthy ways of bringing colour and beauty back into her life.

I thank Ann for sharing her story and echo her desire that anyone who may also have been abused at the hands of someone in The Salvation Army would—when the time is right for them—seek help. See www.salvationarmy.org.nz/complaints for advice about The Salvation Army’s complaints process, or contact your nearest Salvation Army or our Territorial Headquarters in Wellington.

Christina Tyson Editor

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BIBLE VERSE Ephesians 4:2–24

‘Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.’

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Epeha 4:2

‘Kia whakahoutia te wairua o tō koutou hinengaro; Kia kākahuria iho hoki ki a koutou te tangata hou, nō tā te Atua nei te hanganga i runga i te tika, i te tapu o te pono.’

WISE WORDS

If we are growing holier, we are growing kinder.

Andrew Bonar

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Let’s Talk | 0

Y

ou know that awkward moment when you start to say, ‘Man, I was lucky that the stampeding monkey on a motorbike decided to turn left instead of coming at me,’ but stop yourself and say, ‘Eerr, I mean, blessed—I was blessed!.

But the concept of ‘blessing’ has to be more than a Christian code word for ‘luck’. In saying that we are blessed, we are acknowledging the sovereignty of God in our lives.

And, yes, we should acknowledge all the good things he brings into our lives. But if we say we’re blessed because we are spared some disaster or disease, or because we get a job, or a house or a new car, it begs the question: what about those who aren’t so lucky … or blessed? What about those people living with disease, or long-term unemployment, or those who are suffering?

One of the most challenging stories that I have ever heard comes from Corrie Ten Boom’s classic book The Hiding Place, about Corrie and her sister Betsie’s experiences in the Ravensbrück concentration camp of World War II. As Corrie recalls, one day the sisters found fleas in the rotten hay of their barracks. Betsie responded by giving thanks: ‘Thank You,’ Betsie went on serenely, ‘for the fleas and for …’

The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

‘Give thanks in all circumstances,’ she quoted. ‘[The Bible] doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.” Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.’

With great timidity, Betsie and Corrie began Bible studies in their dorm of 1400 women (which was meant to have a capacity of 400). Strangely, they were left entirely unsupervised. They grew bolder and began two daily meetings, with more and more women joining in. One night, Corrie returned late to the barracks to find her sister. ‘You’re

looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,’ I told her.

‘You know, we’ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,’ she said. ‘Well—I’ve found out.’ That afternoon there’d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it.

‘But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?’ Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: ‘Because of the fleas! That’s what she said, ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’

Corrie says she never understood why God allowed so much of the suffering they experienced. Yet, in this small example, she and Betsie saw the hand of God in the most inhuman of circumstances.

The blessing was not in the fleas, but in God’s presence within a ‘Godforsaken’ place. This allowed Corrie and her sister to experience a peace that they were able to pass on to those suffering with them. And it allowed them to change their world—incredibly, spreading joy through their overcrowded barracks as more and more discovered the light of Jesus.

This story teaches me that thanking God is not some stupid Pollyanna form of denial. Instead, these courageous women acknowledged God’s presence in a deep, selfsacrificial way that was not based on external circumstances.

They walked humbly with their God. The blessing of God is his presence in our lives. Our circumstances change—sometimes we are in the sunlight, and sometimes in shadow. But God does not change.

This ‘blessing’ is not a feeling; it’s a status we are given because Jesus came to make himself present among us. We are blessed because we know him. And that’s a blessing we can share with everyone, in all circumstances.

INGRID BARRATT

04 WarCry 14 June 2014

Bookshelf Children Happy Pants Heather Gallagher & Liz McGrath The Australian author of Happy Pants recognises that when postnatal depression affects a family, it may be hard for parents to explain to young children what is happening. Daddy tries to explain to big brother why Mum sometimes sleeps a lot, or may not want to cuddle or eat, or may cry a lot.

Children are reminded that while they need to be patient for a while, happiness can return and Mum’s love never stops. With beautiful illustrations by Liz McGrath, Happy Pants is a helpful way to start a conversation on something not often spoken about. (Wombat Books)

Playlist

Spirituality The Artisan Soul Erwin Raphael McManus McManus is the founder of MOSAIC in Los Angeles, and well known for integrating creativity and spirituality. In this manifesto for human creativity, he invites readers to reclaim their creative essence, which is a reflection of the creator God. McManus says we are creative beings living in the fear that if we aspire to be more, we will discover ourselves to be less.

But keeping our creative dreams in check condemns our souls to a ‘slow and painful death’. Deep and thoroughly biblical ideas, with concluding suggestions on positioning ourselves so that God can make us into his own work of art. (HarperCollins)

Biography Ruth & Billy Graham Hanspeter Nüesch In this, the first extensive biography of Billy and Ruth Graham as a couple, the author paints a picture of a couple committed to one another and God’s mission. Nüesch reveals the foundation of love and faith that made the life, ministry and legacy of this influential couple possible. No one has preached the gospel to more people than evangelist Billy Graham. But behind this man of God stood an equally exceptional woman whose love, support and prayers strengthened Billy’s ministry.

Illustrated throughout with over 100 photographs and plenty of untold anecdotes, this is a stirring biography. (Lion Hudson)

Reel News

Worship Death Be Not Proud Audrey Assad Strikingly intimate, smooth and soulful, Audrey Assad’s latest EP is a great collection of songs that showcases her superb writing skills.

Death Be Not Proud is lyrically deep and insightful, drawing on a vast range of themes, Christian and secular, and supported by Assad’s silky smooth voice. The title track builds slowly enough to retain the intimacy set by its soft pianos and lush vocal harmonies, while ‘Death in His Grave’ continues to outline the dominant theme of the album: the power of life and the triumph of Jesus’ resurrection. Assad tackles these themes with a maturity and depth. A terrific listen!

Worship Unstoppable Love Jesus Culture Jesus Culture’s latest effort was recorded live at the annual Encounter Conference, and captures some of the extravagant, charismatic live worship that the group (and Bethel Church) are well known for. It’s a massive, bombastic record, but slightly generic in its execution. Tinged with electronic arpeggios, interesting synthscapes and massive guitars, Unstoppable Love is a pleasurable listen. The hyper-charismatic lyrics occasionally call for a double take, but on the whole the album is lyrically great. The record tends to languish in the mid-tempo anthemrock area, and can feel repetitive in its melodies, but the excellent production and passionate performances definitely make this one to check out.

GIVEAWAY To win a copy of Ruth and Billy Graham, tell us why Jesus is good news for the world.

War Cry Giveaway, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org. Entries close 30 June.

Action / Adventure / Fantasy X-Men: Days of Future Past Bryan Singer / M (Violence and offensive language) X-Men: Days of Future Past sees the characters from the X-Men film trilogy joining forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class in an epic battle that must change the past, to save the future.

You know you’re in sure hands as soon as Patrick Stewart intones the themes (faith, destiny, hope) over shots of a stormy 2023 apocalypse, where mutant-killing robot Sentinels have set Professor Xavier a poser: ‘Is the future truly set?’

The test for that question is a madly ambitious tale of choice and redemption, ushered briskly across space and time as 2023 Wolverine’s consciousness is zapped into his 1973 body. His task: to fix the First Class team’s fractures to change the future.

The X-Men series has always worn its allegorical nature on its sleeve —it’s about people who are different, no matter what the context. X-Men have always stood in for the outcasts, the refuse and the unwanted that feel like they’ve got nowhere else to go. A prominent theme of hope plays throughout this movie, as well as redemption—everyone deserves a second chance to change their ways and make amends.

Like most Marvel films, X-Men: Days of Future Past is a fun, fast-paced romp, with a tremendous ensemble cast. There are plenty of humour and visual jokes, while the ’70s vibe is omnipresent with polyester shirts, bad hair and Richard Nixon.

Some review material brought to you by Manna, go to manna.co.nz

Feature | 05

I would describe my journey as a 360-degree circle. I walked away from The Salvation Army, but ultimately it was The Salvation Army and God’s grace that saved me. My name is Ann Stewart, and I’m an alcoholic who is discovering new life, every day.

AS TOLD TO INGRID BARRATT

Photography: www.thephotographer.co.nz

06 | WarCry 14 June 2014

hen I was a child I went to Sunday school and believed in God. I had a relative, who was a uniformed Salvation Army soldier, and he molested me and my brother. I suspect he also abused many others —I mention it so they can be encouraged to come forward as well.

It’s bad enough when you’ve been abused as a child, but when that abuser is a church person, it has a deep, spiritual impact. When I was 13, I suddenly thought to myself, ‘I’ve seen the light. Church is bulls**t and everyone in it is a hypocrite.’ That started my journey away from the church for many years.

I began drinking as a young person. After what happened, I became quite withdrawn and shy, but by getting on the juice I could be exuberant and get swept away in the party atmosphere. In the early days it seemed quite fun, and there were no consequences. I was always careful, even though I was drunk, and I always hung out with other females because I was very wary of men.

But it was in my twenties that alcohol got a grip on me. It became an escape and an anesthetiser. I went to counselling for the abuse, and worked through that, but by then I was hooked on alcohol and I just couldn’t stop.

A life in crime I trained and became a criminal lawyer, so I had a good job. I actually chose my career when I was working as a young person in Scotland, picking potatoes. It was a wintery and snowy night when I was walking home one night, and I saw a house with all its furniture on the front lawn in the snow. They were being evicted, and I thought, ‘You can’t do that to people.’ That’s when I realised the impact that the law can have on people’s lives.

The only area of law I ever wanted to work in was criminal law, because you’re working with people at the extremes of the human experience.

My job helped to keep me in denial. I often referred clients to rehabilitation programmes such as The Salvation Army’s Addiction Services, and I thought to myself, ‘Well, I don’t have a drinking problem because I don’t break the law’. But I ignored the fact that I spent a fortune on dial-a-driver.

Hiding and seeking I was a high functioning alcoholic. I separated from my husband when my two children were four and five years old. I kept my life compartmentalised: I had shared custody of my children, so I was able to hide my drinking from them. I had my job. And I had alcohol.

I kept all these compartments of my life separate.

I got married again after being single for 10 years, and I tried to hide my drinking from my husband. We didn’t live together before we got married and I'd only get drunk when we weren’t together. But after we got married, it got worse and worse. I became an absentee wife—he would come home from work and I was already on the cups.

In my early 30s, I made friends with a girl who went to church, and I started going to church with her. At this church I heard about grace. At first I thought, ‘Grace—who’s Grace? There’s no book in the Bible called Grace’, that’s how little I knew. I missed church a lot

because I was hung over, but I slowly learnt more about God’s love and mercy. I started to accept and believe in God again.

Despite my own background, I always admired The Salvation Army as a church that is there for those who are suffering. So I started—fairly irregularly—going to the corps (church) in Pukekohe.

Through the Sallies I attended the Twelve Step programme, and I learnt so much. I actually got drunk while I was on the course and almost got expelled. I was completely mortified. But it was while doing these steps that I started to understand God better. I realised God is the only power great enough to restore us. Doctors can’t do it, humans can’t do it, and we certainly can’t restore ourselves. The amazing thing is that the 12 Steps are actually completely biblicallybased, and it’s a wonderful way to live.

I really liked Step Three, which is to ‘turn our will and our lives over to the care of God’. As much as I can, I turn my will over to God, because by my own will I self-destruct.

Once I got home from the course, my drinking got a lot worse.

I think that’s because once a bit of light gets into your soul, the darkness really tries to cling on—and that’s what happened.

I realised God is the only power great enough to restore us. Doctors can’t do it, humans can’t do it, and we certainly can’t restore ourselves.

Alice in Wonderland My lifelong dream and passion has always been art. About six months after I started attending The Salvation Army, I decided to quit my job as a lawyer. My children had left home, so I felt that the time was right to pursue my dream of being an artist.

But with my children leaving home and my job finishing, the final handbrakes on my drinking were gone. Instead of doing art, I started drinking fulltime, from dawn to dusk. I could see my dream slipping away.

I counted it up recently, and I have literally tried to stop drinking a thousand times over 20 years. Every couple of weeks I would try and stop, and the longest I ever went without a drink was 20 days. I thought that if I could go without a drink for three weeks, I would prove to myself that I wasn’t an alcoholic. I managed it twice, and when I got to day 20, I thought: ‘Close enough—let’s celebrate!’

But I finally realised that I was never going to pick up a paintbrush if I didn’t get help. So I booked myself into The Salvation Army’s Addiction Services. Although you can go as a day client, I knew that I would never make it without being in the residential programme. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

They were very supportive, encouraging and professional. They have counsellors and the 12 Steps, and all the tools are there for you to learn from.

I also learnt more deeply about grace at Addiction Services.

Like the hymn says, it really is amazing grace for a wretch like me.

Feature | 07

Alcoholics personify wretchedness: you look a wretch, you feel like a wretch and you act like a wretch. You feel so underserving of any help. Then when you get help, you are given this grace that you so don’t deserve and it’s amazing; it’s amazing grace.

I can honestly say that since I stopped drinking it’s been the happiest time of my life, without a single doubt. The Salvation Army saved my life!

Prayers to strengthen the artist’s soul May the world I touch be more beautiful and better off for my being here.

May my life be a work of art, and may I always live as an artist at work.

A life more colourful I love art because, to me, it’s the ultimate expression of creativity.

It definitely connects me to God because he’s the ultimate artist and creator. He’s a gazillion Picassos rolled into one—colour is something God invented, and each colour has a meaning. When God was creating this world, he must have had a whole lot of fun.

Currently, I am branching out and getting into mixed media. I am quite fascinated by paper crafts, vintage and texture, and I love to have texture in anything I do. I have been working with moulding paste, and I love a bit of shimmy and shine, so I’m using opal dust and iridescent paste. I get so excited because there is so much to learn.

Sometimes when I’m doing some artwork, I say a little prayer and ask God to work through me and have a little fun through me. I think God must love playing with us when we’re being creative.

Every week, I lead art classes at Addiction Services, which really helps me in my recovery, and I have been told that it really helps them too. Creativity can really help bring healing.

I attend The Salvation Army’s Recovery Church, and it’s somewhere I feel extremely accepted. It’s where I feel like I’m at home. Earlier this year, I also attended the Twelve Steps programme again—this time I didn’t get drunk, and I learnt so much more!

At church, I help with the Home League, who I like to call my ‘golden girls’. They are a group of women between 65 and 90, and I’ve become very attached to them. I have made friends with an English woman called Ruby, who really inspires me. At the age of 75 she decided to start a new life in New Zealand.

For her 90th birthday, she wanted to jump out of a plane and go sky diving. I was terrified, but I went with her. It was a really fabulous experience. I broke my leg when we landed—but it was worth it! Ruby teaches me that you are never lost; it is never too late to start again and live life to the full.

I think God must love playing with us when we’re being creative.

Reality bites After 27 months without a drink, I had a relapse. Relapse isn’t just the event of picking up a drink; it’s actually a process and a series of events that may seem unrelated.

For me, it took about 14 weeks, and it was an accumulation of things. I started drifting a bit, and that ‘addiction voice’—or the ‘father of all lies’—starts saying, ‘You’ve been deprived, you could be having all this fun and excitement’. Then, if you are feeling vulnerable—like they say, Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired (HALT)—

May my life be a mosaic: a work of art made up of fragmented and broken pieces brought together by the Master Artisan, who creates in me a masterpiece most perfectly reflected when his light strikes through me.

May the world become as God alone can imagine and create.

Source: The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art

by Erwin Raphael McManus (HarperCollins)

and you get yourself into a high-risk situation where there is alcohol, you’re a goner. And that’s what happened to me.

I drank for 24 hours and it had a horrific effect it on me—I thought I was going to die, and was in bed for four days. My first instinct was to hide and not tell anyone. But the humility of reaching out is part of the healing, and keeping humble is part of what will keep you safe. Pride will trip you up. So I phoned Addiction Services and they supported me through it.

They actually asked me to speak at Recovery Church about it—so God even used that relapse. I’m so grateful that God can use everything I’ve been through to serve him. God saved my life, so giving back to him is least that I can do.

Has this happened to you?

The Salvation Army condemns any type of abuse, especially toward children. If abuse has happened to you in a Salvation Army corps (church) or social service, we would like to know about it so we can help you heal. If this is you, please use the contact information supplied at salvationarmy.org.nz/ complaints

Need

?

help

If you have a problem with alcohol, drug or gambling addiction, we can help you. Please contact us at salvationarmy.org.nz/ addictions

08 | WarCry 14 June 2014

HEALTH

LIFESTYLE

The GI Jive

Surviving a Bad Rugby Season Is there anything more fist-clenchingly annoying than someone whining: ‘Why are you so upset, it’s just a game?’

The ‘Glycemic Index’is one of the dietary buzzwords of the decade, but is it just another fad? We uncover some of the mysteries and myths behind GI. The ‘Glycemic Index’, or GI, is a relatively new way of measuring the effect of foods on our body. The University of Sydney is the world leader in GI research, establishing their testing laboratory in 1995.

GI is tested by taking 10 healthy people and comparing how much the carbohydrate in each food raises their blood sugars. The food is then given a rating on the Index from 0-100. Foods with a high GI are rapidly absorbed, raising our blood sugar levels, while low GI foods are slowly digested, producing a gradual rise in our blood sugars and keeping us feeling full for longer.

Some findings have been surprising.

Pasta, which was a diet taboo a decade ago, is low GI. Although it has high levels of carbohydrates, it is absorbed slowly in the body.

But guess what GI testing has discovered is the healthiest food in the world? That’s right, it’s still your vegies. Overall, they have the lowest GI.

GI isn’t always an accurate measure of a food’s nutritional value. These foods have similar GI ratings, but they certainly aren’t equal in their nutritional values: ΕΕ carrots and white pasta ΕΕ bananas and potato chips ΕΕ watermelon and white bread ΕΕ baked potato and glucose In addition, most foods are eaten in combination with other foods that contain fibre, protein and fat—all of which slow down the food’s absorption in our body.

GI ratings also don’t consider food portions. Bananas have got a bad rap as being high GI, but you’d have to eat three bananas at once for it to spike your blood sugars. And bananas actually contain an almost perfect combination of vitamins and minerals.

Overall, the best GI diet is one based on fruit, vegies and whole grains, with everything else in moderation. Ummm, haven’t we heard that somewhere before?

It’s rugby season, and to state the obvious, there will be winners and losers. The desire to win is largely societal, but it also seems to be inbuilt.

If research findings could be described as ‘adorable’, then developmental psychologist Susan Harter found that ‘in the very young child, one typically encounters a fantasied self, possessing a staggering array of abilities, virtues, and talents. Our preschool subjects, for example, gave fantastic accounts of their running and climbing capabilities … fully 50 per cent of them describe themselves as the fastest runner in their peer group.’

Apparently it’s all down to those brain chemicals—when we win we get a rush of feel-good dopamine. It’s not just a game. (Well, yes it is, but emotionally …). Studies have even shown that people who ‘win’ live longer, while people who lose tend to get fat. Great.

When we’re young and a game of Monopoly goes wrong, we’re likely to go Godzilla on those little houses. But it’s obviously not okay to go Godzilla when your rugby team doesn’t deliver. So here are some tips for surviving a bad season this year: Remember what your mama told you: That is, unless she was one of those crazies yelling at you from the sideline. One of life’s important lessons is to lose graciously, and our self-esteem doesn’t need to depend on always being first.

Don’t take out your frustration on the family pet: Instead, maybe hash it out on an online forum with other long-suffering fans.

Don’t eat all the pies: Research has shown that when your team loses, you’re more likely to eat fatty food. Duh. It’s called comfort eating. But just don’t do anything you’ll regret—whatever your poison.

Get off the couch: You can’t control the outcome of a match, but you can control personal goals, such as your fitness.

Making your own goals off the field, means that winning on the field doesn’t have to mean so much.

And if all else fails … watch cat videos online. That’s dopamine right there.

Five-minute Chocolate Mug Cake Yes, that’s ‘mug’, not ‘mud’. Chocolate cake is only five minutes away any time of the day! | Serves 2 ¼ cup sugar 1 large egg 2 Tbsp canola or other light oil 2 Tbsp cocoa powder ¼ cup self-raising flour ¼ cup milk ¼ tsp vanilla essence pinch of salt

Measure sugar into a small bowl, add egg and oil and whisk until pale and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and stir just enough to combine.

Non-stick spray two microwave-safe teacups or two (approx.) 250ml ramekins. Add remaining ingredients and stir just enough to combine.

Cover with a square of baking paper or a paper towel, then cook on High (100%) power for 2½-3 mins, or until centre of cakes is firm.

Remove from microwave, then tip cakes out of the cups/ramekins. Yoghurt, whipped cream or ice cream makes the perfect accompaniment.

From Meals for 1 or 2 by Simon & Alison Holst. www.holst.co.nz

Lifestyle | 0

Q&A Become God’s work of art In Erwin Raphael McManus’s book The Artisan Soul (HarperCollins), this champion for Christian creativity invites readers to position themselves ‘in the very place where God can form us into his work of art’. Here are some of McManus’s suggestions to help your life become a beautiful expression of your ‘artisan soul’.

Caring for your soul Ε Make love the unifying principle of your life—let love inform all your motives, decisions and actions. Ε Set time apart to be alone —begin with 15 minutes a day to decompress and reconnect with God. Ε Begin a practice of prayer and reflection focused on gratitude. Ε Use the Psalms as a guide to work through your emotions, questions and aspirations. Ε Take time to see and absorb the beauty and wonder all around you. Ε Take time to enjoy life, and make sure you laugh a lot. Ε Connect to a community of faith and open up your life to others.

Changing your perspective Ε Make two lists: everything good in your life; everything bad in your life. Ε Now examine your lists. Which list is longer? Which list came more naturally?

Testify!

Meeting people is what Stan Harris most enjoys about taking the War Cry to the hotels.

At 83, Stan has visited his local pubs and hotels—and, more recently, a couple of mechanics’ garages—with the War Cry magazine for over 50 years.

After moving to Christchurch from Westport at 20, Stan first got involved in ‘hotel ministry’ while at Christchurch City Salvation Army.

As a non-drinker, Stan admits he was nervous the first few times, but looking back says he was inspired by his older brother Jack’s example. Jack was a ‘pub boomer’, as they used to be known, in Westport. Stan cherishes a photo of his brother on a bicycle setting out to visit the pubs, his basket full of War Crys.

When Stan married Lorna, they settled in Sydenham. An elderly lady was visiting hotels in the area, but when she retired a couple of years later, Stan stepped into the role. He has been visiting an average of three hotels a week from 5 pm every Friday ever since.

‘I see visiting the hotels as “taking the church to the public house”,’ Stan explains. ‘Not everyone wants to be engrossed in a conversation with me—some are there with their friends, so they simply say a polite “hello”. But others do want to talk and I’ve had some really good conversations.’

On one occasion, a man asked Stan when Jesus was coming back.

Stan explained that Jesus made it clear that ‘no one will know the day or the hour’. ‘My wife knows!’ the man declared, and an interesting

chat followed. Another man lectured Stan about how he’d been mistreated by The Salvation Army.

‘And I could only apologise to him,’ Stan recalls.

Stan has officiated at a few funerals for those he’s met in the hotels. Once, people told him he was a deceased woman’s only friend and insisted he do her funeral. ‘I don’t know that I was her “only friend”,’ says Stan. ‘Hopefully I wasn’t. Perhaps they meant I was her only Christian friend.’

Stan has formed some great friendships over the years. ‘As you keep visiting, you get to know people and their interests,’ he says.

‘But it can easily become a social round—you say hello, call people by their names, and then come home and ask yourself: “What have I done for the Kingdom?”

Because really, this ministry is an opportunity to carry the Christian message to people personally.’

Stan is full of praise for Lorna’s longstanding support. ‘It’s all very well for me to say, “I’m off to do the Lord’s work”, at five o’clock, but I’m so grateful to Lorna for keeping everything going at home and having a meal ready for me when I get back. Especially when the children were young.’

Stan does feel maybe he hasn’t done a good enough job of letting people know how important this ministry can be, since he hasn’t managed to pass the baton on to anyone else yet. ‘Taking the War Cry to the hotels is about much

more than selling the magazine,’ he says. ‘You carry the gospel of Jesus into the hotel. I believe seeds are being sown with the War Cry and through personal appearance and consistency. Most of all, I want people to see that Jesus is their Saviour, because that’s what The Salvation Army is all about.’

He says it’s the ‘grace of God’ that keeps him heading back to the hotels on a Friday night. ‘I’ve had some cancer and heart surgery, and I feel very strongly that the fact that I’m here at all now shows me that God has something still for me to do—and this is one of those purposes.’

I want people to see that Jesus is their Saviour …

Ε Is it easier for you to be pessimistic or optimistic? Ε Write your life story in one page as a pessimist. Ε Write your life story in one page as an optimist. Ε Now write it as if you were convinced that God is at work in your life and intends only good for you.

Is your church celebrating the arrival of the Bible in New Zealand 200 years ago?

Ε Begin reinterpreting your life thought this filter: ‘I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,’ says the Lord.

I would like: to explore what it means to follow Jesus information about Salvation Army worship and activities prayer for the following needs:

NAME:

Ε Train yourself to see life as a miracle by thanking God continuously for your life.

For more inspiration, join the podcast at Mosaic.org/Podcast and follow Erwin on Twitter @erwinmcmanus

Let’s Talk

ADDRESS:

GET INVOLVED

Free resources available at www.biblemonth.org.nz

Please post to: War Cry, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email: warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org

10 | WarCry 14 June 2014

GOSPEL MANIFESTO

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Ahead of the New Zealand General Election on 20 September, War Cry is publishing material from a Christchurch-based group of Christians suggesting a ‘Gospel Manifesto’. Experts will focus Christian voters on the teaching of Jesus and the local and global situation in which we live.

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Argues Beacon Apportioned Watercraft Wrong judgement Big-ticket Except if Murmuring Engaged Weather Holiday souvenirs (1-6) Forms of address Protect from another Gossip

Let’s get quizzical …     

When a judo referee says, ‘Hajime!’, what should you do?

What part of the body is affected by dermatitis?

Davy Crockett’s hat was made from what animal?

In what bay did Captain Cook make his first landfall in NZ? What kind of wood was Noah’s ark made from?

The gospels make it abundantly clear that Jesus had harsh words for those who acquired great wealth, especially at the expense of the less well off. Responsible stewardship of one’s gifted wealth was paramount for Jesus, who made it clear that accumulated wealth was a real stumbling block for those seeking to join him in bringing in the Kingdom of God. In short, they were better off without it!

This same locked-in, structural inequality strikes at the very core of the social wellbeing of societies today.

It rips out their economic heart by continuing a massive concentration of resources in the hands of fewer people, presenting a major threat to inclusive, just political and economic systems. A recent Oxfam report, Working for the Few: Political Capture and Economic Inequality notes that a mere 85 people control the same amount of wealth as half the world’s population. That is 85 people, compared with 3.5 billion. Worse still, it appears to be beyond the capacity of the world’s richest nations to stem the tide of rising inequality.

Max Rushbrooke points to signs of structural inequality in Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis: • New Zealand now has the widest income gaps since detailed records began in the early 1980s.

• From the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, the gap between rich and the rest has widened faster in New Zealand than in any other developed country.

• The average household in the top 10 per cent of New Zealand has nine times the income of one in the bottom 10 per cent.

• The top one per cent of adults own 16 per cent of the country’s total wealth, while the bottom half put

together have just over five per cent.

But the most damning aspects of our national social, economic and political crisis is that New Zealand children are more likely to be poor, feel unsafe and unwell, than children in most other developed countries. Added to this, says Rushbrooke, is the ‘shocking statistic … [the] disproportionate number of Māori and Pacific people living below the poverty line’.

Sadly, New Zealand will remain gridlocked into this growing and extraordinary economic disparity simply because it is not in the interests of the elite powerful few to address the unjust economic gross inequality that locks in their privileged advantages. But despite the entrenched nature of this gross inequality, we don’t have to accept that this is simply the way the system should work. A Christian response requires action on a number of levels, beginning with ourselves and our own lifestyles, priorities and commitments, then lobbying church leaders to follow the lead of Pope Francis by spelling out and actively seeking to address gross inequality in its many forms.

Gross inequality was rampant in Jesus’ time, but Jesus did not shirk from challenging those who created it and its cancerous impact on society. Two thousand years later and in a different context, corrosive inequality is increasing social tensions and the risk of social breakdown.

May we, who profess to be part of a Christian church, walk in the footsteps of Jesus in an uncompromising response to the socially crippling challenge of inequality, which costs everyone, especially those on the lowest incomes.

Rodney Routledge is a Presbyterian minister, a Community Development worker and a former Lecturer in Social Work at Canterbury University

Close Up | 11

All Black Aaron Smith during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on 16 November 2013. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Move in the Right Direction What does an All Blacks vs. England rugby game have in common with the life and death struggle of life in Syria?

BY MARGARET HAY On 14 June, the England rugby team will take on the All Blacks in Dunedin, where I now live. Vague though I am about looseheads and lineouts, the news set me rifling through my Syria file. Last November, flying from England to Jordan to help with The Salvation Army’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, we were handed free newspapers at London Heathrow. And there was the Sport headline: ‘Like all great teams they find a way to win’, along with photos of the mighty McCaw, Savea storming the forts, with the England captain, brave despite defeat and his left eye a purple egg, saying, ‘Credit to the lads … We are moving in the right direction. That’s the important thing. We will keep on learning.’

Though the big match had until then passed me by, I relished and stashed in my bag the English sports writers’ accounts. Michael Calvin for The Independent described how the ABs, after being down 22-20 at half time, had emerged victors 30-22 and added, ‘The All Blacks don’t follow the modern trend for emotional incontinence.

Their gestures of respect are measured and profound.’ He praised the England team by saying, ‘… the forwards could have been hewn from the granite of All Black mythology; the ultimate compliment one can pay… is that they would not have looked out of place in black’. And continued, ‘These All Blacks are different because of the totality of what they represent. Some 110 years of history was poured into 80 minutes of rugby yesterday … They are an army of Orcs, who inspire poetry … Most of all, they have a remorseless sense of responsibility to a small, isolated nation … They marry substance with sustainability, evolve and improve with telling certainty.’

Stirring stuff, which raised two big questions for this keen but nervous New Zealander en route to try to do something with as yet unknown colleagues for suffering Syrian people in the face of the ongoing war. First: is national pride a tonic or toxic? Second: was there anything for our small Salvation Army team to learn facing the challenge, not of the beautiful game but of a life and death struggle rocking Syria’s population.

The Salvation Army’s international Jordan-based team, two or three members at a time, partnered with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which has a permanent office there and wide networks locally and throughout the Middle East. The solidarity

between the core Army group—an officer who in the Czech republic leads a large centre for homeless men, another who heads the Army’s community services in Manchester, England, and one from Aotearoa—and the experienced LWF colleagues was strong.

Key to the operation, which centred on providing household equipment for families preparing for the harsh winter, was the involvement of a group of Syrian refugees, themselves living in a vast treeless refugee camp. They were trained to treat their compatriots with respect and compassion. It was never a case of handouts and clients, but of comradeship and deep understanding.

Differences of language, religion and outlook were considerable in such a team, working in a foreign country, with the Army’s involvement unusual since we have no permanent work in Jordan or Syria. The key was the scale of the disaster, and the inescapable need to do something. And the ethos of the enterprise was epitomised when, after three days of snow and freezing fog which had stalled our planned final distribution of winter goods up near the Syrian border, we received a phone call from the head of LWF, ‘I want to go ahead with the distribution tomorrow. The people are suffering.’ That did it for us Salvationists: the ‘remorseless sense of responsibility’ and ‘substance with sustainability’, was irresistible. So we headed out, driving through high banks of snow, then across the desert to the waiting people, devastated but still dignified, their solemn children alongside.

The Syrian deployment was unique, but it struck me that the crossovers between the All Blacks and The Salvation Army’s line of business are significant: access, engagement, seeking allies and the trust of the people. Glancing again at my rugby cuttings I see that Patrick Collins of The Mail on Sunday noted the likelihood that the England team ‘may well encounter most of the men they faced yesterday’ in the finals of the 2015 World Cup, which was ‘not a consoling thought’. He then quoted Richie McCaw: ‘There’s no point worrying about what you’ve done already. You’ve just got to think about what you’re going to do next.’ The skipper’s advice is sound, echoing as it does the words of St Paul: ‘Not as though I had already attained … but I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:12-14).

1 | WarCry 14 June 2014

Carla Lindsey examines the tension that is part of God’s message given through the prophet Micah.

Christianity is full of tension. What I mean by that is that Christian theology is full of ideas that are contradictory, yet true. For example, Christians believe firmly in one God, yet they also believe God is three persons. They believe Jesus is fully human, but also fully divine.

They believe that Jesus truly died, yet is alive; that creation is good, but also fallen; that salvation is a free gift, but something we need to accept and participate in. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Seemingly opposing ideas like these are held in tension.

Micah chapters four and five are a prime example of this kind of tension. In these chapters we feel the tension as Micah swings between the bad news and the good news that are both part of his message. We also feel the tension as his message alternates between what was for the ‘right now’, and what was for the ‘not yet’. This is even more complicated for modern-day readers of Micah because we have to figure out what was for back then, as well as the ‘right now’ and the ‘not yet’!

These chapters are complicated! So, to make it easier to navigate them we will divide them into three sections and work through them one at a time.

Hope in hard times Section one, Micah 4:1–8, opens with, ‘In the last days’. Now people can get hung up on the chronology of end-time events, but I think that to do that here is to miss the point. Micah isn’t talking about when and how those events will come about. His point was to give hope to people who were experiencing difficult times by reminding them that God had good things for them in his big plan. Micah was pointing to a future time to encourage people to face the reality of their current struggles in the light of God’s good plans for his people.

Here is what Micah says ‘the last days’ (or as he calls it later ‘that day’) will look like: In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.

Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’

The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.

I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation.

The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.

As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.’ (Micah 4:1–8) If you have been following this series, you will notice that these verses stand in direct contrast to chapter three. In Micah 3, God had condemned the corrupt leaders of Jerusalem. Here, Micah looks ahead to what things will be like under God’s leadership. It’s quite a contrast!

In chapter three, God was absent; here God himself is present. In chapter three, Jerusalem and her temple were destroyed. Here, they have been restored and God is seen ruling from Jerusalem, which is described as the highest mountain to show its supremacy. In chapter three, there is bloodshed; but here it is replaced with universal peace. In fact, weapons will no longer be needed for war. They will be recycled for more productive purposes.

In chapter three, the judges were wicked and corrupt. Here, God judges with fairness, settling disputes. In chapter three, the poor were taken advantage of. By contrast, in these verses, the lame —who represent the weak, the sick, and the outcast—are taken in and included. God is portrayed as the good shepherd gathering in his sheep.

In chapter three, the priests and prophets don’t deliver God’s words. But here, God himself teaches the people directly. These verses describe people from all different races and places streaming to Jerusalem to be taught by God and then returning home taking his teaching with them. Such a beautiful picture! How wonderful God’s reign will be! This is good news!

But it’s not here yet. Obviously. The world Micah’s original audience lived in and the world in which we live is miles away from the one described in Micah 4:1–8.

This was the tension this passage’s original audience lived with: the hope of a glorious future with God as their king, but the reality of a very difficult present. Micah 4:5 records the people’s response to

Soul Food | 1

the other verses in this section that describe God’s rule: All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

This is how God’s people dealt with the tension. They asserted that in the light of the future, their best response was to commit themselves to God now. Other people were free to worship how they chose, but the Israelites would walk in the name of God.

Micah encouraged people to face their current struggles in the light of God’s good plans for his people.

Good and bad news The second section is Micah 4:9–5:4. Several clues in this passage have led scholars to conclude that its historical setting is the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC, during the reign of Hezekiah. If that is the case, then as Micah wrote, the Assyrian army, which had already destroyed many small towns, was now trying to break down the walls of Jerusalem.

This section alternates between the bad news about the present, and the good news about the future. The bad news was that nations had gathered against Israel and they would eventually leave the land and go into exile. The good news was that it was ultimately God, not the other nations, who was in control, and in the end God would redeem his people.

The climax of this section comes in the good news announcement that redemption would come through a messianic ruler: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times …

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses … (Micah 5:2,4–5) This ruler would come from a small and insignificant place, Bethlehem the town of King David, yet he would be great. He is described as a good shepherd. These verses link him to the ancient past as well as a glorious future. And just as in Micah 4:1–8, this ruler would bring universal peace. New Testament writers recognised that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

True hope is in God In the final section, 5:5–15, Micah describes what the ruler’s peace will look like. Micah 5:5–6 tells us that peace will look like the elimination of the enemies of God and his people. Micah 5:7–9 tells us that peace will look like Israel finding her strength again. And Micah 5:10–15 tells us that peace will look like a people who are pure.

Thus Micah describes the removal of all the things that offend God: ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots.

I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds.

I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.

I will destroy your idols and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands.

I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles when I demolish your cities.’ (Micah 5:10–14) We get it: ‘God will destroy!’ The phrase is repeated to emphasise the point. Those things that offend God must go. These aren’t very nice words, but they were necessary. Military strength, walled cities, idols and witchcraft would give no real security, no true lasting peace.

They provided only false hope. True hope was found from depending on God alone.

True hope is still found from depending on God alone. These days, we may not trust in chariots or graven images, but there are plenty of other things we put our hope in. Our jobs, bank accounts, family/friends, technology, the good things we do—even in church.

Micah chapters four and five remind us that trusting in any of these things gives false hope. Hope based on human achievements will fail.

Only hope built on God will last.

Chapters four and five also remind us that we aren’t promised an easy life. God does not promise to rescue us from all our problems.

Life is a mixture of good news and bad news. But we, like the ancient Israelites, have a future hope to look forward to. The question is: how will we live today in the light of that hope?

Ponder This Micah chapters four and five paint a picture of God’s rule. God’s rule is described as one of peace and justice, where everyone is content, included, and lives without fear. So, if this is God’s intention for the world, how can we build communities like that now?

How do you balance the tension of the ‘not yet’ and the ‘right now’?

When the pressure is on in your present circumstances, how can you remind yourself of God’s future?

14 WarCry 14 June 2014

Rolleston: Mandate for Mission

January 6th officially began the journey of The Salvation Army Rolleston Corps Plant. Two not-so-fresh-faced lieutenants, Nathan and Naomi Holt, with their sons Josiah and Noah, moved into a rented property in the fastest growing town, in the fastest growing district in New Zealand. Their mandate: Make disciples. Train Soldiers.

Fight Injustice. Develop Leaders.

The journey I’m looking back over the blur that has been the first few months in our first appointment here in Rolleston, planting a corps under the Salvation Army banner. The question that Naomi and I have been asking since first hearing of our appointment is: What could The Salvation Army look like here?

We decided to start by praying. That seemed the safest place to begin. We prayed that we would be led by God. We prayed that God would send us the people that he wanted this ministry to look like.

We prayed to God that if something was right, it would feel right. We prayed that if something was wrong, it would feel wrong.

We decided that if we were to do anything effective here, we would need to love God. That is priority number one. We say here that if there’s only one thing you can do in a day, it should be that you love God more than you did the day before.

Our first month was spent in the pursuit of God and family.

We decided that after loving God, loving people was the second highest priority. And with that, we’ve discovered that we have to love our community. We won’t fight to save something that we don’t love.

We needed to fall in love with Rolleston—warts and all. We needed to love it enough that we wanted to see it become a better place.

And so our second month was spent getting to know everything we could about Rolleston and the surrounding towns in the Selwyn District.

Then, before we knew what was happening, God started to bring the people. There were a handful of people located in the Selwyn district that wanted to pursue what The Salvation Army might look like here. Because we prayed that God send the people that he wanted this ministry to look like, we decided to simply open the door and let people hop on the bus. (Figuratively, of course. We don’t have a real bus.)

Our third month was spent getting to know our new family. We started sharing in prayer, worship, the reading of the Word, and discussion about the things of God. The focus began to shift by the fourth month, because everyone wanted to know how we were going to do whatever it was we were going to do. Since then, we’ve been on an exciting journey as we explore how The Salvation Army might look here in Rolleston.

And for that, we needed to establish a reality.

Establishing reality We quickly discovered that we were doing all the same things that every other Salvation Army corps (church) does. We were using all the same words. The reality, though, does not exist in the words themselves, but in their working definitions. It is not heard as much as it is seen.

Corps officer … As I write, I am sitting in an office. In front of me is a Salvation Army laptop. I know this because of the large red shield on its screen. To my left, I see a box of Salvation Army business cards that read: Nathan Holt Lieutenant, Corps Officer, The Salvation Army Rolleston. Under them is a box of Naomi’s business cards.

Continuing left are small name plates of our two sons, Josiah and Noah. Further left is a giant photocopier sitting below two hooks on which rest a Salvation Army cap and two Disciples of the Cross sessional ribbons. On my desk are a Seekers Register and a Soldiers Register, a Salvation Army Disposition of Forces, and many, many scribbled notes indicating work that needs to be done.

Chapel/social hall … As I walk out of the office, I look through the kitchen to see a room with couches and chairs.

Youth hall … As I enter that room, I turn to see another room with toys and books and movies.

Storage (you’re not a real church unless you have this, full of things you’ll never touch again, but also that you can never possibly throw away) … I remember that I need something from the garage. I go in through the laundry to grab the box.

Car park … I then head out the front door and down the drive to get the mail.

Worship … I return up the driveway and walk into our house across the front deck. This is usually where our family stands to wave goodbye at around 1 pm every Sunday afternoon as the last of our corps people head home after the Sunday meeting. Our meetings are when we gather to share in prayer, reading the Bible, and teaching/ discussion. We have tea and coffee together. We share testimony, challenge and encouragement. And sometimes we even sing together.

Small groups … Every week, we gather at one another’s homes to share stories, express thoughts and concerns, and ask questions of each other.

Community meals … Every week, our people open their homes and lives to others to share over a meal or coffee. Those people are met in natural spheres of life. All are encouraged to simply make friends: to find people that have similar interests, and get to know them at a deeper level than a simple ‘Hey, how are ya?’—a level deep enough to share pain and love and compassion and journey.

Evangelism … Friendships are formed through functioning in everyday life with other people.

Our Community | 15

Same-Sex Attitudes Survey

Caring for people … People are cared about for who they are, not what they may or may not be convinced to believe, or what ‘strange programmes’ they may or may not commit to.

Transforming lives … Caring for people does not stop short of the uncomfortable. We do not put limits on how deep our care of others takes us. When a person is truly cared for, we will want to ensure that their tomorrow is always better than their today. We will want to ensure that they are able to live a better life.

Reforming Society … When caring for people and striving for them to exist in a better tomorrow, it is only a matter of time before we confront something that pains or enslaves them. More often than not, this has something to do with a wrong that exists in our society.

Our care for them drives us to want to see whatever that evil is, stopped. That care drives us to want to change the entire world for that person. To fight injustice.

Making Disciples … Our mandate is to be disciples, and to make disciples. We define discipleship as a shared journey between two people towards establishing Jesus as Lord. Secondly, these disciples live for loving others by ‘caring for people, transforming lives and reforming society’ (the Salvation Army mission statement for New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga). This journey is practiced through the daily pursuit of the arts of prayer, creative expression, hospitality and learning.

Training Soldiers … The discipleship journey is there so that each person might find the ministry that God has set them aside for. Our belief is that all are called to a life of mission. That mission can be described as living a life where each person uses what they love to defeat what breaks their heart.

Developing Leaders/Deploying Soldiers … The Salvation Army in Rolleston does not exist to establish The Salvation Army in Rolleston.

Instead, we exist to be Salvationists who are, every day, growing in God through grace as a fellowship of disciples who are discipling each other towards their commission as soldiers.

What next?

The Salvation Army in Rolleston is about the establishment of God’s soldiers, in God’s Army, serving in the ways that God made us to serve. That is the everyday pursuit of this group of people. We all hope that every day we can get saved, stay saved, save others, get ourselves saved some more, and fight the good fight … until the Selwyn District is a better place to be in than it was the day before.

Nathan Holt (Corps Officer, Rolleston Corps Plant)

Over coming months, War Cry will continue to update readers on progress in Rolleston in the hope that as you follow something of the corps plant’s early journey, you will become prayer partners in its mission.

In recent years, societal changes in attitudes toward same-sex attraction (SSA) and same-sex relationships (SSR) have prompted many Christians to think carefully about their own responses to these issues. Some within the Church have begun to express varying degrees of doubt about traditional Christian teaching on these matters. Others insist that the traditional teaching of the Church has been, and remains, the proper response for believers.

The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory has released a Same-sex Attitudes Survey to gather information about the current thinking of Salvationists in respect of SSA and SSR. This questionnaire originated in New Zealand and has been prepared at the request of the Territorial Commander.

It is believed that the findings from this survey will provide territorial leadership with accurate and helpful information when these matters are the subject of further discussion.

To access the questionnaire, go to: http://bit.ly/samesexsurvey The survey is only being made available in online form, but we do want to encourage wide participation. Corps and centres are therefore asked to allow people to complete the survey using a Salvation Army computer if that would be helpful. We would ask that only one survey be completed per person.

The survey will remain open until 22 June 2014.

Regardless of the survey findings, The Salvation Army is committed to being a welcoming faith community where all people can experience the love and grace of God. We are also committed to being an inclusive employer, where people of all sexual identities are treated with respect and valued in their roles. The Salvation Army is opposed to homophobic attitudes and behaviour, which are not appropriate for a Christian faith community or any other segment of society.

HomeCare Satisfies Clients

The Salvation Army’s HomeCare service operates from three branches in Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland, with its National Office in Hamilton. HomeCare provides a range of services that allow older people to remain living independently in their own homes, helping over 5000 clients with an ‘army’ of almost 1000 support workers.

HomeCare carries out regular client satisfaction surveys and is consistently rated as a nine out of 10. A letter received from a family member of one client said, ‘The caring and supportive service that is provided by the Salvation Army HomeCare support workers for my mum is outstanding; we cannot thank them enough. Their service has enabled our family to cope with the difficult circumstances that arise when caring for a beloved person with deteriorating health and increasing needs. My mum has gone through a difficult journey to get to [the] acceptance of her medical condition, and we can attribute this to her gentle and caring support team, who have cared for her for many years faithfully … We thank you all as we appreciate how difficult and challenging this work is and the extra mile that you all go for our families.’

HomeCare has some challenges ahead, with most of its Government funding contracts coming up for tender this year, but staff are working hard to position HomeCare as the preferred provider for current and future clients.

Ross Smith (CEO, HomeCare)

Go to

homecare.org.nz for more information.

16 WarCry 14 June 2014

Salvation Army Launches Second Pasifika Report

On 27 May, The Salvation Army released its second report regarding the state of Pacific Peoples in New Zealand. Entitled This is Home, the report was named to reflect the fact that 70 per cent of the Pacific population are now born in New Zealand. This is Home examines key areas of socio-economic progress: children, work and income, crime and punishment, housing, and social hazards.

Following the release of the report, The Salvation Army has urged politicians and local communities to act urgently to help Pacific peoples overcome the obstacles blocking them from building a viable and just future.

Co-author Ronji Tanielu (pictured above), a social policy analyst with The Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, which published the report, is keen to emphasise that Pacific people should not longer be considered as only imported labour or immigrants —New Zealand is their home.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown, himself a South Aucklander, launched This is Home at Otahuhu Corps in South Auckland and praised The Salvation Army for its work within the community.

South Auckland is home to one-third of New Zealand’s Pasifica population, and The Salvation Army is very active in this community.

In her opening words, Major Sue Hay, Assistant Director of the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, acknowledged the work of co-authors Ronji Tanielu and Alan Johnson, whom she said had

invested not only their professional skills but also their passion for the most vulnerable of New Zealand society into This is Home. ‘This report offers hope and heartache,’ declared Major Hay. Speakers at the launch acknowledged that among Pasifika people there were significant improvements in NCEA results, a drop of 27 per cent in recorded criminal offending, a decrease in hazardous drinking, and increasing enrolments at early childhood centres. Reference was made to numerous examples of how Pacific communities are working with other Kiwis and government to improve their quality of life. The Matanikolo Housing Project in the Auckland suburb of Mangere is one example of a government, church and community partnership.

However, speakers noted with disquiet that the Pasifica infant mortality rate is 20 per cent higher than for the rest of the country, and that violent crime is much higher than for other population groups despite falls in overall offending and recidivism rates.

In addition, consistently high unemployment rates of Pacific people—twice that of the overall population—and worsening income disparities between Pacific people and the rest of New Zealand were deeply concerning, Ronji said.

The effective exclusion of the great majority of Pacific people from home ownership, particularly in Auckland, is another stark sign that Pacific people are not fully participating in the economy. ‘The recent economic growth and recovery is clearly not benefitting Pacific communities,’ said Ronji. ‘These communities and their leaders will need to work collaboratively and energetically at grass roots level and push and agitate in local and central government if Pacific people are to have a fair stake in our economic and social life.’

At the launch, Major Hay quoted a Samoan proverb: ‘Ua o gatasi le futia ma le umele: While the fisherman swings the rod, the others must assist him by paddling hard.’ ‘The rod has been cast by the authors on behalf of The Salvation Army,’ she said. ‘Now it is time for the rest of us to work on paddling hard to nurture the signs of hope identified, and encourage further improvements.’

Go to

salvationarmy.org.nz/pasifika2014 to read This is Home

Commissioner Cox Inspires Women Leaders in Brazil After years of planning and prayer, Salvation Army women leaders met together in São Paulo, Brazil, for the Women in Leadership Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, where they were joined by guest speaker Commissioner Silvia Cox (World President of Women’s Ministries).

The event, which took the theme ‘Women: Strength and Perfection’ (based on Psalm 18:32), was described by Commissioner Deise Eliasen (Zonal Secretary for Women’s Ministries, Americas and Caribbean Zone) as ‘a dream come true’.

Thirty-three officers from six territories attended the conference, representing 45 countries, and the Lord’s presence was felt strongly.

At the start of the event, Commissioner Cox spoke about finding strength in God. She told the women leaders that God wants his people to be free from the culture of sin, slavery, indifference and insecurity. She reminded them that they were strong and could do everything in Christ.

A variety of workshops were presented in creative and informative ways, challenging women to lead with efficacy, to have a balanced ministry between home and family, to have confidence for God-given tasks, and to be financially accountable. Leaders were encouraged to use new ideas in programmes to reach women.

Evening sessions dealt with the importance of preventing violence in the home and included a time of sharing about challenges in leadership.

A cultural night was full of colour, beauty, folklore and traditional dress. Delegates from Brazil even showed how the samba rhythm can be used with a very traditional Salvation Army song.

In her final challenge, Commissioner Cox explained how, in the Lord, each person can be perfect—not only strong, but also perfect.

The closer we get to Jesus, she explained, the more we pray, the more we preach and read God’s Word, the more we dedicate our lives to him, the more like Jesus we become.

GAZETTE Appointments Effective 9 June: Capts John and Lydia Carpenter (appointments in retirement), Corps Officers (pro-tem), Dannevirke Corps, Central Division. Effective 12 June: Lt Janet Green, Assistant Officer, Wellington South Corps, Central Division.

International College for Officers The following officers are appointed to the International College for Officers: Mjr Arone Cheer, Session 224, 14 Jan to 23 Feb 2015; and Capt Ian Gainsford (currently serving as Training Principal, Tanzania Territory), Session 227, 14 Oct to 23 Nov 2015.

Correction: Medland Bereavement The 31 May War Cry incorrectly reported that Esther Medland, promoted to Glory from Napier on 4 May, was the aunt of Mjr Lynne Medland. This should have read Mjr Graham Medland. The editor apologises for this error.

Noticeboard | 17

Hutt City Corps Centennial Celebrations

CALENDAR JUNE

 July, – pm: Dine through the Decades (come dressed in your favourite ‘decades’ outfit).

Bookings essential: $10 adults & $ children under 12.

–: Top of the South Regional Weekend / Southern Division : Regional Leaders Meeting (North) / Fiji Division –: Ten-year Officer Review (NZ) / Booth College of Mission : DHQ Team Day / Northern Division : Junior Soldier Day / Tonga Region : Regional Leaders Meeting (West) / Fiji Division : Blaze Youth Event (Tawa) / Central Division : Social Service Sunday / Fiji Division : Regional Meeting / Tonga Region : Senior & Junior Soldier Renewal Sunday / Tonga Region : Workout with the Word / Albany Bays Corps : Spiritual Day / Booth College of Mission : Regional Women’s Prayer Night / Fiji Division –: Canterbury Regional Weekend / Southern Division : Safe to Serve Training (Palmerston North and Wellington) / Central Division : Corps Cadet Sunday / Fiji Division

 July,  am: Men’s breakfast, with Commissioner Robert Donaldson: $.  July, 2: pm: Women’s High Tea, with Commissioner Janine Donaldson. Bookings essential: $.  July: Celebration Family Service with Comms Robert and Janine Donaldson.

All welcome! RSVP (04) 0 02, e: janette_slobbe@nzf.salvationarmy.org

Spiritual Direction Formation Do people approach you to talk about their spiritual life? Would you like to train as a Spiritual Director?

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS

Spiritual Growth Ministries offers a well-regarded and comprehensive two-year, part-time programme, designed to inspire and form you as an effective Spiritual Director.

Commissioners Robert (Territorial Commander) and Janine Donaldson (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries)  June: Kelvin Grove Corps  June: New Lynn Corps & Northern Division Missionary Fellowship  June: Rotorua Corps  June to  July: Midland Divisional Officers Fellowship – July: Hutt City Corps Centenary – July: Appointments Consultation – July: International Conference of Leaders / Singapore

The programme includes: • study of the theology and practices of Christian spiritual direction • deepening spiritual formation • regular workshops conducted by experienced practitioners • supervised one-to-one spiritual direction practice

Colonels Graeme (Chief Secretary) and Wynne Reddish (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries)

Applications for 201/1 close 20 September. Contact Barbara McMillan, e: sgmtp@xtra.co.nz, or visit www.sgm.org.nz for more info.

– June: Midland Division & HomeCare Review – July: Appointments Consultation – August: Fiji Divisional Review  August: Retirement Service

Uniform Wanted I am looking for a second-hand men’s uniform jacket, size 12 to 12 cm. Can you help? e: Ben (Dingo) Smith on myjesusilovethee@hotmail.com or p: (02) 2 2.

PRAYER FOCUS Please pray for: New Lynn, New Plymouth, Nuku’alofa and Otahuhu Corps, North Shore Korean Corps Plant, Salvation Army Community Ministries staff and clients, The Salvation Army Nigeria Territory.

Crossword Answers: Across: 8 Punish, 9 Existing, 10 Orchards, 11 Temper, 12 Method, 13 Likewise, 15 Assured, 17 Invited, 20 Attempts, 22 Dipped, 23 Studio, 25 Informed, 26 Merriest, 27 Ninety. Down: 1 Quarrels, 2 Lighthouse, 3 Shared, 4 Vessels, 5 Mistaken, 6 Item, 7 Unless, 14 Whispering, 16 Employed, 18 Elements, 19 T-shirts, 21 Titles, 22 Defend, 24 Dirt. Quick Quiz Answers: 1 Start fighting, 2 The skin, 3 Racoon, 4 Poverty Bay, 5 Gopherwood (Genesis 6:14).

Subscribe today!

War Cry … DIRECT to your door Annual subscription (including p&p) $ (within NZ). To subscribe, contact Salvationist Resources, p: (04) 2 040, e: mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org

LAIDLAW COLLEGE OPENING IN MANUKAU We are delighted to announce that from July 2014 you can study at our new campus in the heart of Manukau at 20 Amersham Way. Enrol now in the level 4 Certificate or level 5 Diploma in Christian Studies and deepen your understanding of the Bible and Christian discipleship. These programmes will also provide a springboard into further study in theology, missions, ministry, counselling or teaching.

Sefa Lafaiali’i (Campus Developer) with Principal Rod Thompson outside the new Manukau Campus

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0800 999 777 |

laidlaw.ac.nz |

info@laidlaw.ac.nz

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18 WarCry 14 June 2014

LEADERSHIP LINKS

I want to see Salvationists with a bold and daring faith!

Play it safe! Kick for touch! Don’t bite off more than you can chew! How often have we heard people saying these words, pouring cold water on some new venture or exciting opportunity. I sometimes wonder if society has become obsessed with managing risk and if this comes at the expense of looking at exciting new opportunities.

It seems this conservative approach has not only crept into companies but churches as well—and with crippling results. In a recent conversation with a senior officer, I was asked, ‘Where are all the innovators, the entrepreneurs, those willing to have a go at doing something daring and different for the kingdom?’

Where indeed!

Mark Batterson, in his book Wild Goose Chase, reveals details of recent studies by US psychologists who have discovered that the human brain experiences a greater decline in electrical activity when we suffer a loss, rather than the increase in electrical activity we gain when we win. When these losses are compounded, fear then cripples our ability to step out in faith and have a go.

Maybe this helps to explain why some Christians live in a state of comfortable conservatism. They are paralysed by fear and prefer to take a ‘better to be safe than sorry’ approach to their discipleship, rather than believing the aphorism ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’. I recall the personal rebuke I received when seeing a giant billboard advertising a black Alfa Romeo sports car. The caption simply read: ‘Mediocrity is a sin.’

What I’d love to see are more pioneers rather than homesteaders. People prepared to blaze new trails, rather than simply settling down. Soldiers who aren’t satisfied with the status quo, but trust God for revival. Salvationists with a bold and daring faith, who are more afraid of missing the opportunities than making mistakes, more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure, and more afraid of God’s rebuke than what others might think.

To quote Mark Batterson again: If we are ever going to fulfil our ancient commission, we need to get out of the comfortable confines of our Christian ghettos and invade some hellholes with the light and love of Christ.

As Territorial Secretary for Programme, I encourage us all to exercise fearless faith and to have a go! Do whatever you need to do to overcome your fear of failure. Trust God for something bigger and brighter in your corps or centre.

Ephesians 3:20, says, ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’ You are better to fail at doing something great than succeed in doing nothing at all. The stakes are simply too high—the eternal destiny of those whom God loves. Let’s believe that the kingdom gains awaiting us are far greater than the losses we fear.

Lieut-Colonel Rod Carey Territorial Secretary for Programme

The 2014 Thought Matters conference is being held in Auckland from 29 to 31 August at the Auckland Airport Holiday Inn. This year’s conference theme is ‘Honour God with Your Body: A Christian View of Human Sexuality’. The aim is to help people to reflect theologically on their responses to issues of sexuality in their own lives, in the church and in society in general.

Presenters will address a range of topics relating to sexuality including sexuality and identity, sexualisation of church and culture, same-sex attraction, biblical and theological perspectives, pastoral responses within the church, and engagement between church and society.

The Thought Matters conference is a safe and respectful space for theological conversation. It is expected that there will be a wide range of views expressed through papers and in responses from delegates.

The aim of the conference is to explore ideas rather than convince others of the rightness or otherwise of any particular position. Presenters will represent a range of views and will be articulating their ideas while allowing space for disagreement and discussion with others. Delegates are expected to demonstrate respect and care in all conference participation.

Programme

The conference will commence on Friday evening with a plenary session followed by supper. On Saturday there will be a mix of plenary sessions and options, along with time for discussion and conversation. A buffet dinner will be shared on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, the conference will conclude by 12:30 pm with a final plenary session, morning tea and worship together. Shuttles will be available between the airport and venue.

A full programme, including details of presenters, will be released this month.

Cost

Conference fee: $155 (GST incl). This includes lunch and buffet dinner on Saturday and refreshments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Accommodation is a separate personal responsibility but may be booked at Auckland Airport Holiday Inn at a negotiated conference rate that includes breakfast: • Single occupancy, $135 per night (GST incl) • Twin share, NZ $77.50 per person, per night (GST incl) The special conference rate is available for two nights before and after the conference.

Territorial Headquarters is making a number of scholarships available for New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga delegates. Details will be available by the end of June.

Registrations

Conference registrations will open by the end of June.

More information e: Thought_Matters@nzf.salvationarmy.org salvationarmy.org.nz/thoughtmatters2014 and facebook.com/thoughtmatters

Mission Matters 1

God Strong A recruitment campaign for US soldiers opens with the dictionary definition of strong: ‘having great physical power … having moral or intellectual power …’

BY JENNY CAREY The recruitment campaign then continues: … But with all due respect to Webster, there’s strong and there’s Army strong.

It is a strength like none other.

It is a physical strength.

It is an emotional strength.

It is a strength of character and strength of purpose.

The strength to do well today and the strength to do well tomorrow.

The strength to obey and the strength to command.

The strength to build and the strength to tear down.

The strength to get over yourself.

There is nothing on this green earth that’s stronger than the US Army because there is nothing on this green earth that is stronger than a US Army soldier. Strong … Army Strong.

Powerful words for recruiting into the US military army, but what about God’s army? What kind of slogan could we use for recruiting soldiers into The Salvation Army?

We could use words such as: ‘Salvation Army soldiers have a strength like none other from God: physical and emotional strength, strength of character and purpose. We have a strength for building God’s kingdom here on earth and a strength to tear down Satan’s injustices. Strong … God Strong.’

Maybe our slogan could be straight from William Booth’s pen: We want soldiers who understand the hearts of men [and women], who are acquainted with the devices of Satan and the delusion and excuses and hiding places of sinners, and who know how to pour in volley after volley of red hot truth upon rebels, until they run or yield or fall at the feet of the conquering Saviour …

Those are strong words! Maybe they’re not quite what we would use in an advertising campaign today, but perhaps they should be!

Each year, we give our soldiers (junior and senior) the chance to reaffirm the promises they made to God when they were first enrolled. This year, the theme for our Covenant Renewal Sunday is ‘The Cost of Living’. Mark 8:35 (NLT) says, ‘… if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.’

Becoming a soldier in the Salvation Army is an important decision, and it’s one that has a cost. Salvation Army soldiership is a lifestyle change: giving up some things, to give out to others.

The Soldier’s Covenant and Junior Soldier Promise call for radical lifestyle commitments that are often counter to the culture of the day. Soldiers who remain true to their promises make a tremendous impact for God in their communities and the wider world. They make the values of the Kingdom of God the standard for their lives. The Salvation Army promotes soldiership as a relevant and useful framework within which people can live out their Christian discipleship.

What slogan could we use for recruiting Salvation Army soldiers?

I encourage you to attend a preparation class and find out if Salvation Army soldiership is for you. Ask your corps officer to hold preparation classes and then get a group of people together who would also like to explore the concept of becoming a soldier of The Salvation Army. This is a commitment not only to The Salvation Army but also—and especially—to God. If you are already a soldier, can I encourage you to re-read your Soldier’s Covenant or Junior Soldier Promise and allow God to once again challenge you through its words. Be active in your community and local corps ministry. Offer to help voluntarily at a Salvation Army community service centre, or consider working for The Salvation Army as an employee. Stand against injustices in society.

And encourage others toward soldiership by testifying about the meaning of soldiership in your life.

The Mission Resource Department is soon to release resources for corps ahead of Covenant Renewal Sunday. Plan to take part in this day at your corps and keep doing what you can to encourage others toward the commitment of soldiership.

Recruit: increasing our fighting force by inspiring and enrolling new soldiers Deploy: helping all soldiers to live out the promises in their Soldier’s Covenant or Junior Soldier Promise

GOD & FAITH

There’s a whole lot more that we can learn from an awesome movie about interconnected plastic blocks than you might have thought.

There is no right way to fit in

Let’s be honest, Lego is one of the greatest ‘toys’ of all time. It’s tiny, shiny, interconnecting, lasts forever (so long as no vacuum gets near it!) and the creative possibilities are endless. The only bad thing about Lego is accidentally standing on it, and even then it’s kind of your own fault for leaving it out anyway.

‘Instructions to Fit In, Have Everybody Like You, and Always be Happy: Step 1. Breathe … 3. Exercise. 4. Shower … wear clothes … greet your neighbours … enjoy popular music … don’t forget to smile … always root for the local sports team … drink over-priced coffee.’

—Emmet

So it’s only right that the first ever Lego movie would provide us with tiny, shiny, inter-connecting, long-lasting, creative life lessons. Whether or not you’ve been fortunate enough to see the movie and get that song stuck in your head, here are some invaluable life lessons from The Lego Movie …

Emmet is an ordinary construction worker, trying hard to make friends at work, do the day-to-day things that a normal Lego person would do, and live by the ‘instructions’. Soon it becomes clear that the people around Emmet don’t really know much about him or think there’s much to like because he’s so busy trying to fit in that nothing stands out. It’s not until Emmet is given the opportunity to live outside the rule book and truly be himself (hello doubledecker couch!) that his friends really embrace him. Learn from Emmet: you don’t have to blend into the ‘crowd’—be yourself!

Plot Rundown The Lego Movie follows the adventures of an ordinary Lego minifigure, Emmet, who considers himself a perfectly average, rule-following citizen.

Emmet’s world is changed forever when he is mistaken as the most extraordinary and interesting person in the Lego world and key to saving the world. Along the way, he must join forces with the Master Builders (the really clever/creative Lego people) to stop President Business’s evil plan.

Bible Brick ‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ (Psalm 139:14)

Everyone has ideas ‘This is Emmet, and he was just like all of you: a face in the crowd, following the same instructions as you … I used to think that he was a follower with no ideas for the life of him. But it turned out Emmet had great ideas, and although they seemed weird and kinda pointless, they got him closer than anyone had ever achieved in saving the universe.’

—Wyldstyle Right up until this point, Emmet isn’t really taken too seriously. His ideas were either laughed at or disregarded because they were slightly left-of-field and he was just an ordinary construction worker. It’s not until his double-decker couch concept ends up saving the team of Master Builders that he gets some respect. Wyldstyle (aka Lucy) finally admits that she may have had it wrong and that all people, not just Master Builders, have good ideas and should be valued. Don’t make assumptions—a double decker couch could save your life.

Bible Brick ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ (1 Thes 5:11)

14 JUNE 2014 | 21

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

We are all The Special ‘Don’t worry what the others are doing; you must embrace what is special about you.’—Vetruvius After Emmet and the Master Builders have struggled to come up with a good plan to stop President Business, Emmet is feeling discouraged. He is continually comparing himself to the Master Builders around him and feeling he has nothing of value to add. The wise and bearded Vetruvius drops this bombshell about ‘embracing what is special about you’.

Vetruvius knows that each Lego person is made differently with unique gifts and abilities—and we need to embrace and utilise that.

Bible Brick ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.’ (Romans 12:6–8)

Be open, honest and vulnerable with people ‘I know what you’re thinking, he’s the least qualified person to lead us ... and you’re right!’—Emmet After being mistaken as the chosen one, Emmet is presented to the council of Master Builders to stir them up and lead them forth with a new plan, but they immediately recognise that he is just an ordinary guy. And the best thing: Emmett doesn’t pretend to be someone he is not; Emmet is straight up about feeling inadequate and underprepared to lead them. This means the team that actually sticks around trusts him and understands both his strengths and weaknesses.

Bible Brick ‘Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.’

(Proverbs 19:1)

Emmett doesn’t pretend to be someone he is not … his team trusts him and understands both his strengths and weaknesses You can achieve more as a team ‘You guys are so talented and imaginative ... but you can’t work as a team. I’m just a construction worker, but when I have a plan and we were working together, we could build a skyscraper. Now you guys are Master Builders. Just imagine what you could do if you did that! You could save the universe!’—Emmet It’s not until Emmet and the Master Builders find it impossible to come up with a working plan to defeat President Business that Emmet realises the power of teamwork. Emmet connects the dots and realises that the Master Builders can’t work as a team, but he also remembers how productive it was when his construction team worked together.

Emmet then reveals just how much more you can achieve when you bring a range of people’s gifts and abilities together and work as a team. And everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

Bible Brick ‘If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.’ (1 Cor 12:17–20)

Little Known Fact: The smooth, interconnecting and instruction-based design of Lego was basically the inspiration for the overarching goal for our Territorial Strategic Mission Plan.

‘As a streamlined, connected, mission focused army we will …’ Mm hmm, right?

If it rhymes, it’s true? ‘[The one who finds the Piece of Resistance] will be the greatest, most talented, most interesting, most important person of all time. And it’s true. Because it rhymes.’—Vetruvius We’re not exactly sure this is a great life lesson, but it’s funny when it’s Morgan Freeman’s voice coming out of a Gandalflike Lego figure saying it. Perhaps the real life lesson is if you are always truthful, people will trust you anyway.

Bible Brick ‘Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.’ (Ephesians 4:25)

Everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

We can all be ground-breakers ‘All of you have the unique ability deep within to be a ground-breaker, and I mean literally—break the ground!

Peel off the pieces! Tear apart your walls! Build things only you can build.’

—Wyldstyle It’s D-day—or Taco Tuesday—and Emmet and the Master Builders are desperately trying to save the Lego world. Wyldstyle manages to get herself on TV and spread a stirring message about everyone playing their part and having the ability to be a ground-breaker.

In this case, she meant a literal groundbreaker, as in dismantling the Lego ground around them, but we know she also meant it so much deeper than that.

Wyldstyle was totally saying we all have the power and potential to change the world around us and use our gifts and abilities to do what only we could do.

Beautiful!

Bible Brick ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Ephesians 2:10)

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

INTRODUCING | 22

God has stirred my passion for social justice I grew up in Zimbabwe with my parents and brother, where we attended The Salvation Army. When I was 10, we moved to New Zealand as my parents wanted a better life for my brother and I, and saw there was no life or future for us in Zimbabwe.

We moved to Auckland and started going to East City Corps, which was great. I got involved with a bunch of stuff, from the children’s programmes to the youth group and youth band. I really liked church because it was kind of a safe place for me. I knew the people there and so I wanted to get involved.

I think I enjoyed church so much because I found high school really tough. I was bullied

throughout my high school years and I went searching for love in all the wrong places. I found I didn’t get on with people my own age because I was always bullied so I found myself hanging out with people younger than me.

Since I’ve been wearing them every weekend, I’ve had some awesome opportunities to have conversations with people and to speak up for the 27 million slaves in 161 countries, including New Zealand.

It wasn’t until my Divisional Youth Secretary, Mat Badger, told me that I could hang out with younger people and get paid for it as a youth worker (he didn’t tell me that the pay wasn’t high though!) that I really considered getting into youth work. I applied to become a Youth Work Apprentice through The Salvation Army Youth Work Apprenticeship programme and eventually moved to Wellington to start my training. Joining the Apprenticeship programme and moving to Wellington was the best decision I’ve ever made.

I want young people to know they have a voice and can make change.

Since training to be a youth worker, God has really stirred my passion for social justice. I believe we all share a part of God’s heart for this world and so we will all have something that frustrates us about it or makes us cry.

I’ve always had a passion for social justice, being born in Africa and seeing all the injustice that is happening over there, so I’ve been trying to work out this passion more practically over the years.

TURN BLUE

Rock/Blues

The Black Keys

The Black Keys continue to bring their brand of raw, energetic and groovy blues infused rock with their latest record Turn Blue. Taking a slight detour, however, their laid back, minimalist approach to songwriting this time opts for layered bass lines and simple repeated melodies. This is best seen in ‘Fever’, which is built on a daringly disco feel and four-onthe-floor pulse. ‘Waiting on Words’ has a distinctly Beatles’ feel, and is driven by a simple repeated electric guitar chord progression. With its simple open grooves and raw production, Turn Blue is the perfect album to chill with on a rainy day.

MUSIC

LYRICS

GOD CONTENT

ALBUM REVIEW

ALBUM REVIEW

At the end of last year, I felt God telling me to do something different with the passion I have. Eventually, I understood he was asking me to wear chains on my wrists every weekend throughout 2014 to raise awareness about slavery and human trafficking.

I really want to use my passion for young people and social justice to make a difference.

I want young people to know they have a voice and can make change, and I want to utilise my own voice to help those around our world that have had that voice taken away.

We don’t actually have to give lots of money —I mean if we can do that, it’s awesome and really helpful—but our voices are one of the most powerful things, because we can speak for those that don’t have a voice that people are listening to.

God is continually reminding me to let go of my passions and dreams, and focus on him first. God has given me a small piece of the picture of what he wants me to do and I’m simply stepping out in faith and anticipation for what else is to come!

For more info and to keep up to date with Barry’s chains journey, check out www.facebook.com/barryinchains

WE ARE THE BROKEN

Nu-Metal

Seventh Day Slumber

Now veterans on the Christian rock/metal scene, Seventh Day Slumber’s latest record We Are The Broken solidifies the band’s songwriting journey into one cohesive album. The incredibly catchy choruses, powerful rhythm guitars and huge drums will leave hard rock fans wanting more. The lead single and title track of the record shows this well, with a massive anthemic chorus and very Red-type breakdown. An understated energy flows through the album, and though it’s not always in your face, the songs hit hard after a few listens. With its great lyrics and tight production, this is worth a listen.

MUSIC

LYRICS

GOD CONTENT

Fun4Kids | 

CODEBREAKER

who Why does someoneake a m ns runs maratho good student? n pays Because educatio n! ru ng lo off in the

Crack this week’s Bible code to discover all the great things the Holy Spirit can do in your life!

god’s spirit makes us loving,

———— / —————— / ————— / —— / —————— happy, peaceful, patient,

Why didn’t the do to play football? g want It was a boxer!

/ ————— / ———————— / ——————— / kind, good, faithful, gentle

———— / ———— / ———————— / —————— /

Why are basketball players never asked for dinner?

Because they ’re always dribbling!

and self-controlled.

——— / ————-——————————.

KEY: a=a, b=b, c=c, d=d, e=e, f=f, g=g, h=h, i=i, j=j, k=k, l=l, m=m, n=n, o=o, p=p, q=q, r=r, s=s, t=t, u=u, v=v, w=w, x=x, y=y, z=z

WHICH SNEAKERS ARE LINKED BY LACES?

Why did the chicken get sent off ?

For fowl play!

SPORTS MATCH Match the Kiwi sportsperson with the right sport …

B

A

E

BASKETBALL RUGBY

C

F FOOTBALL

SHOTPUT

D

H

G YACHTING NETBALL

GOLF CAR RACING

Answers: Codebreaker: God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. (Galatians 5:22–23, CEV); Sneakers: pink and red, blue and purple, green and yellow; Sports Match: A–Football, B–Netball, C–Yachting, D–Basketball, E–Shotput, F–Car Racing, G–Golf, H–Rugby.

READ IT

God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.

Galatians :2, CEV

LET’S PRAY Junior

Dear God, thank you for giving the Holy Spirit to everyone who follows Jesus.

Help us to obey the Holy Spirit’s great advice. Amen.

LET’S TALK Junior loves rugby! He’s played it since he was four years old. Every week he goes to rugby practice and plays a game on Saturday. He listens to the coach’s instructions and does what he’s told will help him improve his game.

At the start of the season, Junior was getting really tired when he ran around the field for a game. His coach talked to him and asked Junior to do some extra running and some simple exercises a few times a week. ‘I know you can get stronger and faster—don’t give up!’ the coach told Junior.

After a month, Junior was feeling much better on the rugby field. He wasn’t getting puffed out even when he ran the whole length of the wing! Junior says what helped him is that he keeps hearing his coach’s words encouraging him. ‘Don’t give up!’ Even though Junior doesn’t see his coach, he still hears and follows his coach’s advice.

Junior says this is just like the way he hears from the Holy Spirit. Even though he doesn’t see the Holy Spirit, he hears the Holy Spirit speaking in his mind every day, reminding him of the right way to live for Jesus.

TERRITORIAL STRATEGIC MISSION PLAN

As a

GOALS

Mission Focused Army we will: CONNECTED STREAMLINED

Make Disciples Increase Soldiers

NEW DYNAMIC

RECRUIT DEPLOY

MOBILISE ACT

Develop Leaders

EQUIP EMPOWER

www.salvationarmy.org.nz/tsmp