War Cry 10 February 2024

Apprenticeships can be the ‘perfect way’ to learn

WAR CRY

10 February 2024 50p/60c

One day at a time Pair have a recurring date in Netflix drama

It’s always a good cake day for one baker

What is The Salvation Army?

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

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

WAR CRY Issue No 7665

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

From the editor’s desk LOVE is in the air – well, it is in some cinemas at least. As we report in this week’s War Cry, to mark its 25th anniversary, the rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You is being rereleased in selected cinemas on 14 February.

Or, if couples fancy a cosy night in on Valentine’s Day, One Day – the romantic tale of Emma and Dexter – is available to stream on Netflix.

Whether in front of a big or small screen or at a restaurant table, many people will be celebrating their love for each other on Wednesday.

Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for people to tell their partner that they are special and valued. Of course, people don’t have to be in a romantic relationship for them to be of worth and value.

That is a message Chinelo Awa is keen to pass on to as many people as she can. And, as she tells us in an interview this week, she does so with the cakes she produces through her business Good Cake Day. ‘It’s never about the cakes for me,’ she says. ‘It’s always about how I’m trying to make people feel.’ Recalling when she first started the business, she adds: ‘I heard this recurring theme from people: “When I received my cake it made me feel beautiful and special. I felt loved, I felt people were thinking about me.” Or especially with the bespoke cakes, people said: “Oh wow – to see all the details that went into it, it was uniquely me.”’

Chinelo is inspired to make people feel loved and special by her Christian faith. Because of that faith, she has good news for everyone, whether or not they will be celebrating Valentine’s Day next week.

‘We are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God,’ she says. ‘We are loved, and God’s masterpiece.’

That’s something we would surely all love to hear.

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

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

Printed by CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper

6 9 13

INFO 15 Your local Salvation Army centre

2 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

CONTENTS FEATURES

3

It’s a date Drama follows pair’s lives one day each year

6

You’re hired!

Apprentices explain their work

9

Have your cake and eat it How a baker is making people feel loved

13 Cinema listing 10 Things I Hate About You is rereleased REGULARS

4

Team Talk and War Cry World

12 Hands Together, Eyes Closed 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen

Emma and Dexter’s romance has ups and downs – as do their lives

NETFLIX

I

What a difference a day makes

T’S 15 July 1988. Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley are on the brink of the rest of their lives. Graduation day is over, and they each have been partying into the early hours of the morning with their friends. In One Day, the two students bump into each other at the party and, as they say, the rest is history.

Based on the novel of the same name

by David Nicholls, the romance drama series, released on Netflix this week, follows the pair on that same day for the next 20 years, after beginning with that first encounter.

Having only seen each other around during their three years at Edinburgh University, Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod) end up spending the rest of the graduation party together.

Emma, a workingclass, first-class history and English graduate from Leeds, and Dexter, a charming Londoner who is leaving Edinburgh with a 2:2 in anthropology, are an unlikely pair. She loves the arts and is politically engaged, while he spent most of his university days drinking and flirting with women.

Back at her flat after the party, Emma

Love story that spans decades has taken to the small screen TV feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku

has questions for a bewildered Dexter.

She’s not like any of the other girls he has been with. ‘What’s your plan?’ she asks.

‘I mean, the plan, the plan for your life.’

He stumbles over his words, revealing that he hasn’t thought through how the rest of his life will unfold. With wealthy parents and natural charm, perhaps he doesn’t need to.

Emma, whose plan is to do something that will make a difference, follows up: ‘What do you want to be when you’re 40?’

‘Am I allowed to say rich?’ he replies.

Despite their differences, there is an undeniable spark between the two of them.

As the series continues, spanning two decades, audiences will meet Dexter and Emma on 15 July each year, and see how their love story unfolds (or doesn’t). The drama shows how their lives intertwine but also move in different directions, and

The drama shows how their lives intertwine

how they navigate the highs and lows of adult life – career success, financial opportunities, relationship difficulties, bereavements and everything else.

Looking back on the days of our lives, we will all have experienced similar highs and lows. No one is immune to such challenges. But through the years, many people have found that a loving relationship with God can help them navigate difficulties.

An ancient poet, David, wrote about God: ‘Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life’ (Psalm 23:6 Contemporary English Version).

He was celebrating how God made a difference to his life, bringing him direction, security and the sense of a loving presence with him.

Years on, the same benefits are available to any of us. We only need to ask for them. And if we do so today, it could be the one day that changes the rest of our lives.

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 3

Team talk TEAM WA

talk ‘ TALK’ j Is looking back the way forward?

Sarah Olowofoyeku gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters BRITISH news outlets have been picking up on the viewing habits of our neighbours across the pond. Curious, I took a further look.

They reported that, according to media analysts Nielsen, legal drama Suits – which ended in 2019 – was the most-watched show in the US in 2023. The Top 10 list also included other older shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls, perhaps indicating, said a BBC report, ‘a thirst for nostalgia’.

Meanwhile, in the UK, research group YouGov reported that last year, The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Friends were the top three most streamed shows – three comedies which are no longer being made.

Perhaps Brits are fans of the past too.

But it is not only old US programmes that capture people’s attention. An article on the Indy100 website reported that a man from Northumberland had created a miniature version of Peckham as featured in Only Fools and Horses. He said it was his way of reliving the episodes.

‘It’s an escape,’ he said. ‘It’s the element of taking you back to a simple day, where the world seems a lot easier.’

I can relate to that. One of my most watched shows today is Friends, even though I remember watching its finale after finishing my school homework! Its humour and themes are timeless, but more than that, there is something comforting about going back to programmes I watched at a simpler time.

If I really think about it, though, my school days weren’t without difficulty. I had the pressure of exams, problems with friends and worries about my future. Outside of my life, the world dealt with crime, pollution, war and more.

Even if life is difficult now, going back to the past might not be the fix-all we think it is. Life is tough whatever stage we are at. That may sound a depressing thought but, as a Christian, I find hope in the reality that God is with me in every season of life.

No matter what is going on in the background, God offers ultimate comfort – and the peace of knowing that my future is secure. It’s a truth we can always go back to.

Its humour and themes are timeless

Team talk 4 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

Science and faith project to expand A PROJECT based at Durham University that connects science and faith is expanding worldwide.

According to the Religion Media Centre, Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (Eclas) organises conferences for church leaders to give them the tools and confidence to engage with scientific questions.

The project has now set up partnerships with institutions in Kenya, Poland, Singapore and India to broaden understanding by drawing in different theological insights and scientific innovations.

The Rev Professor David Wilkinson, an astrophysicist and theologian who is the director of Eclas, said: ‘Most of the research on science and faith has been done in an Anglo/American/Australian and South African content. We wanted to explore more nonwestern, religious pluralism cultural contexts by partnering with higher education institutions that could bring something different to our experience.’

Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

R CRY

WnRLD THE CHOSEN

Praise for ‘fantastic’ drama

AT a London premiere of TV series The Chosen, the pioneer of the Alpha course, which explores the Christian faith, told the War Cry why he thought the drama based on the life of Jesus was so successful.

‘The power behind The Chosen is Jesus, the life of Jesus,’ the Rev Nicky Gumbel said. ‘It’s the best retelling I’ve ever seen, I think it’s fantastic.

‘But ultimately, hopefully, it will make people curious about him. And, although Jonathan Roumie does a brilliant job of playing Jesus, it’s not about Jonathan, it’s about Jesus. And Jesus is still alive, so people can know him and that’s what matters.’

Star warns of closure threat to churches

Artwork acknowledges slave trade links

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

SIR Michael Palin is fronting a campaign highlighting the ‘valuable services’ that churches provide to communities.

In National Churches Trust’s Every Church Counts manifesto, Michael – who is the conservation charity’s vicepresident – warned that many church buildings, which play a pivotal role in society, are in danger of closure.

‘More and more churches are adapting to the needs of their communities,’ he said, ‘providing not just spiritual comfort but a range of valuable services to local people such as food banks and warm spaces and helping to combat the scourge of loneliness.

‘Churches are also a vital part of the UK’s history, and we need to act now to prevent the loss of tremendously important local heritage.’

Recommendations from Every Church Counts include creating a network of professional support to help volunteers who look after buildings; encouraging local authorities and public bodies to make more use of church buildings and sourcing at least £50 million of additional public funding for churches.

The manifesto also says that the government, heritage organisations and denominations need to work more closely together to conserve church buildings.

Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), pictured right, with Simon the Zealot (Alaa Safi)

A LANCASTER church is acknowledging its links to the slave trade with sculptures.

Lancaster Priory said it wanted to highlight the ‘crimes against humanity’ by people associated with the church. Sculptures of an 11-year-old enslaved girl named Sophia Fileen, who was baptised at the church in 1799, are on display around the church building.

The artworks are part of a programme called Facing the Past which has been exploring how Lancaster benefitted from slavery.

The Rev Leah Vasey-Saunders, the vicar of Lancaster, says the church is ‘making space for Black history and presence’ within its walls to enable it to ‘face the past truthfully’.

Lancaster was the fourth largest UK port in the transatlantic slave trade, and merchants with Lancaster connections were involved in the capture and sale of about 30,000 people.

The sculptures will remain on display until 28 February.

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 5

Learning on the job Since September KEVIN RAC and LUKE MUDIE have been working as apprentice youth workers with The Salvation Army in the southeast of England. To mark National Apprenticeship Week – which began on Monday (5 February) – they describe the programme they are on and how they came to their roles Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku What are your backgrounds?

Kevin: I was born in Slovakia, and we moved to England when I was about five years old, so my dad could find work. It wasn’t easy because my dad, my mum, my siblings and I didn’t speak any English.

But my parents found out about The Salvation Army, which supported my parents with food. That help changed our lives.

Luke: I was born in Maidstone in Kent. My parents were members of The Salvation Army, so I’ve grown up going there. In school, I studied IT and computer science.

Luke, did you enjoy growing up in The Salvation Army?

Luke: Sometimes I did, and there were some down moments. I loved going to all the youth camps which were organised.

But as I got into my teen years, I was going to the Army for no reason, more just out of habit.

Then, when lockdown hit, I was helping with the YouTube live stream of worship

6 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

Luke Mudie and Kevin Rac services at the Maidstone church, which I still do. One day, I went to meet the officers to talk about ideas for the live stream, and one of them asked me if I wanted to stay to help with the food bank.

My faith developed when working at the food bank I stayed and then kept on helping out there, and that helped me to develop my faith.

I saw God working in the lives of the people who came. There was one guy who, every time he came, used to get his food and run off. He didn’t want to

be seen. However, one time, he stayed to talk to me about the weather. It was such a small thing, but you could see the change in him.

Kevin, you said The Salvation Army changed your family’s life. What was your experience?

Kevin: At the start, we didn’t have many friends or family here, but going to Armáda Spásy [a Salvation Army church which particularly welcomes local people from Czech, Slovakian and Roma backgrounds] meant I was able to make friends.

I had problems in school, because my English wasn’t the best, but being able to go to The Salvation Army and meet

people similar to us and speak Slovakian in England was huge. When I got to the age where I was able to go to the youth group, things became more spiritual for me. I was able to read and speak English, so I understood the Bible a bit more.

About two years ago I started helping out at the youth group, then a year ago I became a youth leader.

It sounds as if doing the apprenticeship was a natural next step for both of you.

Was it that simple or were there other options on the table?

Luke: I’d gone to school and trained in IT so I was trying to get an IT job. I knew I didn’t want to go to university, because I struggled in a classroom environment.

Someone from The Salvation Army told me about the apprenticeship scheme and said he thought I should apply. We had some conversations and then I went for

the interview.

Kevin: Even though I went to school, my grades weren’t the best and I just about passed. Working with youth was my dream job, but I never thought I’d be able to do something like this because of my grades.

I used to work as a mobile cleaner, doing more than 40 hours a week with very little pay. My wife and my youth leader mentor, Vilem, sent me the link to the apprenticeship around the same time.

I thought there was no point in applying because of my grades, and that I wouldn’t be chosen. But I tried it anyway and went in for an interview. Then I later got a phone call saying they had accepted me.

Now that you are youth support worker apprentices, what do you get up to day to day?

Luke: No week is the same. What we

do depends on what Salvation Army centres need help. We have been to Ramsgate to support their youth clubs. I onced helped a corps in Faversham move stuff into their new building, which is very exciting. Once they are settled, we will start doing some youth work there.

Usually on a Wednesday, we go to the Oasis Academy school in Sheerness.

We are supporting in any way we can, whether by being additional staff or doing some one-to-one mentoring with students.

Kevin: On Mondays, we meet with the area’s leadership team, then head

No week is the same

Turn to page 8 f

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 7

From page 7 back to Margate to lead our youth group.

Thursday is our study day.

So it’s a mix of practical, handson work and study. What are your assignments about?

Luke: In total there are 8 mandatory assignments and about 20 optional units from which we choose 5 or 6. We do six hours of study a week, then six hours off-the-job training, where we learn something new – so that could mean sitting in on a budget meeting or going to a conference.

The assignments we do depend on the person. Kevin writes all his assignments, which are on topics like adolescent development, challenging behaviour and effective practices. Whereas I partly write and partly deliver my assignments verbally, because I’m dyslexic.

What is the best thing about being an apprentice?

Luke: The informal education side of it. We have learning support sessions, rather than teaching sessions. The

It’s the perfect way of learning for me

teacher doesn’t stand at the front and go through a presentation; she sits with us and it’s more of a discussion.

Kevin: It’s much more chilled than uni as they adjusted our studying to our needs.

It’s the perfect way of learning for me.

How does having a relationship with God help you in your work?

Kevin: Everything I do, I try doing it for God. Even in my time off, when I’m not working, I think about what I can do to invest time into God every day.

Luke: Last year, I went to a summer school where the theme was salt and

light and going into the world and shining God’s light. That is at the back of my mind when I’m doing this job.

And what difference do you hope that will make to the people you work with?

Luke: The hope is that they get to know God as well and see the amazing things that he does.

Have there been any highlights since starting the apprenticeship in September?

Kevin: Every time we go into the Oasis school, they recognise us as being from The Salvation Army. They don’t always know what we’re doing there, but they know that we’re there with good intentions.

Also, since I started this apprenticeship, I’m more open-minded and I have a different understanding of how to speak to and interact with the youth.

What would you say to someone thinking of doing an apprenticeship?

Luke: I’d say, just do it. You get a qualification out of it at the end, and it’s such a good experience. l For more information visit salvationarmy.org.uk/apprenticeships

8 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

GOOD CAKE DAY

CHINELO AWA explains how starting her own business seven years ago saved her life and why her bakes make people feel loved Interview by Emily Bright

‘T

HEY had this passion that I didn’t have,’ baker Chinelo Awa says of her cousin and her friend, who were running their own businesses. And, while working for a law firm in 2015, she began wondering if her current job would provide the lifestyle flexibility she longed for.

Keen to embark on a fresh start, Chinelo decided to set up her own business in London. She spent the next couple of years ‘learning how to make cakes and perfecting the craft’, which she describes as ‘the genesis of starting a cake company’. Divine inspiration followed.

‘One day in church, I thought of the name Good Cake Day,’ she says. ‘No one else had it.’ She began trading on Valentine’s Day 2017, which seemed apt, because Chinelo quickly discovered that her cakes were making people feel loved.

She recalls: ‘I heard this recurring theme from people: “When I received my cake it made me feel beautiful and special. I felt loved, I felt people were

thinking about me.” Or especially with the bespoke cakes, people said: “Oh wow – to see all the details that went into it, it was uniquely me.”’

This feedback became the central concept of the Good Cake Day company.

Using the acronym ‘Blush’ – which stands for beautiful, loved, unique, special and human – Chinelo set out the company’s aim of how it wants recipients of the bakes to feel.

Among her culinary creations are bespoke celebration and wedding cakes, postal brownies and crownies – cookies with a soft brownie centre – and cake bars branded as ‘Blush bars’. The cake bars, crownies and brownies sent by post are ornately wrapped and include a handwritten message.

‘It’s never about the cakes for me,’ Chinelo says. ‘It’s always about how I’m trying to make people feel.’

The ethos of Blush also resonates

Turn to page 10

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9 strongly with her own Christian faith.

‘We are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God. We are loved, and God’s masterpiece,’ she says.

‘The Bible says that the number of hairs on our head are numbered – we are so special to God that he would give everything for us. There’s a strong biblical message behind Blush. I wanted to spread God’s love and bring joy to people.’

Her belief in God, a key ingredient of the business, has been part of her life since growing up in a Christian household in Nigeria. But just as her cake company was finding its feet, her faith would be pushed to its limits.

‘My mum used to live in Nigeria, and I was living here,’ she says. ‘She used to visit once or twice a year. She came for her normal visit in 2017, and I knew she wasn’t right. She was diabetic and was very precise about her medication and testing her blood sugar. Suddenly, she wasn’t. I went to the GP, who said: “Let’s check her into A&E.”’

The next morning, Chinelo received a call that her mother had slapped a nurse and was asking where her daughter was.

Medical staff suspected dementia.

‘It was a downward spiral from there,’ remembers Chinelo. ‘They gave my mum some injections and she had an adverse reaction.

Suddenly, she was telling me that she could drive to Nigeria from London.

‘After a few months, she started to get better and take her medication. Her blood sugar got under control. She seemed more cognisant in where she was and started to stabilise.

‘She went back to Nigeria in March 2018, but by June I had to go over and section her. After that, she was never herself again. By September, sometimes she would remember me, sometimes she wouldn’t.

‘I was back in the UK when, in December, I got a call that she had slipped into a coma. She never recovered and, after I returned to Nigeria, on 24 December she passed away.’

Chinelo, an only child, felt as if her world was falling apart.

‘My mum was also my dad, my sister,

We are God’s masterpiece

10 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

my brother, my friend and my confidant.

Most people lose those people at different points in their life. I lost them all in one person, in one go.’

In the depths of her grief, her belief in God’s existence never wavered, but Chinelo did begin to question his nature.

‘I went from being a worship leader to not being able to hear worship music. I felt like everyone was lying when people spoke about the kindness of God.’ Her grief took her mind to a dark place.

‘For the first two or three years I didn’t want to be alive any more,’ she says. ‘I was convinced that people would be OK without me. I was now alone on this island because I didn’t have anybody. I believed there was nobody who was feeling pain as much as I was.’

But the support of her extended family saw her through her darkest days. When her mum became ill, she moved in with her uncle, who was a church leader, and her aunt.

‘They gave me space to express the depths of my sorrow,’ Chinelo says.

‘There was something healing in that. I didn’t pretend to anybody that I was fine or that I was on good terms with God. ‘I didn’t stop going to church – living with my uncle meant that I couldn’t really

GOOD CAKE DAY

say that I didn’t want to go. But I would sleep through the worship and prayers, and then I would wake up for the sermon.

I would joke that I was resting in the Lord.

Healing started to happen.’

Over time, Chinelo’s belief in God’s faithfulness strengthened.

‘In constantly going to God and reading the Bible, I started to have a new realisation of God as a provider and sustainer, the one who took me through the dark place. As the Bible says, he turned my sorrow to dancing as my desire to worship came back.’

In 2019, Chinelo set up a cakedecorating academy, where she hosts workshops for bakers. In 2020, she felt God say that she should run Good Cake Day full-time. She launched online workshops that same year.

Since Good Cake Day began trading seven years ago, it has become a lifeline for Chinelo. ‘I entered my 30s with sorrow and faced five years of hardship, emotional turmoil and not caring about a future because I wasn’t expecting one,’ she remembers. ‘In many ways, my

business was the thing to keep me going.’

She believes that her faith played an essential role in helping her through her bereavement. While honest about her ongoing grief, she highlights the hope that her relationship with God gave her.

‘If grief has taught me anything, it’s that it doesn’t ever fully go away, God or no God,’ she says. ‘But what has left is the hopelessness that was associated with it. Because God got me through, I now believe that there is nothing that can

I have walked through my worst nightmare

hit me that I cannot get through with God. ‘The Bible says: “I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me.” I know the truth of that because I have lived it. I have walked through my worst nightmare: living without my mother. I now know that even if difficulty arises, it will not destroy me.

At some point, and in some way, God will see me through, whatever happens.’

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 11

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

j

Becoming a Christian

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

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

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

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

Hands together, eyes closed Andrew Stone looks at the Lord’s Prayer

Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven THE sounds of trolley wheels squeaking round the aisles, the piped music and the bleep of the checkout scanners were drowned out by the screaming of a young child.

Red in the face and back arched in fury, the toddler threw a tantrum as she sat strapped in her trolley seat. She wanted one of the chocolate bars that lined the shelves, but her mum had said no. Now she was showing her anger at not getting her own way.

Some shoppers looked on in disgust at the behaviour of a wilful child. Others were more sympathetic. They remembered times when their own children had to learn that they could not always get their own way.

To teach a child that they cannot have what they want all the time is an important part of parenting. It’s a lesson that we need throughout our life.

In the Lord’s Prayer, though, we pray for God always to get his own way, with his will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.

The difference between us getting our way and God his is that God’s will Our Father, which art in Heaven, is always best. It happens in Heaven all Hallowed be thy name, the time, and Heaven is the best place Thy Kingdom come, to be. Therefore, the more God’s will Thy will be done, in earth as it is happens in the world, the better it is in Heaven. for us.

Give us this day our daily bread; When we follow God’s will, we And forgive us our trespasses, experience the benefits that it brings.

As we forgive them that Through the Bible, God says to us: trespass against us; ‘I know the plans I have for you …

And lead us not into temptation, they are plans for good and not for But deliver us from evil. disaster’ (Jeremiah 29:11 New Living For thine is the Kingdom, Translation). the power, and the glory, When we let God have his own way, For ever and ever. we will have the best life possible. That Amen is a lesson worth learning, whatever age we are.

God’s will brings benefits

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

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

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War Cry 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ

Looking for help?

Name

Address

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

Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

ENTERTAINMENT PICTURES/ALAMY

Relationships are tricky for high school students in ’10 Things I Hate About You’

Isn’t it ironic QUICK QUIZ 2 3 4 5 6

Who plays Beth Baird in Scottish sitcom Two Doors Down?

In which European city is the Musée du Louvre?

What period of time is made up of 10,080 minutes?

Who wrote the children’s book Tabby McTat? Anthony Joshua won a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics in which sport?

Which band had a No 1 hit in 1982 with the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’?

ANSWERS 1. Arabella Weir. 2. Paris. 3. A week.

4. Julia Donaldson. 5. Boxing. 6. Survivor.

1

Love-hate relationships are the focus of ’90s rom-com Film feature by Claire Brine

S

HE hates the way he talks to her. And the way he cuts his hair.

She hates the way he drives her car and she hates it when he stares. But despite the obvious flaws of the guy standing in front of her, Kat (Julia Stiles) can’t stop herself from loving Patrick (Heath Ledger) in the 1999 blockbuster 10 Things I Hate About You. Released at cinemas 25 years ago, the teenage rom-com is marking its anniversary by hitting selected big screens on Valentine’s Day. In case you missed out on the action the first time round, here’s the plot. High school student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is desperate to date his popular classmate Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) – but there’s a problem. Bianca and her older sister Kat have a strict father. And he won’t allow Bianca to join the dating scene until Kat does.

While Bianca is left feeling excluded and awkward by her father’s ban, Kat doesn’t care.

Fiercely independent, she isn’t interested in chasing boys. She much prefers spending her time alone.

In an attempt to secure a date with Bianca, Cameron approaches school bad boy Patrick, hoping he will agree to to ask Kat out. Patrick accepts the challenge of trying to win her over – but he knows it won’t be easy. Kat has a sharp edge to her and isn’t afraid to show it.

The more time Patrick spends with Kat, the more he warms to her. He sees that she’s intelligent, fun and good company. They find themselves falling in love – for real. But how will Kat feel when she discovers his original motives for dating her?

Though our own high school days may be far behind us, perhaps many of us can still remember the confusion and insecurities that came part and parcel of being a teenager. Maybe, as adults, not a lot has changed.

Maybe we still feel awkward, unloved and just want someone to accept us.

Someone does.

When we talk to Jesus and give him our heart, he offers us a warm welcome. To those seeking a relationship with him, he promises: ‘I will never turn away anyone who comes to me (John 6:37 Good News Bible).

What’s not to love about that?

Kat has a sharp edge to her

10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 13

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Captivate (7) 5. Decoration (5) 7. Frankness (7) 8. Between (5) 10. Kiln (4) 11. Persuade (8) 13. Stretch (6) 14. Steady (6) 17. Declare (8) 19. Note (4) 21. Additional (5) 22. Letter (7) 23. Shelf (5) 24. Hang (7)

DOWN 2. Nunnery (7) 3. Excited (4) 4. Dullness (6) 5. Encourage (8) 6. Condescend (5) 7. Work together (9) 9. Accordingly (9) 12. Rise and fall (8) 15. Respire (7)

SUDOKU

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

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

16. Entry (6) 18. Recorded (5) 20. Prejudice (4)

5 4 1 6 6 7 4 5 9 8 9 1 7

W RDSEARCH 8 7 3 6 2 4 5 9 1 9 5 4 8 1 7 6 3 2 Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally 1 6 2 5 9 3 4 7 8 on the grid to find these words associated with grit 4 8 7 9 6 1 3 2 5 B G V T Q O6N H 3 Q1G V2 U 7H S5Z N 9 J 8K 4 XW F E I K Y J WD Q C S Q P P Z C 9 I 5L I4 E 3N C8E N 7 Q1V 6 S K Z J D R2E S V L R C M E7 I N 4 W9B N1 M 5D C2W G 8 Y 6D 3 E UG PWP F P G T T X NQQ Z G X 1 S 8Z Q7 E 4Z W6Z U 2 N5B 9 C Z Q F M M3J V N L G V T E5N A 2 C6I T3 Y 8G F9K O 1 F 4K 7

M O B HONEYC Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

A D R J Y Q F Q D S Z X D A Q OWY R J L P Z D V E I X OM L Q R Z K Y ENA J AUUS X ZKE Z T KUHE V Z D E T E RM I N A T I ONNOQ E H T G N E R T S S H TWU Q P V C S S Q V P O X Z G S U L MG K K O Y R ZMK T G B H Z DQ E P H Z E Q Z E G G C V D Q K E L Y OMN F Q S R P X A Y J K S R C U O I L E QM T Z H J I K GMA U K A QG R S Z H U Y F L GN I R ADH S B ZWS GHG Z

1. Underground shelter 2. Cartoon mouse 3. Breed of dog 4. Shiny and smooth 5. Air passage 6. Male goose

ANSWERS 8 9 1 4 6 2 7 3 5

7 5 6 8 3 9 4 1 2 1

3 4 2 7 1 5 9 8 6

6 8 5 9 2 4 1 7 3

2 1 9 6 7 3 5 4 8

4 7 3 1 5 8 2 6 9

5 6 4 3 9 7 8 2 1

9 3 7 2 8 1 6 5 4

1 2 8 5 4 6 3 9 7

7 4 5 9 8 9 1 7

HONEYCOMB 1. Bunker. 2. Mickey. 3. Collie.

4. Glossy. 5. Larynx. 6. Gander.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Enchant. 5. Medal. 7. Candour.

8. Twixt. 10. Oven. 11. Convince. 13. Extend.

14. Stable. 17. Announce. 19. Memo. 21. Extra.

22. Epistle. 23. Ledge. 24. Suspend.

DOWN: 2. Convent. 3. Agog. 4. Torpor.

5. Motivate. 6. Deign. 7. Co-operate.

9. Therefore. 12. Undulate. 15. Breathe.

16. Access. 18. Noted. 20. Bias.

14 • WAR CRY • 10 February 2024

3

BACKBONE COURAGE DARING DETERMINATION FORTITUDE GUTS METTLE MOXIE

PERSEVERANCE PERSISTENCE RESILIENCE SPIRIT STEADFASTNESS STRENGTH TENACITY TOUGHNESS

SERVES 10

Mini blueberry pancakes INGREDIENTS 200g wholemeal flour 1tsp baking powder 1 medium egg, beaten 250ml skimmed milk 1tsp vanilla extract 200g blueberries 2tsp sunflower oil 1tsp caster sugar (optional) Unsweetened yogurt and fresh fruit, to serve METHOD Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, milk and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the middle of the flour, then gradually stir in the egg and milk mixture until you get a smooth batter.

Lightly crush half the blueberries with a fork, then mix them into the batter along with the remaining blueberries. Leave the batter to stand for a few minutes before cooking.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then add the batter, 1tbsp at a time, to create 3-4 small pancakes, making sure the blueberries are evenly distributed.

Cook the pancakes on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until there are bubbles appearing on the surface, then turn them over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Repeat until all the batter has been used.

Sprinkle the pancakes with the sugar, if using, and serve with the yogurt and fresh fruit.

Recipe reprinted, with permission, from the Diabetes UK website diabetes.org.uk 10 February 2024 • WAR CRY • 15

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CS L

WAR CRY