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Team Talk
YOUR prayers are requested for Carol, who is feeling fearful about making some big life decisions and would benefit from inner strength to move forward.
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, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.
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Becoming a Christian
There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God
Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen
Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International
’ talk Team talk ‘ Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the TEAM TALK You beauty!
attention of War Cry reporters
‘IF you were to write a letter to your daughter, what would you say? What advice would you give her and what stories would you share?’ These were some of the questions posed by Namulanta Kombo, when she asked people all over the world to help her create the podcast Dear Daughter.
I heard Namulanta speaking on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, after winning Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2022. Speaking with broadcaster Anita Rani, Namulanta explained how the idea for Dear Daughter came about.
‘I became a mum and then I just wanted to give [my daughter] something in terms of advice,’ she said. ‘So I asked people to write letters.’ Namulanta turned the letters she received into a We are all podcast and received stories and advice from men and women across the globe. A woman called Emma wonderfully submitted a letter urging the reader to ‘love your made thick, dark and wild eyebrows, even if it goes against current beauty trends’. Namulanta felt that such words conveyed an important message.
‘Emma knows that there are girls and boys going through changes in their body and not accepting who they are,’ Namulanta told Woman’s Hour. ‘So she really wanted to just let that next child know … “you might not see it now but you are beautiful just as you are”.’
In a world where people of all ages face constant pressure from their peers to look good, to hear that they are beautiful – without make-up, filters or diets – is crucial. I want my own daughter to grow up knowing that she is wonderful because of who she is, not because of what she looks like.
Emma’s letter also brought to mind some words of wisdom from the Bible, written thousands of years ago. Reflecting on himself, the writer said to God: ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful’ (Psalm 139:14 New International Version).
Whoever we are, and whatever we look like, the message that we are all beautiful, because we are all wonderfully made, is worth hearing again and again. My hope is that, one day, every single one of us can find it within ourselves to believe it.
