War Cry 26 Jan 2019 by The Salvation Army UK and Ireland

26 January 2019 20p/25c

BEATLES HIT THE TOP SPOT 50 years on from rooftop gig

VEGANUARY NEVER ENDED New diet became a way of life

‘I KNEW MY UNBORN BABY WAS GOING TO DIE’ A mother’s tough choice

SHE WANTS TO BREAK FREE J-LO SEEKS NEW LIFE IN COMEDY FILM

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

What is The Salvation Army? The Salvation Army is a church and charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in over 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

From the editor’s desk AS the first month of 2019 draws to a close, many people will be looking back and reflecting on how well they have kept their new year’s resolutions or their commitment to an alcohol-free Dry January or even a razor-free Januhairy. One of the most popular choices, according to a survey by Vouchercodes, has been the commitment to a meat and dairyfree 31 days with Veganuary. Almost as many people looked to adopt this diet than opted not to drink. At the beginning of the year, 225,000 people had signed up to ‘go vegan’. It is a growing trend. Market research firm Mintel has reported that about 16 per cent of new foods launched in the UK last year were vegan. Just this month food chains such as Greggs, McDonald’s and TGI Friday have added vegan options to their menus. That is good news for people such as Nengi Etela, who made the decision to try Veganuary last year and then decided to stick with veganism permanently. In an interview in this week’s War Cry, Nengi explains that she wanted to continue with the lifestyle primarily because of the health benefits she noticed but also because of concerns over animal welfare and the environment. Nengi says it is one of a number of decisions that she has taken at the start of each new year to try to be the best version of herself that she can be. Wanting to improve yourself is a good desire to have. And we are not limited to setting ourselves goals at the start of a year. We can aim to be a better person, for ourselves and the sake of the people round us, at the start of any month, week or day. The world will be a better place if we do.

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 7407

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Stephen Pearson Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston War Cry office: 020 7367 4900 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Contents

Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@sp-s.co.uk Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel David Kelly

Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England and Wales is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by Walstead Grange Ltd, Southwick, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

FEATURES 3

A new stage Maya wants to change her life in Second Act

Hitting the roof Looking back at an impromptu Beatles gig

6 Veganniversary Why a month-long diet went beyond 31 days 8

‘I knew my baby would not survive’ A mum who had a momentous decision to make

REGULARS 4

News feature

Browsing the Bible

Now there’s a thought!

14 Puzzles 15

What’s cooking? Front-page picture: STX International

26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • FILM 3 STX International

Maya spends quality time with colleague Zoe

Careering into the future AKING fluency in Mandarin, a FPeace Harvard degree and service in the Corps is a bold move. But

that’s what disillusioned 43-year-old assistant shop manager Maya Vargas (Jennifer Lopez) feels forced to do when she seeks a new start in comedy drama Second Act, released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 25 January). Living in Queens and passed over for promotion in favour of a pretentious MBA graduate, Maya is frustrated that her 16 years’ experience at the company is still not enough. The career setback makes Maya dwell regretfully on her past decisions, reopening old wounds. Suddenly, Maya secures an unexpected interview with Manhattan-based elite consumer goods company Franklin and Clark, and is interrogated by CEO Anderson Clark (Treat Williams). What Maya doesn’t realise is that her godson Dilly has created an impressive fictitious CV online. Quick-witted Maya bluffs her way through and convinces Anderson that she deserves the job. Interrupting the interview, Anderson’s daughter and company VP Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens) walks in and is far more sceptical of Maya.

Shopworker seeks to escape her past with a spectacular job offer, writes Emily Bright When she’s offered the high-flying job, Maya accepts, jumping at the chance to break free of her past despite her concerns about the deception. On her first day, she takes on rival Zoe in a ten-week product development competition. When established company figures side with Zoe, Maya is left with a bunch of endearingly hapless junior assistants.

Her godson Dilly created an impressive fictitious CV online Nonetheless, her fresh perspective cements her place in the company and softens her relationship with Zoe. Maya’s self-confidence flourishes. But when she’s rocked by a revelation from her past and has the chance to make amends, she has to choose whether she will run or come clean about who she really is. ‘Maya learns she does not have to be stuck for ever,’ says Jennifer Lopez of

the character she plays. ‘You can always reinvent. You can always make a change. You can always keep growing, and to me that message has so much relevance for everybody.’ Many of us were looking for a fresh start this January, vowing to stick to our new year’s resolutions. However, often life gets in the way and we’re hit with circumstances beyond our control. When we experience grief, disappointment or hurt, a positive new beginning can seem impossible. It can be tough to escape from the pain of our past. But Christians believe that anyone can begin afresh with Jesus, who offers us love and acceptance no matter what, and helps us to heal and rebuild our lives. One Bible writer called Paul had his life completely transformed after he put his faith in Jesus. He reflected that ‘anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 New Living Translation). Jesus invites everyone to start again with him, whether it’s the first, second or the hundredth time. Will we get in on the act?

4 NEWS FEATURE • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

Open Doors

Foreign secretary says UK should use links, as report highlights persecution

Jeremy Hunt speaking at the launch of the ‘World Watch List Report 2019’ ALMOST a quarter of a billion Christians are experiencing high levels of persecution or worse, according to the latest World Watch List report – a figure described as ‘extraordinary’ by the foreign secretary when he spoke at the report’s launch in the House of Commons. Jeremy Hunt thanked Open Doors, the organisation that publishes the annual list of countries where persecution is worst, for ‘shining a light on this issue’, and he spoke of his desire for the UK to use its influence to improve conditions for Christians living in places where they are suffering. ‘We are not a superpower,’ he said, ‘but we are a global power. And just as we shouldn’t overestimate our strength, we shouldn’t underestimate it either. We do have the most fantastic links around the world through the Commonwealth, our alliance with the United States and links with our European friends and neighbours. I want us to use these to form an invisible chain that binds together countries that share our values.’ Speaking of his recent announcement that he had commissioned a review into the persecution of Christians, Mr Hunt said he wanted ‘to remove any nervousness’, perhaps connected with empire and history, ‘that might have said Britain shouldn’t be championing the rights of Christians around the world’. He explained that Christians in poorer countries ‘are entitled to our thoughts and prayers and action, just as any persecuted minority are’, and he said that he wanted Foreign Office ministers to raise issues of religious freedom, in private or in public, with their counterparts. The World Watch List Report 2019 – which is based on data from researchers around the world and measures levels of persecution – found that 11 of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to live as a Christian ‘are designated as countries of extreme persecution’. Among them are North Korea, Afghanistan and Eritrea. The politicians and religious freedom campaigners who attended the launch also heard two speakers give first-hand accounts of life in countries designated as experiencing ‘high’ and ‘very high levels of persecution’.

Using a pseudonym for security reasons, ‘Brother Samuel’ from Malaysia outlined the discrimination faced by Christians in Asia. Rebecca described how she worked among widows and orphans in an area of Nigeria that suffered attacks by Fulani and Boko Haram militia. At the conclusion of the event, DUP leader Arlene Foster told the War Cry that the publication of the World Watch List Report 2019 was important because it meant ‘we’re provided with information of what is happening to Christians. Some of the testimonies here today,’ she said, ‘have shown that we don’t really know what’s going on across the world, which is also why I’m encouraged by the foreign secretary’s investigation into what is actually happening.’ Former Labour cabinet member Lord Boateng said: ‘The facts of the report need to be more widely known. This isn’t conjecture, it isn’t prejudice, it’s fact. ‘We need to raise awareness of the fact too often overlooked that Christians are the most persecuted religious minority in the world. There needs to be greater consciousness of that, there needs to be greater outrage, and we need prayer and solidarity for the victims of persecution. ‘Anything we can do in parliament in that regard is important. It’s also important that our diplomatic missions overseas should see it as part of their duty to promote the values of tolerance and religious freedom.’

The Beatles playing on the roof of 3 Savile Row

SPEAKING to the War Cry ahead of the launch of the World Watch List Report 2019, Rebecca described the experience of Christians in northern Nigeria, where she works with widows and orphans who have fled attacks by Boko Haram, a group that wants to impose Sharia (Islamic law). ‘Since Boko Haram started its attacks in 2009,’ she said, ‘there have been a huge number of deaths – especially of men, so we have a lot of widows and orphans. I began to work with them. ‘When the insurgents have attacked villages, people try to run out. Some are killed in the process, but those who are able to escape come to the town, Maiduguri. They arrive with no food and no clothes. ‘I work mainly in a church, where there is a space and offices. People know they can come there and meet me. They need financial help, they need spiritual help – prayers – and they need food and clothes. We give them what they need. ‘Life can be difficult for Christians in Borno state. Today, I received the news on my phone that a young boy who had converted to Christianity was killed. When we go to church, we have security – there are guards at the gates, checking people. ‘The violence affects Muslims as well as Christians. Muslims also are having to leave their villages. In my original village, almost all those who are still living there are Boko Haram. ‘We need prayers. We pray that God will forgive those people that are carrying out the attacks and will comfort the people who are brokenhearted because they used to have food in their house and land to farm, but now have none.’

Camera Press London

IMAGE NOT FOR WEB

THEY LOVED THEM YEAH, YEAH, YEAH Emily Bright looks back 50 years to when the Beatles surprised fans with a rooftop concert ITH three guitars and a drum kit, the W Fab Four burst into song on the rooftop of Apple’s headquarters at Savile Row,

PHILIP HALCROW

Rebecca

26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 5

London, on the afternoon of 30 January 1969. The surprise gig was particularly momentous because it was the first time the Beatles had played live since they stopped touring in 1966. It turned out to be their last live performance. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had been recording a new album in the basement studio earlier that day. Let it Be was a deliberately stripped-back record, the band seeking to return to their rock’n’roll roots at a time when in-fighting threatened to tear them apart. So it was perhaps fitting that, after packing out venues for years, they delighted fans for free on a rooftop, running through songs with the help of young keyboard player Billy Preston. Before the police shut down the impromptu The police performance, the Beatles played nine versions of five shut down the new tracks, including ‘Get Back’ and ‘Dig A Pony’, in a 42-minute set. impromptu gig Hundreds of fans flowed into the streets below to listen, disrupting traffic. The group’s rock’n’roll reverberated so loudly that surrounding buildings shook. ‘I hope we passed the audition,’ joked John as he ended the gig. Such an unassuming concert venue suggests that the Beatles simply loved to play to fans and share their talent wherever they could. It didn’t matter where they played, or how many people heard them, it was just about the music. Later immortalised in the documentary Let it Be and released over various albums, the rooftop performance left a legacy of live music for future generations to enjoy. Past generations also played music to express joy and to celebrate. The Bible records people using music to praise God. One Bible writer also uses musical imagery to describe God delighting over people, saying that God will ‘rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17 New International Version). God wants all of us to experience his delight in us. All we have to do is be receptive to him and we will discover for ourselves that all we need is God’s love.

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

VEGANNIVERSARY As the month of resolutions and lifestyle changes draws to an end, NENGI ETELA speaks to Sarah Olowofoyeku about a decision she made last January and why she is still sticking to it

N the first day of this month, more than 225,000 people made a pledge to ditch animal products and adopt a plant-based diet for Veganuary. Founded in 2013, the Veganuary charity encourages people to try out a vegan diet for the first month of the year. ‘Going vegan’ has gained momentum in recent years. The number of people signing up to Veganuary this year increased significantly from January last year, when more than 168,000 people pledged. Nengi Etela was one of them. ‘I’d wanted to do Veganuary for a couple of years, but being a keen baker and a meat and cheese lover, I thought it would be too much of a challenge,’ she says. ‘But last year I decided to try.’

Nengi Etela

A party spread of vegan foods, all made by Nengi

26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

My colleagues were commenting on how yummy my food looked

Nengi was impressed by the support she received after signing up. Veganuary sent her advice about what to buy in the supermarket, information about products that are accidentally vegan and recipe ideas. ‘I’ve been cooking since I was 13 years old, and I love it. But it was nice to be out of my comfort zone again. It was as though I was relearning how to cook and I became a lot more mindful of what I was putting into my body. ‘My colleagues were commenting on how yummy my food looked at lunchtime, and they were surprised it was vegan.’ Every new year, Nengi sets herself a challenge for the month of January. But as

We have a responsibility to the planet and to ourselves she progressed through Veganuary, she felt as though her new diet might last longer than 31 days. ‘When I signed up, I had visions of chowing down a cheeseburger come 1 February,’ she admits. ‘But within about ten days I felt a difference. By week three I started noticing more differences. My skin cleared up and I was losing weight without trying. My personal trainer at the gym saw that I was getting stronger more quickly and recovering better after gruelling workouts. I was sleeping better too. ‘With all these health benefits, I thought it’d

be silly to stop in February.’ So Nengi didn’t, and today she is still a vegan. By participating in Veganuary, she discovered more about the other reasons why people choose veganism. However, she feels it is important to handle the subject carefully. ‘There is a lot of sensationalism around this topic,’ she admits. ‘But I’m learning how to talk about it in positive and proper ways. ‘I signed up to a lot of other vegan groups and learnt about the impact that the consumption of meat, dairy and eggs has on the environment and on animal welfare. For instance, in order for a cow to produce milk, it needs to have a calf, but the process is expedited by the dairy industry. I also learnt how, within the egg industry, male chicks are discarded at one day old. It’s now part of why I’m a vegan,’ she says. ‘Sometimes we humans have this habit of wondering how things can be useful to us as opposed to how we can be useful to the planet. But we have a responsibility to the planet. We also have a responsibility to ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. ‘We’re living in a time of overconsumption and the instant – we want

everything now, we want everything big and we want as much as we can have. Since becoming vegan, I’ve been less driven by my appetite.’ Nengi tries to better herself in some way at the start of every year. Before Veganuary, she had observed a January of meat-free Mondays, Dry January and a challenge to exercise every day. But none of those have been as significant as her decision to try veganism – except another choice that she made in January 2013. ‘Alongside the challenge, I also make a sentence-long new year’s resolution. In 2013, my resolution was “to do and be more”,’ she explains. ‘But I felt a nudge from God telling me that if I wanted to do that, I needed him in my life. I had always believed in God, but had drifted from my faith since starting my first job as a police officer. ‘So that January I googled churches and found one that felt like home straightaway. There was a big gear change in my faith then, and now it is at the core of my being. When I have a problem I turn first to God. He’s a friend.’ Although Nengi didn’t adopt veganism because of her faith, it is certainly something she feels is compatible with being a Christian. ‘Our body is one of the greatest gifts God has given us,’ she says, ‘and he cares how we look after it. I’m sure he isn’t going to say: “Nengi, put that cookie down!” But if there are things I can do to make sure I’m healthy and happy, I definitely think he’s all for that.’

8 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

‘I chose to have a baby I knew was going to die’ SARAH WILLIAMS tells Sarah Olowofoyeku how her life was changed by carrying to term a pregnancy that she knew would end in the death of her baby

SARAH OLOWOFOYEKU

T a 20-week scan, Sarah Williams heard words that mothers-to-be do not want to hear: ‘Something is wrong with your baby.’ The decision that she made in response to this news, 16 years ago, proved life-changing. Sarah and her husband, Paul, already had two daughters, but their unborn child had been diagnosed with thanatophoric dysplasia, a lethal skeletal deformity. The baby’s chest was too small to sustain proper lung development, and Sarah was told that when the baby was born, it would not be able to breathe. Despite the prognosis of certain death, Sarah and Paul decided to carry the pregnancy to full term. ‘We prayed the night of the scan, and it was a profound moment,’ Sarah explains. ‘God met with us in a tangible way, beyond what either of us had ever experienced before. It gave us a sense that we and God were in this together. It felt as though God was committing himself to us, to help us help each other.’ Although Sarah had always had a faith, this encounter with God was unprecedented. ‘One of the downsides of growing up in a Christian family is that you take on faith secondhand,’ she says. ‘I knew the right answers and what I was meant to do. But the way I perceived God was an extension of trying to do the right thing. I was anxious and driven, always trying to achieve and do things well. I felt as though God was sitting behind me and evaluating me. ‘Throughout that experience with our unborn daughter, starting from the night we prayed, I encountered God for myself in a radically transformative way. I knew about God before, but when I uncovered the extraordinary, unconditional nature of his love, it blew open all my categories. I had grasped that he loved everybody, but then I realised not just the depth of his love for the weak, but also that he became weak himself. God identifies completely with human weakness. So what he loves about me is not what I achieve or my Sarah Williams

Turn to page 10

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26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 9

God identifies completely with human weakness

10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

From page 8 success – he loves me intrinsically.’ The couple’s experience of this love drew them to the name they eventually gave their daughter. Sarah recounts a conversation with Paul and their eldest daughter Hannah in the book she wrote about her pregnancy, Perfectly Human: ‘What do you think of this?’ He passed me one of the name books. ‘Cerian…’ I read. ‘How do you pronounce it? With a soft “c” like certain?’ ‘No, with a hard “c” like “cat”.’ ‘What does it mean, Daddy?’ Hannah asked. ‘It’s Welsh for “loved one”. It means “loved”. Paul’s voice was a bit wobbly. ‘Perfect,’ I whispered. The name characterised the rest of the family’s relationship with their youngest daughter and littlest sister. Cerian was loved by them all. Sarah felt God loving her, taking care of her and being a source of strength. As a family, they experienced joy, but also pain and grief. It was far from easy. In her prayer journal, Sarah one day wrote: ‘I asked God to take the nausea away but he didn’t answer my prayer … I find it hard to really trust him to be good

to me in the detail. My faith and trust are stretched to the limit, I am angry with you, God.’ She tells me: ‘On top of the pregnancy going wrong as it were, I also felt incredibly ill. I had hyperemesis and kept being sick. And I had polyhydramnios (which is too much amniotic fluid). I didn’t understand. I thought: “OK, Lord, I’m not going to have a live baby. Could you make it not quite so horrible?” It seemed inexplicable that I had to feel the physical stress too.’

owards the end of her pregnancy, T Sarah almost lost her life after a severe drop in her blood pressure. Thinking about this, she says: ‘I sometimes ask myself, if I had known beforehand about the potential risks to my own life, would it have changed my decision? It’s a difficult question, because what would it have been like for my other children to lose me to a pregnancy that wasn’t going to lead to life? It makes me wonder what the benefit of prenatal screening is.’ Since Cerian’s death, Sarah has been

When we screen for foetal abnormalities, we’re weeding out the weak

thinking about what it means to be human. ‘We’re in danger of treating children as commodities. We get to choose the timing, the form and, increasingly, their genetic make-up,’ she says. ‘Thousands of people from the UK are going abroad to select embryos to predetermine the sex of their child. It flies in the face of believing in a God who is Creator. ‘When we screen for foetal abnormalities, we’re weeding out the weak. This development is happening very slowly and there is such careful language around it, but if we step back and look at it, it isn’t OK. What would it be like if we only had “normal”? I don’t want to live in that kind of culture. Everybody’s abnormal,’ says Sarah. ‘That’s what makes people beautiful.’ ‘Cerian taught me what God was like. I could see Christ in her. He identifies himself with those who do not have power and agency.’ It is why she struggles with some law surrounding unborn babies. Abortions of healthy babies are permitted up until 24 weeks, but if a baby is found to have a foetal abnormality, the pregnancy can be terminated at any stage. ‘We’ve got two legal systems,’ she says.

26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

‘One for the well and one for the unwell. There’s no consideration of the humanity of the abnormal. But most people who carry babies experience the personhood of their baby, aside from their own body.’ In her book, she writes: ‘To condone this treatment for some not only dehumanises those who are never born, it dehumanises all of us. To make human personhood contingent in any way upon physical “normality” is to strip all of us of our inherent and intrinsic worth as persons.’ Sarah had been aware of issues surrounding disability from a young age, having experienced it in her family while growing up. ‘I’m the oldest of six. My mum was disabled when I was 13 years old, and I had to look after her,’ she says. ‘But the experience made me frightened of caregiving. When you are young and experience the necessity of caregiving, it triggers this feeling of being trapped. ‘So there was a lot of fear for me in having children, of feeling that I would be trapped. ‘I thought of all the things I was going to lose. Nobody prepared me for the unutterable joy of these human beings who come into your life as a pure gift from start to finish. Having children does limit your life, and you don’t have the kind of freedoms you had before, but what does freedom mean if it doesn’t mean to serve one another and be in community?’ Sarah found strength in her own community during her pregnancy, but asking for help did not come naturally. ‘I’m the responsible caregiver,’ she says. ‘So being vulnerable about my needs was a struggle. I could’ve shut down and not asked for help, but I made a choice: I had to.’ When it came to her labour, Sarah was able to experience a few precious moments in a hospital bed with her unborn child. She recalls: ‘The presence of God came powerfully into the room. It was unlike anything I ever experienced, before or since. I knew with certainty that God had come in his love to take a tiny deformed baby home to be with him.’ It was confirmed later that Cerian did die in that moment – a painless death before her bones would have been crushed through labour. ‘When you lose a baby it’s different from any other bereavement,’ Sarah says. ‘Both partners are hurting and you don’t have the emotional resources to support one another. Paul and I had to work to understand each other during that period, but we felt a tremendous sense of God’s presence. ‘Crazily we had been prepared for that difficult time by a Christmas present that someone had given us early in our marriage. It was a book which portrayed the grieving of a husband and wife when

God redeems all the things that go horribly wrong

they lose their three-year-old child, and their marriage falling apart. It was the weirdest Christmas present, but we read it and discussed it, so we were aware of the dangers. You think you’ll come together in the loss, but the loss is so painful that it can pull you apart. That’s when the wider community is really important. ‘Grief is something you live with your whole life. But my experience with Cerian has fundamentally changed how I live it. I was the youngest member of the history faculty at Oxford, but I left three years after Cerian died. I didn’t want to work with powerful people any more. Paul left his City job, and we moved to Canada to teach at a graduate school of theology. ‘Cerian was a gift to Paul and me in pulling us together in our shared passion for God. We were both doing well in our jobs, but we had two beautiful children who we were hardly spending any time with. When somebody dies you often reassess your own values and your own mortality. ‘I wish I could say you get to the end of a grief and draw a nice neat line. But at every milestone, we feel sad – around Cerian’s birthday, going through the stages of life with the older girls. ‘When I look at my life I think, yes, it would have been good if everything

had gone well. But I also think that God somehow weaves together and redeems all the things that go horribly wrong. He is faithful and gracious.’ Sarah admits that at her 20-week scan ‘it felt as if the easiest, quickest and least painful thing to do would be to get it over with and have a termination.To endure the pregnancy for 16 weeks seemed incredibly difficult and crazy. But,’ she says, ‘it is terrible to fear suffering, because suffering doesn’t have to destroy us. And when I put those 16 weeks in the context of 16 years, I think I wouldn’t have missed one minute of that. ‘Never at any point since Cerian have I ever said to myself: “Did I do the right thing?” Human beings don’t lose out by loving. They lose out by failing to love.’

l Perfectly Human is published by Plough

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Paul, who is in prison; for Ann and Malcolm, who have health concerns; and for Garath, who has started a job. The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances. Send your requests to Prayerlink, War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your envelope ‘Confidential’.

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

Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book in the Scriptures

Leviticus EVITICUS is a book of religious and L communal law. After the Hebrews’ exodus from Egyptian slavery, a priest-

hood was established and the rules and regulations about sacrifices and offerings needed to be codified. The opening chapters give instructions about various offerings. The principle behind many of the sacrifices of animals is as follows: a holy God cannot have anything to do with sin. Humans sin. The breaking of God’s law carries a death sentence. God accepts the death of an animal in the sinner’s place. As a symbol of guilt transference, the sinner lays their hands on the animal’s head, and through the shed blood of a lamb, goat or bull, the person atones for their sin (1:4). The repeated requirement is that the sacrificed animal must be ‘without defect’. As well as rules about the priesthood and the observance of the Sabbath and other religious festivals, there are codes of conduct

Key verse ‘It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life’ (Leviticus 17:11 New International Version)

for civil society. Childbirth (chapter 12), skin diseases (chapters 13 and 14), sexual health and conduct (chapter 18), general morality (chapter 19) and debt release (chapter 25) are covered in detail. Additionally, Leviticus includes instructions for the most sacred ceremony of the

There are codes of conduct for civil society Jewish calendar – Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (chapter 16). This is the day on which people confess sin and get right with God. After the priest has made an offering for his sin, he takes two goats as offerings for the Hebrew people. He kills the first goat, enters the holy of holies in the tabernacle and sprinkles its blood on the gold lid of the Ark of the Covenant. This is a sign to God that shed blood has paid for the people’s sin. The priest then takes the second goat, lays his hands on it and confesses the sins of the people. The animal is then set free into the wilderness – a sign to the people that, because of the shed blood, God has removed their sin from them. This is the original scapegoat.

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26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Jim Burns

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It can be frustrating to wait for the next episode ORDS of comfort can come from the most unexpected places. W I heard some once in a TV drama. One of the characters was having a rough time and her friend encouraged her by saying: ‘It will

all come out right in the end.’ ‘What if it doesn’t?’ she replied. ‘Then it’s not the end,’ said the friend. Admittedly, when we are going through a difficult time we may not take kindly to the comment that ‘this too will pass’. Not unreasonably we want a solution to our problem, and we want it now. Patience doesn’t always come easy. If we pray, we might expect God to fix our problem straightaway. But his timing is not necessarily the same as ours. His reply to our request might be yes, no or even not yet. If it’s either of the last two, it may test our faith. The way that prayers are is one of those mysteries We want a solution answered that we will never unravel while we’re to our problem, and still on earth. In the Bible we can read stories we want it now of when Jesus miraculously healed people in an instant. But it is easy to forget how long those people had been suffering before they met him. A woman who touched Jesus’ cloak was immediately healed, but she had suffered from bleeding for 12 years. Jesus also cured a man who had been paralysed for 38 years. We need to keep our faith that God will see us right in the end – whenever that may be. If we are experiencing challenging circumstances, we can remind ourselves that God hears our prayers. Even if we do not get the answers we want when we want them, it does not mean that our situation cannot improve and that we cannot move on. And when we are going through difficulties, we always have the opportunity to meet with the God of all comfort, who has promised to be with us no matter what we are facing.

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 26 January 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS

DOWN

1. Flamboyant (5) 5. Bay (5) 8. Brother of Moses (5) 9. Back tooth (5) 10. Rendezvous (5) 11. Ingenuous (5) 12. Ballet skirt (4) 15. Elizabeth, Jane Austen character (6) 17. Pugilist (5) 18. Paid attention to (6) 20. Stalk (4) 25. Evade (5) 26. Bundle of papers (5) 27. The Scales (5) 28. Inuit house (5) 29. Respond (5) 30. Courage (5)

1. Sacrificial chess move (6) 2. German language symbol (6) 3. Threads (5) 4. Fragile (5) 5. Whole number (7) 6. Non-clerical church member (6) 7. Morsel (6) 13. Utilise (3) 14. Staff (3) 15. Beseech (3) 16. Watch (3) 17. Gain (7) 18. Cavalryman (6) 19. Skin condition (6) 21. Wood (6) 22. Metamorphose (6) 23. Subdue (5) 24. Criminal (5)

by CHRIS HORNE

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

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which 17th-century Dutch artist painted the work known as 9 8 5 6 2 7 3 1 4 The Night Watch? 2. Who wrote the 1901 novel Kim? 3 7 1 5 9 4 2 6 8 3. The Chrysler Building, Grand7Central 3 8 terminal 4 5 2and6 Times 9 1 Square are landmarks in which city? 1 the 4 flower 6 9 Helianthus 7 3 8 5 2 4. What is the common name for annuus? 2 5 9 8 6 1 4 3 7 5. Which group had a No 1 hit in4 1965 with3 ‘The 1 7 8 Last 5 9Time’? 2 6 6. Who created and wrote the TV series Downton Abbey? 5

PUZZLE ANSWERS

WORDSEARCH Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these cities

BANGKOK BEIJING BELFAST BUENOS AIRES CARDIFF EDINBURGH HONG KONG ISTANBUL LAGOS

LAHORE LONDON MOSCOW MUMBAI NEW YORK SÃO PAULO SEOUL SYDNEY TOKYO

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

3 2 7 9 6 8 1 5 4

2 7 3 8 9 4 5 6 1

1 4 8 6 7 5 9 2 3

9 6 5 1 3 2 4 7 8

7 1 9 4 8 6 2 3 5

4 8 2 3 5 9 6 1 7

5 3 6 7 2 1 8 4 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

3 2

2 7

1 4

9 6

7 1

4 8

5 3

QUICK QUIZ 1. Rembrandt. 2. Rudyard Kipling. 3. New York. 4. The sunflower. 5. The Rolling Stones. 6. Julian Fellowes. QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Gaudy. 5 Inlet. 8 Aaron. 9 Molar. 10 Tryst. 11 Naive. 12 Tutu. 15 Bennet. 17 Boxer. 18 Heeded. 20 Stem. 25 Elude. 26 Sheaf. 27 Libra. 28 Igloo. 29 React. 30 Nerve. DOWN: 1 Gambit. 2 Umlaut. 3 Yarns. 4 Frail. 5 Integer. 6 Layman. 7 Titbit. 13 Use. 14 Rod. 15 Beg. 16 Eye. 17 Benefit. 18 Hussar. 19 Eczema. 21 Timber. 22 Mutate. 23 Quell. 24 Felon.

26 January 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Kitchen

Celebration fruit crown 50g ground almonds

120ml liquid from canned chickpeas, strained

300ml soya milk

125g caster sugar For the cake

For the meringue kisses

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125ml rapeseed oil 1tbsp vanilla extract

250g self-raising flour

250g fresh prepared fruit, such as mixed berries

1½ tsp baking powder

50g vegan chocolate, melted

175g golden granulated sugar

Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

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Preheat the oven to 100C/210F/ Gas Mark ¼.

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Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.

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To make the meringue kisses, pour the chickpea liquid into a bowl and place in the fridge for 3 minutes.

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Add the sugar to the liquid in small amounts, beating each time until it becomes very thick. Transfer the mixture into a plastic bag, cut off a corner and squeeze tiny meringues on the lined tray.

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Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then turn off the oven. Allow the meringues to dry inside the oven for another hour, then store in an airtight container until needed. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 24cm ring-shaped cake tin. Stir the flour, baking powder, sugar and almonds in a large bowl to mix thoroughly.

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Pour the soya milk into a measuring jug, add the oil and vanilla extract, then stir well. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 35 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool for 3 minutes in the tin, then turn onto a rack to cool. Once cool, decorate the cake with the chocolate and fill with the prepared fruit. Chill until ready to serve. Dot with the meringue kisses and mint leaves immediately before serving.

Serves

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Recipe reprinted, with permission, from the Vegan Society website vegansociety.com

If people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love Nelson Mandela