War Cry 29 April

WAR CRY

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 7625

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major

Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow

Production Editor: Ivan Radford

Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku

Staff Writer: Emily Bright

Staff Writer: Claire Brine

Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk

Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston

Graphic Designer: Mark Knight

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Tel: 0845 634 0101

Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org

Founder: William Booth

General: Brian Peddle

Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill

Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn

WALKING is good for you. According to the walking charity Living Streets, a 20-minute journey on foot each day can reduce your risk of developing depression, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It is one of the reasons why Living Streets has organised National Walking Month, which starts on Monday (1 May).

As we report in this week’s War Cry, the charity is promoting 20 creative tips to help those of us who can to step out and enjoy a walk during the coming month.

Perhaps we’ll be motivated to take a stroll to our local cinema where we can see a film in which walking is central to the plot line. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, previewed in this issue, stars Jim Broadbent in the title role. In the film, to the bafflement of his wife, Harold decides to walk from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland.

While Harold’s pilgrimage is a fictional journey, in real life, footballer George Moncur has moved around the UK to play at 10 clubs. He is currently playing at League Two Leyton Orient, and, as he and his team-mates celebrate promotion, he talks to us about how his faith and football go together.

‘The biggest difference since I became a Christian is that I am so happy all of the time,’ he says, ‘even if I have a bad game. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that I have realised that God is much more important than playing football. God is my everything. He has given me my family. So I smile and laugh and I enjoy life as much as I can.’

As we all journey through life, it’s encouraging to know that we can walk with God and have him share all the various experiences we have – the good and bad. And that, if we do, our lives will be taken up to a whole new level.

INFO INFO

To be a pilgrim

A retired man is on a mission to walk from Devon to Northumberland

HE may start off looking like an unremarkable man, but, in director Hettie Macdonald’s eyes, the retired husband and father at the centre of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry –released at cinemas yesterday (Friday 28 April) – is ‘an extraordinary hero’. She says that ‘in bravely stepping out into the unknown, he shows it’s possible, by taking a leap of faith, to heal’.

Faith of various kinds makes appearances throughout the film – an adaptation of Rachel Joyce’s novel – from the moment when a chatty checkout girl tells Harold (Jim Broadbent), who is worried about a terminally ill friend from the past, that it is good to have faith.

When Harold says he would not claim to be religious, she suggests that she simply means a faith that things can get better.

Her words strike a chord with Harold, who moments earlier had walked out of his house in Devon to post a compassionate letter to his friend. To the bafflement of his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton), he decides to keep walking from Devon to Queenie’s hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed. He sends Queenie a message that she must live. He thinks that somehow his walk will stop her from dying.

Along the way, a doctor who takes him into her house to bathe his battered feet

talks about her own problems and says: ‘If only I had a shred of your faith.’

In a tearoom he meets another medical professional, who describes himself as religious but who says that the devastating illness he treats is nothing to do with belief or lack of it.

However, when Harold phones the hospice, a staff member tells him that Queenie has changed for the better since she learnt of his crazy venture. Perhaps, says the voice on the phone, the world needs ‘a bit more faith’.

good enough’ and ‘never will be’.

He certainly feels as if he has taken some wrong turns in life.

He feels he has taken some wrong turns

Maureen, too, is thrown off balance by her husband’s pilgrimage. Yet when she asks him to forgive her for selfishly asking him to quit, he says: ‘I’m the one who needs forgiveness.’

But, while inspiring others, it seems as if Harold believes that something needs to be resolved.

He tells Maureen in a phone call back home: ‘It isn’t enough to post a letter.’ And, when talking with the doctor who bathes his feet about his walk and about the son who seems often to be on his mind, something prompts him to say that ‘it isn’t

The same could have been said by unnumbered Christians who have set off on more usual pilgrimages over the centuries. They, and those who have followed the Christian faith in other ways, have been aware that they have not always done what they should have done or been what they should have been.

But they have accepted the truth summarised by one Bible writer in a letter to early believers: ‘You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve’ (Ephesians 2:8 Contemporary English Version).

They recognise that when they placed their trust in the love for humankind that God revealed in Jesus, they received forgiveness for the past and hope for the future.

It’s a life-changing message. It’s why people continue to take the step of making that leap of faith.

When he hears of an old friend’s illness, Harold embarks on a trek

Film preview by Philip Halcrow

Harold and Maureen

‘ ’ j TEA M TALK

Coronation countdown

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

AHEAD of the coronation in Westminster Abbey, BBC1’s Songs of Praise tomorrow (Sunday 30 April) will focus on the faith of King Charles. As presenter Gyles Brandreth explores some of the important life events that have shaped the monarch’s religious beliefs, the dean of Westminster will look at the ceremony itself – including the sacred symbols that will feature in the service and what they all mean.

Much has been reported in the media about what to expect from the coronation of the King and Queen Consort next Saturday. During the ‘oath’ part of the service, the King will solemnly swear to uphold the law and the Church of England. He will sit in the 700-year-old coronation chair, where he will be anointed with holy oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the ‘investiture’, he will be presented with several items, including the royal orb, which represents religious and moral authority. Finally, the St Edward’s Crown will be placed upon his head. Whether we choose to embrace the coronation celebrations or not, it’s clear that we are about to watch history being made. The Christian faith of the King is in the national spotlight. And the Church of England is urging people to pray for him in the run-up to the big day.

History is being made

Earlier this year, it published Daily Prayers for the Coronation of King Charles III, a small book containing reflections and prayers for the 28 days leading up to the ceremony. It encourages individuals to ‘remember before God the life of service to which our King has been called’, and to pray not only for our own nation, but the wider world too.

In all countries the role of a head of state carries intense pressure and responsibility – and always has done. That’s why the Bible prompts us to ‘pray for kings and others in power, so we may live quiet and peaceful lives’ (1 Timothy 2:2 Contemporary English Version).

When we talk to God, he hears our every word, so offering our prayers for the King gives us the opportunity to make a difference to our nation in ways that we could never imagine. That is powerful stuff.

Team talk Team talk

talk talk

ENGLAND’S cathedrals experienced a rise in visitor numbers last year.

The Association of English Cathedrals (AEC) has collected figures from 24 Church of England cathedrals and Westminster Abbey which show almost a doubling in the number of visitors from 2.9 million in 2021 to 5.7 million in 2022. After disruption during the Covid-19 lockdowns, numbers are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The Very Rev Jo Kelly-Moore, dean of St Albans and chair of the AEC, said: ‘We celebrate the significant increase in visitor numbers to our English cathedrals, and these statistics confirm what our cathedrals’ staff and volunteers have been observing on a daily basis over the last year.

‘While this is evidence of the opening up of travel and visiting on a national and global scale again, we know from feedback and engagement that this increase also confirms the vital role of the cathedrals in our land as places of welcome for all people, in which to experience wonder, explore meaning and to find peace and hope in the challenges of our lives and of our world.’

More people congregate at cathedrals

PHILIP HALCROW

WAR CRY

Christianity ‘deeply imprinted’ on our culture

WRITING in The Sunday Times, broadcaster and author the Rev Richard Coles reflected on how Christianity continues to survive in the UK after a recent survey found that more than a quarter of all Anglican churches do not hold Sunday services.

‘It’s partly because the Christian faith is so deeply imprinted on our memory and imagination and culture that it endures in ways we are not always aware of,’ he wrote. ‘But it is also, I think, because it still speaks to our depths, and our heights, and consoles us when we grieve and exalts us when we rejoice.’ The retired parish priest also highlighted the help that churches provide in the communities in which they are located.

‘When I was vicar of Finedon,’ he recalled, ‘the church played an important part in lightly organising the goodwill and creativity of our non-members. We were that way able to fund nursery education, house people on low incomes, and take care of those unreached by statutory service providers in lockdown.’

nA BAG of silverware stolen from a church in the Lake District was found by a dog sniffing around in the church undergrowth.

A BBC online article reported that ‘precious chalices and plates’ were stolen from St John’s Church in Keswick in February, but an elderly labrador recovered the items.

The vicar at the church, the Rev Charles Hope, explained that he was delighted to receive the recovered silverware, and praised the labrador, Mick, for his ‘excellent nose’.

He concluded: ‘In fractious and furious times, to know ourselves to be equal in dignity and deserving of love is an extraordinarily beautiful and powerful thing.’

Churches lose faith in fossil fuels

CHRISTIANS, including members of The Salvation Army, took part in a prayerful protest against fossil fuels, accompanied by a Salvation Army band. Some 1,000 people attended a No Faith in Fossil Fuels church service at St John’s in Waterloo, before walking to parliament to call on the UK government to stop new investment in fossil fuels.

Major Heather Poxon, The Salvation Army’s UK environmental officer, said: ‘The Salvation Army has a history and a mandate of raising our voices against injustice and calling on the government to do the right thing, hence our participation.’

Help for families ‘at breaking point’

A BABY and toddler supplies bank run by The Salvation Army in Southport supported more than 100 families last year.

Launched in 2020, Little Miracles exists to help families in financial hardship. Since opening, it has seen a steady increase of clients, with 120 families seeking assistance last year in response to the rising cost of living.

Supported by the Christian charity Compassion Acts, Little Miracles supplies emergency parcels to people based on their needs. Parcels have included baby formula, nappies, toiletries, clothes and baby food. Families needing help are able to obtain a referral from food banks, family wellbeing centres, social workers, health visitors and schools.

‘We have seen so many families affected by the rise in the cost of living,’ says Kathryn Casserley, community programme and engagement manager for The Salvation Army in Southport. ‘They are at breaking point and have made so many cutbacks to pay for their rising energy bills that they just can’t cut back any more. The little money that they do have is just not stretching far enough.’

Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, the church and charity’s leader in the UK, fronted the march alongside other church leaders, and at its end led the walkers in prayer.

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MATT CROSSICK/ALAMY

Kathryn Casserley

On the up

Footballer GEORGE MONCUR talks about his goals on the pitch and in life

Interview by Andrew Stone

THIS has been an incredible season for Leyton Orient. Throughout the past eight months the side have been consistently at the top of their game and the league table. Last week they clinched promotion and the League Two title. That came as no surprise to midfielder George Moncur, who joined the club last summer.

‘I said to the lads when I got here that there are players in this team who would easily fit in at Championship level,’ he says. ‘Some of the team are still quite young, and they have some great talent.’

George was able to give that assessment of his team-mates through his own experiences in the game. He has played at Partick Thistle in Scotland as well as all levels of the English Football League, after turning professional at Premier League side West Ham United. While a schoolboy at Tottenham Hotspur he was in the same

team as Harry Kane. The two became friends and are still in touch today –George messaged his congratulations to the forward when he became England’s record international goalscorer last month.

As a youngster, George dreamt of being ‘the best player in the world’, but he is also keen to point out how much he is enjoying his time with Leyton Orient and his excitement at playing in a promotion-winning season.

‘I’ve had one promotion before with Luton Town from League One to the Championship, and it was the best feeling in the world. You can’t describe it. It means everything to the players, the staff and the fans.

‘I wanted promotion,’ he says. ‘I prayed for promotion.’

When George says that he prayed for Leyton Orient to go up, he is not just using it as a flippant turn of phrase. Before every game this season he has prayed on the pitch with some of his team-mates –including striker Paul Smyth.

George first offered to pray with him when Paul returned from injury early in the season.

‘I didn’t know if he’d be up for it,’ George admits. ‘But he said it would be fine. He scored that game and now he’s had the best season ever, and I’ve prayed for him every single game he’s played.’

George has believed throughout

the season that the team’s final outcome would be ‘in God’s hands’ – as is his own game week to week, even when he has put all his effort into training and playing.

‘I work hard every day,’ he says, ‘and I try to be my best. However, if I’ve got a game on Saturday, then Monday to Friday I could be the best example of a footballer – I could eat right, go to bed at seven o’clock and drink as much water

Promotion means everything to the players

George Moncur

back of the net, or if it flies over the bar, or goes out for a throw-in.’

Considering that belief and the success Leyton Orient have enjoyed this season, I wonder if it could be assumed that God is an Os fan – and what that would mean to any players or fans praying for a rival team who will miss out on promotion this year.

‘I wouldn’t say God favours us,’ George

replies. ‘It’s a massive heartbreak for teams who have played 46 games and have got so close to achieving their goal. But it could be God’s way of showing them that it wasn’t their time yet. They might not be ready and God is building them so that when their time does come, it’s going to be even greater

as possible – and I could plan everything right so I give myself the best chance to achieve what I want to achieve on a Saturday afternoon. But, when the whistle blows, and a situation arises in the game that I’ve been working on all week – maybe cutting in on my right foot and trying to bend the ball into the top corner of the goal – ultimately, God will be the one to decide if that ball hits the Turn to page 8 f

From page 7

than it would have been.’

George knows what it is like to encounter disappointments as a player. He spent last season at Hull City in the Championship, but he was not picked to play regularly. He describes that year as being time ‘in the wilderness’. However, his faith helped him through.

‘Sometimes you can get dealt tough situations and hardship,’ he says. ‘But through those hard times –when you’re not playing and the manager doesn’t fancy you – you build character. And I also know it’s in God’s plans, so I never get too down. If I didn’t have Christ, though, I would be a completely different bloke.

‘There is nothing in life that can break me or get me down. I don’t fear anything – except losing God, because if I did that, I don’t know where I’d be. I can’t achieve anything God wants me to achieve without him. I know my life would not be the same without Christ.’

George is not alone in his beliefs at Leyton Orient. Whereas he has been the only Christian at other clubs where he has played, the situation is very different at Brisbane Road.

‘There are seven players in the squad who are Christians,’ he reveals. ‘We have a prayer group on a Friday, and the joy of seeing other players following Christ is so important to me. In the group we’ve been praying for the squad.

‘Everyone at the club knows we have the prayer group and respects it a lot. There are young lads as well from the under-18s. It’s amazing to see us all come together to pray. I think faith is coming more and more forward in football. I think that’s because the more a Christian in sport goes deeper with God, the more they don’t care what people will think of them if they show their faith.’

George was introduced to Christianity as a teenager through his dad, John, who played in the Premier League for Swindon Town and West Ham. However, George admits that he ‘wasn’t really interested’ when he went to church with him. That changed in his early 20s when he

came to ‘find Christ’ for himself.

‘The biggest difference since I became a Christian is that I am so happy all of the time,’ he says, ‘even if I have a bad game. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that I have realised that God is much more important than playing football. God is my everything. He has given me my family. So I smile and laugh and I enjoy life as much as I can.’

And, while promotion will bring extra joy for George, his team-mates and the fans of Leyton Orient, he wants to ensure that the ultimate source of the abilities that have led to on-field success is not forgotten in the celebrations.

‘I believe that God has given me the talent to be able to play football,’ he says. ‘And I want to elevate God’s name through all of it.’

God is much more important than football

George in action against Tranmere Rovers

ANDREW ORCHARD SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY

Drawing on belief

Cartoonist ROBERT DUNCAN talks about why he retold and illustrated Bible stories for a children’s book

Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

ONCE upon a time, cartoonist Robert Duncan embarked on a quest to retell a timeless story. Nearly 50 years ago, he illustrated the world’s bestselling book.

‘I’m primarily a cartoonist and have been since I was in school,’ he explains over the phone from his garden studio in Buckinghamshire. ‘I see everything from an illustrative perspective. If an architect saw a chair, he’d want to design it. If a carpenter saw a chair, he’d know exactly how to assemble it. If I see a chair, I imagine how I’d make an elephant sit on it.’

In 1976, as a young cartoonist, Robert looked around for a story that had been very successful and that he could imagine

illustrating. He picked the most successful story of all time.

‘I settled on the Bible,’ says Robert. ‘It had the lot – exciting plots, goodies and baddies, adventures on land and sea, lots of magic, a wonderful garden, an ark full of animals, a coat of many colours, cities tumbling down at the toot of a trumpet, walking on water, changing water into wine and, well, everything. It has got such visual appeal.

‘I couldn’t find any book on the Bible which gave it “the silly cartoon treatment”. And that’s how Once Upon a World came to be.’

A new edition of the book has been published this year, after Robert happened

Turn to page 10 f

Jesus helps Peter to walk on water

Robert Duncan

From page 9

upon some old drawings.

‘Back in the day, paperbacks were printed on rubber stereos,’ he explains. ‘It meant that the whole paperback was on one big drum. I went to see it being printed and it was fascinating, because it starts off as a drum with all the pages on it, then it thumps through and the finished books come out the other end.

‘But the pictures being on the stereo meant they were not just printed on to the page, they were sort of squelched on, so they lost a lot of their detail and vibrancy. Recently, I was clearing out a cupboard and I found a parcel that said “Once Upon a World illustrations 1976”. It was the original drawings. Having seen the paperback for so long, I was amazed at how sharp these pictures were, and that’s how this new edition started.’

When talking with the publishers, says Robert, they pointed out another change that should be made.

‘In 1976 nobody would have taken any notice of it, but there weren’t any stories from the female point of view, so that had to be corrected. I read some of the Bible again, and rewrote two new stories, about Ruth and Esther. I’m pleased with how they ended up.’

Robert reflects on when he first heard the Bible stories he went on to illustrate.

‘In school, I learnt all about the Gospels,’ he says. ‘Everything from Jesus being born, being outside the Temple giving everybody a hard time, and walking on water. I got excited about it illustratively. They are wonderful, exciting stories for children, with extraordinary things happening.’

When Robert was growing up, cartooning helped him.

‘I was a bit of a skinny little weakling with a great powder puff mass of golden hair on the top of my head. I was pretty wet and I was very wheezy, still am, and definitely not sporty, so humour was a good way round it. And I started drawing. From day one, I’ve always loved cartoons. I’m of a great age now and I still feel I’m improving in the way I draw. As long as I can keep my hand steady enough, I can draw.’

It’s a skill that Robert wants to use positively by providing humour through his cartoons and sharing good stories. In Once Upon a World, he begins at the beginning with Genesis, following the order of the Bible, and telling the story of how the world came to be.

‘I wrote it all in that order first, then illustrated it afterwards,’ he says.

The illustrations are in his particular cartoon style, which he says has changed over the years.

‘In those days, 47 years ago, I used a

They are wonderful stories with extraordinary things happening

Jesus calms the storm

lot more black in my illustrations than I do now. And in Once Upon a World, all the people have got four fingers. But as I progressed in cartoonery, I realised that four fingers is too many, so nowadays everybody I draw has three fingers.’

While his style has changed, Robert agrees that the stories are timeless, noting that in this new edition, he didn’t have to make many changes.

‘Revisiting everything I drew 47 years ago, I’d expect to think, “Oh I wish I’d done that”, or “Can I put up with that?” But there’s nothing like that at all in these stories.’

Some of the character’s tales, such as the plight of Noah and his ark, are difficult for Robert to accept as being completely factually accurate. But he enjoys the narrative, and has written a

separate story about it.

‘From a cartoonist point of view, the story of Noah makes you think, “OK, if a lion comes on board, he’s going to eat everything else anyway.” I wrote a book called Noah, the Animal Rescue King, which spells ark. And I took all sorts of liberties there. It has about 40 of my cartoons in it, in a modern style.’

Robert does consider himself to be ‘a believer’, and, when speaking of the Bible, he says: ‘I think you have to believe in elements of it. Jesus was an extraordinary person, and his life was just brilliant. The way he was treated and the way he ended up was the big force for good.

‘I’m not enormously religious, but I believe the whole thing is for good. This is my simple translation of it, for the sake of the children. Storytelling way back then

was just as fresh and as exciting as it is now.

‘A child trying to read the Bible might get very bewildered quickly – now, more than ever, with phones and instant everything. They would give up. I think what we’re doing here is presenting the best stories in a light, friendly and readable way.’

l Once Upon a World is published by Lion Children’s

The book contains events from the Bible, including the fall of Jericho and Elijah’s being taken up to Heaven by a chariot of fire

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’.

jBecoming 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

a thou

Now, ther NO W, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Jim Burns

There’s a way to lose our worries

WHAT did we do before satnavs and Google Maps? Well, if you were me, you got lost. Often. Mind you, I can still get lost using navigation systems, but that’s another story.

Recently our church choir sang a hymn with the words: ‘When I’m crying like a lost child in the dead of night,/ Feeling left behind, nowhere to go.’ It reminded me of how I can feel lost when I worry. Perhaps others of us worry too, because of the cost of living, problems with work or a relationship breakdown.

I like the fact that the Bible is honest about how such feelings can be experienced even by people who have put their trust in God. A man who loved God wrote, ‘I am worn out with grief; every night my bed is damp from my weeping; my pillow is soaked with tears’ (Psalm: 6:6 Good News Bible). The good news is that God is there when we cry out to him – he wants us to be honest with him. What is more, he wants to show us how to navigate the things that cause us to worry.

In 1979 the singer Lena Martell took the song ‘One Day at a Time’ to the top of the charts. It included the words: ‘Lord help me today, show me the way/ One day at a time.’ When we’re worried, it can help to pray exactly that.

I heard of someone who would wake up each morning and ask Jesus ‘if we can do today’, with ‘we’ being the important word. The next day he would do the same thing and the next. A one-day contract with Jesus, if you like.

Worry can leave us feeling a bit lost – but Jesus assures us that God not only cares for us in such times but can also give us direction to help us find a way through the things that cause us concern.

I can feel lost when I worry

QUICK QUIZ

1 2 3 4 5 6

In the TV series Doctor Who, what is the Doctor’s time machine called?

Who was the UK prime minister at the beginning of the Second World War?

What part of an egg is used in making a meringue?

Which car manufacturer makes the Yaris?

In Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland what animals are used as croquet mallets?

Where is next week’s coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla scheduled to take place?

A step in the right direction

Campaign urges people to walk for 20 minutes a day in May

Feature by Claire Brine

BEST foot forward! National Walking Month is fast approaching. From next Monday (1 May), individuals are encouraged to get outside and get moving, ready to reap the benefits that walking has to offer.

Behind the initiative is Living Streets, an organisation that aims to inspire a nation to go on foot for their everyday local journeys where possible. Encouraging people to walk for 20 minutes a day throughout the month, it points out that walking is one of the easiest ways for a person to improve their physical and mental health, explaining that it can reduce their risk of developing depression, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

For this year’s National Walking Month campaign, organisers have come up with 20 creative tips designed to help individuals who are feeling unmotivated. They include walking as part of a work meeting, taking photos during a stroll and, for parents, letting their children pick the route.

But what happens on the days when people don’t feel like walking – not just literally, but metaphorically? How do we keep taking the steps on our journey through life when it’s difficult, we’re tired, and all we want to do is quit?

When our road ahead is full of problems, trying to get past them may feel impossible. Perhaps we don’t know where to turn or we are doubtful that we have what it takes to get where we want to be. Maybe we want to take a new path entirely, but have no idea how to reroute our life.

Wherever we find ourselves today, God can help us get our life on track. We can learn from the Bible of his love for us, accept his forgiveness for our mistakes and seek his guidance as we try to become better people.

One Bible writer who relied on God for direction through life described God’s guidance as ‘a lamp for my feet, a light on my path’ (Psalm 119:105 New International Version).

As we step into a future that feels uncertain, we need never feel lost or alone. If we ask him, God is always willing to walk alongside us.

1. The Tardis.

4. Toyota. 5. Flamingos. 6. Westminster Abbey.

We may have no idea how to reroute our life

Quick

16.

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these words associated with kindness

SERVES 6

Carrot and orange soup

INGREDIENTS

400g red lentils

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

1.2l vegetable stock

1 orange, juice and fine zest

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

75ml 0 per cent fat

natural yoghurt

Handful fresh coriander, chopped

SERVES 4

METHOD

Put the lentils, carrots, garlic, spices and vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils and carrots are completely tender.

Transfer the mixture to a liquidiser, add the orange juice and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and swirl a little yoghurt into each one. Top with the fresh coriander and orange zest and serve immediately.

Chicken

thighs braised with vegetables

METHOD

Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper, then season with plenty of salt and pepper.

4 chicken thighs, on the bone, trimmed of excess fat

4tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1tsp sweet paprika

1 bay leaf

4 vine tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks

500ml chicken stock

200g baby spinach

Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish over a moderate heat until hot. Brown the chicken in the hot oil, turning occasionally. Remove to a plate.

Reduce the heat slightly before adding the remaining olive oil to the pan, followed by the onion, garlic, sweet potato and a generous pinch of salt.

Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened and translucent. Stir in the paprika and bay leaf and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the dish and cover with the tomatoes and chicken stock, stirring well.

Bring to the boil, partially cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is cooked through.

When ready, stir in the spinach and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

God’s love endures for ever