Faith & Friends March/April 2024

Faith & Friends

The CHOSEN

IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, CREATOR DALLAS JENKINS SHARES HOW ONE SHOW ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESUS HAS MADE A WORLDWIDE IMPACT. P.17

Another Long Weekend?

With Easter on its way, many of us are looking forward to a long weekend—a break from work, a chance to relax.

Our calendars label the holiday “Good Friday”—but why? What could be good about a Friday that commemorates a death, especially the death of Jesus, the Son of God?

In a word, love.

It was love that compelled God to send His Son into the world (see John 3:16). Love that led Jesus to give up His life for our sake (see Romans 5:8). Love that frees us from our sins and gives us new life (see Romans 6:4).

This is no ordinary long weekend. It’s a time to celebrate God’s incredible gift of salvation. A truly good Friday.

To learn more about Easter, visit a Salvation Army church near you, go to our website at faithandfriends.ca or contact us at: The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H

Photo:

13

FEATURES

COVER

SOMEONE CARES

5 Why I Give

Behind every donation to The Salvation Army is a reason why.

BAD TO THE BONE?

8 The Thief On the Cross

What’s fair about Jesus promising eternal life to this criminal? Everything!

25 & COUNTING

10 Lost and Found

Diane Stark thought her stories were lost forever. But Someone had His reasons for borrowing them.

13 Whisper of the Heart

Emmanuele Fuldauer had always felt God at work but it took a detour for her to hear His voice.

17 The Chosen

How one show about the life of Jesus has made a worldwide impact.

22 The Face Behind the Shield

LAUGHING MATTERS

26 Death-Defying Deed

Let’s celebrate the truth of the most outrageous claim in history.

LITE STUFF

28 Eating Healthy With Erin Sudoku, Quick Quiz, Word Search.

NIFTY THRIFTY

31 Stick a Pin in It! This spring, add some flair to your outerwear.

Portrait in New Life

Salvation Army t hrift store manager Vernon Miike’s commitment to recycling extends to every part of his life—even his passion for painting. When asked about his portrait of General William Booth that graces the front page of his profile (page 22), Vernon explains, “The canvases I use are repurposed from the paintings our thrift store does not sell and are destined for recycling. Classic artists in the old days often repainted over previous works, primarily for cost-saving purposes. I certainly do not compare myself to the old masters … I simply do not like throwing canvasses into the trash. Why not give them a new life? ”

Why not, indeed? Giving objects a new life is exactly what The Salvation Army’s National Recycling Operations (NRO) is all about. Last year, more than 36 million kilograms (almost 80 million pounds) of used items were diverted from local landfills. In this way, NRO employees such as Vernon care for our communities and the planet we all share.

Speaking of new life, in this issue of Faith & Friends, we unpack the Easter holiday. In the last of her Bad To The Bone? series, Jeanette Levellie examines the crucifixion story of the thief on the cross, and how we should react to Jesus’ uncritical acceptance of that man’s last, dying request. In a more humorous vein, Phil Callaway celebrates the truth of the most outrageous claim in history—that Jesus died and rose from the dead—by comparing it to some far-fetched accident insurance claims, such as, “A house hit my car.” And our cover story looks at The Chosen, now commencing its fourth critically acclaimed season, and how The Salvation Army has played a key role in the series.

Happy Easter to all!

Ken Ramstead

Mission Statement

To show Christ at work in the lives of real people, and to provide spiritual resources for those who are new to the Christian faith.

Faith & Friends is

published bimonthly by:

The Salvation Army 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4

International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England

Lyndon Buckingham GENERAL

Commissioner Lee Graves

TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray

SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Geoff Moulton, DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND LITERARY SECRETARY

Pamela Richardson

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Kristin Ostensen MANAGING EDITOR OF SALVATIONIST AND SALVATIONIST.CA

Lisa Suroso

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST

Emily Pedlar

JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Rivonny Luchas

DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Giselle Randall, Abbigail Oliver

STAFF WRITERS

Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version

Contact Us

P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6217

Websites faithandfriends.ca, salvationist.ca, salvationarmy.ca

Email

faithandfriends@salvationarmy.ca

Subscription for one year: Canada $17 (includes GST/HST); U.S. $22; foreign $24

P. (416) 422-6119

circulation@ salvationarmy.ca

All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064794

ISSN 1702-0131

Why I Give

Behind every donation to The Salvation Army is a reason why, as these three stories illustrate.

by Juan Romero

In every community across Canada and Bermuda, there are individuals whose generosity toward The Salvation Army positively impacts the lives of people going through hardship. The reasons why they donate may be different, but it usually stems from an impactful experience that led them to choose The Salvation Army.

Here are just three examples of donors, among countless others from coast to coast, who continue to help The Salvation Army give hope:

A Monthly Thank-You

Elda Egan donates to The Salvation Army because she is thankful for the support they gave to her son.

Luke, who was struggling with severe mental illness, started going to the Salvation Army food bank in Prince George, B.C. According to Elda, this not only helped Luke ensure his food security but it also provided him with a safe space that he enjoyed.

“He felt very supported by The Salvation Army, and they knew him

Photo: © Grizzard

“Salvation Army members were around within 20 minutes after the news announcement. I had no idea how they got there so quickly.”

GEORGE STEVENS

by name,” Elda shares. “I started to support The Salvation Army because it was my way of giving back to the group that was helping my son.”

In October 2022, Luke passed away, but Elda has continued to provide a monthly donation to the food bank as a thank-you for their help and acceptance.

Tea and Sympathy

For other donors, the inspiration behind their support has come from a single event that marked them.

On November 29, 1963, a tragedy occurred that changed the life of George Stevens. On this day, Trans-Canada Air Lines (now Air Canada) Flight 831 from Montreal to Toronto crashed shortly after take-off. All 118 people on board were killed, including George’s brother, who was returning from a business trip.

After hearing on the news that the flight had gone missing, George rushed to the airport in Toronto to find his sister-in-law. When he

arrived, there was chaos. George and his sister-in-law were led into a private room along with 45 other people who were anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.

When George entered the room, he noticed that members of The Salvation Army were already there, trying to comfort people.

“What amazed me was that Salvation Army members were going around offering tea, coffee and words of sympathy,” George says. “This was all within 20 minutes after the news announcement of the missing plane. I had no idea how they got there so quickly. It made a terrific impact on me.”

What he witnessed that day inspired George to make annual donations to The Salvation Army. George trusts the Army to allocate the funds where they are most needed.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Sometimes, the reasons for donating can be generational as well.

Lorna Court is a committed

donor to The Salvation Army’s Harbour Light in Vancouver. When she was young, she remembers that her mother donated to the Army, as they helped her mother’s cousin, Pat, when he battled alcohol addiction.

Lorna believes Harbour Light was responsible for turning Pat’s life around. Shortly after her mother passed away, Lorna decided she would continue donating to Harbour Light, just as her mother did.

Lorna makes three-year monetary donation commitments to help Harbour Light with specific improvement projects, she has supplied the education centre at Harbour Light with hundreds of books, and she has a bequest listed for the Army in her will.

“It’s an honour to be a part of the work The Salvation Army does,” Lorna states. “It just makes me so proud to be able to help with the wonderful work they do.”

(left) Juan Romero is the staff writer/news media relations specialist at The Salvation Army’s territorial headquarters in Toronto.

Two Volunteers, Two Stories Elda Egan (above, left) is thankful for the way The Salvation Army helped her son. Lorna Court (above, right) donates to the Army because they played a role in helping her cousin battle addiction

The Thief On the Cross

What’s fair about Jesus promising eternal life to this criminal? Everything!

by Jeanette Levellie

Most people don’t preach a sermon to their fellow criminals while they are being executed. But one bad boy did. God tucked his story within the account of Jesus’ Crucifixion in Luke 23.

The two men who hung on crosses on either side of Jesus were criminals. One joined the crowd in mocking Jesus, saying, “You’re supposed to be the Anointed One, right? Well—do it! Rescue Yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39 The Voice).

But the second thief told the first one to shut up and asked him why he had no respect for God. “We’re getting what we deserve since we’ve committed crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong at all!” (Luke 23:41 The Voice).

In bold contrast to his fellow thief and those on the ground spewing insults at Jesus, this bad boy admitted his sin—the first step in salvation. And then he proclaimed his faith in Jesus, declaring Him innocent of wrongdoing. That’s the same as saying that Jesus is truly and

properly God. For whom else but God has never done wrong? So that criminal showed his faith in Jesus— the second step to salvation.

Finally, in what may have been his last breath, the thief turned to the Lord and gasped, “Jesus, when You come into Your kingdom, please remember me” (Luke 23:42 The Voice).

Can Jesus Do That?

How did Jesus respond?

By saying, “How dare you try to weasel your way into heaven as you hang there, receiving your just punishment”? Or, “I forgive you, but you’ll never manipulate Me into saving you by taking advantage of My kindness”?

No. Jesus promised a bad boy who repented, declared his faith in Jesus and asked Jesus for a favour, a place with Him in paradise.

No Fair!

This story kind of messes with my sense of fairness.

How does Jesus’ willingness to forgive a thief make us feel?

JEANETTE LEVELLIE

Jesus granted salvation to a criminal that even the corrupt Roman government thought deserving of execution.

That thief had never followed Jesus a speck in his life. Yet as he’s dying, he turns from his sin and rasps out a simple statement of faith. And Jesus grants his request.

How is this fair?

What about those of us who have followed Jesus since we were children? How does Jesus’ willingness to forgive a thief make us feel?

Different Past. Same Future. It should make us rejoice.

Because we were all in the same bad way before we surrendered our lives to Jesus and became Christians. We may have sinned in different ways. But we all sinned. We all needed cleansing by Jesus’ sinless blood. And all of us who have made Jesus our Lord will enjoy the same future—forever with Jesus. Jesus

paid the same price for my husband, Kevin—whose worst sin is losing his temper while fixing our porch railing—as He paid for that very bad man hanging next to Him as He died.

So, if Jesus’ magnanimity bothers me, it’s my problem. I need to get over it and welcome any kind of sinner, whether he said one tiny cuss word or stole jewels from the Queen, into the family of God.

And instead of getting miffed at Jesus’ mercy, when I get to heaven, I’m going to thank that (former) thief for showing me how big the heart of God is.

All About the Thief

Read Luke 23:39-43

• Who: a sinner crucified with Jesus

• When: 33 AD

• Where: Jerusalem

Illustration: Woodcut by Gustave Doré (1832-1883), courtesy of The Doré Bible Gallery

25 & COUNTING

To mark the 25th anniversary of Faith & Friends, we asked past editors, current writers and our readers to tell us what articles have impacted them or changed how they think about life and faith.

For this, the last instalment in the series, our article was suggested by current Faith & Friends editor Ken Ramstead:

I have always been a fan of longtime contributor Diane Stark’s writing. Over the years, I have watched and read as her family grew in years and in faith.

While I have enjoyed all of her articles, “Lost and Found” (January 2010) still ranks as my favourite. To see how Diane’s writings, misplaced on a memory stick, changed a young woman’s life for the better and saved her from a life of addiction and maybe even death, made me not a little envious.

You see, I think every editor hopes that his or her words will make a difference to someone, a Christian editor all the more so. We toil for the most part in seclusion and very rarely is there any outward recognition that our efforts have made a difference. Diane‘s article was a vindication, an encouragement and, yes, a goad to me to work all the harder at what I do on the magazine, to work as if someone‘s very life was at stake because maybe, somewhere, someday, it will be.

Lost and Found

I thought my stories were lost forever. But Someone had His reasons for borrowing them.

by Diane Stark

“Eric, we have a problem,” I told my sleeping husband as I notso-gently poked him in the back.

He sat up quickly and looked around. “What’s wrong?” he said with a panicked is-the-house-on-fire look.

“I can’t find my thumb drive.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Your what?”

“My thumb drive. That little electronic memory stick I use to hold my stories after I write them.”

“Oh, that thing.” He rolled over and pulled the blanket up over his head. “That was just your backup. You still have them on your computer hard drive. We’ll look for it in the morning.”

I yanked the blanket back down. “No, Honey,” I said through gritted teeth, “I deleted them from the computer when I got the stick. If I don’t find it, I’ve lost every story and article I’ve ever written!”

Eric, to his credit, jumped out of bed and hugged me. “We’ll find it. When was the last time you saw it?”

“This afternoon. I took it to the print shop to make copies of a story. I had it when I left there.”

“Where else did you go?”

“The post office, the pharmacy….” “Did you have it when you got home?”

I shrugged helplessly.

Lost Hope

For the next two hours, Eric and I ransacked our house. I dumped out the contents of my purse and the diaper bag, hoping I’d tossed it in without realizing it. As I sorted through spare change and crayons, I muttered a prayer that I’d find the missing drive. I searched through the clothes I’d worn that day and felt the pockets, then I located my infant son’s clothes and searched his pockets as well.

Eric went outside to look in the car. When he returned, my hopes rose but he shook his head.

“I dug around under the seats,” he reported. “I found a pair of dirty socks, a gum wrapper and a couple of fries, but no stick. I’m sorry.”

I sighed. “I guess it wouldn’t be very good parenting to wake the kids up and ask them if they’ve seen it.”

“No,” he replied, straight-faced, “but first thing tomorrow, we’re going to call the places you went and see if someone turned it in.”

We went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about my lost thumb drive—and all of those missing stories. Again, I prayed that God would help me find it.

In the morning, I called the print shop, the post office and the pharmacy, but no one had seen a little pink memory stick. I was heartbroken.

For the next month, I prayed that somehow it would turn up. My children prayed often for “Mommy’s really important pink thing.” But as the weeks went by, I lost hope. My stories appeared to be gone.

No Accident

Then one day, a manila envelope came in the mail. It was addressed to me but had no return address. I opened it and instantly felt tears in my eyes.

Inside was my thumb drive and a single piece of lined paper. It was a note from a 20-year-old named Lisa.

“You don’t know me,” she

explained, “but I found this thumb drive in the parking lot at the pharmacy about a month ago.” She’d planned to sell it to get money for drugs—“my motives weren’t good then”—but her curiosity got the best of her. She popped the memory stick into a computer and began to read my stories.

She read about how much God loves her and how it’s never, ever too late to turn back to Him. The story that really touched her was one I’d written about a rough patch in my own life. “It made me realize I needed to change,” she went on.

After reading it, she called her parents and asked them if she could come home. She attended church that Sunday for the first time in many years and even sought help for her addiction.

“I know now that God loves me, despite the mistakes I’ve made,” she concluded. “Thank you for helping me see that. I know this whole thing was an accident, but I truly can’t thank you enough.”

But I knew it was no accident. The Lord had engineered the whole thing. This girl would probably never have read the magazines my stories appear in, so God had to take a different approach.

I bowed my head and thanked Him for answering my prayers and, even more importantly, for using my stories to help someone else. And I was reminded yet again that, with God, all things are possible.

Whisper of the Heart

EMMANUELE FULDAUER HAD ALWAYS FELT GOD AT WORK BUT IT TOOK A DETOUR TO A SALVATION ARMY CHURCH FOR HER TO HEAR HIS VOICE.

by Ken Ramstead

It’s fitting that Emmanuele Fuldauer’s first name means “God is with us” in Hebrew. Though never a churchgoing woman, Emmanuele had always felt God at work. Now, thanks to The Salvation Army, He is working through her life.

Detour to Home Depot

Emmanuele’s first encounter with the

Army was on the way to a lumberyard in 2005.

The newly minted registered nurse was renovating her house in Kingston, Ont., with the help of her friend, Kennie. One Sunday, they were on their way to pick up some supplies when Kennie suggested they take in a local Salvation Army church service at Kingston Citadel.

Photos: Courtesy of Emmanuele Fuldauer

“I could feel the whispers of the Holy Spirit at work.”

EMMANUELE FULDAUER

“This was his family’s church when I met him,” Emmanuele says.

She had never been in a church before other than for weddings and funerals, and they were dressed in jeans and denim shirts and wearing work boots, but she said yes.

“Kennie’s parents weren’t in attendance that day but he introduced me to some friends and the pastors,” Emmanuele recalls. “I honestly don’t remember much now but it must have ignited a small spark within me.”

Missing Inspiration

Emmanuele grew up in Vancouver and really didn’t know anything about The Salvation Army before that first encounter.

“I vaguely knew they had something to do with homeless people,” she says, “but to me, the Army was the thrift store. I just never knew that there was a church attached to it.”

Religion was never really discussed in Emmanuele’s family, so it had been left to her to process her own spiritual journey to God on her own.

“Although I was never introduced to any formal religious understanding of God,” she says, “I’ve always felt the ‘whisper’ of the Holy Spirit in me, but never understood—or felt I could trust—what I was feeling.

“As a result, the church service I

attended with Kennie that day didn’t inspire any deeper feeling in me, sadly.”

A Landing Place

Over that year, Kennie and Emmanuele became more than friends, and they started a life together; they married and welcomed a child, Jackson.

In the meantime, Emmanuele started working weekend shifts as a nurse at the hospital in Perth, Ont.

“But we never talked about church,” she says. “It was something Kennie would do on the occasional Sunday if he visited his mother with Jackson.”

Things started to change in 2016. Kennie’s mother passed away and Kennie and Jackson, now eight years old, started attending church, first at a nearby one and then at “Grandma’s church” at Jackson’s request. (Emmanuele was still working weekend shifts and could not join her family.)

Jackson became a junior soldier— an official member of The Salvation Army—and was soon followed by his dad, who became a senior soldier.

Not too long after Emmanuele secured a full-time position that gave her weekends off, COVID hit.

“I was a nurse working in a rural hospital on a busy medical surgical floor during the COVID

pandemic,” she relates. “We were often short-staffed, our duties changed constantly, and we were faced with constant change and challenges. It was almost constantly overwhelming.”

Last year, Emmanuele suffered a total mental breakdown.

“I was a complete mess for months and barely left the safety of my home,” she says, “and if I did, I always had someone with me.”

She was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

staff room door, asking God to be with me and to keep all of us safe,” she recalls. “I started putting my faith in God.

“And I am truly thankful that at that point in my life, thanks to what my son had put into motion, I found a safe place where I could land.”

Feeling the Pull

When things eventually opened up again—“summer, new growth, new beginnings”—Emmanuele started attending church with her husband

Album

“In hindsight, I now realize I probably had multiple sclerosis for more than 10 years,” she continues. “That, and the constant stress during COVID, wore me down.”

It was during this moment of total vulnerability that Emmanuele completely surrendered to the whispers from the Holy Spirit.

“Every shift before starting my rounds, I would stand alone at the

and son at Kingston Citadel.

“I could feel the whispers of the Holy Spirit at work.

“And I liked it,” she smiles. “Everyone was so open, especially our pastors, Captains Chris and Nichole Maxwell, and the entire congregation seemed to be seeking the grace of God. It was just so wonderful.”

Intrigued and encouraged, Emmanuele decided to take an

Family

Emmanuele with her husband, Kennie (below), and her son, Jackson (right)

eight-week course offered by retired pastors Majors Catherine and Wil Brown-Ratcliffe.

“We had pitched the course as a ‘no strings attached’ opportunity to learn about The Salvation Army, its history and impact on society,” explains Major Wil. “Of course, the main thrust of the course was to learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and how our faith informs our daily living.”

“Emmanuele was fairly new to faith, and that certainly added a unique dynamic to the group setting,” continues Major Catherine. “She wasn’t afraid to ask probing questions or to say where she was in her understanding of how God is working. Sometimes people are afraid of asking questions because it might be seen as a lack of faith or questioning God. But the truth is, of course, that often we don’t grow unless we are willing to ‘talk it through.’ ”

“They did a great job,” smiles Emmanuele. “And I just felt the pull.”

Finding God

Late last year, Emmanuele became

a Salvation Army adherent, recognizing the Army as her home church. It has been a positive step in her personal journey and brings encouragement and pastoral guidance as her journey of faith unfolds.

And why The Salvation Army?

“The transparency, the complete and utter transparency of everything,” she replies. “Where the donations go, where the kettle money goes and all the work that they do. Everybody is focused on helping each other and helping those less fortunate. It’s the values of everybody there. It’s not feeling like it’s going to church just because it ’ s Sunday. It’s a genuine, real feeling.”

Emmanuele has considered becoming a soldier with Kennie and Jackson, or maybe even a pastor, but for the moment, she is content where she is right now in her faith journey.

“I haven’t returned to work because I don’t know how or in what capacity I will be able to,” she says, “but I trust that God will lead me and be with me. And I hope I can help other people find God in their own journey.”

Army Proud Emmanuele and Kennie are flanked by their church pastors, Captains Chris and Nichole Maxwell (left), and their retired pastors, Majors Catherine and Wil Brown-Ratcliffe (right)

The

CHOSEN

HOW ONE SHOW ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESUS HAS MADE A WORLDWIDE IMPACT.

Photo: Courtesy of The Chosen

It’s the phenomenon that’s sweeping the globe. For the past three seasons, The Chosen, a groundbreaking drama based on the life of Jesus, has garnered praise from critics and fans alike for its historical and biblical accuracy, playful spirit, stirring drama, genuine humour and disruptive impact. What started out as a crowd-funded project has now garnered more than 700 million episode views and more than 12 million social media followers.

The brainchild of film and television director, writer and producer Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen has just dropped its fourth of a projected seven seasons.

For this exclusive interview, Faith & Friends spoke to Dallas Jenkins on location at the Salvation Army camp in Texas where The Chosen is filmed:

What was the genesis of The Chosen?

In 2017, I’d had an opportunity to do a big Hollywood movie, but that bombed and, licking my wounds, I was doing a short film for my church’s Christmas Eve service about the birth of Christ from the perspective of the shepherds. I returned to a script that my co-writer and I had written a couple of years earlier and filmed it on my friend’s farm in Illinois, 20 minutes from my house.

While I was making it, I was binge-watching some television shows with my wife, and I remember

thinking, There have been movies and mini-series about the life of Christ, but there has never been a multi-season show where you can really dig into the stories, dig into the cultural and historical context, dig into the humanity of it so that we’re following these people from episode to episode, season to season. And I thought that would really be an amazing opportunity to bring these stories to life. But no one was lining up to do a Jesus show and certainly not to work with someone like me, coming off of a failure.

Photo: Courtesy of The Chosen

In Camera

Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) ready for a close up

Our short film ended up going viral and launching a crowd-fund for the first season. The rest is history. And so now I’m talking to you with four seasons already completed. It’s phenomenal!

Have you felt closer to God after embarking on The Chosen? Has your faith deepened or broadened?

When you’re tasked with portraying Jesus to the world, you better know Him as well as you can, and so I’ve

gotten to know Jesus more than ever over the past few years. And one of the things that has really impacted me is that I’ve noticed how intimate of a God Jesus is. Two thousand years ago, whether He was calling someone or healing someone or rebuking someone, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. He knew what their need was. And He knew that only He could fill it. And that’s the same today. And knowing that intimacy of Jesus, I think, is vital—

“I’ve gotten to know Jesus more than ever over the past few years.”

DALLAS JENKINS

Photo: Courtesy of The Chosen

knowing that He knows your heart and wants to have a personal relationship with you, that He’s not just a god of the masses. It’s something that has impacted me and is also imbued in the show.

Did Jonathan Roumie feel awkward portraying Jesus?

Jonathan and I had a very important moment in Season 1. He had done a good job of surrendering himself to the process. But there was a scene in episode six where he’s preaching to dozens of people in the street.

“I don’t feel worthy saying these words,” he told me. He was emotional about it. I pulled him aside and said, “None of us are worthy to do this. That’s the point. Lean into that. Embrace that. Surrender. Let’s recognize that we’re not worthy, so

that we are filled totally by what God wants us to do. Let’s acknowledge that—and get out of the way.” That became a seminal moment.

You’ve done a lot of filming at a Salvation Army campground in Texas. Were you aware of The Salvation Army before this? And how has your perception of the organization changed?

Well, I would hope that there isn’t anyone alive who hasn’t heard of The Salvation Army! I’ve been a fan of the amazing work they do my whole life. The Army has been extraordinary over the last couple of years.

I believe that we’re doing similar work. With The Chosen, we’re trying to heal the world in whatever way that we can. We’re trying to do what God wants us to do, to reveal His Son to the world however

“What’s My Motivation?”

Dallas Jenkins and Jonathan discuss a scene in a Season 3 synagogue

Photo: Courtesy of The Chosen

we can. The Salvation Army does it through generosity, they do it through helping those in need. I’m doing it through a television show that’s about Jesus. But we’re hand in hand in this. And it’s been a beautiful experience to partner with the Army.

Have you received any feedback from viewers who have come to faith through the series?

We’ve lost count! It’s clearly in the hundreds of thousands if not millions of people who have said they

Speaking of Stories …

… here are just a few of the many thousands of heartfelt testimonials that the creators of The Chosen have received:

• “The Chosen opened my eyes to the hurts I caused others and brought me back to my faith with hope and love.”—Michelle

• “There was that scene where Jesus placed His hand on Mary and redeemed her. That moment marked a profound shift in my life, and I knew I wanted to follow Jesus.”—Lee

were far from God, had no relationship with God, had previously had one but had lost it in some way, maybe because of their own misunderstanding of who God was, who now have turned to Christ because of the show.

We know how important it is to say that we are not a replacement for Scripture. The Chosen, as a TV show, is not the end game. But we are hearing over and over and over again from people whose lives are being changed by it. And that never gets old!

• “I was lost for 40 years, but Jesus found this old lady. He filled me with His love, and now I know He’ll be with me always.”—Martina

• “The Chosen has given me a platform to share Jesus with others, something I’ve always wanted to do but struggled with.”—Todd

• “To my surprise, I was instantly hooked. My friends now joke that I could be a marketer for the show, given my newfound passion for

Did You Know?

Dallas Jenkins’ father is Jerry B. Jenkins, the Christian novelist best known for the Left Behind series, one of the highest-selling book series of all time, with more than 60 million copies sold.

Photo: Tyndale House Publishers

Photo: Courtesy of The Chosen

The Face Behind the Shield

VERNON MIIKE’S CAREER AS A THRIFT STORE MANAGER INFORMED HIS PORTRAIT OF SALVATION ARMY CO-FOUNDER GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH.

by Ken Ramstead

Any visitor to The Salvation Army’s National Recycling Operations (NRO) headquarters in Oakville, Ont., can’t help but spot the spectacular painting of the organization’s co-Founder, General William Booth, in the office of Ted Troughton, the managing director.

The painting is the work of Vernon Miike, manager of The Salvation Army’s thrift store in Oakville. One might say that it is a fusion of decades of passion and purpose.

From Retail to Thrift

“I’ve been in retail practically my whole life,” says Vernon. “As a matter of fact, while I was going to art school, my first part-time job was as a salesman at Simpsons.”

When Vernon graduated, he was offered a position as a supervisor, which led to a retail management career at stores such as Winners and Old Navy, overseeing anywhere from 25 to 100 employees.

In 2005, he took a sabbatical to look after his parents, who were in declining health, but when he returned to the job market, Vernon was contacted by The Salvation Army. He started in July 2016.

“It feels as if my first day was just yesterday!” he smiles. “I’ve loved working here the entire time, and I hope to continue on here beyond retirement because it’s become a big part of me. I can’t see myself not being here.”

One-On-One

While Vernon had been out of the job market for a while, he figured working at a Salvation Army thrift store would be similar to his previous jobs.

“But it was different, different from anything I’d ever done before,” Vernon says.

Though the scale was the same— instead of 10 managers who had reported to him in times gone by, he has 10 staff members who do now— the interaction is more direct.

“I’m more one-on-one with my direct reports, even the part-timers, than I ever have been before.”

Vernon also puts in more time on the cash, helping with the donations and with the clientele. “The days really fly by!”

“We’re Here for a Reason”

Being up close and personal with his direct reports and the clients is not the only thing that sets what he does now apart for Vernon.

“Working at other places, you’re working for shareholders. It’s all about making money, making profit,” Vernon says. “Here, our ‘shareholders’ are all the organizations we support: the food banks, the churches, our Send a Kid to Camp campaign, the list goes on and on. How can you not feel good being part of all that?”

And while he is still in the business of being profitable, “we’re a community store,” he goes on to say. “We don’t hesitate when situations

“General William Booth had a belief and he had his faith, and he wasn’t doing it for the profit.“ VERNON MIIKE

come up that require our help. We often have people coming in with vouchers, and a lot of our traffic is walk-in traffic: referrals from Army churches or correctional officers.”

Though thrift stores have drawn a trendier clientele who appreciate the variety and quality, at their heart is a mission and a mandate.

“That clientele may be growing, but we’re here because people need us to be here, now more than ever,” Vernon says. “We still have to keep in mind that we’re here for a reason. And I hope we’re here for a long time, because for many people, we’ve become a part of their lives.”

Anatomy of a Portrait

Though retail runs in Vernon’s blood, his heartbeat is that of an artist. As a teenager, he learned to love abstract and classical fine art while in school. And throughout his career as a store manager, he regularly pursued his passion. He painted for his own enjoyment and would give many of his works away as gifts to admiring friends and relatives.

As for General Booth, Vernon first saw a sculpture of him when he came in for his job interview.

“I’ve always liked interesting faces,” he says, “and I was taken by his. I remember thinking I’d like to do a painting of him one day. And as time went on, I felt compelled to paint him.”

The hiring of Ted gave Vernon the inspiration to go ahead with the portrait.

“I thought it would be a neat little gift,” he says. “Like a lot of the pieces I do, it might have taken me a couple of days, just picking away at it.”

Vernon researched General Booth online and consulted period photographs.

“I was captivated by him,” Vernon says. “He was a man who dedicated his life to helping others, and he just seemed so emotional.”

Ted takes up the story.

“One day,” Ted relates, “Vernon brought me this beautiful painting. It really impacted me as I had never had something like that given to me in my career before. I took it home and showed my wife and kids, and they were equally impressed at Vernon’s generosity and how well it was painted.”

Unbeknownst to Ted, his wife had the painting framed, and it now

A Frame Up

hangs in his office as an ever-present memory of the mission of The Salvation Army that William and his wife, Catherine, created.

“With online meetings, this is the perfect backdrop for my camera,” Ted smiles. “One Salvation Army pastor commented on the fact that William Booth was always looking over my shoulder now at the good works of NRO!”

Helping Others

Besides being proud of the work itself, this portrait is close to Vernon’s heart for other reasons.

“He’s the face behind our organization,” he states. “Prior to me working here, I’d seen the Army shield, but I

never knew there was a man behind that shield.”

Since then, Vernon has become an expert on the early history of The Salvation Army.

“When General Booth started the church,” he states, “it wasn’t popular with certain people. But he had a belief and he had his faith, and he wasn’t doing it for the profit.

“I’m hoping that there’s a little bit of the General in all of us who work here,” Vernon concludes. “This is one of the reasons why I painted this portrait.”

Vernon is hard at work now on a portrait of Salvation Army co-Founder Catherine Booth, William’s wife.

Vernon Miike (left) and Ted Troughton hold the portrait of Salvation Army co-Founder General William Booth. “I was captivated by him,” Vernon says. “He was a man who dedicated his life to helping others”

Death-Defying Deed

Let’s celebrate the truth of the most outrageous claim in history.

by Phil Callaway

Have you ever made a claim that wasn’t true? Here are some accident insurance claims that seem to me a little far-fetched:

• “A house hit my car.”

• “I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.”

• “The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.”

• “I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my motherin-law and headed over the embankment.”

• “In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.”

• “I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.”

• “The pedestrian had no idea which way to run, so I ran over him.”

• “Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”

• “The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”

• “When I saw I could not avoid a collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.”

• “The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.”

“He Is Not Here”

“He is Risen”

Amazing claims those, but last year a man approached me who claimed to be Jesus. I asked if he had been raised from the dead. He said, “Yes.” I said, “Can you bring me some friends to verify this?” He blinked and wandered away.

Surely the most outrageous claim ever is the claim of Easter. That Jesus, the Son of God, died, was buried and was raised to life.

If it is false, Christianity is a lie. If it is true, we dare not laugh it off or ignore it.

The letters of Paul in the New Testament were written just 15 to 20 years after Jesus’ death. So how could Paul get away with his own eye-witness account and claims that the risen Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at once— most of whom were still alive?

Only Jesus had followers who went to their graves because they insisted He had been resurrected.

Why would Jesus’ disciples do this—unless they had seen Him risen?

At my father’s graveside, the thought hit me, What would it take to convince people that my father had risen from the dead? It’s impossible.

If you don’t believe me, I have a suggestion. Try faking a resurrection in your town. Let me know how it goes.

My wife and I marvelled as we stood at the empty tomb in Jerusalem. It says, “He is not here. He is risen.”

I am sometimes criticized for laughing too much, but the truth of the Resurrection makes it impossible for me to stop for very long. We’re forgiven. The truly important issues were dealt with by Jesus on that cross. He defeated death and promised us eternal life.

So let’s celebrate the truth of the most outrageous claim in history.

Phil and Ramona Callaway in Jerusalem at the rock cut tomb adjacent to a rocky knoll known as Skull Hill. The tomb was unearthed in 1867 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year

(left) Phil Callaway’s Laugh Again radio program airs 700 times a week in Canada. Visit him at laughagain.org.

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley

Eating Healthy With Erin

MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED QUINOA SALAD

TIME 10 min MAKES 4 servings SERVE WITH grilled chicken, fish or tofu

Salad Recipe

500 ml (2 cups) cooked quinoa

250 ml (1 cup) romaine lettuce, chopped

250 ml (1 cup) cucumber, diced

250 ml (1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved

125 ml (½ cup) jarred artichoke hearts, quartered and drained

60 ml (¼ cup) kalamata or black olives, diced

60 ml (¼ cup) feta cheese, crumbled or shredded

60 ml (¼ cup) red onion, diced

1. Combine salad ingredients.

2. Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Dressing Recipe

80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil

30 ml (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar

30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

5 ml (1 tsp) honey

5 ml (1 tsp) dried dill

2 ml (½ tsp) dried basil

2 ml (½ tsp) dried oregano salt and pepper to taste

3. Mix together and serve immediately or allow to chill for one hour in the fridge if preferred cold.

CARROT MUFFINS

TIME 35 min MAKES 12 servings SERVE WITH coffee or tea

375 ml (1½ cups) flour

125 ml (½ cup) granulated sugar

175 ml (¾ cup) brown sugar

2 ml (½ tsp) cinnamon

1 ml (¼ tsp) ground ginger

1 ml (¼ tsp) baking soda

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

2 ml (½ tsp) salt

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

2 large eggs

7.5 ml (1½ tsp) vanilla extract

500 ml (2 cups) freshly grated carrots

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line muffin tin with grease or cooking spray.

2. Whisk dry ingredients in medium bowl.

3. In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients.

4. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined.

5. Fill muffin tin to two-thirds full and bake for 22 minutes.

6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.

1.

wrote A Brief History of Time in 1988?

2. What country is the island of Crete a part of?

3. What number does Roman numeral LXIII stand for?

Word Search Corner Gas

BRENT CHEF

CROCHET

CURLING

DAVIS

DOG RIVER

EMMA FITZY GOLF

HANK HOCKEY HOTEL

JOSH

KAREN

KNITTING LACEY

MAYOR OSCAR

ROUGHRIDERS

SASKATCHEWAN

SERGEANT SOCCER

SOFTBALL

Photo: Courtesy of Prairie Pants Productions Inc.

I’ve had this jacket for a few years now and I thought it would be a cool plan to add some character and fun touches to it. This idea is easy and not permanent, but it will do the trick and serve as a conversation starter.

Stick a Pin in It!

This spring, add some flair to your outerwear.

I thrifted a few unique pins from my local Salvation Army thrift store that added interesting touches to my jacket. The pins were $2.99 each, a steal in my opinion!

Some of the pins brought back special memories or times. The

ace pins remind me of an X-Men character, Gambit, one of my favourites growing up. The bicycle pin is a nice addition as I’d just bought my first bike as an adult and cycling has been one of my preferred activities. And my fruit of choice is an apple, hence the apple.

Place the pins in eye-catching places, anywhere, anyhow and use as many as you like.

I hope you try this tip. Happy thrifting and have a great spring.

(left) Osareme David Dom-okoebu is a content creator and a creative expert for The Salvation Army. He creates content on Instagram (@_ reme_) centred mainly on thrifted menswear. He also shares how to be stylish without breaking the bank. Find a thrift store near you at thriftstore.ca.

Give Hope to Canadians Worried About the Future

Canadians are struggling as the cost of living puts pressure on families and communities across the country. New research from The Salvation Army shows that one in four people nationwide are extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs.

The Salvation Army is one of the largest non-governmental direct providers of social services in Canada. With your support, neighbours in need can have reliable access to food and safe shelter.

Visit SalvationArmy.ca or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY to donate.