Faith & Friends January 2017

3 Reasons to

GO TO CHURCH P.8

Finding God

IN THE WORKPLACE P.10

Library Visit

CHANGES LIFE P.22

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

JANUARY 2017

The Day the Lies Stopped MAXWELL ASSING HAD TO FACE THE TRUTH P.16

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Just because you’re not faster than a speeding bullet or you can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound doesn’t mean you can’t be a superhero.

good for someone every day of the year. Whatever you do, though, do it for the right reasons. Love.

Compassion. Kindness.

A new year dawns, and while you may not have superpowers, you can make your part of the world a better place in 2017. Help out at your church, hospital or local charity. Be a better spouse, parent, child, friend. Do something

“ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

—2 Corinthians 9:7 Be a superhero this year.

To learn more about the superheroes in the Bible, mail the coupon on page 30, visit our website (www.faithandfriends.ca) or contact us at: The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4

January 2017

VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1

12

DEPARTMENTS COMIC RELIEF

5 Blissful Ignorance?

Biblical understanding and knowledge are not a matter of opinion.

LAUGHING MATTERS

8 Why Go to Church?

The age-old question has some surprising answers.

GOD IN MY LIFE

10 An Invitation to Faith

Maria Alfonso’s new job at The Salvation Army helped her find God again.

FEATURES

12

COVER STORY

16

22

Setbacks, Surprises and Successes

NFL quarterback Christian Ponder’s career is grounded in faith.

The Day the Lies Stopped

An encounter with God forced convicted drug dealer Maxwell Assing to finally face the truth.

Page Turner

A visit to a local library helped Steve Wiscombe start a new chapter.

31

DEPARTMENTS FAITH BUILDERS

25 Same Kind of Different as Me

Two men become unlikely friends.

Cover photo: Akil Simmons

LITE STUFF

28 Eating Healthy With Erin

Crossword Challenge, Sudoku, Quick Quiz A GLOBAL ARMY

31 Join the Army, See the World

Last year, a Salvation Army team from Simcoe, Ont., travelled to the Philippines. faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2017

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Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

Contagious Joy

W

hile on assignment in Bermuda, Pamela Richardson was introduced to Maxwell Assing, a Salvationist who proceeded to tell her his story of redemption.

“What struck me most from our interview was Maxwell’s abundance of energy,” says Pamela, who, besides being an accomplished feature writer, is also our editorial production co-ordinator and copy editor. “As stunning as the photos in the article are, they can’t capture the obvious joie de vivre that he has. There were times throughout our chat when he became so excited to tell me what God has done for him that he stood up and danced around the room. His joy was contagious!

“Maxwell has lived through some horrific experiences—brought on by his own actions, admittedly—but with the love of his family, help from The Salvation Army and a personal relationship with God, he’s turned his life around.”

Maxwell’s story is on page 16.

Contagious joy. I suspect Maria Alfonso felt that way when some colleagues invited her to a chapel service at her new job. Maria thought God had abandoned her until that morning, when her life changed. Read about her journey on page 10.

Elsewhere in this issue of Faith & Friends, humorist Phil Callaway explains why he loves to go to church, and writer Jayne Thurber-Smith profiles NFL quarterback Christian Ponder, whose faith has helped him weather the highs and lows of his career. There’s more contagious joy in these pieces, too.

If you’re not careful, you might just catch it as well!

Ken Ramstead 4 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

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 monthly by: The Salvation Army 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4 International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England William and Catherine Booth FOUNDERS

André Cox, GENERAL Commissioner Susan McMillan TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel Jim Champ SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Geoff Moulton, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Ramstead, EDITOR Brandon Laird DESIGN AND MEDIA SPECIALIST

Timothy Cheng SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Pamela Richardson, COPY EDITOR, PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Ada Leung CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Kristin Ostensen STAFF WRITER, PROOFREADER Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version Contact Us P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6120 Websites faithandfriends.ca, salvationist.ca, salvationarmy.ca E-mail faithandfriends@can.salvationarmy.org Subscription for one year: Canada $17 (includes GST/HST); U.S. $22; foreign $24 P. (416) 422-6119 circulation@can.salvationarmy.org All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064794 ISSN 1702-0131

Faith&Friends

COMIC RELIEF

© www.kevinfrank.net

Heaven’s Love Thrift Shop by Kevin Frank

Blissful Ignorance?

As the above cartoon illustrates, when it comes to the Bible, understanding and knowledge are not a matter of opinion.

by Fred Ash

I

t was the Apostle Peter who first used the word “ignorant” to describe people in the church who had their own interpretation of the Bible but who really didn’t know what they were talking about. He was frustrated by believers who insisted on giving their own opinions of the writings of the Apostle Paul.

“His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,” he wrote, “which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).

While I may hesitate to call anyone ignorant, I can’t argue with the Apostle Peter.

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Faith&Friends

COMIC RELIEF

Dazed and Confused In the cartoon on the previous page, new Christian Dag has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. He is ignorant of the teaching of the church regarding Matthew’s description of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and why Matthew has two donkeys while the other Gospel writers refer only to

than 30 years and this is the first time he’s noticed how Matthew’s description of events differs from that of the other writers. He looks confused, perhaps a little worried.

Did Matthew make a mistake? Does the Bible contain errors?

We can only imagine how Wilson will explain what looks like a discrepancy to his young friend.

Wilson looks confused, perhaps a little worried.

Did Matthew make a mistake? Does the Bible contain errors? FRED ASH

one. Even though theologians and biblical scholars have explained and interpreted this passage for more than 2,000 years, Dag has his own interpretation—which he considers to be the right one: “Obviously Jesus had two triumphal entries into Jerusalem, one on one donkey, and another time on two donkeys.”

Wilson isn’t any better than Dag. He’s been reading the Bible for more

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Handle With Care In 1 Corinthians 12:28, it is written: “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers....” God-ordained, -directed and -gifted teachers are the third-most-important gift God gave to the church. Yet when organizing a teaching ministry in churches, the attitude seems to be that anyone can do it. But when

“anyone” does it, there is a real danger of misinterpreting the Bible, as Dag has done.

In Christian educator Troy Sims’ blog lovinggodwithallyourmind.com, he quotes his pastor as saying: “I know it’s kind of crude, but it’s true.

Most lay-led Bible studies are pooled ignorance: a lot of people saying what they think something means without having any real theological basis for backing up what they say.”

I talked with a Christian recently who was frustrated because the small group to which he belonged has spent the last four years discussing The Shack, a Christian novel by Canadian author William P. Young. Each person in the group gave opinions on various theological concepts expressed in the book. In the end, a lot of personal views were expressed—but actual knowledge acquired was questionable.

Fides quaerens intellectum is a Latin phrase meaning “faith seeking understanding.” The idea was

introduced by Augustine of Hippo (354-430) and coined by Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109). It is no less true today as it was then.

Christians have faith in Jesus. They don’t understand all there is about Him or about the Bible, but they are on a quest to understand more.

Understanding cannot come about without knowledge. Knowledge cannot be acquired by listening to opinions. Knowledge and understanding come through study and a sincere seeking after truth.

Scripture is sacred. The Bible is holy. It is not a book of opinion but of revelation. The truth and interpretation of Scripture have been handed down from generation to generation by church scholars, beginning with the Apostles themselves. But it must be handled with care.

And so, how to explain Matthew’s two donkeys? Turn to page 21 for a brief explanation.

FOUNDING FATHER Major Fred Ash was the first editor of Faith & Friends and now lives in Calgary

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Faith&Friends

LAUGHING MATTERS

Why Go to Church?

The age-old question has some surprising answers.

by Phil Callaway

I

love having children around— just not all the time. Like that memorable day at the grocery store a few years ago when our twoyear-old yelled, “Look, that man is gonna have a baby!”

If nothing else, kids keep us on our toes.

Children were asked recently to say something memorable to their pastors, to encourage those who preach to them Sunday after Sunday.

Here are a few that are just too good not to share:

• “Dear Pastor: Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week.

Sincerely, Peter Peterson.”

• “Pastor, I know that God loves everybody, but He never met my sister. Signed, Arnold.”

• “I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there. Signed, Stephen.”

• “Please say a prayer for our little league team. We need God’s

(above) “There’s nothing like watching my favourite sports team live or my favourite band in concert,” says Phil Callaway (seventh from left), here with the Callaway clan.

“In the same way, I long for what happens at church”

8 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

help. Or a new pitcher. Thank you, Alexander.”

• And finally, Loreen, age nine, suggests this to her pastor, “I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland.”

The Gracious and the Grouchy Loreen has a point, doesn’t she?

I’ve awakened some Sundays and thought to myself, Why church? I like to sleep in. There’s football on.

The lake is beckoning.

Church? Whatever for? There are hypocrites at church; people who disagree with me. What if the sermon goes into extra innings?

My thoughts remind me of Ralph, age 11. He told his pastor after church one day, “I liked your sermon. Especially when it was finished.”

Why church? I like to sleep in. There’s football on. The lake is beckoning. PHIL CALLAWAY Have you ever felt that way? Be honest. The truth is, there’s often better entertainment out there.

Besides, where two or three are gathered together in God’s name, there is usually a mess. I’ve been hurt and disappointed in church.

Still, I go each Sunday. When our kids were small I wanted them to know that I am part of something far bigger than little old me. I’m part of a body and when one part hurts, the others hurt, too. In fact, they hurt enough to do something about it. I wanted my children to see that most people at church are gracious. A few are grouchy, of course, but that’s life.

Here are a few reasons I not only go to church but I want to go to church: • I go to church to hear from God. I do this best when I listen, not when I think of others seated near me who badly need the message.

• I go to encourage and be encouraged. To be accountable.

• I love the music. Not always. But even the best pitchers are allowed a few bad pitches.

At church, I connect with people so very unlike me. I need “unlike me” in my life. I need the young guy updating me on chemo treatments.

The old guy with the hearing aids and respirator. The guy going through a messy divorce. I need to hurt, and pray, and help where I can.

By God’s grace, our kids also go to church now. Not because I tell them to, but because they want to. And since God is our Father, each week is a big old family reunion.

We’re a motley crew but I hope you’ll join us at church this week.

I promise I’ll keep the kids away.

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Faith&Friends

GOD IN MY LIFE

An Invitation to Faith

Photo: Timothy Cheng

When Maria Alfonso took a job at The Salvation Army’s territorial headquarters, it set her on a path to finding God again.

by Lynne Neron

M

aria Alfonso was angry at God. It had been seven years since Maria lost touch with her faith. She felt that God had deserted her and that her prayers were not being answered. “I stopped praying, no longer read the Bible and didn’t go to church. I felt sad and lonely. Something was missing in my life.”

Alone Maria grew up in Colombia in a large and devout Catholic family, attending mass every Sunday. Her parents decided to move Maria and her younger brother to Toronto in 2004

10 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

due to the ongoing conflict in their homeland. They had high hopes of carving out a prosperous and happy new life in Canada.

But the first year was hard on the family. “We didn’t speak English,” she recalls. “I had to leave my friends, and the winter was horrible. My parents couldn’t find jobs in their fields.

There wasn’t an appropriate church in our neighbourhood so we didn’t attend. Everyone was depressed.”

Even though Maria had already graduated from high school in Colombia, she had to go back to high school in Toronto because she didn’t speak English. “It was awful. I

(left) “My friends ask how I like my new job, the benefits and salary,” says Maria Alfonso. “I tell them that the greatest benefit of all is that I got back my relationship with God”

felt that God had abandoned me and that I was so alone. I no longer felt God’s presence in my life.”

The Elements Combined In 2007, Maria’s parents and brother

great reputation in the social services arena, she was unaware it was a church as well.

Waking Up to Joy Maria’s first day at her new position was a Thursday. Every Thursday, the staff at territorial headquarters are invited to a chapel service—regardless of their religious affiliation. Maria’s new co-workers invited her to attend.

“When they asked me, I thought,

“I felt that God had abandoned me.” MARIA ALFONSO moved to Florida. They wanted to live where the weather was more like that of Colombia and where Spanish was spoken. At the time, Maria was 21, so she couldn’t apply through the family’s visa. Instead of undergoing the lengthy application process, she decided to remain in Toronto.

Now married, Maria applied for and obtained a position at The Salvation Army’s territorial headquarters, in the officer personnel department. Although Maria had trained as a social worker, her career was focused on administrative work.

“I always wanted to work in a place where both those fields combined,” explains Maria. “I applied to The Salvation Army because I knew they helped the community.”

While she appreciated the Army’s

Why not go, at least for the social aspect,” she says. “But when I walked into the chapel, I knew that this was something special. That day, there was a lot of music, and the lyrics spoke to me. I started crying because my heart started to become full again. I realized that I found something that I was missing for so long.

God was with me again and I felt His loving embrace.”

Today, Maria continues her journey with God. She’s reading the Bible, attends chapel and devotional sessions at work, and prays regularly.

“I’ve changed my outlook on life and I feel happier,” she says. “I don’t feel alone anymore. I wake up every morning and wonder what I am going to do today to make the world a better place.”

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Setbacks, Surprises and Successes

QUARTERBACK CHRISTIAN PONDER’S ROLLER-COASTER CAREER IN THE NFL IS GROUNDED IN FAITH.

L

ast summer, NFL quarterback Christian Ponder found himself contemplating retiring from the game. Only 28 years old, his roller-coaster career had left him in-between teams, and team spots were filling up quickly.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to have been on the football field,” he says, “but I was starting to talk to a few companies about either doing some TV stuff or going into the business world; I wasn’t sure what I would do.”

Prioritizing Christian had spent his first four seasons in pro football with the Minnesota Vikings, who decided not to re-sign him for the 2015 season after a few injuries and 12 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

inconsistencies. He’d quarterbacked some great and not-so-great games for the Vikings, and fans sometimes booed him.

“It’s tough to know you’re disappointing people and not living up to their expectations,” he says. “The pressure that other people put on me is usually not that big of a deal to me because I expect so much of myself. But sometimes I’d get my priorities mixed up and let that get me down. But God builds your reliance on Him when you go through those things.”

After Minnesota, Christian went with the Oakland Raiders but was cut in September 2015. He then spent 13 days with the Denver Broncos, when Peyton Manning was injured, before he was released that December. Since

Photo: Ric Tapia/Associated Press

by Jayne Thurber-Smith

After signing with the 49ers, Christian Ponder’s wife, Samantha, revealed on her Instagram account that he had turned down other NFL jobs for the sake of his family

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

“ I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future.” CHRISTIAN PONDER

then, Christian had worked out for a few other teams and gleaned some interest here and there, but there were no bites.

Until last summer.

Thad Lewis unfortunately tore his ACL in pre-season, and the San Francisco 49ers needed more reliability on their quarterback bench.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen with my career,” Christian comments, “so I was surprised to get a call from the 49ers and get another chance. One thing I’ve come to realize is that God’s plans are often different from mine. I try to remember that my relationship with Him needs to be my number one priority, and that there’s a reason for everything that’s going on around me.”

Accountability Christian grew up in a strong Catholic household, but his faith in God had grown stronger over the past few years, when he started attending a non-denominational church that stressed relationship over ritual.

“I’d always thought that if I honoured God, He would bless me on the field,” Christian says. “But after all the ups and downs, I thought maybe He wanted me done with 14 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

football. I finally said, ‘That’s OK. If God says I’m done, I’m done.’ God presented this opportunity with the Niners because I was finally just seeking His purpose for me. When I left the consequences up to Him, that’s when the anxiety of ‘making the team’ left me and freed me up to pass my audition.”

For as long as it lasts, Christian hopes to make the most of the relationships he is now developing in San Francisco.

“It’s important to have fun, and the friendships you build in football are great,” he comments. “You get to be around men of similar ages and interests. I want to be purposeful in how God wants to use me as I hang out with the guys. We have started up a Bible study, because it’s so important to connect with people who can keep you accountable with all the temptations you face.”

Keeping Focus Life on the road sometimes offers extra temptations, a factor that Christian’s wife, Samantha, also faces in her work as an ESPN reporter.

“Sam grew up with a family who was very strong in their faith,” says

Photo: Courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers

Christian, “so I fully trust her when we are often travelling separately.”

In 2014, Vogue called them one of the coolest couples in the NFL, and the way they met was even cooler.

“We had some mutual friends, but we basically started talking over Twitter,” Christian laughs. “Then we finally met up in Dallas, where I am from. We had the same weekend off and started dating, then married three months later.”

That was December 12, 2012; daughter Scout was born a year and a half later.

“Being a dad is awesome!” he smiles. “It’s definitely a lot of work but work that’s worth it. She’s now two years old. Everyone told us how fast time would fly and it’s so true.

You don’t understand until you’re in it.

“The Bay Area here is one of the most desirable places to live,” he continues, “and everyone has treated me great. I’ve connected well with coach Chip Kelly and hopefully this will be long-term.”

With whatever remains of this roller-coaster ride that is football, Christian keeps his focus on his heavenly Father.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future,” he says. “I am always choosing a new favourite verse as I read through the Bible. Right now, it’s Proverbs 3:5: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ ”

(left) Christian rolls out for a pass faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2017

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

The Day the Lies Stopped AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD FORCED CONVICTED DRUG DEALER MAXWELL ASSING TO FINALLY FACE THE TRUTH.

by Pamela Richardson

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Photo: Akil Simmons

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

WHEN MAXWELL “JIM BO” Assing smoked his first cigarette at the age of 13, it probably seemed innocent enough, but when he moved on to marijuana and alcohol a short time later, it changed the course of his life.

“By the time I was 18, I was a drug dealer and an addict,” he says. “My life was lies upon lies. I thought I knew it all.” Looking back, he realizes he knew nothing. “I thought I was with the ‘in crowd,’ but I came to find out that they were really the ‘out crowd.’ ” A Mother’s Prayer Born and raised in Bermuda in a Christian home, Maxwell remembers what it was like to face his mother, Gay Goins, every night when 18 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

Photo: Akil Simmons

(right) Maxwell Assing is a gifted singer and enjoys performing with a group of men from the Harbour Light treatment centre

he stumbled through the door. “I would sell drugs on the street and then go home where my mom would place her hands on me and pray,” he recalls. “She never gave up. I did what I wanted to do—and so did she.”

Maxwell was convicted time and time again for dealing drugs. “I spent years in and out of prison,” he says.

“Because I thought I was having a good time, I endured 32 years of suffering and sickness—without tears. I didn’t cry because I didn’t care.”

Throughout that time, Maxwell found himself in many types of programs and was given numerous chances to gain control of his life, but without success. “They didn’t work,” he explains. “I was like driftwood—drifting and drifting straight back to the pit of hell.”

“ I was like driftwood—drifting and drifting straight back to the pit of hell.” MAXWELL ASSING

“Do You Know Who I Am?” Maxwell continued his rehabilitation at The Salvation Army Harbour Light in Hamilton, Bermuda, where he accessed a wide range of supports and services, such as addictions counselling, life-skills instruc-

tion, anger management, relapse prevention and Bible study. It was there he asked God to forgive his sins and became a Christian.

“I said, ‘Lord, I’m trusting You and want to walk Your way—not my way, because my way is warped,’ ” Maxwell shares.

Maxwell started to attend church

Photo: Pamela Richardson

Open Door Maxwell’s mother wasn’t the only one who would not walk away from him, even when he was at his lowest point. “My brother, Stanley, had also been into drugs,” he says.

“Wherever we went, we hollered out, ‘How much drugs do you want?’ But when he cleaned up his life and turned it over to God, he kept coming around, asking, ‘Are you tired of this life yet?’ and I just kept saying, ‘No, I’m not tired.’ But he never gave up on me.”

Stanley was determined to help his brother. He literally led Maxwell to the front door of a substance abuse rehabilitation centre in Devonshire, Bermuda. “It was just like the story of Hansel and Gretel and the breadcrumbs,” Maxwell smiles.

“He had prayed about it and felt God telling him to do what he had to do to get me there. Stanley led me straight to the door and when it closed behind me, I made up my mind that my old life was over.”

(above) Maxwell with his mother, Gay Goins. “She never gave up on me,” he says faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2017

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COVER STORY

“ Without God, I wouldn’t be here.”

MAXWELL ASSING

at The Salvation Army’s North Street Citadel, where the pastors and church members welcome clients from Harbour Light as they re-integrate into the community.

“My pastor at that time was Major Bruce Jennings,” explains Maxwell.

“He taught me to say yes to God’s goodness, mercy and grace, and then to go and show someone else what He’s done for me.”

When The Salvation Army marked its 150th anniversary in July 2015, Maxwell was in attendance in London, England, proudly wearing his uniform. Here, he poses in his home church

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Maxwell is now an official member of The Salvation Army.

“Everything about me is different,” he explains. “One day I saw a guy on the street that I knew before God changed my life. I walked right beside him and asked, ‘Do you know who I am?’ He said he didn’t, so I leaned closer and whispered in his ear, ‘My name is Jim Bo. See what the Lord can do? And He can do the same for you! All you have to do is say, ‘Yes, Lord.’

“And that’s what I continue to do every day,” Maxwell concludes.

“Without God, I wouldn’t be here.”

Photo: Akil Simmons

Faith&Friends

Faith&Friends

COMIC RELIEF

(continued from page 7)

One Donkey or Two?

I

n Matthew 21:2-7 it says that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem there were two animals—a donkey and its foal. All the other Gospel writers mention only one animal. Most Bible commentaries ignore this difference because it is not important. But some people are bothered by details.

If you interpret this passage literally, it creates a large problem. We can only imagine how ridiculous it would look for someone to try to ride two donkeys at the same time!

Mark, Luke and John all say that Jesus rode on the younger animal. In fact, Mark and Luke say it was a colt “which no one has ever ridden.”

A simple explanation is that because the younger animal had never been ridden, Jesus probably insisted on bringing along its mother to keep it calm.

So why is Matthew the only Gospel writer to mention two animals?

Scholars point out that Matthew quotes Old Testament prophets extensively to prove to his fellow Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. And since Zechariah 9:9 mentions two animals, Matthew wants to assure his readers that this is exactly what happened—there were two animals.

The most scholarly explanation

involves how the majority of rabbinic authorities in Matthew’s day interpreted Scripture. They were literalists and did not accept the concept of parallelism in Scripture.

Parallelism is the poetic technique of writing an idea twice, but in two different ways. Here is an example from Psalm 24: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; The second line is parallel to the first line; both lines mean the same thing.

Zechariah was using the poetic technique of parallelism when he wrote that the King was: Lowly, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

But Matthew knew that the Jewish rabbis of his day would not accept parallelism, so he described the event is such a way that it could be interpreted both ways.

In this way he pleased both those who interpreted Scripture literally and those who interpreted it poetically.

The important thing is that all the Gospel writers—Matthew included—say that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and received a joyous welcome.

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Page Turner A VISIT TO A LOCAL LIBRARY HELPED STEVE WISCOMBE START A NEW CHAPTER.

Photo: © Ingimage.com

by Diane Stark

A

“

ll of your medical tests have come back normal,” the doctor said. “Physically, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

The doctor paused and then asked, “Steve, do you know God?” Steve Wiscombe was shocked.

What would make a doctor ask that? He swallowed hard and then 22 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

nodded. “Yes, I know God,” he answered.

But in his heart, Steve knew that knowing about God wasn’t the same as actually knowing Him. Source of Comfort Steve grew up in the small town of Creston, N.L. As a child, his family

attended church, and Steve loved it.

But when he was nine years old, his family moved to the St. John’s, N.L., area and they stopped attending.

“When we moved, I felt bad about leaving my friends, but I wasn’t that worried about leaving the church,” Steve says. “I got involved in sports, and that took the place of church.”

Steve’s childhood was not ideal.

His father drank too much and was unfaithful, which led to many arguments between his parents. “There was a lot of stress within the home,” he recalls.

When Steve was in high school, he met a girl named Barbara and the two began dating.

“I used to go over to her house to visit her, but her family was so different than mine,” he explains.

“They were Christians, and their house was loving and peaceful. I wanted what they had.”

When Steve was 22, he and Barbara married. Steve began working as a manager for a travel agency. The couple started their family, and they eventually had two daughters and a son.

Steve’s life was going great, but for some reason, he felt confused and lost. On his lunch break from work one day, he had the urge to visit the public library. “I had taken some classes on finding your identity and improving your self-image, so that day, I went there to find a book that would help me figure out who I am,” Steve says. “I wound up

reading the Bible.”

Over the next few weeks, Steve began reading the Bible more and more.

“It became a source of great comfort to me. I wanted to learn more about God, but at the same time, I felt strange.”

That’s when Steve decided to visit his doctor.

“ They were Christians, and their house was loving and peaceful. I wanted what they had.” STEVE WISCOMBE Falling in Love “When the doctor asked me if I knew God, I was so taken aback that I didn’t know how to respond,” Steve says. “How did the doctor know that my problem was not a physical problem, but a spiritual one?”

The doctor diagnosed Steve with an inferiority complex and wrote out a prescription. “I filled the prescription, but I never actually took the pills,” Steve says.

Instead, he went to church.

One night, Steve was attending services at the Salvation Army church in Long Pond, N.L., (now Conception Bay South) and Major faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2017

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

(right) “I’m so grateful for that night more than 40 years ago when I made the decision to accept Christ,” says Steve Wiscombe

Ivan Elliot gave an invitation to kneel at the mercy seat, that simple wooden bench where people can ask for God’s pardon.

“I wanted to go up there so badly, but I was scared,” Steve says. “I prayed and asked God to send someone to speak with me. And then I felt a hand on my shoulder.”

That was all it took. Steve went forward to ask God to forgive him for his sins. “After that, I felt so peaceful,” Steve says. “The only way I can describe it is that I felt like I was falling in love. I was falling in love with Jesus.”

A Life Transformed After that night, Steve’s life changed completely. “My outlook on life was different,” he says. “I used to be angry because of the things that had happened during my childhood.

Thoughts would get in my head that shouldn’t be there. I asked God to help me with my anger, and He led 24 • JANUARY 2017 I faithandfriends.ca

me to 2 Corinthians 10:5, which talks about taking our thoughts captive. That verse has helped me to become a patient person.”

When Steve was 27, he and Barbara both became official members of The Salvation Army. “I wanted to be more involved in the church,” Steve explains, “and serve God however I could.”

Currently, he is training to become part of the pastoral care team, which visits sick people in their homes and at the hospital.

“Many people don’t want to talk about God until they have a problem,” Steve says. “Working at the hospital should provide many opportunities to be used by God.” Now semi-retired, Steve works as a webmaster at biblebytes.net, an online Bible study. He also blogs at openedabible.com, where he shares his testimony and tells others how simply opening a Bible changed his whole life.

FAITH BUILDERS

Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Faith&Friends

Lean On Me

(above) Denver Moore (Djimon Hounsou) and Ron Hall (Greg Kinnear) are opposites whose lives intersect in Same Kind of Different as Me

An art dealer and a homeless man form an unlikely friendship in Same Kind of Different as Me.

by Kristin Ostensen

I

nternational art dealer Ron Hall (Greg Kinnear) has little time for anyone but himself. More interested in meeting clients than having dinner with his family, Ron’s marriage is on the rocks. So when his wife, Debbie (Renée Zellweger), starts volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth, Texas, he is more than a little reluctant to join her.

But when he does, he meets a man who will change his life.

Change of Heart Ron’s redemption is captured in Same Kind of Different as Me, a new film based on the memoir of the same name.

It begins in 1998 when Ron and Debbie start volunteering at the soup kitchen. A homeless man walks

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Faith&Friends

FAITH BUILDERS

“ Whether we is rich or poor, we is all homeless, just working our way back home.” DENVER MOORE in, angry and aggressive toward the other patrons. Rather than being put off, Debbie recognizes him as a man she saw in one of her dreams—“a poor wise man who changes the city,” she tells Ron. Debbie encourages him to befriend the man, Denver Moore (Djimon Hounsou), who reacts initially to Ron with hostility. But Ron eventually wins him over and the two develop a strong friendship.

Ron discovers that Denver grew up as a sharecropper on a Louisiana plantation. Apart from a 10-year stint in prison, Denver has spent his entire adult life as a homeless drifter.

Ron helps Denver get off the streets, but their friendship goes both ways: it contributes to the restoration of Ron’s marriage and helps bring both men back to their Christian faith. And when tragedy strikes late in the film, the men have each other to lean on.

Challenging Assumptions As a film about a beautiful, yet unlikely, friendship, Same Kind of Different as Me is a heartwarming tale, made more powerful by the fact

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that it depicts two real men. But the film has a greater message for viewers, challenging assumptions about poverty and homelessness.

When Ron first visits the soup kitchen, he wants to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the patrons. He wants to serve from behind the counter, minimizing his interactions with them. He even asks the kitchen’s manager if there are any diseases lurking about that he should be aware of.

Ron’s father, Earl (Jon Voight), holds similar prejudices. When Ron befriends Denver, Earl exclaims, “Are you out of your mind? They’re looking for handouts instead of using their hands for work.” Yet as Ron gets to know Denver, he soon sees that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

To Suffer With When it comes to poverty and homelessness, the messages we hear often reflect attitudes similar to those of Ron and Earl.

“Why don’t they just get a job?”

“Don’t give them money—they’ll just use it to buy drugs.”

Same Kind of Different as Me gives

homelessness a real face. It’s not just a “problem” to be solved; it’s about real people who are struggling.

In Matthew 22:39, Jesus issues His most famous commandment: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” In Luke 6:31, He puts it slightly differently, saying, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

The homeless person on the street—the “Denver” in our lives— is our neighbour. How would we want to be treated if we were in his position? Would we want to be ignored and despised, or treated with compassion? To have compassion literally means “to suffer with.”

As Ron and Denver discover, despite their backgrounds, they are not that different. Speaking in church, Denver sums up the film’s essential message: “Whether we is rich or poor, we is all homeless, just working our way back home.”

The longing for community—to be loved and understood—is fundamental to who we are as human beings. Same Kind of Different as Me shows that when we open our hearts to one another, amazing things can happen.

The Men Behind the Memoir • Same Kind of Different as Me was co-written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. The two men take turns telling their story.

• Denver’s sections of the book preserve his manner of speaking.

At the time when the book was written, Denver was illiterate.

• In 2006, the citizens of Fort Worth, Texas, honoured Denver as “Philanthropist of the Year” for his work with homeless people at the Union Gospel Mission.

• In 2010, Ron and Denver released a follow-up book titled What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing, which continues their story and offers practical guidance on how readers can make a difference in their communities.

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Eating Healthy With Erin EASY CHILI TIME 90 min MAKES 5 servings SERVE WITH fresh bread, over rice

Use fresh Italian parsley as an optional garnish.

454 g (1 lb) ground beef 250 ml (1 cup) chopped onion 1 green pepper, diced 2 garlic cloves, diced 500 ml (2 cups) mushrooms 15 ml (1 tbsp) chili powder 30 ml (2 tbsp) red pepper flakes 2 ml (½ tsp) cumin 1 ml (¼ tsp) paprika 1 ml (¼ tsp) ground ginger 700 ml (23½ oz.) tomato sauce 540 ml (18 oz.) diced tomatoes 540 ml (18 oz.) kidney beans

1. In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned.

Drain fat.

2. Add mushrooms, chili powder, red

pepper flakes, cumin, paprika and ground ginger. Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and stir occasionally for an hour and 15 minutes.

3. Rinse kidney beans, then add to chili and cook an additional 10 minutes.

4. Salt and pepper to taste.

BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER WINGS TIME 40 min MAKES 3 servings SERVE WITH celery sticks and ranch dressing

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1. Preheat oven to 230 C (450 F) and

line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In small mixing bowl, mix flour, water, corn starch, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt.

3. Cut cauliflower head into florets and dip each floret into paste in mixing bowl, and transfer to baking sheet.

Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over cauliflower “wings” so that they are breaded evenly.

4. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove from oven. Mix coconut oil and hot sauce and brush wings with sauce.

5. Rotate pan and place in oven again for 10 minutes.

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley/veganvirgin.ca

250 ml (1 cup) flour 310 ml (1¼ cup) water 15 ml (1 tbsp) corn starch 5 ml (1 tsp) garlic powder 5 ml (1 tsp) onion powder 2 ml (½ tsp) black pepper 1 ml (¼ tsp) salt 1 cauliflower head 500 ml (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs 60 ml (¼ cup) melted coconut oil 75 ml (1/3 cup) hot sauce of your choice

Crossword Challenge 1

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Sudoku Puzzle 1

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DOWN 2. 007 movie, On _ _ _ Majesty’s Secret Service 3. Glosses on a surface

4. Singer Johnny ____ 5. Royal Canadian Navy motto: Ready _ _ _ ready 6. Without worth 7. Republic in South America 11. Long, thin scarf 13. Frozen surface 14. Treat with excessive indulgence 17. Badly behaved child 19. “_ _ _, drink and be merry!”

21. William Shakespeare play, Much _ _ _ About Nothing

CROSSWORD SOLUTION Across: 1. Physician; 8. agree; 9. spear; 10. urbane; 12. line; 15. leap; 16. parent; 18. steer; 20. plain; 22. stateroom.

Down: 2. Her. 3. sheens; 4. Cash; 5. aye; 6. valueless; 7. Argentina; 11. boa; 13. ice; 14. pamper; 17. brat; 19. eat; 21. Ado.

ACROSS 1. “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, heal thyself.”

8. Give consent 9. Throwing weapon 10. Sophisticated 12. Queue 15. Jump 16. Father or mother 18. Guide 20. Evident 22. Passenger ship cabin

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 × 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

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A GLOBAL ARMY

Join the Army, See the World

Last year, a team of 10 Salvation Army members from Simcoe, Ont., travelled to the Philippines to partner with their Salvationist colleagues at the Iligan Corps (church). The Canadian team hosted an after-school program for 100 community children, providing dinner each night. The Canadians also sponsored a retreat for 50 young people, participated in a highschool assembly, taught music lessons and donated timbrels (tambourines), an instrument often used in Salvation Army services. In this photo, Salvation Army member Emily Westover poses with one of the children from the after-school program.

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