23 April 2011 salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry War Cry Est 1879 No 7010 THE FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS 20p/25c Defeated. Down. Dead. Doom. Deserted. Spent Lamb of God, Outpoured through time. Unrepentant earth, Unearthing the fear That fought love before love began. Unwanted. Left. Lone. Lorn. Abandoned. Spurned gift of grace, Shrouded in time, The Eternal waits, Awaiting the Word That spoke life before life began. Justified. Real. Right. Raised. Exalted. One Word of God Thrust into time, Christ the Victor wakes, Awaking the saved To a life that will know no end.
Transcript
23 April 2011 salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry
War CryEst 1879No 7010THE
FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS20p/25c
Defeated.Down. Dead. Doom.
Deserted.
Spent Lamb of God,
Outpoured through time.
Unrepentant earth,
Unearthing the fear
That fought love before love began.
Unwanted. Left. Lone. Lorn.
Abandoned.
Spurned gift of grace,
Shrouded in time,
The Eternal waits,
Awaiting the Word
That spoke life before life began.
Justified. Real. Right. Raised.
Exalted.
One Word of God
Thrust into time,
Christ the Victor wakes,
Awaking the saved
To a life that will know no end.
Christ.For weeks, Walt has been
preparing to portray the Son ofGod in Leicester’s annual GoodFriday production Christ in theCentre. In the past this outdoorevent has attracted up to 10,000spectators.
‘Jesus has changed the lives ofmillions of people,’ says Walt,who is a Christian. ‘Each mem-ber of the audience has an idea ofwhat this man was like, so myportrayal has a lot to live up to.But how do I – a sinful man –play the perfect man? I’m aware
that I need help and instructionfrom God.’
During rehearsals Walt reflect-ed on the nature of Jesus: ‘Jesuscared deeply for people. He choseto die in the place of humankindso that we wouldn’t have to facean eternity without God. I believethat the cost of every bad thingwe have ever done – andwill do in future – hasbeen paid in full, simplyby that one moment onthe cross. It is amazingto understand that I amnot condemned for thewrong things I do.’
The Easter storyplayed a vital part in Walt’s jour-ney to faith.
‘I’d known about Jesus since I was a boy – but back then I wasn’t a Christian,’ he says. ‘At primary school all the chil-dren were given a Bible. I readmine, cover to cover. I didn’t
really understand it.‘After I left drama school, I
found myself thinking a lot aboutGod. Later a friend told me thatshe’d put my name down for aChristian inquiry course. I wentalong and by the end of it I’dbecome a Christian.’
Today Walt’s faith helps himthrough the ups and downs of anactor’s life.
‘Before I became a Christian I had a lot of anxietiesabout my career,’ heconfesses. ‘I can nowlet go of all thatworry. I want to doGod’s will in mylife, so I have totrust that hewill supply
me with the opportunities. ‘My relationship with God
gives me security. I used tofind my identity in being aYorkshireman or a SheffieldWednesday supporter. NowI find my true identity inJesus.’
The War Cry 23 April 20112 NEWS
Centre stage
ACTOR TAKES EASTER MESSAGE TO THE HEART OF LEICESTER
CLAIRE BRINE
AN
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ISH
The crucifixion scenefrom last year’sChrist in the Centre
MEDIAp6
LIFESTYLEp7
PUZZLESp12
INNER LIFEp13
FOOD FOR THOUGHTp14
RECIPESp15
THIS ISSUE:
PLUS
ACTOR Walt Kissack is not afraidof a creative challenge. Last yearhe played the Yorkshire Ripper,Peter Sutcliffe, in the yet-to-be-released independent film Peter.His latest role is another contro-versial character – the man Jesus
by CLAIRE BRINE
Walt Kissack
Jesus choseto die in theplace ofhumankind
OUTSIDETHE BOX
p16
PERSECUTED FORFAITH
p8
mrjo
npau
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Front page poemwas written byNigel Bovey
23 April 2011 The War Cry 3
TIME changes one’s perspective, doesit not? That is so for me and perhaps
for many of you when you reflect on theEaster story. Maybe it has to do with our lifeexperiences which make us see things dif-ferently. Or maybe the gracious way theLord has dealt with us has taught us to readthe Scriptures differently. Whatever thecause, the account of Thomas’s reaction onhearing that Jesus was risen illustrates thispoint for me.
Many of us perhaps think he deserved the nameDoubting Thomas. The Bible tells us that he was not withthe other disciples when Jesus came, but they were quickto tell him the good news: ‘We have seen the Lord!’ (John20:25 New International Version). Then comes his famousresponse: ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and putmy finger where the nails were, and put my hand into hisside, I will not believe it.’ Seeing is believing, or at leastThomas felt so.
A week later, Jesus showed up again. This timeThomas was with the disciples. After greeting
Jesus isHe is
An Easter message from General LINDA BOND
them all with ‘Peace be withyou!’ (20:26), Jesus initiatedthe conversation withThomas. He said to him:‘Put your finger here; see myhands. Reach out your handand put it into my side. Stopdoubting and believe’(20:27).
These words of Jesus arenot written in our Bibleswith exclamation marks, inbold print or in capital let-ters. Yet sometimes they areread as though they were ashout, a stern rebuke fromthe Lord to a stubborn disci-ple.
Have you considered thatthis was no shout but a gentleinvitation to a strugglingsoul? That day, Jesus showedup especially for Thomas.
The risen Lord knew hisdisciple’s heart. Thomastruly wanted a personalencounter with Jesus, as hisfriends had experienced. Hehad been honest enough to
admit his struggle. He couldnot believe the impossible orcomprehend the incredible.Having witnessed the mira-cles of Jesus, he should per-haps have seen this as yetanother of those amazingmoments. But for him, resur-rection after crucifixion wasbeyond the realm of possibil-ity.
Maybe this was noembarrassing moment forThomas, no public shamingin front of his friends. SurelyJesus did not expose himbefore the others as a ‘doubt-ing Thomas’? Rather, don’tyou think that as Thomaswas invited into Jesus’wounds, the Lord whispereda word of faith into his ear?
It is true that we can’t gobeyond what the Scripturestell us. But we can read them with the knowledge ofhow Jesus deals with us.Knowing how understandingand gracious he is, we canread the story of Thomas asour story.
How often have we heardothers share their joy abouttheir experience with Jesusand somehow we just can’trelate to it? Rather thandeclare our doubts, we havekept silent or even tried toexpress a conviction that wedid not hold. But for thosewho truly want to know him,Jesus comes, doesn’t he? Norebuke, no word of condem-nation, but a whisper. Hegives us a moment so con-vincing that we know withabsolute certainty: He isalive. He is real.
Thomas’s response maysurely also be ours: ‘MyLord and my God!’ (20:28).What a wonderful Saviour!What a wonderful Lord!
Thomas trulywanted a personalencounter withJesus
alive.real
the book, she was sometimes surprised bythe text. She recalls reading the Song ofSolomon. ‘I had never come across thesebeautiful sensual words before, and I wasjust amazed. I was saying to myself: “That’sin the Bible!”
Jacqueline and her colleagues had todecide how to transfer the lines from thepage to the stage. They worked out that theentire Bible contained about sixty-three anda half hours of material. Realising that oneactor could not recite all 66 books, they
formed teams of actors and dividedup the chapters between
them.
The War Cry 23 April 20114
All the world’s a
As Shakespeare’s Globestages a recital of the KingJames Bible, directorJACQUELINE SOMERVILLEtells Philip Halcrow that the400-year-old book can stillspeak to modern audiences
THERE are still lovers,but they are Isaac and
Rebekah rather than Beatriceand Benedick. There arememorable lines, but ‘All theworld’s a stage’ has beenreplaced by ‘Love thyneighbour’. There is stillroyalty, but the King ofDenmark has been usurped bySolomon. At Shakespeare’sGlobe in London, the Bard isgiving centre stage to theBible. For a limited seasononly – in Holy Week and overEaster weekend – the theatreis presenting a recital of thewhole of the King James Bible.
In the beginning the actors presentedthe opening scenes of Creation asdescribed in the Book of Genesis. OnBank Holiday Monday they will revealwhether all’s well that ends well withthe Book of Revelation.
Sitting in an office behind the scenes atthe Globe, Jacqueline Somerville, thedirector of The Bible, explains that the
theatre is putting on the recital because itwanted ‘to commemorate the 400thanniversary of the publication of the KingJames Bible’. She adds: ‘The King JamesBible was commissioned in 1604, the yearShakespeare wrote Hamlet – so the Globe isstarting this year’s season by putting on TheBible and Hamlet.’
After she had been invited to direct TheBible, Jacqueline set about rediscovering thebook that she had encountered at school.‘We had an RE teacher,’ she says, ‘whoused to read passages from it. He would talkabout the Bishops’ Bible, a translation thatwas made not very long before the KingJames Bible, and how it was really badlywritten. He would read out passages from itand then read out passages from the KingJames Bible so we could compare them.’
As Jacqueline reacquainted herself with
The actors are using a technique called‘recorded delivery’.
Jacqueline explains: ‘The actors don’tread from a book on stage. Instead theyhave recorded the text that they have todeliver. During the performance it isplayed back to them in their ear and theythen say the lines. So the actors hear thewords of God and then speak them.’
Sixty-six books of text presents thecast and crew with challenges. ButJacqueline was ‘surprised by how the
The ‘KingJames Bible’is beingrecited at thereplica of atheatre fromits time
PHILIP HALCROW
23 April 2011 The War Cry 5
Jacqueline is directing ‘The Bible’ at Shakespeare’s Globe
All the world’s a
language lifts off the page quite easily’.She says: ‘It is amazing how useful the
punctuation is. I’ve spent a lot of timewith the actors talking about colons andsemi-colons. The punctuation is veryprecise, and the book’s arguments arestructured by it.’
The language itself grips Jacqueline.‘It is just enchanting. Even if you are nota believer, it is an incredible piece ofwriting. I was amazed to find that even inthe densest chapters about pitching tentsor about “so-and-so begat so-and-so”, it isactually gripping when an actor isbringing those words to life. I can seewhy it has passed the test of time.’
As well as the language, Jacquelinehas found that many of the book’s storiesand ideas have something to say tomodern audiences 400 years after it waspublished.
She read the Book of Exodus, aboutthe Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt,while the news reported on unrest inEgypt. ‘Reading Exodus, I thought: Thisstuff is still going on today, andhumankind still hasn’t learnt from it.
‘I was also really affected by the wordsabout youth and age in the Book ofEcclesiastes. We put so much emphasison youth culture. People spend time andmoney on injecting and cutting andsplicing themselves to run away fromgetting older. Ecclesiastessays we have to embracebeing older and embracethe wisdom that comeswith age. We may notnecessarily celebrate age,but we should listen to itswisdom rather than alwaysbe looking for the freshyoung idea.’
The Bible is beginning asummer of productions
that will also include Anne Boleyn, whichportrays the world of Henry VIII andJames I in which the King James Biblewas written.
Jacqueline is glad to see a play aboutthe history of the time, the words of theBible and the plays of Shakespeare allcome together at the Globe.
‘There is a wonderful sense of historyin putting on The Bible at the Globe.
What would it have been like if thepeople who translated the King JamesBible knew that 400 years later everysingle word of their book would be readfrom a platform at a building whichaspires to be a replica of a theatre fromtheir own era?’
�The Bible runs at Shakespeare’s Globeuntil Monday 25 April
It is grippingwhen an actor isbringing thosewords to life
PH
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in 72 hours over Easter,’ Billtells The War Cry. ‘A manwithout memory comes intotown, and people tell theirstories to him. Over the threedays, he’s seen to be aproblem to one group ofpeople or another. He will endup being crucified at the endof the story on Sunday night.
‘It’s not the Easter story, butit touches on it to amplify thestory of the town and the senseof community that the townhas.’
Bill, who is directing theplay with Michael, says thatthe concept of community hasbeen important throughout itsdevelopment.
‘There used to be a verytraditional passion play thathappened for about 20 years inPort Talbot. Michaelremembered seeing the play asa boy. It moved him thateverybody in the town cameout and worked together to tella story.’
The new play, staged bythe National Theatre ofWales and landscape theatrecompany WildWorks, isintended to highlight theways in which people carefor each other.
Careful not to give toomuch of the plot away, Billsays that the centralcharacter’s lack of memoryand need to listen to stories ‘isa device to enable the peopleof the town to say who theyare, what they’re proud of,what their memories are, whattheir values are. Because hehas no memory, he has aninnocence; and innocence isdangerous in the situation wehave imagined for this town.’
The staging of the play hasitself highlighted the power ofmemories and community.‘We have about a thousandpeople taking part in someway. A fair number of thoseare part of the storytelling.There’s also a core team of
professional actors who arefrom the town.
‘There are a lot ofmemories in Port Talbot ofperforming the old passionplay. The person who playedJesus and the person whoplayed Judas in the passionplay are in the newproduction.’
The War Cry 23 April 20116 MEDIA
Sheen sharespassion forcommunity spirit
STE
VE
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GARETH PHILLIPS
The play’s performanceruns across the weekend. Billexplains: ‘Michael will stay inhis role for the whole 72hours. There will be sightingsof him here and latersomewhere else. He will eatwhatever people give him. Hewill be arrested and spendSaturday night in a policestation before being tried inthe morning. He will be tellingthe story throughout.’
Scenes in the new playcontain echoes of the originalEaster story. But does thecentral character really – asBill mentioned – ‘end upbeing crucified at the end ofthe story’? Is there any kind ofresurrection?
‘There’s no way we wouldbe disrespectful to the story orto the town,’ says Bill. ‘Iwould say that our story endsin a mystery.’
�For more information visitnationaltheatrewales.org
MICHAEL SHEEN is taking the lead role inThe Passion, a play in his home town ofPort Talbot this weekend. The actor, whosefilm roles have included Tony Blair in theOscar-winning The Queen and BrianClough in The Damned United, is portrayinga character who is described by the play’scodirector Bill Mitchell as ‘a man withoutmemory’.
The drama – which has parallels with the original storyof the Passion – began yesterday (Friday 22 April) andruns continuously through to Easter Day. It takes place atvarious locations across the town. ‘We are telling a story
Codirector Bill Mitchellteams up with film starfor new Easter play
Bill Mitchell says theplay touches on theoriginal Easter story
Michael Sheenplays ‘a man
withoutmemory’
writes PHILIP HALCROW
23 April 2011 The War CryLIFESTYLE 7
CHOCOLATE manufacturers are making amint out of Easter. As UK Easter egg salesare worth some £200 million per year,chocolatiers are keen to let chocolate-loversknow that their favourite seasonal confectionis available as a fairly traded product.
The Co-operative has been using Fairtradechocolate in all its own-brand bars since 2002. It launched its own FairtradeEaster egg in 2004.
This year its offerings includeTruly Irresistible milk chocolateand butterscotch half-egg withmini eggs.
All of Green and Black’schocolate and beverages areFairtrade-certified, in accordancewith a pledge made by the
company in 2009.‘We have been Fairtrade
accredited in the UK sinceJanuary this year and will beFairtrade globally in 2012,’ aspokesperson tells The War Cry.
Thorntons has been producingFairtrade Easter eggs since 2009.Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s andTesco have all entered theFairtrade Easter market withtheir own-brand eggs.
Divine is a chocolate companywhich is owned by cocoa farmersin Ghana. A total of 45,000members own a 45 per cent
share in Divine. ‘Whereas fair trade ensures
farmers receive a better deal fortheir cocoa and additional incometo invest in the community,company ownership gives farmersa share of Divine’s profits and astronger voice in the cocoaindustry,’ says a Divinespokesperson.
This year the company isoffering a wide variety of productsin milk, dark and white chocolate,including the Dubble Hunt Kit,which contains six milk chocolateeggs and instructions fororganising an Easter egg hunt.
All Divine’s Easter eggs are freefrom artificial flavourings,colourings and preservatives andare suitable for vegetarians.
In 2008 Divine chocolate wasdeclared Good Housekeepingmagazine’s Favourite FairtradeProduct.
The Fairtrade Foundationemblem is the sign of anindependent guarantee that theingredients are sourced underinternationally agreed fair tradeterms and conditions. Theseinclude a guaranteed, secureminimum price, an extra socialpremium payment for the farmers
to invest in their owncommunity programmes,long-term trading contracts,and decent health and safety
conditions. The aim is toempower farmers to make their
own improvements to livingstandards and prospects for thefuture.
According to the marketingresearch group Mintel, the UKchocolate market alone is worthapproximately £3.76 billion a year.
The Co-operativehas beenproducingFairtrade eggssince 2004
Cocoa farmersown the Divinecompany
FAIRTRADEeggs-plained
Divine
The
Co-
oper
ativ
e
The War Cry 23 April 20118
Brought up in the Middle East, MIRIAM faced persecution inher home country forbeing a Christian. Sherejoices, though, at thenew life she experiencesthrough meeting the risen Jesus
pic credits
NIG
EL B
OV
EY
blindfold. The man wasstanding behind me. ‘Don’tturn around,’ he said. ‘If youdo, I will smash your head in.’
He told me to write down myname and the names of my family.He asked: ‘Who told you aboutJesus? Who introduced you toChristianity?’
I didn’t catch one of the questions, soI started to turn to ask him to repeat it.As I did so, he hit me across the head.From the size of his shadow, I sensedthat he was a very big man. I cried. Thepain in my head was excruciating. Hesaid: ‘I told you not to turn around. Ifyou do it again, I will kill you.’
His last question was: ‘What’s yourreligion?’ This was the first time I had been directly asked about my faith by the authorities. I thought about how best to answer. I thought maybe he will kill me, but this is the time when– whatever happens – I must trust God.God chose me with all of my sin; now I must choose him. I wrote: I am aChristian.
I had grown up surrounded by peopleof various faiths. We got on well togeth-er. My parents were nominal Muslims.Then the Government forbade allBaha’is from going to school. As a child
I couldn’t understand why I would notsee my friends at school any more.
When my mother explained, I rea-soned that the Baha’i God must be veryweak if he let his people be treated likethis and the Muslim God must be verybad if he was treating people in this way.So I decided I’d hate God. My mumencouraged me to have a good relation-ship with God, but I didn’t want anything to do with him.
When I was 18, I moved away to uni-versity. My mum told me that Godwould be with me because he loved memore than she and Dad did. ‘Have adeep relationship with God,’ she said. Isaid: ‘OK, Mum.’ But I didn’t want toknow God.
In the first year, all Muslim students,whatever their academic subject, had tostudy the Koran and learn about Islam.If we did not pass the course, we wouldnot graduate.
One day the lecturer compared Mary,the mother of Jesus, with Fatima, thedaughter of Muhammad. He said thatwhen Fatima was born, the angelsrejoiced, but when Mary was about togive birth to Jesus, God told her to leavethe Holy Land, and Jesus was born out-
23 April 2011 The War Cry 9
Turn to next page
my life when he appeared in a THE basement was very hot.
I was made to sit on a metalchair. A man locked my left
wrist to the chair. They removed the
Jesus
side the Holy Land. I was not happy atthis.
I asked him about the role of prophetsin Islam. He said that a prophet is theonly one who has direct contact with theangel Gabriel. I pointed out that Marymust therefore be higher than Fatima,because Gabriel visited her to tell herthat she would be the mother of Jesus,but he never appeared to Fatima.
The lecturer became very angry. Heasked me if I was a Muslim or aChristian. I replied:‘Nothing’. He couldnot believe it. Hetold me to see himafter class.
He said that if Ididn’t remove mynail polish, wear thehijab properly and
read the Koran, he would see to it that I failed the course. So, for the first time in my life I started reading the Koran. I opened it and said tomyself: ‘OK, if there is a God, I mustfind out once and for all. If he is here,
The man hit meacross the head. Heasked: What’s yourreligion?
a man. He was young, handsome andkind. It was so vivid that it woke me up.My heart was thumping. I thought noth-ing more about it. But two days later thesame dream occurred.
Two weeks later I’d finished read-ing the Koran. I said to God: ‘I
don’t have any answers from you, so Idefinitely don’t want anything to dowith you.’
That night I had the dream again. Isaw the man. My dress was thin and Ifelt ashamed, so I turned from him andsaid I’d be back. He told me to stop. Hisvoice was so lovely that I couldn’t walkon. I asked him he who was. He said:‘I’m Jesus.’
I couldn’t believe it. Every time I’dturned to God I’d told him: ‘I don’t love
you.’ I felt guilty. I was a sinner. I toldthe man that Islam says God only speaksto holy people in dreams, so this was notpossible. He said: ‘It is possible. I amJesus.’
He told me to take off my shoes andkneel. He touched my chin, looked intomy eyes and told me never to forget tobelieve in God, to hope and to love.Then he said: ‘Stand up and follow me.’
He pointed to a door. I followed himthrough it and saw a big mosaic with afig tree. ‘This is your home,’ he said.‘Never leave it.’
I woke up. My heart was bursting. Ifelt great and afraid at the same time.
I called a Christian friend to tell herwhat had happened. She told me not tospeak on the phone but to go straight toher house. When I got there I describedmy dream to her and her mother. Theytold me to say and do nothing.
The next Sunday I went to churchwith them. Immediately I noticed thechurch door. There was a mosaic of a figtree. I couldn’t control myself. I fell tothe ground in tears. Some people camenear me to see if I was all right. I heard awoman say: ‘Don’t touch her, she’s OK.This is the Holy Spirit at work.’
Some of the women gathered roundand prayed for me in the name of Jesus.I didn’t understand what they meant orwhat was happening. My friend said:‘Don’t worry, just know that God istouching you; you are becoming aChristian.’
I kept saying to God: ‘I’m so sorry.All this time I’ve been telling you that Idon’t want you. I was guilty. I was sin-ning. I was angry with you. Why are youchoosing me?’
I started to read the Bible. It told methat God is a friend to sinners, that hechose me, that he knocks at our door andwhen we open it he will come in andnever leave us.
As I read more of the Bible, I got toknow Jesus better. Through him I knewthat I’d found the real God. He wasn’tup in the sky. He was beside me, withme for ever. I didn’t need to pray to himfive times a day, as Islam teaches; everytime I want to speak with God he isthere. He is with me, any time, any-where.
I was so happy. I was like a child. Ihad found my Father. I had found God.If I lose him, he comes to find me. If Ido something wrong, he tells me tocome to him and know his forgiveness. Ilove this God.
The War Cry 23 April 201110
Library picture posed by model
then I must know him or forget abouthim for ever.
The more I read the Koran, the furtherI went away from a sense of God. TheKoran portrays God as saying that if youwant to go to Heaven, you must kill peo-ple. So I asked myself: ‘If Heaven is agood place, why do you get there bykilling others?’ There is a saying inIslam that Heaven is a tree, and waterfor this tree is blood. When I read this Ifelt dreadful.
One night I looked up at the sky andsaid: ‘God, I don’t know where you are.My lecturer says the Koran is the mostcomplete book, but when I read it, Ihave a lot of questions. Why, if youmade Eve, aren’t men and women equalin Islam? It isn’t fair. If this is how youreally are, I don’t want to know.’
That same night I had a dream. I saw
From page 9
My fatherhugged meand said: ‘You must go’
1123 April 2011 The War Cry
In my excitement, I didn’t think of thedangers of being a Christian. Then thetroubles started.
The Government punished mebecause of my faith. I did an extra threeyears at university, because they keptfailing my thesis – I refused to write adedication to Allah. Instead, I wrote anextract from 1 Corinthians 13 about lovebeing patient and kind, and a prayer forpeace.
(A few months ago, I heard that a stu-dent found my thesis in the universitylibrary, read the Bible inscription andlater became a Christian. She emailedme to thank me for helping her findGod. Things like that help to wipe outthe bad memories.)
The Government increasingly madelife difficult for Christians, so ourchurch decided to meet in houses. Justafter I graduated, I became a house-church leader of 25 girls between theages of 19 and 30. (Some of them havesince been imprisoned.)
As a student, I was signed up towork for the military upon
graduation. I was to be posted to a dangerous border town. I said it wasunlawful to send me there. They stoppedmy pay.
The clerk who typed the letter told methat the bosses were going to send methere for ten years because I was anactive Christian. It was a punishment –internal exile.
I went to the headquarters to pleadmy case. I went into a room, a womanblindfolded me, and I was led to a liftand taken to the basement. It was a longway down. They tied me to a chair andstarted with their questions.
After the interrogation, four or fiveguys came into the room, including thehead of the military. This was when heasked my religion.
He said: ‘OK, if you want to go tochurch, you can. But one day a car willdraw up. Men will get out, take you andrape you. I will disturb your life.’
Then he started shouting: ‘You can’tbe anything in this country. I will tellsomeone to rape you. Nobody willmarry you. You will not get your qualifi-cations. You will be nothing. Whereveryou go we will control you.’
Then the men left. An hour later I was
taken up to ground level, where thewoman who had initially blindfoldedme released me.
I was so upset. I asked God what Ihad done wrong. I told him that he’dtold me to follow him, and look whathad happened. ‘Aren’t you happy withme? They want to rape me. God, please,I’m just a girl, please!’
I went to see a lecturer friend. At first,I couldn’t tell her what had happened. Ifelt so ashamed. I just sat and cried.When I eventually told her she said:‘This time they talked; next time theywill do. You must leave.’ She then spokewith my father. They agreed that I
should get a student visa to England.At the airport, my father hugged me
and said: ‘Miriam, I love you. No onecan take you away from me. But this isof God, and God is a much better fatherfor you. You must go.’
At Heathrow, I called my father, totell him I’d arrived. He shouted downthe phone: ‘You are safe, praise God!’
My father is now a Christian.
� Miriam (not her real name) was
talking to Nigel Bovey. For more
information on persecuted Christians
visit opendoorsuk.org
Islam says God only speaks toholy people in dreams, so what washappening was not possible
12
Fill the grid so that every column,every row and every 3x3 boxcontains the digits 1 to 9
Solution on page 15SUD
OK
U
HONEYCOMB
QUICK CROSSWORD
ANSWERS
ACROSS
1. Post (4)3. Animal doctor (3)5. Fasten (4)7. Bought (9)9. Retailed (4)10. Compassion (4)11. Fetch (5)14. Town chief (5)15. Magistrate (5)17. Greek letter (5)18. In no way (5)19. Essential (5)20. Loathsome (5)23. Benevolent (4)25. Cutlery item (4)27. Intermediary (2-7)28. Couple (4)29. Pitch (3)30. Young girl (4)
SCREEN TEST1. Who gave Jesus his voice in the animated film The Miracle
Maker?2. Who directed the film The Passion of the Christ?3. What was the title of the TV mini-series which starred
Robert Powell as Jesus?
4. In which year was The Last Temptation of Christ released?
5. What part did John Wayne play in the film The GreatestStory Ever Told?
6. Who wrote the music for the musical Jesus ChristSuperstar?
DOWN
1. Heap (4)2. Praise (4)3. Parish parson (5)4. Drill (5)5. Ooze (4)6. Idle (4)7. Toy (9)8. Course (9)11. Colour (5)12. Notions (5)13. Meat juice (5)14. Male (3)16. Snake-like fish (3)21. Avoid (5)22. Turret (5)23. Retain (4)24. Grim (4)25. Tumbled (4)26. Caress by lips (4)
1. Agree
2. Swoop suddenly tocatch prey
3. Debris from ademolished building
4. Person who cutsmen’s hair
5. Dull and depressing
6. One of the Mr Mencharacters
Each solution starts onthe coloured cell andreads clockwise roundthe number
WORDSEARCH
O O E S C O C L T A B P C E H A SA S P K L O Y E L B U O D E F A EE M O R N A Y A E E V E I E D E NU B A E E D U N D E O I E L E C SE E C I R D E I R F G G E D E A OG R H I I D S E E E G L S A I D UO N E T I Y A A D S F E D E L E FG D D C N S C E N I T N E R O L FI Y T N Y N L B G A D G L B I I LF D U O R B A S L N G N L Y E O EL S I S M C D O C N A S I G U B AA T S A O E C E C O L R V G G D FI C R N L O L H Y Y T C E E N R DE C D D H I I E E A G C D E I A HS O D C A P V A T M M T H E R H MR O C U S T A R D T E O D E E F NC I Q O A P I C K L E D L A M M I
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1323 April 2011 The War CryINNER LIFE
WHERE’SJESUS
STEPHEN POXONcontinues hisseries looking for –and finding – Jesusin unexpectedplaces
Gardener’squestion time
for a gardener
he would rise from thedead.
The story explains that‘she turned round and sawJesus standing there, butshe did not realise that itwas Jesus. “Woman,” hesaid, “why are you crying?Who is it you are lookingfor?” Thinking he was thegardener, she said, “Sir, ifyou have carried him away,tell me where you have put
MY wife, Heather, is a dab hand atgardening. The last time I looked, shehad successfully cultivated primroses,potatoes, mint, parsley, pansies, arose bush and, not unsurprisingly,several varieties of heather in oursmall garden.
I often see Heather with trowel or secateursin hand attending to the herbaceousperennials. I am not anywhere near as skilledas she is and – as my lack of green-fingeredness would testify – I could never bemistaken for a gardener.
The Bible tells us that early on the firstEaster morning, Mary Magdalene met a man ina garden. She was one of Jesus’ followers andhad made her way to the garden whichcontained the tomb where his body had beenplaced after his crucifixion.
She stood by the tomb, weeping tears ofgrief because Jesus’ body was gone. In herdistress, she had forgotten that Jesus had said
Jesus appears toMary Magdalene,in a frieze in Notre-Dame,Paris
I could never be mistaken
PE
TER
CO
X
him, and I will get him.”‘Jesus said to her, “Mary”’
(John 20:14–16 NewInternational Version).
As soon as Mary heardhim saying her name, sherealised she wasn’tspeaking to the gardenerbut to the risen Jesus. In hergrief she was reassured byhis voice.
In times of bereavement,Jesus is with us too. Heknows about our pain andconfusion. He understandsour tears. He knows us byname. He stands beside uswhen we feel bereft andhopeless. In our darkesthours, when we think all islost, Jesus is there at ourside, on our side.
The War Cry 23 April 201114
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Ready forREVOLUTION
Mohamed Bouazizi toburn himself to deathbeside a governmentbuilding in Sidi Bouzid.The 26-year-oldbreadwinner of a largefamily had been in troublewith the authorities. On anumber of occasions theyhad confiscated hisunlicensed cart of fruitand veg. He reportedlyrefused to pay bribes to a council agent. His family alleged he was publicly humiliatedby an agent from thecouncil who smackedhim and beat him in the face.
Bouazizi could not haveimagined therevolutionary blaze hisburning body wouldignite.
North Africans,enraged by the corruptionthat produced suchhopelessness, rose up tounseat President Ben-Aliof Tunisia and PresidentMubarak of Egypt.
Civil uprising followedin Libya. People havetaken to the streets inAlgeria, Bahrain, Iran,
Iraq, Jordan, Oman andYemen.
Someone who wouldsurely have felt deepempathy for Bouazizi isJesus. Like the broken-spirited fruit-and-vegseller, Jesus was bornpoor in a land ripe forrevolution. Specialists inpublic humiliation, hisRoman rulers executedwould-be revolutionariesby nailing them to largewooden crosses.
Smacked, beaten andinsulted, therevolutionaries hungnaked until they died.Little wonder thecrucifixion of Jesus ledhis followers to lament:‘We had hoped that hewould be the one whowas going to set Israelfree!’ (Luke 24:21 GoodNews Bible).
But when Jesus rose tonew life and appeared tothem, his followersrealised that it was notdespair that dictated hisdeath.
Jesus, the Bible tells
us, ‘did not give upbecause of the cross’.Instead he focused on the‘joy that was waiting for
him’ (Hebrews 12:2). Whereas dictatorships
rise and fall, Jesus knewthat he would ultimatelyoverthrow the world’s evilwith an uprising – not ofviolence but of love.
This Easter, will weallow that love torevolutionise our lives?
A MAN lit a flame in a remoteTunisian town. His actions ignitedrevolutionary fires across NorthAfrica and the Middle East.
Last December despair ledby MATTCLIFTON
Jesus knew that hewould ultimatelyoverthrow the world’s evil
Method:Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add
the cardamom pods. Rinse the rice in a sieve. Addthe rice to the pan and leave to simmer, uncovered,for 5 minutes.
Add the peas to the pan, then bring to the boil andsimmer for 2 minutes. Drain well in a colander.
Place the eggs in a medium pan, cover with coldwatyer and then boil for 6 minutes. Run the eggsunder cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel,then cut the eggs into quarters and set aside.
Place the salmon in a frying pan skin-side up, addjust enough water to cover, then slowly bring to theboil. Cover the pan and simmer for 3–4 minutes oruntil the salmon is just cooked. Drain, then flake thesalmon flesh, discarding the skin and bones.
Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the onion andcurry paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the rice,salmon, crème fraiche andhalf the parsley, then gentlyheat through. Stir themixture until piping hot.Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the kedgeree in aserving dish and top with theeggs. Garnish with theremaining parsley and serve.
Serves 4
23 April 2011 The War Cry 15
SUDOKU SOLUTION
WHAT’S COOKING?R
ecipes reprinted, with kind perm
ission, from the B
ritish Egg Inform
ation Service w
ebsite eggrecipes.co.uk
Easter kedgereeTHE MAIN ATTRACTION Ingredients:
4 cardamom pods,split
225g basmati rice75g frozen peas6 large British Lion
eggs350g salmon fillet25g butter1 bunch spring onions,
trimmed and sliced1tbsp medium curry
paste3tbsp half-fat crème
fraiche4tbsp chopped fresh
parsleySalt and freshly milled
black pepper
Easter cakeTHIS cake is flavoured with almonds andorange, making it a change from the traditionalsimnel cake. The 11 balls of marzipan placedon top of simnel cakes represent Jesus' elevenfaithfuldisciples.
SWE
ET
TR
EA
T
Ingredients:
175g butter, softened 175g light soft brown sugar 3 British Lion eggs, beaten 175g self-raising flour,
sieved 1tsp baking powder 200g mixed peel, chopped100g ground almondsJuice and rind of
1 orange 1tsp almond essenceTo decorate3tbsp marmalade, sieved675g marzipanIcing sugar, for dusting50g white chocolate, melted50g plain chocolate, meltedRibbon, to tie round the
edge of the cake
Method:Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
Grease a 20cm round, deep cake tin and linewith baking paper.
Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and bakingpowder in a large bowl. Using an electric whisk,beat the mixture until it is smooth and glossy.Fold in the remaining ingredients and spooninto the prepared tin. Bake for 45–50 minutesor until the cake has risen and is firm to thetouch.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes beforetransferring to a wire rack to cool.
To decorate, take a sharp knife and cut the cakein half, leaving you with two rounds. Dust awork surface with icing sugar, then roll out twothirds of the marzipan. Use this to cut out two20cm rounds.
Brush the centre of one of the cakes withmarmalade and top with a marzipan round.Brush this marzipan layer with marmalade, thenarrange the other cake on top. Top with thesecond marzipan round, then crimp the edges.
Roll the remaining marzipan into 11 balls and usemarmalade to attach them to the top of thecake.
Pour the melted chocolate into paper piping bags.Drizzle over the top of the cake and leave toset.
Tie a ribbon round the cake before serving.
Serves 10
ARE you egg-cited? Tomorrow (Sunday24 April) is Easter Day. After months ofwaiting, it is finally time to tuck in.
According to the Meaningful Chocolate Company,each year more than 80 million chocolate eggs aresold across the UK. But, as cofounder of the companyDavid Marshall found out, not one of them mentionedJesus on the packaging.
‘Two years ago someone bought me an Easteregg,’ he says. ‘On the back it said: “Easter is thefestival of chocolate and loveliness.” It buggedme. Easter is much more than that.’
In 2009 David produced the RealEaster Egg – a Fairtrade chocolateegg which explains the Christianmeaning of Easter on the box. Davidplanned for some of the proceeds togo to a charity which buys chickensfor African villages. The project waswell on the way to smashing its targetof 1,000 orders – but then it fell topieces.
‘The government office whichcontrols the licensing of productnames objected to the name of myegg,’ says David. ‘There were longarguments on what the real meaningof Easter was.’
David took advice from theFairtrade Foundation and, togetherwith business partners in Manchester,set up the Meaningful ChocolateCompany, which aimed to bring theReal Easter Egg to market.Eventually, the name of the egg wasapproved. But then supermarketswould not stock it.
Last September David decided tolaunch the egg as a mail-order product. In the first eight weeks cus-tomers ordered more than 30,000 ofthem. Today four supermarket chainsstock the egg.
The story has a happy ending. Butthe real story of Easter is even better.
The Real Easter Egg box explains:‘Jesus died on the cross on GoodFriday, then rose again three dayslater … on Easter Sunday. Manybelieve that chocolate eggs representthe boulder that seals his tomb.’
