Twenty-five years ago, a little magazine called Faith & Friends made its debut. Its premise was simple but audacious. “In the pages of Faith & Friends,” wrote Major Fred Ash, the magazine's first editor, “you will read about people whose lives have been changed through an encounter with the living Jesus Christ. Christians are found all around you—in Major League Baseball uniforms, in police uniforms, behind bars, in seniors‘ residences and in corporate boardrooms. There is likely to be at least one in your circle of friends.”

Over this past quarter of a century, millions of copies of Faith & Friends have been shared through Salvation Army churches, social service centres, thrift stores and individual subscriptions. In fact, our records show that just between 2000 and 2006 alone, 6.3 million copies were distributed. That‘s a lot of magazines! More importantly, that means millions of individuals have been reached with the message that God loves them. And with Faith & Friends now also available online at faithandfriends.ca and through its presence on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, the reach of the gospel message continues to grow.

To help us celebrate this milestone in the life of Faith & Friends, we‘re asking readers—including past editors, current writers and YOU, our readers—to tell us what articles have impacted them. If any article has spoken to you or changed how you thought of life and faith, we want to hear about it. Write or email us.

The first article was suggested by funnyman, humorist and public speaker Phil Callaway:

“Often a single phrase or a stirring story can offer much-needed perspective,” he says. “In the November 2014 Faith & Friends, I encountered both. We were facing uncertainty on a number of fronts when my wife pointed me to the article. The unlikely message found in a fortune cookie (‘May God hold you in the palm of His hands.‘) reminded us that we have a mansion builder who will hold us tight wherever we are in life.”

George Roper was raised in a hard-working farm family on the Canadian Prairies in the 1920s. Like so many of the generation that grew up during the Great Depression, he developed a kind-hearted spirit and a keen desire to serve others. How he acquired a liking for Chinese food, though, we’ll never know, but it was one of the great joys of his life. After the meal, he loved to laugh at the messages contained in each fortune cookie. Their often absurd turns of phrase always made him smile.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and was part of the First Contingent to arrive on British shores in 1939. But the experiences of war so dislodged his senses that he returned to Canada 5½ years later an emotionally broken man with a back injury that reminded him every day of his service and sacrifice.

The contents of George’s fortune cookie left them in awe. 

He could have drowned the pain with alcohol or bad company, or simply shut himself away from life. Instead, his strong faith, the unconditional love and support of his wife, Gertie, and their family, and his tenacious drive to be of service released in him a courage to never quit no matter what life threw at him. As a member of both The Salvation Army and the Canadian Legion, he spent countless hours devoting himself to his community. But through it all, George’s preference for Chinese food never left him—even if the fortune cookie advice did little to inform his outlook on life.

Unforgotten

On September 6, 2011, his wife passed away in the same month that they would have celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary. Apart from his service in the war, they had been constant companions. During the last years of his wife’s life at their nursing home, they could be seen sitting side by side in their wheelchairs, holding hands and watching a hockey game on TV.

George missed her terribly but his family refused to let him retreat into a chasm of grief. Even a little pup named Shadow made a contribution. Despite George’s advancing years, he remained alert and revelled in lighthearted bantering with the appreciative nursing home staff.

On August 31, 2013, George’s youngest daughter, Mary, ordered in. As old as he was, George still had a passion for Chinese food. When supper was done, they opened up their cookies and read the fortunes. Most messages are just fun to read without any serious content that one could build a life on. However, on this day, the contents of George’s fortune cookie left them in awe. 

Never before had they or anyone else read words such as were in that fortune cookie.

“May God hold you in the palm of His hand,” it read.

Two years earlier to the very week, George had said a last goodbye to the wife he loved, and he still missed her deeply. Considering that there are approximately three billion fortune cookies made each year worldwide, the mathematical improbabilities that this particular one would find its way into the hands of a grieving widower seem astronomically remote.

George passed away weeks later, one day shy of his 99th birthday. But in those final days, God had creatively found a way to show George that he had not—and had never—been forgotten. And He’d chosen a humble fortune cookie to do it with.

This story is from: