Penning Words of Life 

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At the end of 1999, Major Barbara Sampson was asked if she would be willing to consider a new appointment—something quite different from her position on The Salvation Army Training College staff. Barbara and her husband, Kingsley, had been officers for 24 years so she was no stranger to periodic changes of appointment. But this particular request was more unusual than most.

The position Barbara was offered was that of author of The Salvation Army’s daily devotional material Words of Life, a position which, up until that time, had been a UK appointment held only by men. ‘It was one of those appointments that I’d never considered,’ Barbara said, ‘but when I was asked about the appointment, everything within me leapt and cried "Yes!". Mind you at that stage I didn’t know how big the appointment was or how demanding it is.’

Five years later, Barbara is more aware than ever of the huge responsibility involved in the role. For not only is she the author and editor of each issue of Words of Life, she is also the publication’s publicity and marketing officer, an aspect of the appointment Barbara admits is ‘a heavy burden to cope with’.

There are also the constant deadlines to be met. ‘I work within several deadlines, writing between 11 and 16 months ahead.

‘Writing so far in advance means it is difficult to be topical, because what’s happening today may have no relevance at all in 16 months time,’ Barbara continues. ‘And yet it amazes me how often I hear that something that was written months ago was just right for somebody at the time they read it.

‘Sometimes I get notes saying, "How did you know that?" or "That was just right for me". There’s no way I could have known that, of course, but God did. That’s part of the blessing of it.’

Barbara says God’s daily help and direction are vital. ‘When I started, God gave me the promise of Isaiah 50:4: "The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." ’

‘I really took hold of that promise when I began, and I literally kneel before it every morning. My task is to listen to God. ‘I see this appointment as his gift to me,’ she adds. ‘Like many of God’s gifts, it’s a heavy gift to carry, but he also gives me strength to carry it and it is a huge privilege. I don’t get a great response but I get enough to let me know that God is using it.’

And God is using Words of Life both within The Salvation Army and in wider circles, throughout the world. ‘I probably get as many comments from people outside of the Army as I do from within,’ she says.

‘People contact me who have come across Words of Life in a little bookshop in an English village, or have had it recommended to them by someone, or a copy passed on to them by a friend. It’s really encouraging.’

Barbara says Words of Life’s widespread appeal is due primarily to the fact that it contains, literally, ‘Words of life’—words to live by. ‘The scripture is our story, not just a story locked in the past, it is actually a story for today.’

Article by Major Tracey English

Words of Life is available for purchase singly or by annual subscription. Find out price information and how to order by downloading the Words of Life Order Form (502kb) or contact The Salvation Army Bookshop.