West London Alliance Church

The Blog of Pastor Jude St. John

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TBT@ITT: The Pursuit of Holiness

First posted January 11, 2009:I am currently reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. When people talk about "classics" in Christian living, this book is often mentioned. Though only a third of the way through this book, I'd thought I'd share from gleanings from an outstanding chapter. Even in "classic" books, sometimes a particular

Christmas Means a Little Bit More

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?It came without ribbons. It came without tags.It came without packages, boxes or bags.And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't
First posted January 3, 2009: Here is a verse most of you will be familiar with: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV) From his chapter entitled The Christian's Assurance in his book Comfort For Christians, Pink writes: "All things work together." The

Initiation. Consummation. Anticipation

Our Christmas sermon series this year is entitled Anticipation: Expectation, Hope, and Christmas. It is looking at Christmas through the lens of anticipation. Anticipation is defined as a state of expectancy and hope. The motto for the series, which I have already received a fair amount of ribbing for, is: Christmas is the initiation of the
Originally posted January 6, 2009: 1 Corinthians 4:7 - For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Those are 3 good questions to start the day off with. Who sees anything different in you? There is a sense in which we are unique,

Seasonal Autopilot

I came across the following quote at For The Church’s website: “There is a great danger this Christmas season of missing the point. And I'm not referring simply to idolatrous consumption and materialism. I'm talking about Christmas religiosity. It is very easy around this time to set up our Nativity scenes, host our Christmas
Originally posted January 6, 2009: We have a saying in the football locker-room: "Bug the ones you like!" You have to have thick skin in a locker-room. Teammates are constantly poking fun, mocking, teasing, fooling, and bothering one another. But it is important to remember that if someone is "ragging" on you, it is probably because he likes

Sparrows, Sproul, Hymns, and Providence

This morning, while on the treadmill, I read a booklet written by R. C. Sproul entitled Does God Control Everything? which is part of an excellent series authored by Sproul called “The Crucial Questions Series”. On a side note, these are perfect for reading on the treadmill. I can read them on my iPad in 45-50 minutes which is a