Letters From Alistair Begg

Dear Friend,

Ilkley Grammar School is situated on Cowpasture Road at a vantage point providing wonderful views of the valley which contains the River Wharfe. The area has been continuously settled since at least the early Bronze Age, and the remains of a Roman fort occupy a site near the town center. Christian worship there dates to AD 627. Living there, it was difficult to bypass the lessons of history. Imagine, if you can, my history teacher, Norman Salmon, sitting perched on a window ledge with his students in rows, his gaze drifting out over the valley. The only fact I remember is the one he told us we must never forget: Bradford City won the FA Cup in 1911!

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Dear Friend,

I have recently been rereading Surprised by Joy, which records the shape of C. S. Lewis’s early life. The front cover of my edition has a subtitle: A remarkably frank and beguiling account of a conversion.

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Dear Friend,

Did you know that Denmark currently holds the title of second-happiest country on the planet? While one in six American museums risk permanent closure due to financial stress compounded by COVID-19, the Happiness Research Institute recently opened the Happiness Museum in Copenhagen. As someone who is not constitutionally attracted to museums, I find it intriguing that there is now a museum which, according to the creators, “can bring happiness to life.” It is certainly a timely venture if we are to accept the current statistics on anxiety and depression. The quest for happiness is a global phenomenon. It is also present at every age and stage of life.

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Dear Friend,

I think I caused a little confusion when I mentioned that Truth For Life is going to discontinue the livestream of Parkside’s Sunday morning service. I hasten to add that the livestream will continue to be available on Parkside’s website. Our reason for this change is that Truth For Life is committed to the ministry of the local church, and we regard our role as supplemental to the hard work of the local pastor. I am a pastor, and my concern, along with my colleagues, is for the flock under our care. We want to do nothing that would hinder the work taking place Sunday by Sunday in local congregations.

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Dear Friend,

Warmest New Year’s greetings from all of us. Your generous partnership throughout 2020 has made it possible for Truth For Life to finish the year strong and begin 2021 with a real sense of responsibility and expectation. Like me, you will have grown accustomed to hearing people say of last year, “I’ll be glad when this is over.” In light of the peculiar challenges and in the face of uncertainty and loss, that refrain is not surprising. However, we believe that every day is a gift from the Lord and that our times are in His hands, and this corrects our temptation to wish our lives away. It is all too easy to forget that all we have and all we are is a gift of God’s grace.

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from Alistair, Susan, and their grandchildren, Annabelle, Romy, Matilda, Leona, Ellerie, Maggie, and Niall

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Warmest Christmas greetings!

We have almost made it to the end of what will prove to be one of the strangest years in our lifetimes. How reassuring to know that Emmanuel means “God with us.”

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Dear Friend,

You will probably be reading this letter within days of the election. If, as we are led to believe, the result will not be known for some time, here is an exercise for us—it is biblical, and practical, and extremely beneficial:

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Dear Friend,

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.” Most of us find it hard to imagine what imprisonment would be like, and even harder to empathize with its reality.

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Dear Friend,

It is more than a little disconcerting to face the fact that every day I find myself responding to questions by saying, “I don’t know.” Now, I should explain that these questions are not about the Gospel but concern the issues surrounding the pandemic. No doubt you can identify with this.

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