Page 31 - April 2025 - Truth & Tidings

Andrew Bergsma, My Life Story: Concerning God’s Goodness, Grace, and Guidance,
Ed. Rhoda Griffin (2024), 163 pp.
Reviewed by Mitchell Taylor
My Life Story is a memoir tracing the life of Andrew Bergsma
(1927–2013), our late beloved brother, from his childhood to the
end of his service on earth. Brother Bergsma left his draft writ-
ings to his daughter, Rhoda, to edit and publish for his family
and others interested.
The subtitle encapsulates the themes of this delightful book,
which weaves a time capsule of historical details with plentiful
anecdotes. Andrew Bergsma, raised Dutch Reformed, came into
contact with the gospel and was later saved at the 1951 Vancouver
Thanksgiving Conference under the preaching of Theodore Wil-
liams and Sidney Maxwell. He was clearly led by God, during his
time in Newfoundland, Labrador and Holland, to commenda-
tion in the Lord’s work in northern British Columbia, and finally Manitoba. There he
was used mightily to see large numbers of Hutterites saved and brought out of their
colonies. His long period of singleness, followed by his love and devotion to his wife
and children, stands out. The chapters close with photos that bring the reader to a fuller
appreciation of the stories of his life. Whether or not you had the pleasure of knowing
our brother and sitting under his convicting preaching and heartfelt admonishment,
this is a valuable book for considering the life of a man who obeyed the direction of
the Spirit of God.
My Life Story can be purchased on amazon.com.

In Defence of Jephthah Continued from p. 114

with his words. The address is steeped in but was a leader in self-control and strat-
the Pentateuch; he knows his Bible inside egy who could wield the Word of God in
out. He narrates the history of Israel from public discourse. To vindicate the words
Egypt to the promised land (vv14-22), of Jephthah in this spate of negotiations,
noting the theological significance of these the Judges author inserts his commentary:
events (vv23-24). He prods at Ammon’s “Ammon hearkened not unto the words
conscience by showing his bad character of Jephthah” (v28). Ammon could not
(v25) and argues from legal chronology gainsay such acumen. He foolishly closed
that Ammon has no right to the land (v26). his ears to the counsel of Jephthah.
He was not only a master on the battlefield To be continued ...

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