The Autobiography of Patricia St. John, published in 1993.
Since we spent a fair amount of time this winter reading books by Patricia St. John, I was naturally intrigued by her life and therefore chose for my next book (not a read-aloud) her autobiography. It is not a very long book and was very easy to read; but it took me nine weeks to read it because I don’t have a lot of time to read, and when I did read it, often I would go back and re-read parts to refresh my memory before I moved ahead.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will share a few highlights.
Patricia was born to two spiritual giants: Harold and Ella St. John. One chapter, entitled, “A Tribute To My Father” said this about Harold St. John:
He was equally in demand at large Bible study conferences in different parts of the world with his amazing knowledge of the Bible, the result of countless hours of patient study, self-tuition in Hebrew and Greek and notes that filled thousands of loose-leaf sheets. There was a legend, probably not far from the truth, that he could give the reference for every verse in the Bible, and the children he knew best when he lived at Clarendon School in later years used to love to shoot unexpected texts at him. But they seldom, if ever, succeeded in catching him out, not even the small golden-haired girl who fixed him with a diminutive forefinger and stated solemnly, “They wife shall be a harlot in the city,” and my father replied with equal solemnity, “Amos 7:17,” after which they both relapsed into a state of mutual admiration and glee.
“Mr. St. John, “I’d give the world to know the Bible as you do,” said a lady to him at the close of a meeting.
“Madam,” he replied, that’s just what it costs.”
But he always stressed that the Bible is never an end in itself. It is the path by which you reach Christ, and he never considered any study really worthwhile unless it affected one’s daily conduct in a practical way. (p. 201)
In 1984, pictures of the Ethiopian famine began to appear on news media, and “England was shaken. Over the past years we seem to have gotten used to pictures of war, famine, and misery, and the public may be suffering from what has been called “compassion fatigue.” But in 1984 nothing quite like that had been seen before.” (p. 267) As neighborhood children knocked on her door, asking what they could do for Ethiopia, Patricia heard the question over and over: “where was God in a situation like this? Did He care? Why? Why? Why? He could send rain if he wanted to, remarked one bewildered teenager.” (p 267) As a representative of Global Care, A Christian charity with which Patricia was involved, she was asked to visit the refugee camps on the Sudan/Ethiopia border. In May 1985 she did this, and said this: “In some ways it was a nightmare, but I will always e glad that I went. So many questions were answered, and life was the richer for the experience.” (p. 268) She went on to describe the almost unbelievable sights she saw during her month in that camp, where temperatures routinely climbed to 120 degrees and about 1400 new starving refugees joined the camp every day. Her question remained: Was the Lord among them? One Sunday she was invited to a worship service; she found the answer to her question:
We would have changed their circumstances, but we would not have changed them. God’s solution is sometimes different. He does not always lift people out of the situation. He himself comes into the situation, as Christ the eternal man once entered this world and in a sense came to stay. He does not pluck them out of the darkness. He becomes the light in the darkness, the peace in the midst of the conflict, the spirit’s riches in the midst of poverty and loss and physical degradation. Right there in the desert, he gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (p. 276)
This briefest of summaries is but a glimpse of the anointed life and talent of Patricia St. John. If you are wanting an interesting book to read during those precious few minutes of reading time you have, I highly recommend this book. You will be challenged in your daily walk and drawn to a closer walk with your Lord Jesus Christ.
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