Christianity is NOT a Stroll in the Park!

Melissa and I were on a walk the other day and as we turned off the highway we saw a softball game going on. We decided to take a stroll in the park to check it out. This turned out to be an eventful stroll, around the first turn we were attacked by swarming bugs in the summer air. After we swatted them away we noticed that the trail ended in gravel. We had a stroller at the time so we pushed our way through the gravel to finally arrive at the game, which was our actual destination. This seemed like a lot of work just to get to a softball game. In many ways, as believers in Christ, we sometimes feel that being a Christian is a stroll in the park. We feel that we can wake up and everything will go our way. This is simply not the case. Christianity is a tough lifestyle that we choose to live and to lead. In the book of James we find this passage that reassures us that there will be tough times ahead. James 1: 2-6 reads "2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." The bugs we encountered were a representation of all the pesky things that can ruin our day, maybe they are children being fussy, rumors about us, or even a bad drive to work. Knowing that these instances will make us strong encourages us to push on until we are past them. Then, as we seem to be in the clear, the road ahead becomes bumpy and we are shaken in our daily lives. Perhaps things have now gone out of control. When this happens remember (even though it is much easier said than done) the road ahead is your destination and we are to take joy in trials and tribulations that we encounter as we work to get there. This truly shows we are on the right path to GOD!

Lightning Bugs and Gods Grace

Melissa's family has been in town this week after her sister was married on Saturday. She has relatives that live all over the United States including: California, Montana, Michigan. It is always nice to catch up and spend time with family. Last night, while siting by the fire outside the kids were out catching lightning bugs. (This was especially exciting for them since they don't have them in Montana). They were catching them and placing them in a large jar where they could look at them and then discovered if they shook the jar the bugs would light up. After about 30 minutes of searching the large jar was filling up and the bugs were making a great glow as we shook them up and laughed at how they acted. One of the kids decided that this was mean and ran off with the jar to let the bugs go. Moments later another one of the kids was carrying the jar, now empty, and dropped it on our concrete patio. SMASH it went and exploded into a million pieces. The analogy I find in this story deals with Satan. Satan loves to see us running around using our light to shine for others. This makes us a target for his plan. In Psalms 118: 27 it tells us "The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us." Satan sees our light from God and grabs a hold of us. Then he puts us in a fast paced society where we seem to be bumping into each other unable to slow down. I am sure Satan looks at us being shaking up in our daily lives and laughs at us not being able to spread the word. Satan loves this crazy world we live in.

How can we be released? How can we have the lid opened on our hectic lives so we can once again shine our light for GOD? It is simple, but very hard for us to do or find "time". A personal relationship with GOD can release the lid and set us free. In the book of John 3:8 it explains to us - "The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." God wants to open the lid on our lives and set us free. Keeping in a daily walk with Him can allow him to do that. Ask for forgiveness and walk with him often, you never know when your (jar) world may SMASH into a million pieces.

Chinese Food and Christs Love

Chinese food has always been a favorite food of mine. I truly enjoy it! I was talking with a friend on my cell phone trying to figure out plans for next week. While I was doing this I was with my father in -law who was already at the register to order at our Chinese restaurant. I said good bye to the person on the other line and there I was faced with a menu of choices, and no idea what to choose. I stumbled through the order and was at the cash register where I was to pay. The lady wrote my order on the ticket just as another worker yelled across the room ' hey, that guy has been paid for he can go on through". I was saved, my father in law had paid the bill. All of us have a father in-law in this story. Actually, we all have a father in Jesus Christ. By dieing on the cross for our sins He has paid our debt, and our time will come when we die and we can hear " hey, that guy has been paid for he can go on through." In the book of Hebrews 9:28 it reminds us that "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Each day we are all faced with a menu of choices, what we choose is up to us. As we stumble through our orders in life, know that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is always the special of the day. Because hearing HIS voice say "this ones mine, his debt has been paid", that's priceless.

Jason Anderson

A.C.T. and Heaven

Devotional June 18,, 2008

So there I was in charge of the A.C.T. testing room on the top floor of Jordan Hall at Central College. All of the students were lined up in the hall and were nervously waiting with there admission tickets and Identification. The hall was dark and they were trying to peak into the testing room to see what it was like. Finally, after they all seemed to be there and waiting, I asked them to line up and have there admission tickets ready. As they were cleared to go in, each student showed who they were and their ticket. Their eyes were taken back by the lighted room and were allowed to come inside. Some day we will have the chance to have our admission ticket. Only it will not come in the mail and the cost is simply turning your life over to God. Jesus is our admission ticket to heaven. Our nervousness in the dark hallway can be gone. The bible tells us in the book of John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." Accepting Christ allows us to have an admission ticket to the kingdom of God and to be taken back by the light of his love.

Jason Anderson

WELCOME TO OUR B.L.O.G.

Welcome to our family Blog. We are the Anderson family. We will have a picture coming soon.
Here we will blog about I deas. I would like to use this as an analogies page to talk about Christ in everyday things.