Have you ever had a funny nightmare?

I had a hilarious nightmare last night! So I was sound asleep late last night. I dreamed I was sleeping soundly when all of the sudden, in my dream, some one pulled the covers over my face and jumped on top of me. I screamed and struggled to get free but the person held me down for a bit. Then with all my might I pulled the covers down to free myself and see who was on top of me. It was KATRINA! She was laughing having the best wrestling mach with her dad! I had been screaming in my sleep then woke up laughing! Am I going nuts or what!

Been thinking about Gideon lately

All of us have heard Gideon's story so many times that it feels like it’s memorized. But there are some stories in the Bible that we really should memorize and apply. The story of Gideon is one of those. If you think you already have it all figured out, you’re a long way from actually understanding.

We are all like Gideon in so many ways. God calls me mighty warrior and I look back over my shoulder to see who he is talking to! But that is the essence and nature of our loving heavenly Father. He calls into being things that are not. In myself, I AM NOT A MIGHTY WARRIOR! It’s not in my flesh to be brave and self-sacrificing.

I was stuck by the apostle Peter after Jesus died on the cross. Jesus had given every part of himself for his friends. And after it was all said and done Peter tells the boys, “Lets’ go back to fishing”. It stands to reason he had a boat stashed away “Just in Case things don’t work out”…. I could picture that boat there on the beach in Galilee maybe under a tarp or being rented out to others. Now there is nothing wrong with keeping our options open, as long as they are God ordained options. When we “stash boats” as a result of unbelief that God can provide, then we have a problem. We can say, “Lord I trust in you completely, and will only do what you call me to do”. It sounds pretty and makes us look cool in our prayer times. My challenge is to live up to that prayer.

So I have been evaluating my life lately as to what kind of “boats” I have stashed. Gideon had his stash of grain and Peter his boat. What do I have that God has not directed me to have? People look at our lives and often say we are a model of faith. We will celebrate 32 years of marriage in Missions this January. We have almost never known our income or had a salary. We have never had health insurance or retirement funds. Most of the time we live day to day, never knowing this months’ income. To some that sounds like great faith, to others real irresponsibility. But as a result, we can speak of God pulling through for us many times. Miracle after miracle of his provision is part of our life experience.

Yet even we have had boats stashed away. They appeared when God would prompt me to give much of what we had at the time to others and I would hesitate or try to ‘reason’ with God. At times I felt prompted to believe him for finances to take on some new challenge. I stalled to see if it would work out first. When I focused on my inabilities and knowledge instead of God’s infinite ability and knowledge to take on some challenge, I invariably failed the test.

I have come to understand that 90% of the battle for obeying God in our lives is right inside us! It is not in our lack of ability or physical resources that keeps us from obeying God! It’s in our lack of faith in the all-powerful arm of God to provide all things for us to have success against seemingly overwhelming odds.

Forbes did a survey of the 10,000 richest people in the world. They found that 94% of them were born poor! They were the ones who pushed past those physical limitations to reach their goal of wealth. Their conclusion was that the biggest obstacle to getting rich was first in believing you could do it! I’m not here to defend them. Probably many were not honest in their pursuit of riches. But the principle stands true for us in God. If we can get our eyes off ourselves and look to God, he will take what we have and multiply it. If we can get rid of our secret “boats on the beach”, and aim to please him, we will experience God on a higher level than ever before!

So what does your “boat” look like? Those things you have maybe because you don’t trust God to come through for you. Those “just in case” items that may even be standing in the way between you and God! Free yourself from them and trust completely in the one who gives you each breath. He is able to give life and take it. So why worry?

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19

I think I’m going to go give a boat away!

Peace, Mitch, Juliette, and Katrina Anderson

 Home Sweet Home

Finally after over two months abroad, we’re heading home! Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and California have all been on the menu this trip. Sleeping on floors, in cars, some beds, and couches made it a memorable experience.

But visiting family and friends made it a great experience! Sad that we could not see more friends than we did. I told folks this summer was like herding cats! Our kids are all over the map. We’ve had family in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, France, Spain and all over California by the end of this trip!

People in California asked how it feels to be back home. That’s a very interesting question. At this stage of our lives we have spent 27 years in Chile! I’m 54 so that means half our lives have been spent outside the USA. So I find myself pausing and searching for an answer to that question. They say that “home is where the heart is” and I guess that really is true. But where is home for me?

Jesus made it very clear to his followers and wannabe followers when he said, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Luke 9:58

When he sent his disciples out to share the good news, he made it clear how they should travel. He probably did not mean for them to keep such a low profile for all their lives. But he set a good example for all of us to ponder as we look at our lives and accumulated possessions.  He told them to: "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Luke 9:3

John made it clear to us how we are to approach our possessions as well when he said the following:

 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1John 2:15-16

So I have been reconsidering a number of areas in my life lately. One area has to do with our possessions. When I accumulate many things, is it I who accumulate them, or am I the one being accumulated by them? Julie and I have decided to serve Christ with our lives in any way we can. 

He makes a beautiful promise when he said:

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Mat. 19:29

Wealth is such a big responsibility before God. It carries with it a huge challenge to use it for God’s glory and not just our own selfish desires. I can say we have known some truly happy, wealthy people in our lives. But they all had one thing in common. They saw their wealth as God’s not their own. They sought to use it for his glory and purpose. They faithfully managed his money for him with their lives. And they enjoyed that peace that passes all understanding by putting Him first in everything. Self-serving wealth ends up consuming the consumer!

As we headed for the airport in LA, we saw the Good Year Blimp taking off. I realized they must lighten their load to go aloft and fly. I think God was trying to tell me something in that imagery.  The less attached we are to the things of this world, the greater is our ability to fly with the angels!

We arrived late last night to the place we call home for now. All our “stuff” is pushed into one room so our friends could have the house over the last couple months. I asked Julie if we could just take the things we will use out and give the rest away. She thought that was a good idea. It really is freeing and fun to do!

When packing for a trip, we try to take only what we need. (I only travel with a carry on and small book pack on trips) Traveling lite really help us to reach our destination and achieve our goals en route. So my advice today is to travel lite. Or maybe it’s better to say “travel light”! Life is a marathon, not a hundred yard dash. Those who walk in the light, keeping God’s pace, not letting the things of this world weigh them down, receive an eternal weight of glory. That is the only weight we really need!

The Strength of Silence

 Juliette, Katrina and I went to see an ancient Redwood forest the other day. These are some of the largest living trees in the world! They live for over 2,000 years and grow to over 300 feet(100mt)!

We stood before a crosscut of a huge tree and looked at the tree rings. The park staff had marked off major events in human history with the tree rings on that big old tree. This tree was alive when Greece was still a dominant power and Rome was just getting started as an empire! Its rings marked off the years of its existence. We could see many years of abundant rains and many years of drought. Some trees in that forest were burned in forest fires centuries before. Some had been burned out from the inside yet still lived on. They truly were a testament to God's creative power.

But this particular tree was already 250 years old when Christ was born! It was so awesome to think of that tree in the forest standing there at the same time that our savior came into the world. These time frames are a small thing for God. Redwoods actually sprout new trees out of the roots of the parent tree. So you can see how a parent tree had 4-5 "babies" then died out. Those babies lived another 2,000 years and so on. You can see up to four generations of trees in a small area. So the root structures of these trees can be up to 10,000 years old!!

But as I stood in that forest, I was struck by an interesting experience. I stood still, alone for a while and seemed to hear absolutely nothing. Surrounded by the soft green and dark red of the trees, I was struck by that moment of silence. It was a POWERFUL silence! These ancient living things were around, quietly, long before I was born and will be around long after I’m gone. I marveled and wondered at the secrets they hold.

As I stood there, I thought again of my dad and his silent strength. Maybe one of the biggest keys to a long and joy filled life is to live it with a humble and contrite heart. Quieting our soul is the first step to really tuning into Gods purpose for our lives.

The one who enters a room thinking he has the most important things to say, will be the one who learns the least. We have been given two ears and only one mouth. That was no accident of God. He wants us to learn from that anatomical fact. A truly frustrated person is one who uses his mouth twice as much as his ears. We tend to do that quite often. It’s the truly humble people who stop and really listen to what others have to say.

The Bible says that for God a thousand years is like a day. As I stood in the majestic silence of those incredible living towers, I could sense their quiet power and life. Their strength, in part, is in their stillness. By contrast our super speeded lifestyles seems to shorten life. The noisier, the shorter. Some get so busy they never really live.

My take away from all this is to really just try to quiet my soul and tune into the life God has for me. As a leader, that will mean hearing people out and taking a sincere interest in their well-being. Listening twice as long as we talk will enrich and may lengthen our lives.

In YWAM we talk about having “quiet times” or times alone with God. Mine can end up being “noisy times” where I do most of the talking. Lord help me to pipe down and listen up to what you have to say. May you too learn to really listen to God and to those around you. May your life be filled with the strength of a quiet spirit that breaths in the grace of God and breaths out his praise.

May you claim those first verses of Psalm 23 to be your own. “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

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My Dads Silent Sermon

I had they great opportunity to preach at my dad’s church in Fremont last Sunday. What a privilege to share God’s love and talk about the challenges we face as believers. It was a real challenge for me in many ways.

It was the first time for me to preach there since my mom went to heaven. I was already emotional and really missing her in the first service. Juliette and I were married at that altar. I was baptized and confirmed there as a child. Missions began for me as a young man from that pulpit. And we have been lovingly accepted and part of our support comes from the body. So I sure felt grateful for all God has done for us over the years.

Then in the second service my dad shows up in his wheel chair! As I stood up to preach and saw my pop, I was truly overwhelmed! It’s a tough sermon to preach when you START it with tears in your eyes! But what a blessing it was to talk about my dad before the church. He and my mom were active in the body there for over 60 years! They gave so much of themselves to serve people and serve the saints. Her absence left a huge hole. My dad has been telling me that he really just wants to go to heaven and spend eternity with his sweetheart. So as I stood there, I thought this may be the last time I preach in front of him.

I made it through the message and hoped it was a blessing for our friends there. But it really got me to thinking about life. It seems like those kind of moments really define us. They have the potential of helping us refocus on what is really important in life.

As I looked over at dad time and again, I couldn't help but appreciate and love him more than ever. As we grow in God, our growth should be downward not upward. Spiritual growth really should be a journey into greater depths of humility and grace. When you think about it, we put way too much stock in things that won’t last. Money, carreers, reputations, fame, investments, retirement funds, and other “stuff” of this life are just that. Their only real significance is in their potential ability to take our focus off of what really is eternal. Any of those things can potentially take us away from God having first place in our lives.

As I stood there, it seemed like so many things became clear. My dad has achieved incredible things in his life. Over 55 years of medical service to his patients, a beautiful wife of 68 years, and great kids. But there he sat humble and not interested in getting man’s approval. When you’re getting ready for heaven, the things of this earth seem to lose their importance.

So I spoke of how our lives really should be less and less about “us”, and more about God. In the end, he is the one who really matters. He gives us life and purpose. He is the provider of all good things. Placing our faith in him means never having to worry about the future. We don’t know what it holds. But we can place our confidence in the one who holds the future in his hands.

That is the example my parents showed me and that is the life we aim to live out. As you focus more on blessing others, you too will be blessed beyond what you could do for yourself. That is God’s economy.

So I have come to one real conclusion. When I finally do grow up, I want to be just like my dad. His strength and moral character have really been a pillar that many could lean on over the years. His service and hard work have blessed thousands. And his unwavering desire to always do what is right is the mark of a true leader.

While I was preaching, I received a silent sermon from a great man. Thanks dad for being the best ever. I pray that the rest of your days be filled with peace and joy in God. And may God carry you all the way to heaven to be with mom and the other saints. Some day we’ll all be there together! That thought alone sure makes the things of this world fade away fast!

May your hope in heaven over ride all earthly circumstances as well. May you too grow down into greater depths of humility and grace. May you too be captivated by the giver of life. Eternity is just around the corner for all of us! Live your life with eternity in your sites.