The Anderson Legacy

This is in honor of Grandpa and Grandma's 40th anniversary.
I'm blessed, beyond words, to be a part of their godly legacy!




And, this is for all the people who just can't seem to get our families straight :)

Always There For Your Daughter

Every day the whole year through,
I feel grateful you are my father.
Some fathers don't have time for their kids,
But for you I'm never a bother.You always make the effort to listen and share;
You're always there when you're needed.
It warms me to know how much you care,
And with that knowledge my worries are defeated.Daddy, you are truly admired and adored,
And as your daughter, I hope that you know,
These sentiments fill me each day of the year,
And my love for you continues to grow.Happy Fathers Day!

-By Joanna Fuchs

This truly is what my Daddy is to me!
I love you so much Daddy,
Happy Father's Day!

The Cutest Cutie

Look at that smirk :)

He gets a lot of kisses

Here are just a few pictures of the cutest little boy around -Noah Kaden!
Nicknamed by me as "Kaden Boy" :)

The Spirit of Cool

Admit it, you want to be cool. We all do, me especially. Recently I have been reading this book called "Blessed are the Uncool" by Paul Grant, "Living Authentically in a World of Show". There is so many good things I want to share with you about this book about cool, but I'll just tell about the first half of the first chapter.

We all try to be cool, in what we wear, how we act and what we do. Cool is not innocent, though. It can alienate us from community, family and God. We're so attuned to cool we can hardly imagine life without it. But what we need to understand is that cool doesn't reside in objects or people; it is a tool that can be wielded, but more than often it wields us. This book, he says, is an attempt to image life without cool: it is a search for a better way, an uncool we can live with; an uncool that will free us up to live healthy, authentic and God-fearing lives.

Paul Grant defines cool as -"cool is the private performance of rebellion for rebellions sake."

• Cool is private- it is individualistic from beginning to end. Membership to it is less about faithful friendship and more about excluding outsiders.
• Cool is performance- cool exists to show off to an uncool crowd. It doesn't care about the past or future, only the present, since performance is always immediate.
• Cool is rebellion- cool communicates categorical disrespect for authority. Cool accepts no limits, no ethics, instead it insists on individual authority.
• Cools rebellion for it's own sake- normal rebellion ends when the conflict is resolved. Not so with cool: cool shows universal contempt for authority, extending across all space and time. Cool is never done being cool.

Grant ends the chapter with saying that Christians are far richer than the empty bravado behind cool because our story is a great story: a God dies to give us life in abundance. And once we begin to live uncool, our story will get even sweeter!

To Glorify God?

Of late, I have been thinking about what it means to glorify God. My life's goal has always been to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. When anyone asks me what I live for, or what is speech club, and other things I do, all about I say- "To glorify God".
It has become my life's goal without ever really being there. What I mean is- "am I doing all that I do for the glory of God?" I say it, but do I really do it. What does it mean to glorify God in all that I do?

Psamls 86:12- "I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever." Glorify God forever...just think about it. How can we glorify Him? Do we glorify Him?

"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Rom. 16:5-7.
As a church we are to welcome each-other as Christ did us so that we may glorify God. Unbelievers see God through us, we as a Church, as believers in Christ, are to show God and glorify Him to the unbeliever.

Ways we may do this is in our dress. How we look outwardly.
"For do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Cor. 6:20.
In the morning, when you get ready for the day, do you look at what you are wearing and ask yourself "does this outfit glorify God, or me?" Does how we look show the world that we are Christians? Do our clothes show that we are set apart, a distinct, chosen people of God? Do they reflect Christ through us? All these questions are what we need to be asking ourselves. We may say we want to glorify God, but do we look it?

Another way is in our speech-
"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:9-11.
Does our speech, and the way we talk, show that we confess Christ as our Lord to the glory of the Father?

Prov. 4:24 says- "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you." And Prov 19 says- "Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech."
This is not just talking about speech club and how we talk in front of the judges, but rather how we talk on the street, with our friends. Do our words come from self-exaltation or for the glory of God? Does what we say show that we are Christians, and wish to profess Christ as Lord? Do we watch what comes out of our mouths?

The tongue is a powerful thing as James describes. It can either build up or tear down. James 3:9 - "With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God." Do you profess the Lord with your tongue, yet not glorify His name when you talk to man? We need to think before we speak.

Let me close with this last verse, 1 Cor. 10:31- "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Whatever we do, it is to be for God and His glory.
We cannot just say that we will do all to the glory of God, we must practice it on a daily basis. Saying it isn't going to get us anymore, we have to do it!

Laminin

Col 1:15-17

• "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

I'm a proud older Cousin!

Yup...the little Goldman was born this morning. Adorable Jebediah Victor Goldman has officially entered the world, safe and sound, and I, once again, am an older cousin! I know that God will use this young boy to His purposes and I pray that I may be a godly example, always portraying the Creator of this gift in my every action.

Jebediah has been blessed to enter the Goldman family. For they are a God-fearing family who will train and love him, following God's example with us. The Goldman's are a wonderful family who serve God and seek out His will in all that they do. Their children are their legacy, a living, godly legacy.
Jebediah is indeed a blessed child!


p.s. Pictures to come

Life is good!

God is good, and that makes life great!

So we went to the Regional Speech Tournament last week, and had a blast! Destiny Jane will be going to Nationals in her Dramatic Interp on Lady Jane...it's a really sad and inspiring story.
I learned that if you want to get anywhere you have to put your ALL into it! I also had a lot of fun learning from others and hanging out with them.

Sunday, after the tournament was over, Grandma took us all to the Seattle Aquarium with the Sleadds, and we had a very relaxing time. After that we went on a boat cruise, with drinks and everything (that is what the pictures are from).

Thank you Grandpa Ken and Grandma Dot for paying for everyone and everything! We love you both sooooo much and are forever in debt for all that you have done for us!














Now, life continues, and all is good. Omnibus is going to start up next week and that means I'll have a lot of reading! I think I'm ready for it though :)

See you all later!

"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." 2 Cor. 4:5
- Sola Chritus

Should Christians be friends with non-Christians?

One of the greatest dilemmas for a Christian is the matter of non-Christian friends. Should they continue in a bond or back away? How does this apply with “in the world, but not of it”? How can we evangelize to the unregenerate? All these are questions that many struggle with and I hope to present before you a balance.

First let me lay the foundation for why we shouldn’t have non-Christian friends. 2 Tim. 3 gives description of the ungodly and of them Paul says to “avoid such people… For among them are those who creep into households”. Why? Proverbs says the “companion of fools will be destroyed”. Friendships cause us to be vulnerable, to follow and be influenced by the companion there of. As Christians we cannot serve two masters at once. We have to give Christ are all in all, and being influenced by the ungodly will cause us to stumble.

But how, many ask, are we too evangelize to the non-Christian if we are not to become acquainted with them? Many people today think that in order to get through to such kind we must first learn to relate and become associated with them. Many in the church have fallen into this idea of becoming friendly and ministering through that. But by doing this we are bringing ourselves down to the unregenerate state, and this is exactly what Paul and Solomon are warning against. We are bringing ourselves down to their level not following in the path of Christ, which leads to glorification. We have to be like a city on a hill, a light in the darkness. We need to be different and show the non-Christian that the Christian life-style is different from theirs. We can’t do this by bringing ourselves down to their level in order to relate to them.

So where is the balance? How are we to minister and evangelize if we shouldn’t become close friends? The balance is found in the Word of God, love and compassion. To who we show compassion is different than to whom we become friends. When we look at the non-Christian we should have compassion for them and minister to them without forming some great bond, as Jesus did when He looked out upon the crowds, He looked and had compassion. By living a different life we become a light in the darkness and that city upon a hill. Friendships should be formed with care and should affect others with love. We should correct what is wrong with compassion and love, without bring ourselves down to their level and developing any serious friendships. We needn’t become friends in order to evangelize, that will be becoming unequally yoked. Rather we should minister out of love and compassion, as Christ did for His lost sheep.