Joe Anderson

The Flames of Heaven

I started this morning with a dilemma. We have some relatives coming over today and I plan on grilling for them. The problem is my 8yr old grill has completely fallen apart this summer…broken handle, rusted burners, no lighter, etc. This may seem like a pretty small deal with an easy solution, but I have a tendency to ‘sweat the petty things’ in life which makes it hard to decide what to do especially with meaningless (but a semi-necessary thing) like a gas grill.

I get very philosophical and depressed from thinking about things like this. It makes me jealous of people that just go out, make a decision and not even give it a second thought. I go back and forth…wondering how this decision will matter for eternity. Seriously.

So, I spent an hour this morning checking adds for sales at big-box stores, Craig’s list, hardware stores, etc. looking for the answer. Should I buy parts to fix the grill for about $75 or buy a new Weber grill for $750? The added problem is that I don’t have an “emergency fund” for a grill.

I finally decided that my son Joey and I would just drive to Menards and see what we could find. On the way there, I went a little “Joel Osteen” and asked Joey to pray that God would bless us with a great deal on a grill. Joey prayed and got really excited about going to the “turn-around store” (turnstiles) and finding the grill from Jesus. I wasn’t as excited or as confident.

As soon as we walked in the door and through the turnstiles (a couple of times) I almost tripped over a grill all by itself that was set in the entrance with a red sign saying $100. Joey started laughing and pointing because red is his favorite color and we just prayed for a grill, and there’s a grill with a red sign…so there you go! I looked at it and immediately asked the manager what the deal was. He said they only used it once for an employee lunch and wanted to get rid of it. After negotiating, he even threw in a full propane tank and grilling utensils for free. Done deal. We were out the door for $106!

The best part of all this is that both Joey and I learned that we can and should pray about anything. So the next time you have a problem…get up in God’s grill and ask for help…Mmmmmmmmm.

August 04, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Best Helper

Here's a picture of my buddy, Jacob. Every Sunday morning in Faribault I can always count on his smilling face, great attitude and hard work to make the service go great. He's a big part of the "weekend service team" and everyone appreciates having him around. He's always willing to do whatever it takes to help someone out. I can totally see that God will use him for big things in his life ...maybe even as a pastor at RVC some day! Thanks Jacob!

June 07, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)

Lesson from History

I was watching the History Channel the other night and saw an interesting story about all of the cargo on the Titanic. Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Veracruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were devastated by the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as....Sinko de Mayo!

May 05, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Inspiring and heart-warming story

After reading this amazing story I had to share it with you...

In 1986, Dan Harrison (see picture above) was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Dan approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a
large piece of wood deeply embedded in it.

As carefully and as gently as he could, Dan worked the wood out with
his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its
foot.

The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on
its face, stared at him for several tense moments.

Dan stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled.
Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Dan never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later, Dan was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his
teenaged son.

As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned
and walked over to near where Dan and his son Dan Jr. were standing.

The large bull elephant stared at Dan, lifted its front foot off the
ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Dan couldn't help wondering if this
was the same elephant.

Dan summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way
into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Dan’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

April 01, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (12)

Easter Weekend!

After a great Grand Opening two weeks ago, I can't wait to celebrate Easter in Faribault! Good Friday service is tonight at 7:00 p.m. and Easter service is Sunday at 10:00 a.m. See you there! Here's a link for more info and directions: RVC Faribault

March 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

RVC Faribault- soft service

On Sunday we had our first pre-grand opening service (AKA soft service) at our Faribault campus. It was an incredible time and just about everyone I spoke with commented on the excitement and expectancy that you could sense in the place. We are adding more to these services each week, leading up to our grand opening on February 24th---I can't wait!

Pictures: people worshiping, the Williams duo, and Bode Hilgenberg Hage's first service at our first service. It's going to be fun to watch him grow as the Church grows -congrats to Kristi and Jordy!