dying to self – The Thinking Christian Woman

The Director’s wife

dying to self, family, gardening, life purpose, Uncategorized, vigilance Comments Off

Apr 082014

Mom died six months ago today, after nearly 95 trips around the sun. Though strong, opinionated, and talented, for 68 of those years she poured her life into the dreams and goals of her husband – Christian author, speaker, film producer and director, Ken Anderson.

“Mrs. A” as many around the film studio and the world called her, was a humble, but not common, thinking Christian woman. Shortly after her death, I found a hand-written note in her devotional, written on her 59th birthday:

“Dear Lord – Help me to be a method actress in the greatest film of life. I don’t ask for the lead part. Put me anywhere in the film. I only ask that I can give You 100% of all that I have. If all the hard parts seem to come my way, I thank You for the compliment – it means I could handle it for You. Help me to remember that You never send an actress more trouble than she can handle. Help me study the script (Bible) so I’ll know the lines. And when the director calls “cut” for me because of illness or old age, help me to accept the “wrap-up” and final scene with grace, showing love and kindness as You did when You left the setting of Heaven to come here to earth, to live and die, so that I might live forever in scenery yet unknown, leaving those who remain on set. – Mrs. A”

Leading through open doors

dying to self, service. loving sacrifice 2 Responses »

Jun 062012

There are hundreds, probably thousands, of good books on leadership. This post doesn’t presume to improve on those, but simply to share a dream.

While investing a week at the Optimum Health Institute recently, (eating only raw food in proper combinations, drinking at least half my body weight in ounces of water and other fluids, juicing/drinking wheatgrass twice a day, colon cleansing, and other spiritual, mental/emotional and physical transformation practices), I remembered the following dream one morning.

A square-jawed, crew-cut, battle-scarred, muscular, seasoned old sargeant is in the face of a skinny, wide-eyed, fresh-out-of-the-box young officer barking gruffly, “You wanna be a great leader, Andy?!” (One of the founders of the church camp I attended as a child affectionately called me Andy as short for Anderson, but I never liked it because it was a boy’s name.)

The old Sarge continues without waiting for an answer, “it’s more than encouragement, character, and strength…ya gotta open doors for people!”

Then he swings open the metal gates and ushers herds of civilians through, barking, “Keep it movin! Keep it tight! Let’s go people, keep movin!”

I’ve thought about that scene alot since then. It makes so much sense. If a door that I want to enter is closed to me, and someone opens it and steps through ahead of me, I will follow them through, not necessarily because of their great leadership skills, but because they are making a way for me to go somewhere I want to go but haven’t been able to on my own for whatever reasons.

Jesus is our pathmaker to salvation and eternity. He has stepped through the open tomb door and invites us to follow.

To whatever degree I’m entrusted with leadership from this point forward, as a thinking Christian woman, I have purposed to remember that it’s mostly about opening doors for people, with a servant’s heart.