Summer Staycation

This is a much older post that I'd written and never published. Just thought I'd share in case anyone was looking for a bit of fun close to home (or maybe while there in the area).

So Ryan and I put away a little money for an anniversary getaway. In the mean time, job hours changed and other commitments arose. So we decided to see just how far our little bit of money would take a family of four this summer. Our first trip was a week at a campground along Lake Moultrie. We got to stay for free, so with groceries and pizza one night, we spent a total of $85 for the week. Not bad. Here's what we did (other than hours of Uno and Bunco):

We hiked part of the Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail.

It took us through a thick pinewood forest...

...over railroad tracks...

...and up the Pinopolis East Dike.

The view of the lake was wonderful. I hear it's even better at sunset.

Those mean gray clouds broke and it started to rain.

Next we drove through Bonneau on our way to St. Stephen where we saw St. Stephen's Episcopal Chapel. It's a rural colonial church that began in 1754.

We went through the Pineville Community and saw the antebellum Pineville Chapel. It had survived Sherman's troops.

Someone was a little too nosy and had to peak through the keyhole...

We drove to the Sandy Beach Waterfowl Management Area and decided to revisit on a less rainy day. So on to General Francis Marion's burial site.

We ended up at Black's Fish Camp...

...and a rather odd statue of Gen. William Moultrie.

After that we made the short trip back to the campground for some fun in the water, sand, and even a little sun.

9/11

I was recently honored enough to interview my cousin, Wayne Anderson, for the Georgetown Times. Wayne was in the Secret Service and at the Towers the day they were attacked. I still cry today to think of all that happened that day. This is just one small piece of a much bigger picture. Below is his story:

Wayne Anderson never thought the pursuit of his life-long dream would land him in the middle of one of America’s most historical events.
As an elementary school teacher in Georgetown County’s school system, Anderson dreamed of a more adventurous pursuit – becoming a member of the Secret Service.
“I had always been a lover of history and geography, both of which were subjects I taught,” Anderson said. “Pursuing a career as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service allowed me to have what I call a front row seat to history and travel the world at the same time.”
When his patriotism finally got the best of him, he quit his teaching career, with the full support of his wife, Tammy, who was also a teacher, and made his dream a reality. He says they both knew the risks that came with such a job.
“I am without question one of the most patriotic people you will meet,” Anderson said. “Protecting the person who holds the highest office in the nation – and questionably the world – goes well beyond strong patriotism. It requires commitment to the mission that must, at all times, be deeply sacrificial. Let’s face it, you are making a decision to, if the unfortunate situation presents itself, place your body between the protectee and the threat.”
After completing basic training in Georgia and advanced training in Maryland, he served a brief stint at the Secret Service Office in Charleston in late 1999. In the summer of 2000, Anderson was transferred to the Secret Service’s largest field office in New York City.
Anderson said he began the morning of September 11, 2001, just like any other. He told his wife goodbye and left their Edison, N.J., home for his morning commute into Manhattan. There was a major accident on the turnpike that morning, delaying his arrival at the World Trade Center to 8:30 a.m.
“I parked my G-ride under Tower 1, took the elevator up, and proceeded over to my office at Tower 7,” Anderson said. “I was sitting at my desk probably less than 10 minutes when one of the loudest explosions I have ever heard occurred. It felt as if our building had been rocked from its foundation.”
Anderson said he immediately turned to the glass windows on his right to see the North Tower beside them engulfed in flames. Without visible evidence of a plane, Anderson said they assumed it was a repeat of the 1993 attack and had been a bomb. Without waiting on word from building security, he said their training as agents kicked in and they began to cover and evacuate the building.
“As we began descending the stairwell, I remember thinking with each step that our building, with many other high profile targets in addition to my own agency, would probably be next, and I wondered how much time we had,” he said.
Once on the ground, Anderson, with several other agents, moved a couple of blocks north to set up a triage area to aid some of the injured. Within minutes, a second plane arrived and collided with the south tower.
“It was at that instance that I knew our nation was under attack,” said Anderson. “By that time, chaos had broken out all around us. People everywhere were in a state of panic and were seeking cover wherever they could find it. For myself and several agents, that place was a nearby school.”
After almost half an hour, Anderson joined approximately 15 other agents and formed a search party for their own missing personnel. Before they were allowed to proceed with the search, each had to sign out with one of the USSS supervisors so they would be aware if anyone did not make it back.
”By this time the air was filled with flying debris and soot making any movement hazardous,” Anderson said. “We actually took our undershirts off, tore them into strips and made handkerchiefs to cover our faces for protection as we headed back to the burning towers.”
Before they could reach to towers, they faced another crise. The south tower had begun to collapse.
“I remember thinking that Tammy would kill me if I didn’t make it back… just one of the crazy thoughts that runs through your head,” Anderson said. “Desperate for cover, we used nearby buildings to shield us from falling and burning debris.”
That was when the decision to evacuate further north was made. They went to an outdoor ball field turned into a temporary relocation site for the next few hours. Verizon’s switching station had been located in the Trade Center and their repeater towers were on top of the buildings, making it impossible for survivors to contact family to let them know they had escaped the south tower.
“As I stood there on the field looking back at the towers, I vividly recall seeing several people leap from windows over 80 stories up knowing that their leap to a certain death was better than facing the inferno behind them.” Anderson said.
Hours passed before Anderson could leave Manhattan that day. The Holland and Lincoln Tunnels as well as the George Washington Bridge had all been closed out of fear of another attack. It was early evening when Anderson and several other agents were finally ferried across the Hudson River back to New Jersey by a Park Service vessel. They were finally reunited with their families.
“I can tell you in hindsight that being in the front row seat to history is not always desirable” he said. “In fact, we can look back over numerous events in our nation’s history that we would surely change or prevent if we were able to do so, such as assassinations, wars, natural disasters, and the list goes on. To that list, we now add September 11, 2001.”
Though he had served our country during one of its darkest moments, Anderson never regretted leaving the safety of his teacher’s position for one of more dangerous service.
“Sometimes you find yourself in a bad place at a horrible time, as was clearly the case during 9/11,” Anderson said. “I never questioned my career choice.”
Today, Anderson is the Site Director for the Department of Homeland Security at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston. He is also the proud father of 8-year-old twin daughters, McKenzie and Makayla.
“Would I have made the same decision today as a father of twins? I honestly don’t think I would have changed a thing,” Anderson said. “I will say that my present job with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is also especially rewarding and affords me the opportunity to be home most nights with my family, which is something that I could never place a value upon.”

Bible Study

I fell in love with Bible study about a year and a half ago.
I know some would gasp that I didn't "love" it before, but the truth is I did not. I struggled to keep up with my "daily bread" so to speak. Then I went through a tough time, a low time. I'm talking "yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" time. And that's when I discovered it.
At first I sought out verses to help make me strong. Then my husband would find passages he felt would speak to me in my situation. I began writing them all down in a little notebook. I'd take it everywhere and read them daily -- often two or three times a day.
Then as my son worked his way into the spring semester of his church-based preschool, I discovered that church's women's Bible study program. There was a number to choose from and I took days to decide which I would sign up for. It was a tough decision, as I've always loved to read and learn and the topics were all great. The only one I knew I did not want to go to was the one on Daniel. I have a great anxiety about eschatology and since I was already battling anxiety of biblical proportions anyway, I decided to steer clear of this one.
So I signed up for I nice friendly one about talking to God and went to church that Wednesday night. This is what I learned. One: Always write down the room number you're trying to get to before you enter the mega-church. And Two: God will speak to you the way He chooses, despite what you think.
I couldn't find the class I had signed up for and no one I asked seemed to know where it was either. So I finally fell into step with a group of women who were heading to their study and just decided to join whichever one that was. You've probably already guessed; it was Daniel. Beth Moore's Daniel to be exact.
I was smitten. The research she put into it, the amount of history we studied, the explanation of end-of-times prophesy. I finally understood something I'd ran from most of my life. Don't get me wrong. She didn't claim to have all the answers, she simply explained what the Bible said. And how most of Daniel's prophesies have already come true. And how they can relate to our lives today.
I was hooked. I wanted to know more, because the more I learned about this precious Book I thought I already knew, the more I realized I know nothing.
I took to reading Bible commentaries and history books. I read just about every faith-based book that crosses my path. I fell in love with talking about the Word and hearing what others thought. I took every Bible study that mega-church offered and I could squeeze into my schedule. I started going to hear speakers and watching televised pastors. I discovered that some were more motivators, while others left me feeling fed and still others were so far off based they were not even in the same religion. And I learned that I began to trust myself to discern who to believe and who not to when it came to spreading the Word. Before I trusted everyone with a television show or whose picture graced a book jacket. Now I know God's Word, I know what to listen for when it comes to the Voice of God, and I know what the prompting of the Holy Spirit is.
My anxiety slowly melted and at the end of it I am closer to God than I've ever been in my entire 32 years of knowing Him. It came from learning who He is and what His ways are. Because I know His Word better, I know Him better. And I'm also proud to admit how little I really know and how much I'm still trying to learn.

Holy Meditation

It is time for us as Christians to begin meditating... daily. It is a must.
For most of my life I thought meditation was a bad thing. I thought it was something for Tibetan monks and those practicing yoga. And truth be told I never put much thought to it. Ironic isn't it, not putting much thought to that which the Bible tells us to put thought to.

I've never heard it preached how we should meditate on God, His word, His ways, and His laws. I've heard many the lesson on obeying them, but never one teaching to simply sit and think on them. Yet time and again the Bible tells us to do just that.

Meditating on God's word offers us a chance to sit back and think on His ways and how they apply to our own personal lives. If we do not think on these things, how then can they help us be prepared for life. Day in and out we face ups and downs and if we do not study (with intent) God's word, then are we just hoping it may influence us a little more than the television and the movies we're watching and the music we listen to. Maybe that verse we read over will influence our decisions more than our friends, family and co-workers.

That is not how it works. We must intentionally spend time thinking over God and all he has for us. We must meditate on Him.

To get a clearer understanding of what meditation truly is I once again turned to my trusty Webster's New World Dictionary. Looking up the word "meditate" I found that it means "to plan or intend" or "to think deeply."

I also looked in The Layman's Bible Encyclopedia. According to it, meditation is a "form of private devotion consisting of deep, continued reflection on some religious theme. The word seldom occurs outside of Psalms, but the practice of meditation is clearly regarded as beneficial for Christians. The objects of meditation mentioned in the Psalms are God, his law, and his works. It appears that meditation means active contemplation of its object, a deliberate effort being made to put all distractions out of one's mind. In the Bible it does not have reference to the contemplative mysticism common to Oriental religions and which has had its devotees in Christianity."

It truly seems to go hand in hand with God's call for us to be still. In being still and knowing that He is God, we must actually put thought to the "knowing." How do we know when two people are in love? We put thought into it. We study their ways and note how they look at each other and hold hands. We notice the way they talk to each other and what they say. How then are we to know unwaveringly that God loves us? We have to put thought into it. Know He calls us beloved and take note of the way He cares for us.

The Psalmists repeatedly claim to meditate on God and His precepts. Psalm 1 says the man who does not counsel or stand with the wicked and sinners is blessed. Verse 2 adds that "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."

Psalm 119:15 says, "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways." The Psalmist expands further in verses 97 and 148. He claims his love for God's ways ("Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.") and spends night and day thinking on them ("My eyes stay open through the watches of the night that I may meditate on your promises.").

So to fully grasp this concept we must not read the Bible daily for the sole purpose of simply reading the Bible each and every day. It then becomes mundane and we find our selves scanning through to reach our three chapters a day quota. Scripture calls us to go beyond that and actually spend time afterward thinking on it, considering it, praying about it.

Beth Moore points out in her Bible study Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy that Daniel "resolved" not to defile himself even though he was in the midst of Babylon (Daniel 1:8). To resolve is to "analyze... determine... solve... to come to a decision" (Webster's). One doesn't accidentally resolve to do anything. Living a godly life does not happen by accident. Rearing godly children does not happen by accident. Growing deeper in our walk and relationship with God and Christ is not an accident. We must put though toward these things. We will not accidentally end up in heaven any more than we will accidentally end up in the White House. It takes planning, thought, and effort.

Without thought and meditation, how can we be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)? We cannot. And renewal is exactly what we need. It's an unfortunate lesson I've learned. By not remaining aware of my thoughts I left an open door for Satan. While my thoughts were not sinful on the surface, they were sin. I was full of constant fear and anxiety. I was being double minded (James 1) and I spiraled out of control.

Only when I was in full on panic attacks did I realize I needed help. I remember dropping to my knees and crying out to God. I turned to His word and began reading and studying with a fervency that tends to only come when you are under serous attack from the enemy. I began doing something I hadn't done since I was a child in Sunday school and actively memorizing Bible verses. I had to be transformed. My mind needed complete reprogramming.

I blessed to say that God heard and He answered. I'm also blessed to say I learned my lesson. Had I been meditating on God's word all along, I would have answered every nagging worry and concern with God's promises. I also would have obeyed Christ's numerous commands not to worry.

Not being conscious of our thoughts toward God and about Him -- or even making sure we have them -- can lead to dangerous territory. It is, indeed, a slow fade. We may not realize the occasional thought of a cute co-worker has led to lust or that our constant annoyance with our boss has led to hate or even that our time in front of the television has gained more importance to us than our daily time alone with God.

As Pastor Peter Van Niekirk said earlier this year while visiting the states, we have got to start "living on purpose." For our thoughts become our words and our words eventually become our actions.

Be Still

Lately I've been trying to learn what it truly means to "be still." Kids hear that a lot. I know mine do, but I feel as though God has been saying it to me too. And not just recently, for a long time now.

I struggle with it because I don't know what to do. Does it mean to be inactive, to stop doing all the projects and ministries I'm a part of? Or is it to sit in a silent room away from all distractions, focusing only on God?

I decided to pull out my trusty dictionary that's been around since my elementary school days. There I found a proven definition of the word "still":

(Adj) 1. Without sound; silent. 2. Soft or low in sound. 3. Calm; tranquil. 5. Not effervescent (meaning to give off gas bubbles or to be lively and high spirited).

(Noun) 1. Silence; quiet. 2. A still photograph.

(Adverb) 1. At or up to the time indicated. 2. Even; yet. 3. Nevertheless; yet.

So being "still" is not one of my strong suites. Not because of my effervescent personality, but more because I'm a Martha -- as in Mary and Martha. I'm a worker and a volunteer-for-everything, can't say "No" type of person. But yet the tug at my heart has been to be still.
As I read through the Book of Psalms, David speaks of it repeatedly. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and now that I am God..." That's no small thing. According to The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, those words carry "the idea of refraining from vain strivings and lack of confidence." That goes a long way toward describing me. What good were my actions if my soul was never at rest, when in the end it is not my actions that will save me but my relationship with God. And lack of confidence? Behind all my work that's exactly what I was left with. That was it! For me I had some how come to to a misunderstanding. I had mistook my busyness for the Lord and all the work I did for Him as a close relationship with Christ.

The idea truly hit me when I was recently reading Joanna Weaver's book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Joanna writes, "I don't like loneliness, so I fill the space with phone calls and social events and trips to the mall -- but loneliness, as my friend Jeanne Mayo puts it, can be "God's call to fellowship with him." I don't like quietness, so I fill up the silence with sitcoms and talk shows, Christian music and CNN -- but it was in the quiet of the night that Samuel heard God's voice."

I can see so much more clearly now that the desire for stillness is also a desire for a deeper more personal relationship with God. He wants not only to be my King, Lord, and Saviour, but to truly be my friend. That means a resolved approach to Bible study and daily devotions and prayer. A renewed interest, not in simply being involved in church but in going to learn, grow, and meet with God.

For so much of my life, church days were the busiest of the week. There were classes to be taught, praise and worship songs to sing, missions to build up, and youth trips to organize. And don't even get me started on the weeks of preparation before vacation Bible school each summer. In looking back, I have certainly worked for the Kingdom, but I can't say that any of it brought me closer to Christ.

Weaver says that "We were designed to be close to God." I'm learning that more and more now. The more time I have been saving for him lately -- in personal prayer and Bible study as well as corporate through the church -- the more and more I want. Now multiply that infinitely and that is how God feels about spending time with me (and you) as well. It's a little like that old chip commercial that says you can't eat just one. The more of God you get, the more you hunger for him. The more time you sacrifice to give him in your life, the more you want to give up for him.
In the few short months I've renewed my resolve to pursue Him, I've been amazed at the miracles around me. I can hear His voice so much more clearly and my life has completely changed. I'm happier than I've been in ages and have truly began to let go of years of stress and worry. It's amazing what a little prayer in your day can accomplish.

The Last Few Weeks

Here's what the Andersons' have been up to the last few weeks.

Apples and Bannanas for Teacher's Day Brunch.

Cute as a Bug.

Relaxing along the Tail Race Canal before dinner.

Kids and Grands.


Flowers Blooming.

Working the Door.

Growing so Big.

Homemade popsicles before the game.

Learning to share.

Brothers and Friends.

The Lingering Giant

This is one of my articles that originally ran in the Summer 2007 edition of Reach Out Columbia!

I just wanted to share it because it is one of my favorites:

The Lingering Giant

The ladies at my church recently decided to meet for Tuesday night Bible study. The book of choice was going to Max Lucado’s Facing Your Giants. No problem there. Lucado is a great writer and always has an interesting read, regardless of the subject. There is also nothing I love more than gathering with other Spirit-led women. I am inspired and uplifted by other Christian women and I believe it is always important to build yourself a great network of them.
As we delved into this book about giants and problems we all face, I found myself thinking this wasn’t the Bible study for me. I would continue to read the book and attend the meetings because the fellowship was tremendous. As far as what I needed right now in my life, however, this wasn’t it. I’ve been a Christian a long time and I know all this stuff. I know to lean not on my own understanding and keep my eyes on God. I know that if I focus on my giant, it will be overwhelming. I know that God can take impossible situations and bring me out on top. I know all of this. Or at least I thought I did.
During discussion of the book in the second meeting, Brenda, our group leader, shared a very deep and personal story of her own struggle. It was a huge struggle with forgiveness. Funny, I didn’t get that out of the first four chapters. Where was this coming from? But as she shared, I saw what an unconquerable giant unforgiveness can be. I realized that despite how much I knew, I couldn’t control how I felt. No matter how many scriptures I can quote, they mean nothing without a right heart.
I also realized that of all the giants I’ve ever faced, unforgiveness was among the mightiest. It was Goliath, standing in a field, calling to me, mocking me. And I, in all my piety, hid from it. I shoved it deep down inside and never looked back. I told myself I had forgiven the person who had shaken the church I was raised in, who hurt so many of my family and friends. I even spoke well of him if asked, and took my son to their Vacation Bible School. I hid it so well; I didn’t even realize the giant still existed. But it did.
As Brenda spoke that night, God spoke to me. He was calling me out. Showing me that even though I had shoved those hurt feelings into the deepest crevasse of my heart, they were still taking up space in the heart I had dedicated to Him. I had promised Him my all, but instead I was packing away old feelings of resentment in the space I’d allotted Him.
When my husband and I moved to Columbia last year, we came across a lot of old stuff we’d forgotten about. Boxes shoved in the attic or stacked in the shed. The same was true with the “boxes” God was pointing out. The buyers of our old house didn’t want any of our junk left behind anymore than God does. And, the thing that moved me the most wasn’t the humbling I felt after God spoke to me, but the fact that He loves me so much, so completely, that He wants every square inch of me. Sure, God can use anyone to do anything, despite our hang-ups and our “hang-ons,” but He wants all of me. He loves me so much that He wants all of me.
Needless to say I spent many hours in prayer after that. I’d like to say all of those ugly feelings disappeared immediately, vanishing without a trace. But I’m still working on it by surrendering them to the Lord. The difference? I’m aware of the giant now. I’m answering back with God’s Word. Words like David used when he faced his giant, Goliath. “I come in the name of the Lord of hosts…This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (I Samuel 17:45-46 KJV).
Are you still moving around old boxes that need to go? Maybe something from childhood; possibly a remark from your wedding day; anything that takes up the space God wants so badly in your heart. God can take care if them for you. He can help you find them and sort through them. You’ll feel lighter and God will have more room to work in your life. Give Him a call today!