Real Stories of Life with God

Ep 25 | A [Former] Dentist Spending the First Hours of the Day with God

March 09, 2022 Episode 25
Real Stories of Life with God
Ep 25 | A [Former] Dentist Spending the First Hours of the Day with God
Show Notes Transcript

Get out your pen and paper, my friends, this episode is full of ideas and truths you'll want to remember. I feel like I talk more than usual in this one because it was such a sweet, easy, enjoyable conversation. Stanley Anderson is a husband, father, friend and disciple of Jesus Christ. He has long been a mentor for both my husband and me. In this conversation, we talk about the GREAT value of spending time with God daily, His sovereignty and goodness, how overcommitment can stifle our life with Him and so many other things. 

Chelsea Eubank:

Hey friends, welcome to Real stories of life with God, a podcast with a pretty explanatory title, because that's what we're here for a conversation with real people about their unique life with God. I'm your host Chelsea Eubank and I'm so glad you're here. Let's jump into today's episode. Stanley, tell us a little bit about

Stanley Anderson:

you. Well, I am old AppLink. I've been here for Well, I'm 72. So I'm from the area, went school with Harlem, went to gusta College Medical College of Georgia met my wife at Augusta college. And I have three boys. And that's the short of it. So I am occupation was dentistry. And my vocation has intensified. And it won't end until I'm horizontal for church. So

Chelsea Eubank:

that's, I was gonna ask what your day to day usually looks like. Do you have a rhythm at all?

Stanley Anderson:

Yeah, I do. Right? We're sitting in the beginning of Monday, which is, I think it's in Matthew, or Shirley's and Luke is regarding to prayer is your place your private place, go your closet. And so this is not a closet. But focus focuses me so well. Tom's the lower two. This is where I start, and a lot of times, extends for a long time. So

Chelsea Eubank:

I'm learning a lot about past couple of years running a lot about the practice of silence and solitude, Oh, nothing, you know, which is very hard for my personality. But it takes me about 25 to 30 minutes to even get there to a place where I can listen. Isn't that amazing? It takes me half an hour, to sift through all the things that I'm tempted to be doing, or wondering about before I can actually open myself up enough to listen to the Lord, like, it's quite fast. But if I don't give myself the time that after 15 minutes, I'm like, Well, I can't do it. I can't be stopped too soon.

Stanley Anderson:

At least you're mindful of it. When I was that age. I don't think I was mindful of it. Men are more doers. And I think we always started the back half of the chapter of any epistle and we want to get after us to listen and understand why we do and we're more, I guess the expression is we need to be more human being.

Chelsea Eubank:

Right? Okay, so to the verses then inspired a few of these questions, whereas in Matthew 22, Jesus is asked which commandment in the law is the greatest and he says, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind, and the second love your neighbor as yourself? My first question for you is what currently stirs your love for

Stanley Anderson:

God? Well, that that is, of course the vertical and the horizontal life and what scares me more than anything else is time itself in like this time. There's, there's a lot happens in this room, a lot of praying in this room, but just fallen in love with the Lord over again. It's an over and over and over again, thing. And, you know, I just remember time when my wife and I were dating, you remember this with John, I'm sure. I mean, I was just talking on the phone. Well, that's what's going on in here. It's just time I have now that I did not have been really didn't have in the time of 30s 40s and making a living and Jason children and one through teen and so what stirs May is time, and the word is nothing like time and the word nothing. Can Trump it? And so I can stay in here for extended period of time. And it's an amazing blessing that comes I think, with age. So yeah,

Chelsea Eubank:

I wonder too, if there's a and maybe I'm asking this because I'm trying to find this or cultivate this. In my season of life, even that's vastly different. But kind of thinking about that getting in a habit of repeatedly or routinely letting go of all the things that I kind of tend to identify with mom building working occupation and trying to accomplish things, and say, but there might be some things that God can do when I'm not directly involved. When I'm praying for something in the quiet in the private that's not me out in the public. It's that make sense kind of having a almost valuing prioritizing the private and letting the public be whatever it's going to be, but it's easy. You talked about that younger Season of Life, which is it's so full and you find God in the pockets and you find you know, you build in that time to have with him. So it's totally different, a different season as it should be. Maybe I'm like longing for that. Even where I am right now. And I find a little bit of that. Now and I think depending on your personality, you know, I'm wired to be a super helper, fixer active present person in people's lives, which I think is totally a gift. Well, that's always have to be that and I can never not be, I can never be a way I miss out on maybe how God might provide for them. It's not with me, but just with me, interceding for them and asking the Holy Spirit to do something that I might could do a fraction of in person or doing ministry or public work or something, that the prayer God can do way more even. That's good work. God can do way more in someone's heart just by me even just interceding for them in prayer. Yes. Then, you know, then the activity or the worker, anyway,

Stanley Anderson:

yeah, the Great, the greatest as well. I think of it, the greatest gift. I'm sure it's not mine, and I've tweaked it to make it. The greatest gift I can give my wife and family, church body, people that I work with people that I will come across the day, the greatest gift I can give them is the same gift I give to God. And that is my surrendered life to the Lord. And I stay here until I have confidence and courage and contentment in my relationship with the Lord flow out of that if that's the wellspring of life, otherwise, I will get somewhere in our hurted agenda. And as Kevin Miller says, all stop over, I'll step over all those, Jesus she's to stop for I won't see them. I won't see them. And this really is think about that I can really get emotional, you can hurry through life regardless, and God is not in a hurry. And I like to say this, you can't have a fast relationship with freight. And you really can't have a fast relationship with anyone right? And so your time of prayer is the hardest work. It seems on the surface since we such doers in goers that I need to get after it. But the real heart of God is in the communication with him and letting him do a transforming work in your life. And the prayer life of pulling down strongholds in the last witness where it happens. This is the work had Robinson said prayers the word ministry surprise this is the this is the work where when when longer you stay in here, the better it is. Yes you say out

Chelsea Eubank:

there. So I had an author I really like she phrases it is bringing people into the presence of God and holding them there. It's just like a really beautiful picture to me. Like I may not always have the right words or the right things is that may not even know what's happening. But it's something if I know something's going on with someone the idea of I'm going to sit in the quiet and bring them with me into the presence of God and let Him do whatever he's gonna do that I may never see. It's just like a really neat sweet thing to be a part of that he allows us to be a part of this wonderful bless, don't want to miss out on you know you get to in your life. And like I never participated or partnered with God and anything like, oh my gosh,

Stanley Anderson:

yeah, you will never get to the end of your life. Never if you had your dying breath, you will never get to the end of your life and say, gosh, I just wish I'd gone to the mall. One more. Right? Well, you crowd with the fact of wish I had. And it's always connecting with God is the thing. All believers will say the same thing. I wish I'd spent more time quiet time realize that real life is his life within me is I spent anyway. That's good. So good. You go.

Chelsea Eubank:

Is there anything that currently stifles your love for God?

Stanley Anderson:

Anytime I get to scheduled Susan offsets. And I've learned over the years by trial and error and a lot of hardship that I say yes to many, too many things because a quote can do them but not really called to do them. And so I defer to Susan and I say Susan simply like a third grader. Okay, can I do this? Can I do? She will say no. or Yes. And I've learned to trust her heart because we are one and I know I'm incomplete. If I don't communicate with her first I'll over yes myself. So what stopped was yes, over commitment. And it's horrible. It's lifeless. It's a hard lesson to learn. But it's the greatest lesson to finally get a hold of you know what? Business is always bearing Miss, it chokes the life of Christ out of me when I get too busy what anyway? Oh, so you get that? I do. So you got to fight against that all your life. Yes. And I'm thinking to

Chelsea Eubank:

the roof, I'll say like surrendering or relinquishing what I get out of being productive and busy that's not from the Lord. You know, like how other people see me or how I see myself I'm like, but you know, we're deriving your life from when you do that you're feeling more confident, and comfortable and happy or satisfied with what you are doing, not what God is doing in you or with you or just being God. No, I don't want just adoring the Lord. Like I could spend my life just doing that or just just simply like simplify my life. But everything in the world or culture everything says do more, be more do better.

Stanley Anderson:

It says the Cheap Life is the plastic life. And it's it's stealing the life as believers probably the greatest you know, Oswald Chambers says the the greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for him. The one name of God the call of God is the satisfaction of God not a call to do something for him. Oh that's kind of what he said the whole lot more succinctly than but that's it is this communion? Yes, the oneness you get to know what's on God's mind. Moses knew what God was thinking the children of Israel got to view the acts but but he heard the voice of guys that kind of thing you get on your mind what's on here is you get a you get a view from his point not from this worldly be some sometimes I can be in different shells sometimes in a four o'clock in the morning because I'm an early riser always have been and not this know that giving God the best time of our day is paramount. Yours may be 10 o'clock at night. Well, the sharpest in the morning. And so sometimes I can be in here, because I don't have a time schedule. And a man here it's 1030 I've been in here for many hours, but it seems like just it's like being with your best friend. Yes. It's like being with John. Yeah. What date and time went by seat? Oh, no. We've been talking for three hours. It didn't seem like Yeah. Yeah. relationship and your your relationship Queen anyway.

Chelsea Eubank:

I highly. I do. Okay, fill in the blank. Fill in boy, the truth that God is blank yellow. This means a lot to you. Because blank.

Stanley Anderson:

Okay, this is what I've been. I call it a beef jerky line. Is this. Read the sense again, the truth that God is that God is sovereign means a lot to you. Because God is good. Now you can turn it around. Do it again, the belief that God is good, what's the rest of

Chelsea Eubank:

it means a lot to you. Because

Stanley Anderson:

God is awesome. So I'll just just keep chewing on that it's been going on I may for a month or more now that I believe in the goodness of God. Okay, this is the way I would look at it. If you took up a mirror of cheap mirrors, big good exercise, like from whatever Walmart and he wrote all the things that are on your page, have anxiety and worry, and to do, and I got to get this done. And the compelling things that happen if you wrote it with a magic marker, okay, and you hold it, alright, well, what happens is we get so focused on these things, then they be very life threatening things, okay? But we fail to see God who's on the other side of the mirror there in front of us, okay? But if not the center of that out and it would be a good exercise. Just take a little hammer and knock it out. So you can if you believe in the sovereignty of a good God, your prayer life transcends all those things in front of you. Are you getting it? You gotta chew on that for a while. Still chewing on it? Yeah. So if I believe in the goodness of a sovereign God, all these things that are in front of me that often focus on them. We've been talking about Islam, but I believe on the other side of that is a good sovereign God. He wants He wants what's good for us. He is glory. If I believe in that these things that are clouding that view. Somehow another. I get to transcend go through go over those and see the goodness of a song go. Day one. It's a great place to be takes a lot of anxiety. feeling worried and all that it'd be like if he removes it? Because I believe God to do it. You get it?

Chelsea Eubank:

Yes. And well, something to about the mirror is not only am I looking at those things, but I'm also seeing a reflection of only myself. So

Stanley Anderson:

yet, that's all you see, I'm just looking at me that's what you're doing.

Chelsea Eubank:

And looking at me or thinking about myself, nothing for me,

Stanley Anderson:

you have no ability to solve what's right there. So you don't have any, you want to try that sometimes come for

Chelsea Eubank:

a therapeutic. Imagine a good visual. Yeah,

Stanley Anderson:

that mirror and you can kind of see yourself but then what I would do I have a picture of Jesus over here that set it up on the other side, I can't see him at all. Oh, you see his muscles.

Chelsea Eubank:

It really brings me back to trusting the person and not the stuff. You know, they say giver now the gifts but like, I've been learning a lot and being challenged a lot by him lately about do I love him for himself? Do I trust him for himself and how he makes me feel and not what my life looks like? And now when he gives or doesn't give me is it just because He's God? That I'm committed and devoted? Or is it because of how I feel I feel strong and happy and joyful and peaceful as a Christian or do I feel confronted or challenged or grieved? And yeah, anyway,

Stanley Anderson:

we've even know how to give good gifts to our children. How much more does the heavenly father want? Mo SRV and a little bit it want to give us the greatest gift of all that's the buying presence of Zelda spirit alive, said you know what? I got this. Yes, I got this. She just hang out with me. I got this this like when you hung out with your dad. Yeah. You never walked around and anxiety and you're just confident. He's got he's got this. And that's that's it? There's something about the lawn after you know that?

Chelsea Eubank:

Yes, yes, deep abiding knowledge. And then there's something too about whatever's given or taken away from me. He never can be. I think the thing no matter what I go through what I lose. And in my mind with my daughter, my husband would be like, number one for me if something, I lost them. But I would wake up the next day and still have stuff to do and still have a guy to talk to and still have a God who's leading me in with me and providing for me, like that would not change and something about that gives me the freedom to open my hands a lot. And say, you know, like, hold things a lot more loosely. And say, I don't want that to happen. But honestly, I would be okay would

Stanley Anderson:

be I would be okay. Please get that down that you would be okay. He was. You got you've gotten that truth on it early, at least be aware of it. Yes, she would be never use drumroll talk. Like, like, this is the worst thing. Don't ever write anything along those lines. That's not found in the word. Don't ever use that. God's not bringing up the past than our wives. He's always speaking toward our future. Who we are in him. Be is big. Yeah, that's great. True.

Chelsea Eubank:

Last question is what is something you're looking forward to?

Stanley Anderson:

Oh, Ma, I'm really looking forward to. I'm gonna go to the end and all back up. I'm really looking forward to as my buddy would say is he was near death. He said, I'm really, I'm really excited about what's next. Jesse, I've seen enough. I'm 72. There's nothing here that will satisfy my heart relationships, is it? I mean, who would not want to leave their spouse of 49 years or grandchildren? But there's nothing else that can fulfill that in our hearts and our lives that we cry for and crave? Yeah. And so I'm looking forward to that is, is another buddy said recently, my cousin he says fiction to get excited. So I'm excited about that. Now back in way up to the present would be awesome. Looking forward. Any kind of I'm looking forward to today. I've kind of trained myself over the years to look at life as a one day mission trip. on mission trips you do you do a lot of prayer and prep in preparation. And that that leaves you with anticipation. A

Chelsea Eubank:

lot of listening to a lot of openness, whatever's coming. Yeah.

Stanley Anderson:

And so I'm looking forward to your actions today and looking forward to what what kind of like taking, like your daughter's taking John by the finger and say, Okay, what we're gonna do today, kind of had that mentality a little bit so I don't have a mission coming up this weekend. So what three three day mission we have missionary couple spent a night here next week. That's all that's great. I'm looking forward to worse. I enjoy worship. More right now. I have my life and there's more freedom in my life to joy than ever in life. Life in this life. Yes. I love this. I love. I love leading the class. I love discipleship. I'm excited about all anytime I sit down with your husband in this room. Yes. I look forward to it. Yeah. It's the real things. Eternal life everlasting deep. Can't touch it. Yeah. But you know, this is where it begins. It begins in here. Hey, you can't do that, you know, the grace she had yesterday was just grace. God's got new grace for you today. And so I have to stay with him long enough to know in my heart may take you two hours may take me four hours may take whatever. But I stayed long enough to my heart is full and satisfied and content and confident in him. Then there is a lot of anticipation in the day. And I see him where I would never see him. He just talked about it. Yeah, you see that you see a tattoo on on a man's neck that you never would notice. You see what's happening is that you wait in line listening. You listen. Yeah. You see the the lady that's in a hurry and hanging on to a child you see those things? And God enables you to intersect. You become represent Jesus to the lost world. And so anyway, I'm saying some things in my life now that I didn't see because of the hurried pace that you guys face all the time, but it's pretty sweet. It's real sweet. Anyway, it was wonderful and

Chelsea Eubank:

thank you. Listening friends, it means a lot that you added us to your day today. Thank you so much. Wherever you find yourself on your journey with Jesus. I hope you finished this episode with your faith teared, refreshed or strengthened. Until next time,