A Prodigal Son Returns
Chris Anderson considered himself a "self-made man" with no need for God as he continued his rapid climb up the corporate ladder, becoming an executive in the healthcare industry while only in his 20s.
A preacher's kid, Chris had lost his way as a young man, turning to alcohol and tobacco. Then, as he focused on his career and desires for "notoriety and money," his family and his relationship with Christ fell by the wayside again. "They weren't even on the radar," he recalled.
Soon his habit of having a drink now and then was an every night occurrence, and his tobacco usage made alcohol binging even more acute.
But a stroke at age 34 changed everything. "Divine intervention" Chris calls it.
"It was my wake-up call to make me realize how fragile life is and how much God loves me and my family," he said of that day in April of 2006.
Just months before the stroke, his wife, Karen, and their two children, Grace and Jackson, had begun attending Prestonwood. When the Andersons moved here in the fall of 2005, Karen had used the Prestonwood steeple as a guiding point while learning her way around the area.
"After that it became a love affair between my family and Prestonwood," Chris said.
While in the hospital, he was amazed at the love shown to his family and he couldn't wait to begin attending himself. Every day, someone from Prestonwood visited.
"I couldn't speak to them yet, but they encouraged me with words and prayer," Chris said of the visitors. "I can't tell you how much that meant to me, and how it would soon lay the groundwork for my return to church."
Though the initial diagnosis was bleak, Chris was walking within a couple of months.
"My speech and my right arm are still affected now, two years later, but I know God will use these for His glory," Chris said. "I have realized that through my weaknesses others can see God's strength."
The Andersons have now become part of the Prestonwood North family, and Chris has found his calling in missions work. He is using his expertise in hospital compliance to help Prestonwood begin a clinic in Braila, Romania through ServingHIM Healthcare International Ministries, and is traveling to Romania later this month and again in June.
"I don't think that I would be here in my present shape if not for Prestonwood," he said. "Everybody has been so wonderful, from Pastor Graham to our Sunday School teacher, Sean Cross. We have truly found a home."
With a new level of conviction, Chris felt moved to rededicate his life to the Lord when he returned to church. Still, he realizes he's a work in progress.
"You never know what God has in store," Chris said. "Five years ago I couldn't have imagined this. Now I can't wait for the next five years.
"I know God was in every detail of the reason why I'm still alive, talking, and breathing," he said. "My testimony is far from complete ... in fact, I feel like it's just begun."
