06 October, 2005

Closer Than A Brother: happy birthday!

Today marks the 28th birthday of a friend since I was a child.

Shawn Anderson, of Albany, NY, turns 28 years old this day.

Ten years ago Shawn was without hope in this world and not a member of the covenant of grace. In these ten years, Shawn has become a lover of Jesus Christ, a defender of the Reformed Faith, and reformer in his own right. Shawn's chief desire is to see the Church return to the landmarks that were set up by our Presbyterian forefathers.

Shawn and I are comparable to that of Jonathan and David. Our friendship is deeply rooted to the point of an inability to separate. I love Shawn as a brother and as a friend.
All who know Shawn have been touched by him in many ways.

You can visit the three blogs of Shawn's on the right:
Progressive Irrelevant Publishing
Sola Bookstora
My Trivial Soapbox

You can also email Shawn to wish him a happy birthday:
shawnthecovenanter@yahoo.ca


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!! Here is your birthday Psalm. Sing it with me!


Psalm 28 (Geneva 1599)
A Psalme of Dauid.

Vnto thee, O Lord, doe I crie: O my strength, be not deafe toward mee, lest, if thou answere me not, I be like them that goe downe into the pit. Heare the voyce of my petitions, when I crie vnto thee, when I holde vp mine handes towarde thine holy Oracle. Drawe mee not away with the wicked, and with the woorkers of iniquitie: which speake friendly to their neighbours, when malice is in their hearts. Reward them according to their deedes, and according to the wickednes of their inuentions: recompense them after the woorke of their handes: render them their reward. For they regarde not the woorkes of the Lorde, nor the operation of his handes: therefore breake them downe, and builde them not vp. Praised be the Lorde, for he hath heard the voyce of my petitions. The Lorde is my strength and my shielde: mine heart trusted in him, and I was helped: therfore mine heart shall reioyce, and with my song will I praise him. The Lorde is their strength, and he is the strength of the deliuerances of his anointed. Saue thy people, and blesse thine inheritance: feede them also, and exalt them for euer.

Discussion Points:
-How has Shawn effected your life? (In a good way!)
-What are some funny stories that you remember concerning Shawn?
-What would it take to get Shawn to move back to Grand Rapids?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
NPE said...

I remember the boat at Camp Concordia capsizing and causing too fat boys to almost drown to death!

The picture is a classic.

NPE said...

I mean TWO not too...

Anonymous said...

Happy Birday Unkie Shawn.

Love you.

Anonymous said...

Happy Boithday Shawn.

Green Alien blood is no laughing matter.

Anonymous said...

Happy Boithday Shawn.

Green Alien blood is no laughing matter.

Anonymous said...

I would like my Virgin Mary statue put back into stock.

Or you owe me $50.

Anonymous said...

They don't fire people for teaching heresy here!

Man..lighten up, dude!

Happy birthday I got you a copy of the singer for your devotions!

Long live the Message!

John W. Sikma said...

Chucky Cheese action! (sniff, the good ole days)

Expedia said...

Word reached us all on the mothership that this blog was posted to celebrate Shawn's 28th birthday. How could I not hyper-dimensionally cruise over to leave my thoughts on the matter. After all Shawn has definitely been a blessing to my life!

Well, Well, Mr. Anderson....errrr.....wait a sec... that might not be a good way to start...evokes memories of cascading green glyphs and women with poor dyejobs in monochromatic leather, sucking ghastly worms from bellies of innocent victims, at gun point no less! Ewww...not a pretty Birthday thought, now is it... :/

Erase that...

Shawnnnnnnie Bawnnnnnnnnnnie!!!!!!!!

...ok, nowwwww we be-a-grinnin!

I want to wish you a terrific birthday and to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the many wonderful memories I have of times we have been together and enjoyed one another's company...mostly over food, have you noticed??

So often our conversations have been "chess-like" as we "play" at one another's "ideas" and many times I have been challenged to think in a different way...assessing information from a different perspective.

You, more often than not, demanded logic and reason at all cost, how refreshing considering the others I bantered with who stood sniveling on the uncertain ground of "feeling and experience". Those microbial bastages of the faith!

It has been my singular privilege to watch you rise from Fool, and I present that in the truest meaning, to a Wise Man...and a wise ass at times, but hey, thanks be to God we ascend from glory to glory! :0)

You are a profound example how, no matter how ill equipped the evangelizing jawbone might be, (ummm, that'd be moi), the Lord is still able to cure the mess and make a stellar son out of it all!

Happy Birthday, Young Man...with deepest admiration and love...

MaryAnn di Nicola-Jaggi
Chautauqua-on-the-Miami

AKA
Expedia...
and I, by the by am NEVER dot calm... :)

Long live the Italian fish wife and her lungs!!!

:))))

Anonymous said...

remember when you ran me into the shopping carts at cascade meijer?

that hurt!

Anonymous said...

Remember how you wrecked me and then abandoned me in not one but THREE locations? I guess the federal government doesn't care about me either, cuz there's no programs for us abandoned cars.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say thanks for sleeping on the hard, digusting carpeted floor at Wendler. What did I do to you? Yeah, I caused you some pain, but you set me 'straight' by taking me to Doc Holiday. Thanks Buddy.

Anonymous said...

Well Shawno, I guess that I better leave a little note. I first want to thank you for being such a great friend, a confidant, and a loving, uplifting, rebuking brother to Nathan. I also thank you for warning him about marrying me. He should have listened! (Of course, I am kidding) Thanks also for teaching me about human responsibility and that I had no business blaming the way I am on my parents. Shoot. You were right.

You are neat. Okay. That is all.
Oh, I hope Paige writes about how you set her straight....good touch....bad touch......LOL

Anonymous said...

Why did you let that kid destroy me and then you just replaced me with some ugly frames.....weren't they pink??

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha....did I spell that right?>

Anonymous said...

Jokes over, you can come home now Shawn.

Come on....come home.

shawn said...

Nate thanks for this. Definately one of my best Bday gifts!

Sang Psalm 28 – Great Psalm!

Thought I'd partake in your discussion questions.

1) How has Shawn effected your life? (In a good way!)

Haha – in a “GOOD” way.. You know there has got to be some redeeming question here… “How has Christ used Shawn to effect your life – good or bad” I’m sure Christ has used me to teach others how not to sin through my stupid sins – and that’s a humbling thought… thanks for the qualification, Nate.

2) What are some funny stories that you remember concerning Shawn?

Some of mine that have not been mentioned yet:

-Mr Brain–outside-my-skull-man, making Nate laugh so hard he puked, and Brian getting so ticked off at us only made us laugh harder.

-Cutting classes at RBC to go to Meijers and eat, and fellowship with others, seeking to indoctrinate the whole stinkin’ school.

-Sabbath day Roasts… Thank you Linda Lanning for your great Dutch treats!

-Going to that one dispy Reformed Church and finally deciding it was a good time to leave ONLY AFTER listening to the 8th sermon in a 40 part series on Y2K.

- Going to HNRC the next week and hearing them sing to God asking Him to destroy His enemies (Ps 83). I raised my hands in praise. That was also the first sermon I had heard that I didn’t even try to critique, because I was too edified by God’s Truth.

-Nate and I having contests to see who could find the best used books.

-Getting a call at work when Brian’s room was on fire… and I didn’t believe you.

-Going to the annual Baker Party in tuxes.

-Having the neighbors get the police after us for having so many broken down cars around our house.

-Falling 13 ft into that stupid dumpster because the stupid window frame broke, and Mike V. yelling at Ben S. to jump down in there after me.

-Having the Eshelmans over and Dianne cooked an awesome Turkey Day feast. We watched movies all day and ate.

-Always getting Sedgewick to obey me.

-New Year’s resolutions (cheers).

-Steve-O... what else can I say.

-Teaching at Mt Zion, and Grace Homeschool Assoc.

-Freakin out at a Baker’s Staff meeting because they wanted to incorporate Rosaries in our gift section. “That would make a fine addition to our Idol section!”.

-Calvin College Men’s Bible Studies.

-Hayden making a movie about the Fountains.

-Introducing Nate to one of the funnest "playgrounds" in GR... Gotta love the Go-Carts, couldn't believe we fit in them.

-Worshipping in the back of a bookstore.

-Nathan talking ol’-whats’-her-face to buy the whole OED set (just kidding Kelly).

-Kelly laughing so hard one night she had to sit on the floor in the middle of the Baker Ring. There were customers averywhere.

-Arguing with Adam Boone in Bakers that giving Homo's the death sentence is just unbiblical.

-Sitting around at Bakers making up WWJD slogans “C-R-A-P”, “F-A-R-T”, “D-E-V-I-L”, “S-H-A-L-L-O-W”, “C-A-S-H”.

-Psalm Singing at the Lannings.

-Meeting with Hen and Nate at the Dutch Perkins – but with the classy piano player.

-Jason Kuiper’s Saturday night treats from Panera.

-Agreeing with Adam Boone that sentencing practicing Homo's to death is just so Biblical.

-12 hour road trips with Adam to NY. (The 12 hours back seemed like 20 - but the fellowship was great)

-Getting Ray signed up to preach at RBC. Remove not the Ancient Landmarks - Thank you Ray Lanning.

There are lots more, but I need to go to bed soon.

3) What would it take to get Shawn to move back to Grand Rapids?
Come on. You know. http://www.reformedpresbytery.org/toc.html

Brian J Anderson said...

Happy B-day bro. Remember when we would throw everything off the bunkbeds and jump off them? Mom would then come in and yell at us, so we would put it all back. Then when she left it was back to our old tricks.

Anonymous said...

Hey Shawn remember that time we almost squashed your little bro?

Anonymous said...

Remember the time we knocked your little bor off his bike? Now that was team work.

Brian J Anderson said...

I remember that. Remember how we told mom that i fell so you would not get in trouble? Then after about 7 years we told her what really happened. Now that's what I call team work.

Ben said...

When Shawn first moved to Albany, he mooned me.

We've been good friends ever since.

On another point though...where did you learn to spell Nate? a 16th century dictionary? That's so weird dude.

NPE said...

Benn, my friende,

The quotes come from the Geneva translation. The spelling has not been changed..because no reputable publisher (Uh..hum..Cambridge...) will retype set it and put it in circulation.

Therefore I rebel.

Shawn should be excommunicated for his immodesty. (Then he and Tammy can move in with Lydia and me....WHERE THEY BELONG!!!)

j3® ® y said...

I have great respect for big men that aren't afraid to embrace each other! :)