"Rough Road to Freedom - a Memoir" (Neil T. Anderson)

TITLE: Rough Road to Freedom: A Memoir
AUTHOR: Neil T. Anderson
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Monarch Books, 2012, (272 pages).

This book is Neil Anderson's take on life, one that is never easy, often hard, but always possible in God. The title of the book describes Anderson's personal experience through his own journey through life. He describes his humble childhood beginnings being raised in a culture where community and family is the bedrock of society. He shares about his growing up years of hard physical labour, working at odd jobs that many young people nowadays will tend to avoid. Academicaly, despite good high school grades in math and science, and his enrolment in the school of engineering in the University, he fails to do well in College, drops out and joins the Navy. That does not deter him from gaining valuable military experience which forms a strong foundation for his sturdy character and self-belief. More interestingly, it emboldens him to trust God more. His naval experience soon makes him a valuable addition to companies in the military industry. He rises quickly up the engineering ranks. He becomes a supervisor, as well as an adviser.

All of these forms a brief background to the main part of the book, which is laid out in three big phases.

1. Life in Church Ministry
2. Life in Seminary
3. Life in Freedom in Christ Ministries

Throughout the three phases, Anderson weaves in plenty of personal stories and experiences. The ones that really makes this book a gripping read are the ones on spiritual warfare. In seminary, he begins a course on spiritual warfare, something never done before at Talbot. In Church ministry, he is constantly called upon to deal with matters requiring liberating others from spiritual darkness. In his own ministry, he equips people to do the important work of freeing people from spiritual bondage in the Name of Christ. Once I begin, I can hardly put the book down. This is Anderson's most personal book thus far. His story is a reminder to me that it takes a person who has lived through brokenness in order to be able to minister to the broken. It takes one to be freed from spiritual bondage to liberate others. Most importantly, it is a reminder that ministry in Christ is always a tri-party matter: God, the one you are helping, and yourself.

This book is an inspiring book of faith, of how a man of God is able to trust God for every trial. It is a book about spiritual warfare that is utterly dependent on God. It is a book that points us back to the Word of God, that ministry draws not just some but all its inspiration from the Word of God. It is a book to remind us once again that we may fumble with our walk, stumble in our talk, but through the rough edges and potholes, we learn to climb back up again, to try again, and to realize that at the end of it all, God has carried us through.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Kregel Publications and Monarch Books without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.