Introduction
Welcome, everybody. My name is Danny Anderson, and I’m from Naugatuck, Connecticut. I’m a second-year student at the University of New Hampshire. I’m grateful you’re all here today to hear how the Lord changed my life.
Early Life and Church
I grew up in Naugatuck, and as a kid, my family attended church more for tradition. We went regularly when I was younger, but as I got older, sports took over my weekends, and church faded out. I didn’t get much out of it anyway. I always said I believed in God, a higher power, but I didn’t know Him personally. Because of that, my identity growing up was shaped by those around me.
Middle School Struggles
Starting in middle school, I cared deeply about how others saw me. I was shy, quiet, and only talked to close friends because I feared judgment.
High School Identity
In high school, it flipped. I wanted to be the most extroverted person, craving attention and admiration, wanting to be seen as cool. My identity was tied to building myself up, seeking pleasure through chasing girls, drinking, and partying. Though it wasn’t constant, that’s what my heart longed for. I was always searching for meaning, trying to be someone others looked up to, but it left me empty. By my junior year, despite being an upperclassman and having these experiences, I felt a void in my heart. Nothing fulfilled me.
Meeting a New Influence
In my sophomore year, I went to the Penn Relays, a big track meet in Pennsylvania. I was with senior teammates who helped me build confidence. They introduced me to a girl, and I got her phone number. She lived far away, but we stayed in touch. There was something different about her. By the summer of my senior year, we grew very close. Her mom, whom I’d never met, invited me to surprise her daughter at her sweet 16 birthday party. On a road trip back from a soccer tournament in North Carolina, my parents agreed to stop by since it was on the way.
Encounter with Christian Values
At the party, I met her mom, a Christian who I thought was strict but kind. Looking back, I’m astonished she trusted me with her daughter despite not knowing me, especially since I wasn’t a Christian like them. That summer, this girl and I grew closer. By December of my senior year, I convinced my parents to let me visit her on Long Island during Christmas break. We took the ferry, and while there, we decided to walk around the village, beautifully decorated for Christmas. Her mom drove us, and during the ride, she outlined her family’s Christian values. She told me her daughter couldn’t date until 18, would date to marry, and wouldn’t have sex before marriage.
A Turning Point
This clashed with the identity I’d built, shaped by my peers where such values weren’t “cool.” But in that moment, her words carried real meaning. I couldn’t fully explain it then, but I felt a heart shift. I wanted to respect her rules because they resonated with me. On the ferry ride home, I reflected on her words and downloaded the Bible app, eager to learn. The first verse I read, Matthew 3:3, pierced my heart: “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
Spiritual Awakening
I didn’t fully understand it, but I knew her mom was that voice in the wilderness of my life, preparing the way for the Lord to enter my heart. I felt an overwhelming presence, and that’s when I knew God was calling me into a relationship with Him. That day, everything changed. It wasn’t overnight—sanctification is a process—but that’s when it began.
Transformation Through Sanctification
My senior year was tough, surrounded by old friends and habits. Yet, slowly, the Lord transformed my heart. I no longer desired to drink, party, or lust, nor did I idolize others’ approval. God showed me my identity isn’t shaped by people but by Him through Jesus Christ. Reflecting now, though I wasn’t fully aware then, God made me a new creation. I’m not the same person. My parents could attest to that. My selfish ways were crucified with Jesus on the cross, and I’ve been washed clean through His blood.
Scriptural Foundation
A verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17 encapsulates this: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
Living as a New Creation
In Jesus’ name, our old lives are crucified, but through His resurrection, we rise as new creations, no longer slaves to past sins. As a new creation, born again in Jesus, I’ve found abundant life, free from the oppression of my past sins and others’ control. I’ve been reconciled with the Creator who desires this for us. Luke reminds us that our Father in heaven is pleased to give us the kingdom.
Closing Reflection
I don’t want this testimony to focus on me but on the power of Jesus and what He did on the cross. He who knew me better than I knew myself went to great lengths to save me from a life apart from Him. Looking back, I see God’s hand on my life the whole time. I pray you see His hand on your heart, transforming you to live for and with Him, because that’s true life.
I’ll close with 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s the gospel story. I hope my testimony encourages you to grow closer to Jesus and let Him change your life as He has mine. Thank you for listening.
Given on August 10, 2025, at the First Congregational Church, Woodbury, Connecticut. Pastor Dell will return to the pulpit on August 31, 2025.
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