Words of The Lamb

by Day Sibley

My name is Anderson Reign and I’m a Bible believing Christian kingdom man, and follower of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Any description of me has to start there. I’m also a writer, spoken word artist and poet. I believe in the power of the written and spoken word, and seek to glorify the Lord Most High with the words he gives me to share with this world.

I’m originally from Denver, but I grew up and spent most of my life in Las Vegas, NV. Although, he has more recently called me to go forward out of comfortable surroundings to share the gospel of truth. Las Vegas will always be home, and I’m beyond grateful for my lifelong experiences and friendships forged over the years there.

As a creative person, I’m a huge fan of all the creative arts. I take solace and find immense beauty in the myriad ways the Lord has gifted so many people in their various forms of creativity. I choose to use my own creativity to glorify God, and never feel more alive than when I’m walking lock in step with the good works the Lord has called me to walk in. Lord willing, I’ll continue doing so for as many years as the Lord graces life with.

1.) How did you develop your relationship with Christ? Was it something you developed over time or something you were raised in? 

You could say that the Lord had to be patient with me in the development of our relationship. I didn’t grow up in church. My dad was raised Methodist, and my mom was Catholic, but they both had drifted from their religious upbringings in various ways. So they decided to let my siblings and I decide for ourselves what we believed when we were old enough to choose.

I met Jesus as a teenager by attending a Wednesday night church youth group for a few years while growing up in Las Vegas. I went to hang out with friends, but I realized even then that I’d discovered The Truth I was missing in my life. The words of scripture spoke truth to my very soul. I accepted Jesus
as my Lord and Savior at 1,000 Pines Church Summer Camp in California the summer after my 7th grade year.

By the time high school rolled around I’d really drifted into the world. I didn’t let go of my faith and belief in Jesus, but I didn’t even know what walking in relationship with him looked like. I didn’t have a strong foundation in Christ to fall back on when the storms of life came, but he truly never let me go.

It was actually a good 20 years later after a ton of trials and tribulations that I finally turned my life back to the Lord in a wholesale fashion. Doing so has changed everything though. Amen, for that. Praise Jesus for his patience and for meeting us right where we are.

2.) Where did you draw the idea to incorporate Christ into your poetry, and what have the responses been?

So, I’ve always been a writer. Growing up I loved to read and that led to a love of creative writing. While I did write some poetry, I actually always wanted to be a novelist. I loved the fantasy genre and thought that is what I’d always be writing.

It Is when the Lord truly got ahold of my heart that I began overflowing into poetry. When I became a student of The Word and started reading the bible everyday, I started gleaning a lot on insight from the scriptures. I remember attending a church study and hearing some church elders powerfully pray memorized scripture. I felt really challenged and incredibly inspired to do the same.

People started telling me that it sounded like poetry when I was praying different scriptures and insights the Holy Spirit had given me. The time spent in communion with the Lord in private really started overflowing into my creative writing.

The things I was writing largely took the form of poetry and prose. It took some encouragement from members of our forever family, but I leaned into the bold and courageous faith act of sharing my poetry.

I say all of that to say, Christ is my poetry. The ideas are drawn from the living words of scripture, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. The reception has been awesome. Whether people are believers or not, I have been blessed to receive amazing feedback from many people.

The beauty of it is that many people who may never set foot in a church will receive something akin to a sermon from my poetry. It’s all the Lord’s power, and it’s all his glory, but I want to make sure he gets his glory out of me.

3.) Since most poetry circles are fairly progressive, do you ever feel awkward or tense for sharing the news about God’s Word?

Generally speaking, I’d say no. I truly try to live out loving God and loving people. I believe everyone deserves dignity and respect because we are all innately valuable children of the Lord Most High. I have many friends in the creative community who don’t believe what I believe, but I have found that most
people are willing to respect someone who is authentic, real and raw in their sharing of their creative art.

For me that is sharing the gospel and the Truth of Christ. I have to walk boldly in that, and I often pray the Lord will bring the right people to me who need to hear what he’s given me to say. Words are seeds, or the living water for growing seeds, and I’m just a laborer humbly trying to get after the Lord’s righteous harvest.

It Is funny that you ask that particular question though. I just very recently shared some spoken word at a college for a fundraiser for the theater program. Everyone in the room was supportive and kind while I shared my first poem, and I could see the words were hitting home for some people.

I could also tell some people weren’t receptive to hearing poetry about Jesus. I went up to share a second poem later in the same evening and I immediately saw 10-12 people get up and head out of the auditorium. They returned when my poem was done, but it was an obvious reaction. It was interesting because the second poem never mentioned anything directly about Jesus or the bible. I chose to just pray for them and trusted that the Lord would use whatever they received from the first poem I’d shared for their good.

4.) Like you, I was depressed for a long time and didn’t think I’ll be able to overcome it. What is your advice for individuals who struggle with this demon? I’ll attest that medicine can only go so far, and I don’t say this to shame. 

I believe that mental health struggles can be very very real, but I also fully believe in the healing power of God. To anyone struggling with depression, I pray that you would stay encouraged. There is an eternal hope available to all of us if we would but seek it. The Lord is always there with us and for us.
We drift away, and because we have free will, he lets us. The Lord is also faithful. His mercies are new everyday and his grace is sufficient for all of us.

I am not saying people shouldn’t take their prescribed medicine. I just believe there is an even greater healing available to us that will meet us directly in our needs. The Lord’s hope is an anchor firm and secure for our souls.

We are more than conquerors through him who loves us. Any voice telling you that it can’t get better or that you won’t get better. Any voice telling you that you aren’t worth it, that
you can’t be redeemed, or that this world is better without you is an absolute lie of the enemy.

Please pray for healing, pray for clarity of thought, pray for discernment, pray for the joy of the Lord that is out strength, pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding, pray for the presence of Jesus in your life, pray against the wickedness of the enemy, pray the Lord’s truth to show you what the lies are that you might be believing.

God is good. God is faithful. Things get better. Come what may, don’t you ever give up!

5.)  In one of your poems, you said being half-Christian makes you a fool-fraud. I like that! How would you respond to luke-warms who have one foot in and one foot out of the light?  If someone struggles between what God has called them to and doing the opposite because of their feelings, how can you encourage them?

Yeah, that line comes from my testimonial poem “Renewed”. The line you referenced actually says “being a half-Christian always makes you a ‘full fraud’ “. I think ‘fool-fraud’ works just as well though, because it’s also true.

It’s been my experience that a lot of people that call themselves Christians are just half-stepping their faith walk out. While none of us are by any means perfect, I know the Lord can use so many of us so

much more if we could be counted on to live out the things he’s calling us to do and say. It’s not an easy time in the world to be a biblical Christian walking in relationship with the Lord. Living that out runs counter-cultural to much of the modern world, and the laborers are indeed few.

My encouragement would be to first and foremost trust in the Lord. The Truth is Jesus Christ. Placing your trust in him will give you strength, joy, peace, love and hope.

What has riding the fence ever done for anyone in this life? So many people still feel like they are missing something. Like there should be greater meaning in their lives. If you ask someone who they are these days, they will tell you what they do for a living. Who you are is a child of the Lord Most High.
A reflection of the majesty of the uncreated creator. An overcomer. A spiritually gifted servant. You are not exposed in the light. It’s in the True Light that you are set free from the chains of this world.

You have to establish your identity in Christ before he establishes your significance. We all have a role and there is so much work to be done. You won’t get there with one foot in and one foot out. It’s okay if you slip up, misstep or backslide. You just have to pick up your cross again and keep following the
Lord along the way. I pray that people would try walking with Jesus in relationship over just finding religion, and see if he doesn’t change everything about the way they walk, talk, act and love through this life.

6.) Do you have any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for? 

Actually I do. I’m always writing new poetry, but I’m also finally finishing up a spoken word poetry album that will be available for streaming. I plan to release a book and devotional alongside the album that will dig into the scripture and themes the poetry talks about. It’s a passion project I’m looking forward to completing.

I’m also going to be releasing some poetry on my own YouTube channel before the year is out. I am excited about one poem in particular called The Cross. It is a story telling style spoken word that tells the story from The Last Supper all the way through Resurrection. It is one the Lord has been persistent on
bringing to my mind.

The enemy has worked overtime to try to distract me from completing this one, but it is finished and I’m working on the memorization now. I think it may be the most important poem I ever write, and I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with whomever has the ears to hear and receive. Lord willing there is more to come soon, as I have several other creative projects in the works as well.

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