Pastor Chris Anderson lived through a real-life nightmare. Even with a knife pressed against his cheek he was able to communicate his hopes of his attacker's future.

The two days following the ordeal were filled with sleeplessness and many questions, but true to form, the compassionate pastor returned to his students Tuesday morning and he had message...with a side of humor.

"I wanted to come today and let you know that I am perfectly normal," stated to the children, as he wore a multi-colored clown wig.

Pastor Chris felt that it was important to be honest with the students from his one-roomed school, "You ever seen a deer in a headlight? That was kind of my reaction."

Pastor Chris pulled no punches, "He said to me his life or mine and it's not going to be his."

People ask Pastor Chris why he opened the back door on his church to let in the stranger, in the dark, at 11 o'clock at night, his answer is always the same, "I let him in because that's what I do. I let people into my life. I deal with humanity."

Pastor Chris says the struggle lasted between 5 and 10 minutes, "I did look at him face to face and I did say, silver and gold I don't have, but what I do have you can have and you can have peace with God if you just ask."

The cuts and scraps are healing but, "I think most of the damage, if we could say it that way, is struggling inside of me more than the physical side I'm fine."

The 52-year-old preacher saw his life pass before his eyes, "The transition between it as he threatened my life with a knife, on my cheek, holding my near my throat, give me the money or this is it, this is the last you'll see...death was a reality."

Naturally, Pastor Chris has questions, "I ask myself why and then I answer myself, why not me. And really, I'd much rather have it to me than anybody else, why not me?."

Who knows exactly why Chris' life was spared on Saturday night. Only God knows why the sound of an unrelated siren off in the distance startled the robber and sent him running.

Pastor Chris lost his watch a ring and a wallet, but fortunately, he didn't lose his life.

His attacker is still at large.