Anna M. Aquino

When I was a kid my mom drove this red Pinto with red interior. The center of the front seats had this carpeted hump where dust used to settle. I remember her telling me a story how once she transported some kids in her car for a field trip and the kid started to get the biggest excitement out of hitting that center hump so that the dust would fly up and swirl around like swells of smoke. He giggled for minutes going, “Look what I can do!” hit hit hit, “Look what I can do!” That story still makes me laugh but I was thinking about this the yesterday, and I began to get some awesome revelation that I wanted to share. Sometimes we walk through things in life where we feel like things and circumstances are swelling up all around us. It can make us frustrated and get fearful if we let it. But God loves to show off!! He doesn’t bring on disease or demonic circumstances so don’t misunderstand me here. . But there are things that are settling on your “hump“ or lives. All of the issues and thin

I have a confession to make. . . Sometimes I can be a bit of a drama queen and overly freak over situations. It’s an issue that I’m working on, and I totally admit to. Over the course of the last few weeks a situation occur and I had several freak out moments. I realize from where the attack came from and now I’ve understood I have to stand my ground. I’ve realized there have been many times in my life I’ve done the same thing. I’ve freaked out at first, and then was able to stand my ground. I can laugh at myself now about it because I realize that God has got it all under control, and I didn’t respond with the maturity I should have however, I can learn from my mistake. Elijah and David were two mighty men of God in the Bible. Both of them faced a challenge in their lives, and both of them reacted differently. I want to take a few moments discussing their situations and how we can apply it to our lives. In 1Kings 18 Elijah experiences one of his biggest triumphs in ministry. This is t

Some years back I felt the Lord very clearly say to me that he wanted me to be like linoleum. . I’d really thought I’d missed it on that occasion. Right after that I got a vision of me running in socks like used to when I was a kid. I would run and slide across the linoleum floor. Then in the next vision I saw the same thing but I found a spot on the linoleum that was sticky and unpolished. Instead of gliding across the floor I fell on my face. Instantly I knew what God was saying to me. I had been ticked off about a situation. I don’t remember who it was I was mad at, and God was trying to tell me to let it go. We’ve all heard the phrase “like water off a ducks back.” So we need to be when someone ticks us off, or hurts us, or offends us. We need to let it roll off of us. I’m not saying there isn’t times when you need to tell the person they upset you, but then, no matter what their reaction, you let it go. I have a hard time when a situation happened that after it, I want to constant

“I’m rubber and your glue. What ever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!” When I was around six or seven my sister, who is six years older, and I were arguing over this phrase. We agreed that for an entire year I would be glue and she would be rubber, and after that year we would switch. Why I agreed to this I will never know. I always have been a bit naïve. But we agreed. I suppose my sister probably assumed that I would never remember when the year was up. But I did. I plotted for an entire year. I remember coming up with all the names I could call her and she couldn’t say anything. I’m not sure if you call that persistent or seeking revenge but either way I was sure I was going to make sure that I got even. I can still remember the day that the year was up. We were piling into my mom’s dusty red Pinto. My sister was in the front passenger seat and I the back. I had been plotting my announcement all morning and it seemed to me that it was a perfect time. Right before my moth

When I was younger I had this prayer I used to pray whenever the Lord asked me to do something that stretched me out of my comfort zone. I used to ask the Lord, “Please don’t let me look like a dork, because if I look like a dork, then I’m going to make you look like a dork.” Frankly after reading various things God had the prophets do in the Old Testament, I suppose my little stretches were nothing in comparison. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 says, “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Meaning when you shine. . .you allow God to shine through you! We have the ability as God’s children to either bring Him honor or dishonor. When you are a parent there is nothing your kids can do to make you love them more, or love them less. However there is a feeling that wells up inside of you when your children bring you honor. It’s like, “Yup that’s my baby.” A few weeks back I met with my olde

This Saturday I had the honor to go and see Kim Clement, www.kimclement.com , at The Master’s Touch here in Central Florida. Before we left to go to the church I arose up from a nap (Naps are good we all should try them sometime) and I felt the Lord unction that this was a Time of Completion. Then once we were at the meeting Kim kept prophesying about this summer being a season of fulfillment and he continued to sing about this summer, and expecting God to rock in your world this summer. I wanted to take a moment to encourage all of you this morning with the knowledge that God is doing something mighty in the body of Christ these days. God wants to bring about completion in your life, just as much as your ready for it. Jeremiah 29:11 , “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It’s easy to get frustrated when you see those plans and you’re seeing the circumstances of different pla

I have tried in writing these blogs to be very open about my own shortcomings and this blog will be no different. Most of you know that these last ten years of my life have been ones of endurance and trusting in the Lord. That no matter what the circumstances I have continued to press through by the grace of God. That has taught me a lot. Living a prophetic lifestyle can be challenging. It’s all too often that we can see ourselves into what we know God wants us to do with our lives, but it can be really frustrating not being there. We must learn how to press toward the goal, but still be okay with where we are today. We must remember that God has timings and seasons for our lives. I think many times we’ve gotten too religious about this principle. We think “if I’m not where I’m supposed to be. . .in my destiny. . .it must be something I’m not doing.” Sometimes that may be the case, but not always. It could just be because God has to get you to His timing. I went through many years of

If you ever hang around Freedom Life Church in Kissimmee, Florida long enough (www.freedom-life.org) you’ll find out that amongst the deacons in our church we have a mighty man of God whose name is Jose. In the years Dan and I have had a privilege to learn many things from him one of them is how to make an empanada. I don’t pretend to be able to make them as good as him or come anywhere close. But I think in every department he’s ever been in they’ll have an empanada fund raiser, and those things sell like hotcakes. Jose is an awesome man of God. As you all know I grew up in the heart of Ohio, and before coming down to Florida I had never really had Spanish food. I would have told you that Spanish and Mexican have to be the same in their food choices. I had never heard of an empanada or what I’ve called them for years is a meat whoohee. Many of you are probably wondering where I’m going at with this. But I promise you I do have a point. All too often I’ve seen the body of Christ as seg

When I was in the fourth grade I started to cheer. By the time I was in high school I was training to cheer for The Ohio State University. My parents had hired me a trainer and just about every day after school I was either training with her or with my squad. Real cheerleading can be very athletic and competitive. I was ranked as an individual in the nation, and competed individually in competitions. At one point I even considered a career in sports medicine because of everything I’d put my body through. While preparing for try-outs one year in high school I was convinced I could get my standing back tuck. So I set up a video camera and proceeded to try several on a carpeted concrete floor. I still have that VHS tape somewhere around here. It’s proof of the end of my cheerleading career. I faulted on the back tuck several times, and clipped my wrist. Not only did I break the bone but because of all the over use to the joints from tumbling I’d really messed my wrists up. I have a metal

In counseling and talking to people one on one over the years I get amazed at how few people really have a revelation of who God the father is, and His heart towards his children. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some similar mindsets too, but I wanted to dedicate this blog to exposing a few of them. Many people have the mindset that God is some big guy upstairs ready to drop a piano on their head if they mess up. That kind of religious mindset is completely unscriptural and sad. God is not like that. John 3 :16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life.” God loves you. He does not jump all over you when you mess up. Repent and move on. That’s the whole point of the cross. Another misconception I’ve heard all too often, is that God is too busy to hear you or to help you. Matthew 19:14 says, “Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven b

As many of you know it will be 15 years this July that God first put it on my heart to write my first book. Five of those years are what I refer to as preparation for the waiting season. So really it’s been 10 years I’ve actively been really trying. I have had just about every door shut in my face. I’ve been mocked from others about it, and I’ve been to the point were many a day I considered giving up. I was speaking to my pastor the other day, and I said to him, “It’s like I’ve been in the season of preparation for so long I don’t know how to walk on the other side of this.” To which he responded very wise and said to me, “Just take it a day at a time.” The Israelites in the Bible were faced with having to learn how to change their thinking. In Deuteronomy 1 the Israelites get to their promised land and refuse to walk in out of fear. The spies tell them there are giants in the land, and it’s only Caleb and Joshua that try to argue God would still be with them. Fear kept the Israelites

I remember years ago I had a habit of asking people in conversation if “that makes sense to them.” I was in prayer talking to the Lord, and I asked Him “If that made sense to Him.” To which I vividly remember feeling him chuckle and reply, “Anna, I created your mind. Of course you make sense to me.” I have noticed in life that people seem to be on a quest for others to “get them” or understand them. We as people want someone to be able to look at us in the eye and know that we make sense to them. I love my husband and he usually understands me more than most people, however not as much as God. Isaiah 44:2 a says, “This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you”God created your mind. He created how you would think and how you uniquely process things. He knows you. He knows what you think about. He knows the talents and plans that you can uniquely fit because He made you in your mother’s womb. For years I struggled with God as to why He cho

There is something I have noticed about doll hair over the years. That is when the doll is first purchased the hair looks pretty and well placed. If the doll goes to a child that loves to brush out her hair and fix it up, it doesn’t take long for it to get disgusting. Plastic hair just doesn’t brush well. The more it goes through the more ratted and messy it gets. But the more brushed real hair gets, it begins to shine and become even more radiant. As many of you know I have insanely naturally curly hair. My flat iron gets a work out when I use it. When I was a kid my mom would braid my hair in a long thick braid and when I would go swimming, getting it wet, it would make it curl up and get all tangled. Which resulted in an hour of her brushing and me screaming. But when it was over, I had gorgeous hair again. So what is my point? Well are you real or plastic before the Lord. Let me define the difference between being real before the Lord or plastic. Real people admit when their wrong

When I was pregnant for my youngest daughter the Lord laid on my heart to stop drinking caffeinated coffee. That decaf was okay, but not caffeinated. So I laid down my coffee. But I love coffee! I love flavored coffee, I love mocha, espresso, I confess I could even eat the chocolate covered coffee beans. I didn’t think I over indulged, but it’s what God wanted. It was a bit of a struggle, but I had to trust God that when he asked me to do something. It was for my own good. I’m not going to say that drinking caffeine is a sin, it was what God laid on my heart for me. There are many things God will show you and warn you about your health later down the line if you’ll just listen to him. I did have an attack in my health a few months after to this and caffeine is one of the many things that can be linked to some symptoms I’d faced. (My youngest can be a bit hyper and I’ve often joked laying down coffee will help stabilizing her!) So I drink my decaf, miss my Pepsi, and only once in awhile

I have a confession to make, last night my husband and I were flipping through the channels on TV and we watched “My Three Sons”. I confess I don’t watch much retro TV. But we as a family sat down to watch an episode. I laughed hysterically when the middle son wanted to ask out a girl and her grandmother wouldn’t let her date until she was 16. So he rented a horse and buggy to woo her and change her grandmother’s decision. Eventually he ended up spending an evening at the grandmother’s house where they pulled taffy only to have the uncle come and get his tie stuck in the taffy. Eventually he was able to take this girl out. As I watched this show I couldn’t help but think of how pure and beautiful the story line was. It’s amazing that as I watched this with my two daughters ages, 7 ½ and 2 ½ I didn’t have to say , “That’s not and okay word.” or her clothes aren’t okay. If the same story line would have occurred on today’s TV it wouldn’t have been considered edgy enough unless the boy cu

A dear friend of ours is in process of making some faith choices in order to go forward in his life to do what he knows God is telling him to do. He was on the phone with me yesterday asking for some wisdom and there were a few things about that conversation that got me thinking and I wanted to share. One of the things that I kept telling him about faith is that you need to quit thinking about it so much. So often we’ve made decisions in our lives that if we really set to think about it in our head, we wouldn’t make those decisions. Faith is not being stupid, but about knowing what God has said. Often times these choices will not make sense in our own minds. IF they did, then that wouldn’t be faith. That’s the point of faith that you cannot see it. Often times you can’t see in the natural what God is telling you in the supernatural. Hebrews 11:1 [ By Faith We Understand ] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So it’s not always going to make

While Jesus was on the earth he spoke a lot about hypocrites. Similar to hypocrites there is a mindset that as penetrated the church at large. It’s what I call “fake Christians.” These are ones who pretend they have your back. They’ll smile at you and be social when all the while you’re expecting them to gossip about you behind your back. They’ll look at you in the eyes and tell you their praying for you, but really deep down they don’t care about you. If you try to talk to them they always have a way with making you feel small and insignificant. These are ones who put on a show for everyone, but deep inside there are issues. I personally believe that many, including myself sometimes, have gotten so caught up in our own lives that we’ve lost all compassion and caring for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Jesus was moved by compassion. Matthew 9:36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no she

I teach a weekly group of tweens at our church. In this unit we’re talking about the Passover, and are actually doing a messianic Passover with them. I was teaching last night on the Children of Israel and how they got into slavery, and as I was God began to show me some things in the story I never saw before. I thought I’d share them in a blog today. God brought the children of Israel to Egypt to bring them provision. There was a horrible time of famine in the land and it just so “happened” that Joseph was 2nd in command next to pharaoh. It was not God’s will that they generations later become slaves to the Egyptians. It says in Genesis 47 That Pharaoh showed them favor. They were a blessed bunch of people. But as we know, the story goes on generations pass and there comes a pharaoh on the scene in Exodus 1:8-10 that didn’t know Joseph. In says in verse 9 that the pharaoh says, “There are way too many of the Israelites for us to handle. We’ve got to do something. Let’s devise a plan t

So several weeks back there was a situation that occurred that turned a bit ugly and I had to tell the person that they were wrong in love. After it was all said and done I got a bit grumpy. Why does it seem I’m always the one God uses to speak up and say something. Can’t for once in my life I just be quiet and blend in? Well no, As someone who has been called to have a prophetic voice it’s rare that I do get to just blend in. When I was a kid I remember I used to pretend to like donuts just because everyone else did. My sister tells of the stories of how I ‘d get one and rarely eat it. Truthfully I didn’t want to confess I hate them because people would think I was weird. It was the same with cream of mushroom soup. And then, something happened in me where I began to accept who I was, and stopped trying to change the things that made me who God made me. My mother asked me as a child the standard if I would jump off a cliff would I follow my friends line, and without batting and eyelas

Many of you have heard me say over and over again how God laid it on my heart when I was 16 to write my first book. In my head at the time, I was planning on being a missionary or a Lutheran pastor, but God had other plans. I couldn’t write, and I thought that the idea of me doing so was hilarious. I had been made fun of, and still am often, for my lack of editing professionalism. So I yielded to God’s plan, and I thought after college I would write this book, and it would easily get picked up. I remember my first turn down. I bawled. I was stunned I figured if God told you to do something it would just happen. I remember Dan telling me that getting turned down would just make me appreciate it more when it did happen. He was right, but with all due respect I wanted to smack him at the time. Today is nearing the 15 year mark when God laid it on my heart to write my first book. I’m 8+ years after my first turndown. Though there is so much more in my heart that God has for me on this eart

My mother can testify that while I was growing up I was one of those kids that was so desperate to fit in with everyone. I just wanted to be normal. But somewhere in the stages of maturity I began to realize some things about myself. I began to realize that I like to be unusual. I like to be the kind of person that fits in, but yet is just slightly walking at the rate of their own beat. Gradually I stopped trying to fit in with everyone else and began to embrace the person God created me to be. Jeremiah 1:5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” God created you for you to be you. That doesn’t mean I’m giving everyone the right to go and sin and you can say “oh but this is me.” That’s not what I’m saying. God didn’t create you to be in sin. I am saying God created you for specific tasks and characteristics and by you being yourself. you’re bringing glory to His name. A friend (Jeff Ferguson, for thos

Twice in the Bible God parts the waters before the Israelites. Once is in Exodus 13 when the Egyptians are chasing the Israelites so God parts the Red Sea, and in Deuteronomy 3 when he parts the Jordan river in order for the Israelites to go into the promise land. In both accounts the people of Israel or “crossing over.” In both accounts the word of God says that not only the waters were parted but in both accounts it also says that they crossed on dry land. Both accounts in the lives of the children of Israel are significant. In both accounts they are symbolic of a transition in their lives. In the first account the people are leaving the season of slavery to go into freedom. Later they have to stay roaming in the wilderness for 40 years because of rebellion. But when they cross over the Jordan River it is again significant because their leaving the wilderness to go to the Promise Land. The Bible says that once they crossed the Jordan River the manna stopped, and they once again had t

When I was just over two my mom, two cousins, pregnant aunt, and myself were in a horrible car accident. I remember two scenes from that night. I remember picking my cousin up from my grandparents, and I remember crawling up in my grandmother’s arms later that night. So the story I relate is what I know through second hand information. My mom ran a stop sign driving. That was before car seats and my one cousin and myself who are only a month a part in age were riding in the back of the station wagon. The car began to spin, and the back hatch popped open. I was thrown out of the car, and landed upside down in a cornfield across the road. When everything settled they didn’t know where I was. My aunt says she saw angles telling her where to find me. When they finally did, I was wedged up against a fence post. There were dirt in my little tights, but not a scratch on me. The tights weren’t even snagged. Later at the hospital when my cousin and I sat side by side my mom kept trying to tell

I have shared this story numerous times when speaking with people, and twice yesterday it came up. I felt that I should do a blog on it. I hope that it helps anyone who reads it: When I was a senior in High School I was a feature twirler for our marching band. I went every week to take baton twirling lessons. The teacher gave lessons in the basement of a Methodist Church in Waldo, Ohio. There was one particular evening that I was early to my lesson. I’d been in and out of this church growing up a lot given it was right next to the Lutheran one I grew up in, and the two are the only churches in Waldo. I remember peeking into the sanctuary. The moonlight shone through the stained glass windows making colors dance across the carpeted aisle way. Something about the scene drew me to walk inside the deserted sanctuary. Looking around to see if anyone was there, I silently tip toed down the path and knelt before the aged wooden cross at the alter. The presence of God was all around me. There

My dear late grandmother used to always say, “Don’t expect intelligent answers out of unintelligent people.” There have been many times in life I’ve heard her quote that, and often months now after she’s left this earth to go home to be with Jesus I can still hear her say it. I’ve taken that to another level and added the two statements, “Don’t expect mature answers out of immature people,” and “Don’t expect saved and righteous answers out of unrighteous people.” People will tick you off. It happens, and it will continue. The church is no different. I remember years ago when Dan and I had only been in our church for a few months. Here I was, moved across country from my family, I had very few friends at the church, I was doing the best I knew to raise my first daughter and I was fighting depression. Someone well meaning in the church asked Dan and I if we owned a clothes iron because they’d noticed that sometimes our clothes were a little wrinkly. I wanted to cry. I couldn’t believe of

There are times in life where God instructs you to do things, and there are other times where you merely fall into His perfect will. God’s plan always amazes me and I wanted to share my latest adventure in Him. Dan and I decided it was time we do some updating to our youngest daughters room. She’ll be turning three in a few months and she didn’t have much in the way of furniture. So since my first response to buying a large purchase anymore is online, I began searching the internet to show him different options. We then started going to stores all over town. To which one of the times my youngest daughter, who we’re working on potty training, used up all my diapers and we were across down and she needed to be changed. By the way if your ever in that predicament IKEA has free diapers in their bathrooms. I never knew that then, but I do now. Whoever thought of that deserves a promotion!! Anyway we looked and looked but nothing felt right. We’d become very indecisive and we questioned if i

I’m the Rubber band Girl Years ago I was in the midst of complaining to the Lord about being stretched in certain areas. As much as I tell this story I don’t remember now what I was complaining about or what the Lord was stretching me in. It was probably speaking before people. As much as I know I’m called to do it, and make myself do it regularly it still freaks me out. I just make myself do it. Anyway I was cleaning out an old junk drawer at my parents house and in the back of the drawer there was an old and crusty rubber band. It’s funny that God uses the simplest things sometimes to teach us lessons. I started to play with the rubber band. It only took a few stretches and that rubber band stung me across the hand. It broke because it had been sitting in the back of the drawer for too long. That’s when I felt the Lord drop into my spirit, “See, if I don’t stretch you and use you on occasion you’ll become like that old crusty rubber band and break when I need to use you.” Ouch! Which