Anna M. Aquino

I have been reflecting on something in the last few days and I thought I would share it with you today. I have been hearing a lot in the kingdom of God through prophetic people that the seasons have changed. However, that is the thing about the prophetic. It always sees into the future and if your looking at it through the eyes of what you are seeing now it can make you one frustrated individual. God does not share His words with people to frustrate them. In fact, it is quite the opposite. God shares His word to bring encouragement. To say, “I know you’re not seeing this yet, but let me tell you I can see you down the road and this is what I can see!” I think of it like a person with binoculars and a megaphone. God’s word and the prophetic voice is to bring encouragement and hope. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 (KJV) Despise not prophesyings. OR I like it in the Message version too. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 (MSG) 19-22Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a wo...

I grew up going to a Lutheran Church in Waldo, Ohio. In Fulton, Ohio there is an outdoor camp. Lutheran Memorial Camp has such a tender place in my nostalgia of childhood. Though I only went to camp there a few times: we went there as a church about once a year, various times we attended the infamous apple butter festival, my sister went there, and I have been to a few conferences and gatherings there over the years. Not far from the main building there is an outdoor chapel snuggled in the woods. I actually put a picture I was able to find online of it. It required some digging to find. Sadly, I don’t have one of my own. This chapel has such a special place in my heart. Why? I am not very sure. I can remember making my way out there to pray at various times I had been there. As you can see it is rustic and dirty but there has always been something I have loved about it. It was a place I could sneak away to and know I could have a moment with God. It is easy to be caught up in the crazi...

At some point in my early growing up years, I had an accident on one of our kitchen benches. These benches were brown vinyl covered cushioned metal frames. They stood on metal legs that met in the center and formed a stand. The accident was my fault. I was standing on one of the benches by the window and honestly, I am not sure what I was doing. Could I have been climbing on the window? Playing with the piece of green clay that’s permanently part of the kitchen décor? Dusting the windowsill? It was probably any one of those things though probably not the dusting one. The bench wasn’t stable, I was flipped up as it wobbled and landed on it‘s side. In mid air, as gravity brought me to the ground, the base of the bench that stuck out and caught my abdomen. As a result, I had an odd shaped stomach abrasion that could have been a lot worse than what it was, but it looked ugly. It was probably a miracle I did not impale myself on the bench. My mom was not impressed with my kitch...

Before I got into cheerleading tumbling, I was into gymnastics. At the same gym I went to for both there was what is called a pit. A gymnastics pit is typically a huge rectangle of foam. The dimensions vary but typically a gymnastics pit is about four feet of foam in depth. In the gym I went to they used one where it was put into the floor and was about even with the floor. The thought behind this piece of equipment was that you could practice a stunt, and while you were learning it you had a nice landing. But once you were in the pit movement wasn’t easy. It was kind of like being stuck in a huge pillow. It was awkward getting out of the pit, and it took a lot of effort. While that pit made the smallest of people feel cumbersome, it served a purpose. It’s purpose was to protect you in training so you wouldn’t get hurt. Sometimes it feels in the kingdom of God as you mature that you can be in this pit. Deep down you desire to just get to the place where you can see yourself....

The account for Peter and Jesus walking on the water can be found in Matthew 14: 22-32 (NIV) 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save m...

Last night I had this crazy nightmare and I’ll be honest I woke up in a bad mood. Dan and I were a little short with each other while getting around for church. I didn’t renew my mind. Then I had to go to church and serve in the nursery where I always joke that’s my form of birth control (I’ll totally admit my bad attitude regarding it, I’m working on it....it reminds me I’m not a candidate for the Dugger lifestyle as much as I do think the Duggars are cool) I came home only to continue my bad mood, cry, flesh out and throw a nasty fit. Dan and I got into a worse fight that I would say was 99.9% my fault. I had an all around bad morning that pretty much would have been averted had I woken up, praised the Lord, and renewed my mind. I’ve repented to God, Dan, and the girls. I’ve had a brownie so the chocolate fix has kicked in, and now I’m relaxing with a cup of my favorite Pomegranate Green Tea. While I always preach you need to control your emotions, you can’t let them control ...

A few years back my youngest daughter saw a commercial for pillow pets. She was instantly in love and just had to have one. Christmas was a few months away so I asked her, “If you were to get one, which one would, you want?” “The Bumble Bee! The Bumble Bee!” From that day on whenever she would see that commercial she would ask us for one. I figured she’d eventually find something else she wanted so for a month we watched her ask us several times for a bumblebee pillow pet. Finally I went ahead and ordered a pillow pet for both our girls. We had the surprise waiting for weeks if not months in my closet for her for Christmas. But all the while my daughter kept asking us for one every time she thought about it. I have to hand it to her. She was persistent about that pillow pet. When the day came that she finally got her gift, she was beside herself with jubilant elation. For a good six months after Christmas that year every time she saw the commercial she’d run and get her b...

Some months ago my family was over at dear friends of ours home. The Ferguson’s are the founders of Voice of Freedom Ministries, and it is an honor to call them our friends. We were roasting marshmallow’s in the back yard when another friend kept talking on and on about gourmet chocolate. So Natasha decided she was going to make brownies out of a mix she had. However, she soon discovered as we all set down to play Monopoly the card game, there was a small issue. The issue was she was out of eggs and didn’t know about it and thus was going to have to abandon the thought of the chocolaty goodness of brownies. What followed will probably go down in jokedom between the families for all time. Natasha tells me that if I write this blog I have to make it perfectly clear that she is a good cook. She is. The idea wasn’t hers, she just choose to listen to me. We were brainstorming what you could substitute for eggs. I knew applesauce can sometimes be substituted. After several thou...

As a little girl, I can remember with a giddy pleasure getting to swim in the rain. My parents have a pool and we were allowed to swim in the rain as long as it was not thunder and lightening out. In those moments, there was almost a majestic glory. It was a simple pleasure but swimming and dancing in the rain brought us to giggles and shrieks. As an adult, I find that those days of playing in the rain seem to be fading. When it is raining now I find myself getting grumpy at the audacity that the weather decided to mess with my plans. I find that I am more irritated. It rained horribly this afternoon and my youngest daughter and I were out running errands. As I tried desperately to dodge raindrops, I found her giggling. “You know what mom?” she giggled, “If it rains during this summer it will be the best summer ever!” She reminded me of something very important today. I cannot spend my life just going through the motions of it. I have to remember to appreciate the little ...