Anna M. Aquino

                   I have looked forward to write this blog for such a very long time, now that I sit at my computer and type I may start crying.  So I warn all who read this now, it’s with great excitement, nervousness, faith, assurance, and churning emotions that I finally get to make this announcement.                     I am originally from Ohio and my husband is from Canada.  After Dan and I were married and moved back to Ohio from Pittsburgh we prayed fervently where God wanted to send us.  When God spoke clearly to me that we’d go to Orlando, FL and Dan would work at one particular job, I truly believed we’d only be in Florida for about five years.  This job didn’t open up for him until several months later so he worked in something that we knew would be temporary at first.  Dan and I knew that we weren’t just moving for a job, but we were moving to prepare us for ministry. When I left Ohio I never thought I would return.  Within a day of our move, God led us to Free

            My family and I spent our Memorial Day weekend doing some intensive spring cleaning to the rental we’ve been living.  Our back screened in porch has been a dirty mess.  I’m not sure when we moved in this house in November if it had been necessarily clean, but add my family, Mojo (my dog), the sand of Florida; the porch was in desperate need of a good dose of some elbow grease.             I spent most of my morning sweeping, hosing down, and mopping the floor with a Pine-Sol and bleach concoction.  Whenever I clean like that I start thinking of my grandmother.  My grandmother had a special gift when it came to cleaning.  Sure some may laugh about that being a gifting but it really is one, and she really had it.  That woman could wash or bleach anything and get it spic and span.  In my own internal dialogue, I started to question God.  “Um God why didn’t I get that gifting?  Loving to clean and being so gifted at it would have been a really good gift to inherit.”  As

            For my youngest daughter’s birthday she received this craft kit as one of her presents.  We opened it up this weekend and were having fun playing with it.  In one of the crafts there was this bouncy ball kit where you pour some kind of crystal sand stuff in the mold, hold it in water and eventually you get a bouncy ball.  We had a lot of fun with this craft.  Seriously, they keep inventing more cool things.  Where was the bouncy ball kit when I was a kid?  We made six bouncy balls that day.  The trick was to letting them dry so they could be bounced.  Well eventually they did dry, but I soon found out that the one she gave me had become flat because as it was drying I didn’t move it at all so I now have a lopsided flat bouncy ball.  Sure it functions, but it bounces a little crooked and isn’t as pretty as intended.              As I was thinking about this I began to realize how important it is for all of us to learn a lesson from my deformed bouncy ball.  If you sta

             Dan and I have finally come to faith and agreement some decisions on things that have been going on around us.  I’m not going to announce anything until late next week.  We are excited, nervous, but have reached a place of peace about some of the next steps of our life.  After the shift was made one of the first things that popped into my mind was “how am I going to explain this to so and so”.  Truthfully it’s one thing to reach a place of faith, but it’s another thing to deal with trying to explain decisions to people who don’t understand them and are going to be outspoken in their disapproval.  Let’s face it, when one pursues a calling of God sometimes one makes decisions that appear to those around them to be nuts.  I understand this.  However when one is trying to stay in a place of faith, it can be a challenge to hear the negative repeated to them over and over again.               Dan has been reading the book, “Put Your Dream to the Test” By John C. Maxw

Good Wednesday Morning. . .  Instead of a full length blog today I thought I'd pass this link around. . . Too funny and too true 10 things that drive us crazy at church and probably shouldn't   http://www.faithit.com/10-things-that-make-church-people-mad-that-probably-shouldnt/#.U3LBTXoGyAN.facebook

Happy Tuesday Fabulous People, I had a dear reader send me this radio program. In it a woman who had become a Christian right before Hitler came to power. . .though she came from a Jewish background. She experienced the Holocaust and she's comparing Nazi Germany to where America is headed today...Very interesting...If you have some time, you might want to listen to it.  Wake Up America! http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/understanding-the-times/custom-player   Smiles  :-)

WARNING:  This blog is going to go very political.  I do not apologize for my opinions.  I get that we all have our own thoughts to this, but I am stating how I feel and thus if someone has an issue with what I say then that’s fine.  Feel free to discuss it with me. (Grin)             I’ve been working on research for a new book.  It will be my 21 st book.  One of these days God will start opening a door for my fiction books to get published.  In the meantime I just keep writing.  For years I’ve been going to write a Western and never got the storyline, until about 6 months ago.  One really started to germinate in my mind.  Like any fiction book I ever write, I do a lot of research before starting.  It’s of my opinion that you just can make up things better than what actually happened.  If a writer can ground a fiction story in as much truth as possible it makes the story plausible in the mind of the reader.  I’ve been reading about, watching videos, and doing internet search

            Since Sunday is Mother’s Day, I want to write a tribute to Superhero Momma’s today.  The Bible has a lot to say about mothering.  Jesus loved his momma so much that one of the last things He did on the cross was to make sure his mother was taken care of (John 19:26-27) after he left the earth.  One of my favorite scriptures about mothers is:  Proverbs 31:28-29 28  Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of   and   praises her, [saying], 29  [ c ] Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly,   and   well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all. I think this is when we should I should cue the background theme music because really if I’m going to write a tribute to awesome mom’s that are really superheroes but mothering is their cover this is when the music should begin.  (Grin)             My mother is awesome.  She’s always been my cheerleader.  I’m w

In Lieu of a full length blog today. . . I thought I'd just remind you all of a scripture that I think we all need reminded of on occasion.  :-) Psalm 43:5 The Message (MSG) 5  Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?      Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—      soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face.                                     He’s my God.   God has awesome plans for your life!  Get Excited!