Anna M. Aquino

            I’m turning today’s blog into a bit of a PSA for listening to the Holy Spirit.  Do you know that the Holy Spirit is awesome?  He is a friend, and he will let you know when something isn’t right.  You have to learn to listen to those feelings.             As I mentioned before that last week Dan and I were in Indy, and I was going all over the city.  One morning I went to downtown and I walked around the area.  I was taking a picture of one of the monuments and I noticed a couple different people that were a bit odd looking.  Perhaps they were homeless, maybe they were just released from a mental institution, and maybe they weren’t, but something didn’t seem right about these people.  There was one in particular that seemed to stand out.  I realize that many would argue with me here.  Maybe I should have offered some...

            The last few days I was tagging along with Dan on a work trip to Indianapolis.   While he had to go to training I had a wonderful time seeing various historical sights.   I figured as self-proclaimed history junkie I could use the time to help research a manuscript I’m writing. They’ll be a couple more blogs about some of my adventures next week.             On my first day I visited a place called the Conner Prairie Museum.   Which is a place if you’re ever in the area, I would recommend.   There are various attractions inside of the prairie along with actors to make it a “real” experience.               As I ventured into the Blacksmith Shop I never thought that it would be a place that I would feel God would really speak to me. However God often uses circumstances...

            This morning I started to read the story in John 9 about a blind man who Jesus had healed.  It an awesome miracle story, and is the one about Jesus spitting in the mud.  (I always thought Jesus healing with his spit was odd.  As a side note to this I learned by going to The Holy Land in Orlando that the reason Jesus spit in the ground was because the Jews of the day were going around saying that when the Messiah came he’d be so anointed even his ‘spit’ would have healing.  Jesus was fulfilling their own words when he did this. I have always found that a cool bit of history) What jumped out at me about this story is what came later.  The high priests of the day were all up in arms because this man was healed on the Sabbath, so they called the parents in to testify that their son had been blind since birth.  Their reaction can be found in verse 20-22 20  His parents answered, “We k...

             As many of you know I’ve recently discovered archery and have found I really enjoy it.  Last week my parents blessed the girls and I will a really cool higher powered bow.  The step up in bows is kind of like the difference between trying to stand with a walker and running a mile.  The new bow is quite awesome and has a whole lot of power.  Learning how to use it, has taken us a bit of practice.  The above picture was the result of one of my escapades as an arrow was launched into the woods and landed in a fallen tree.  The shaft of the arrow cracked, and I broke it.                         After I found the arrow and was walking back through the woods towards the house, I really felt the Lord drop into my spirit that many in the body of Christ look just like this.  They have become broke...

            A few weeks ago I was reading the Bible and feeling a tad sorry for myself.  We’ve all had those moments.  God specifically led me to a story about Jesus that can be found in Luke 7:11-17 I’ll paraphrase what happened.  Basically Jesus is led to go into a city called Nain.  Jesus goes in and encounters a widow and the parade of people going by him because they are leaving the town to bury her son.  Jesus prays and the boy is resurrected.  It’s an awesome story, and quite frankly signs, wonders and miracles always make me excited.  However when I read this story that day, I really felt the Holy Spirit empress upon me to look up what the word or city “Nain” means.  I’d like to confess here that I’m always so very obedient as soon as the Holy Spirit tells me to do something.  Sadly I’ll admit here I was like, “Really God? What does it matter what Nain means”.  Reluc...

Last year I ended a business relationship with an individual.  It was a hard choice initially to make, but the easiest explanation I can give is that the spiritual fruit in his life was rotten. I could no longer be caught up in his lies. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  As much as I know without a doubt the partnership needed to end, I still have issues of fear whenever I hear from him. He manipulates and I’ve often joked that I’ve suffered from PTSD at the result of this relationship. Perhaps I need to stop speaking that because there is power in words.  I know this kind of control is NOT from God.  I’m working on overcoming all of this.            There was a volcanic eruption last week as a result of tremors from this business relationship, and I was barraged with unsubstantial threats and false allegations against me.  I knew his claims had no merit. I know God is bigger than whatever man throws at...

            Today when I turned on Social Media I learned of the very sad death of someone that went to high school with me.  It’s not that I knew him well.   I honestly don’t think we ever had a conversation, but maybe we did.  It’s been a few years.  This young man was in a grade ahead of me, but our entire high school was only about 350 people.  While one didn’t know everybody in the school one probably knew of everybody.  In high school I remember he was quite the athlete.  We rode the same bus from school.  This young father and husband died while competing in a triathlon over the holiday weekend.  His death stunned me for a moment. He was 37.  It’s not that I do not realize we all will face that day in our lives.  It’s the whole circle of life thing.  But this man was young, at the height of physical fitness and from what I hear had a wife and two young ch...