Old Girl Dead, New Girl Reborn.....

Good morning all!! Another story I have on my heart, is found in John 5. There is a man who could not walk for 38 years. A specific measurable amount of time. It does not say that he was born this way, which tells me that something happened along the way that incapacitated him. Good or bad, I don't know. That's not relevant for my point. When I think about that period of time alone, 38 years, I wonder how much I would miss being able to walk. To move myself from point A to point B with no problem. On time. Unassisted. I would really miss that. Well, here he is at the pool where his healing is supposed to happen. He is riiiiight there. So Jesus appears and asks him if he would like to be healed. And this man says: “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” REALLY DUDE?! That's your story?! That's your excuse??!! Your healing lies in SOMEONE EL

I've had quite a few bible stories stuck in my head lately, but today, I have the story of Daniel in the Lion's den..... We know the king was tricked into being put into a position where Daniel was sentenced to death by Lion. That had to be messed up. Who wants to die from being torn to shreds by multiple hungry lions??? But this situation had a crazy betrayal and unsuspecting victims. Not only did the king sentence to have his friend killed by his own law that he was tricked into creating and sealing by a group of haters... But Daniel was sentenced to be killed because He Loved and Honored God so much that he wouldn't stop praying. (How many know that when haters can't catch you doing something wrong, they will take what was honorable about you and twist it up to get your caught up.) How many times did a "friend" of ours manipulate a situation without you knowing and you lost the TRUE friend. I know I've had that happen. And you feel like a pure foo

Wow, what an amazing day of ministry we had in church today! But today what the Lord has put in my heart is different. We all say we need to surround ourselves with positive people, and people that move you to go higher. And that's wonderful. But then i got to thinking, if i'm attaching myself to people that make me go higher, who am I possibly leaving behind? Well I decided that im going to keep 7 people that im pulling up every day. That is my husband, my 5 children and at least one person outside my household. Heres how I figured that. You must ALWAYS be an example to your household first and foremost. If you cant lift your household but you can lift someone else, who does not see you daily in your best and worst, then you are creating an image. Therefore at high risk of being a hypocrite. No one likes a hypocrite. Christian or not. But as a Christian that's the type of blemish we try to avoid. I vow NOT to be the hypocrite Christian. Now, the last person can be someo

Good morning everyone! Now I've said it before, so you already know that it was 2012 when Jesus' sacrifice really hit me and became real. But it wasn't until 2014 before those facts started to come to life in my everyday life! I saw how each moment He went through was an example in things I was dealing with at that time! I started to make decisions from a place of Holiness and not from a place of frustration or circumstances. Not to say that making those kinds of decisions was easy. It wasn't. Because I was going against what I normally did. I'm gonna use one of my things as an example for this post. I WAS A LUSH! And I enjoyed it! My kids have many of stories of when I drank, got "loose" and was having some fun, and it somehow became the major joke. But the thing about it is, that one single thing can sometimes be a daily challenge. I can have a hard day, husband fussing, kids acting a fool, and by the time 7pm comes around I can be like "Lo

Hi everyone! I was driving along on the highway yesterday when i saw a flatbed carrying what seemed like tons of sheet rock. It brought me back to my days of building a basement apartment with my dad. I loved those days. But I developed a love for sheet rock even more. Yes, Ana, loves, construction. I think it's the coolest. I love to be able to put the frames up that will divide rooms. Then insulating them. Putting up the drywall, and plastering where the seams were, and where the screws were put in. Then sanding the plaster down after it's dried, and even though you need a mask cause it can get kind of messy with the dust, it's still fun. Then the perfect painting. Yea, I'm ranting to y'all about what I love, that makes no sense to many of you cause you can care LESS about drywall!!! LOL!!! But I bet you all know more about drywall than you think. I know I knew more about it than I thought. And I was a Drywall Specialist in my life. Anytime I felt like someone h

Good morning everyone. I was driving on my regular schedule of what sometimes seems like a million stops, when my oldest son suddenly says "Ma I'm 6 pages into the book I'm writing!" When God revealed to me My Influence on my son. I realized he started to write this book after he found that I had a blog. I was also reminded that he also started playing the violin after I mentioned that I played the violin in middle school. Then I realized my middle daughter has my same (old) attitude. And I began to realize that they picked up many of my habits. Good or Bad. I realized that I have to seek strength and direction from God to deprogram the bad habits that they have picked up from me. Praise God that I am changing and I am learning better habits. But I need to do better to expose them to all my new better habits and allow them to learn better. Will you take some time and really see what influence you have had on your family? What can you change? I love you all. Have a

We all do have bad days. This I know very well. It was not long ago that I heard family complaints every single day. If I made it thru the morning without hearing something, it was guaranteed that I was going to hear something in the afternoon.  It takes a toll on your emotions for sure. I understand the situation and the feeling completely. Even this morning, it seems like things were going wrong left and right for me.  Nothing truly bad. Just lots of annoying things. Attitudes, chores not getting done correctly, another chore not getting done at all. Another wearing mis-matched clothes. Any culmination of things that can make you feel like a pure failure for that day. What really kills me is the fact that all this is going on on the first day of the end of the year testing for the kids. So not only am I starting on a bad foot, so are the kids. But how many know that I Am Bigger Than My Morning! How many know My Day Is Not Over! I Can't Dishonor My God By Staying In A Fun

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:14 Most of us have a bond with someone. A special bond that can withstand a lot. But we all have a bond with someone who can withstand EVERYTHING. The problem in that bond is that is very one sided because you don't know it's there. There is one person who will forgive you for everything you did from 10 years ago to 10 minutes ago, no questions asked. He is just waiting for you to get to the point where you are sick of yourself and say the words. The words are your own. For example, my words just happened to be "Father forgive me and my dumb ways. I keep messing up. I don't know how to do this without you. I need your help. I need you to do this for me. I'm sick of me! Please fix me and my mess!". You don't have to say what I said. What I'm trying to show you is when you are sick of you, you can say what you feel, including I'm sorry. And as long as you mean it,

Today God has placed in my heart to ask Are We Really Grateful? I remember my first lessons of learning gratefulness from my mom. You all probably remember some form of this statement too. "You better eat all your food! You know there are STARVING children in China that would be happy to eat it!" Soon after that statement, I learned sarcasm, "please! Then let them eat it then!" Of course I didn't say it out loud tho! I like to know I could keep all my teeth. Lol! As funny as it is to remember those days now, it really is true. What's crazier is that you don't have to go as far as China. Some of us can look right next door, or across the street. Where some kids couldn't have a breakfast. Yet sometimes we complain that there is no milk to put in our cereal. Today I woke up and I'm soooooo tired. Last week was busy, this weekend was busy, and Mondays are always hard. So coming to work is always a challenge. But I just remembered those parents tha

Hi All, well, if you notice anything about me up til now, you know that I will always do, and will always push you to always do a SELF check. Many days we go to church and find those messages that are just so good. And there are some that you just say "I wish so and so was here to hear this". But how many times do you find yourself in the message, and it's not in the way you want to admit that you found yourself? That was me today when I really got real. We have been studying being Salt and Light in the world this month. And for anyone who doesn't really understand, the short explanation is being a Christ-Like example of Jesus on earth today. But today, they took the topic into being Salt and Light AT WORK. I like to think of myself as a good example of Christ at work. I stay positive as much as possible. I don't get into the fussing and gossip. I don't abuse work time by taking excessive breaks/lunches. I don't show up late. I don't lie about when

Happy Weekend Everyone! I hope those of you that would get the opportunity to sleep in on Saturday mornings, were able to sleep well. And to those that use those first hours to get housework and errands done, I pray you were as productive as you hoped you'd be. And those of you who get up early to spend that time with the Lord, I really pray that you reached another new height in Him. So, I was just looking back at the posts from this week, and I realized that God had me in the vein of talking about Love. How to love. Ways to love people. Ways to love family. Showing your family the Love that Jesus showed for you. But if you are like me before March/April 2012, you knew God loved you. But, the magnitude of the way He really loved me, never really hit me until right before Good Friday 2102. By 2010 I had gone through sooooo much. I had moved cross country mainly to get away from my past. A very painful past that included a first marriage that went down in the types of flames I w

Today is a different kind of day for me. So today's message will be short(er) and just a lil more personal. This afternoon I will be helping with a funeral. But it's not just A funeral. I didn't know this person. But I know her aunt. This person was only 4 months older than my oldest son. This makes her only 15. She fell ill. Drs didn't know what was going on but she contracted some kind of infection. Her body was not responding to anything. Then there was the coma. Apparently after waiting quite a while with no results, the family decided to remove life support, pray, and allow God to have His ultimate will be done. Good or bad. Today I ask that you take a really good look at your family. See your child's smile. That silly thing they do. Even that thing that they believe is hilarious and you think it's the dumbest thing ever. Take a look at your spouse the way he or she looks at you. That confused look when they can't tell why you're looking in

Marriage is a blessing. This statement is very true, when we behave in a way that shows it. Here is where we get real. PREFACE: I DON'T HAVE THE MARRIAGE BEHAVIOR ALL TOGETHER YET.   And I don't want to give anyone the impression that I do. I believe that's why God gave me this topic. It's another part of me that I'm still working on. And everything that I give to you, is likely something that I'm working on myself at this moment or I just got fixed for myself. So just to be real, I don't have the perfect marriage. Reggie and I can get on each others last nerve. Usually I get on his last nerve more, LOL.  I don't have perfect kids. They got mouths too. They are spoiled. And they make dumb mistakes just like most kids. And I strive to be that Proverbs 31 woman. I use that chapter as a checklist for myself to stay real with myself about where I really am, and I don't think highly of myself. There is work to do in Ana, just like there may be in a

Blessing people.... It's a blessing. Today God said someone needs help in their marriage. So I want to encourage someone in their marriage. I pray that I can give you the hope you need by getting clarity of the purpose of marriage. This is Part 1. I will give you Part 2 tomorrow. We all know the facts right? That God made Adam from a pile of dust. (Talk about humbling. When you remember that you are dust, humility comes much easier.) That God Himself, breathed life into Man. God took Adams rib and made Eve. But let's take the word and talk about that for a second and let's personalize it a little. Wherever you see my name, wives insert yours. And wherever you see my husband's name, husbands insert yours. Let's review the scripture first. Genesis 2:18, 21-22 NLT Then the lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Then the lord God said, “It is not go

Disclaimer:   I'm sooooooooooo first partaker in this one......... 1 John 4:18 NLT "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love." This scripture has been a focal point for me for 2016. Almost to the point of pure joy AND sometimes frustration too. Most people have exercise, money management, new house, home renovations, things like that on their new years resolution. On mine, I wanted to take my life back. I needed to find the courage to fight my fears. I have to fight my fears all the time because there are really so many of them. Even spiders. But spiders is not the kind of fear I'm talking about today. It's the fears that truly change your day or life. The kind that  really holds you back from doing things/doing things well. And every time I think I have one fear defeated, God reveals another to me. Its amazing how many

Happy Monday Everyone! Yesterday I typed up some stuff that could have very easily left me in condemnation. And it almost did! I had to get right quickly. I needed to stand under the conviction of The Lord, accept and admit what I have been doing wrong, in my home, before my children, before my husband, before my God. Then decide that I'm going to fix it. Decide what I can do differently from here on out. Decide what I need the Holy Spirits help in, at times where I know the flesh may be weak. Once I know these things, I gotta make it work! I pray that no one else was/is stuck in condemnation like I was. That is not what our God wants us to do. Sulking is not good! Time to accept what WE did wrong AND FIX IT! If it's not a fixable item, then DROP IT! Why you carrying it around, allowing it to weigh you down? There is a song that I heard this morning, it says He'll make everything alright! What better way is there to start the week!? By dropping everything off at the gate

Consistency... a word so simple.... yet a word that has taken on such a NEW meaning in my life. The word was used in a message in church today. That word... is a blessing. It's also a curse. And honestly I can't stop crying even as I type this, because my eyes are open, but in a different light. What things do you consistently? After service today I thought about that question. Specifically, what does my family see me do consistently? My family DOES see me go to bible study every Wednesday consistently. They see me go to one, sometimes even 2 services on Sundays consistently. They know if I am singing a song, 9.8 times out of 10, it's not secular. And even my 14 year old told me that if I tell him anything, i've already found scripture to back it up. That's pretty consistent right? And good things right? But... What are the bad/negative things that my kids see consistently? When I drive on the highways, will I speed? Yup. When I run late to get out the door t

You ever see someone that just looks like they are just full of busyness.... control freaks.... got too much going on..... they ask you to do something for them before they even say good morning? Piece of work right? Makes you not want to be around them cause chances are, you can't get a good conversation out of them. Or they just doing too much. If anything, you know that when you leave their presence, only one of 2 thoughts are going through your mind. 1) You are relieved that you got away quick enough, or 2) you will be so tired because they asked you to a bunch of stuff when that wasn't part of the plan. I know someone like that. Its actually pretty funny because, while I could see so many people that would run from her, I could also see the people that could work with her. Then another group that always had the "I'm not scared of you" sign on their forehead. LOLOL!!!!!  Nonetheless, it took all these people some kind of mentality to be able to work with thi

TODAY IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I SHALL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!!! What does that mean to your girl Ana? It means to me that today God gave me a clean slate! All my mistakes from yesterday He has forgotten them! That argument I had with the kids or my husband or with anyone, He wants me to repent and Love correctly today! It means that maybe I had a really distracted day at work yesterday and I just wasn't as productive as I wanted to be (this part really did happen), but TODAY He has given me a fresh new mind to be able to take the day and start over the right way and be successful! It means that although I don't get to do my hair in the mornings, My God still thinks I'm beautiful! So today I tell you, remember the Joy in this day, and TAKE IT BY STORM! The enemy tried to take your joy using a storm, so use that same storm to take your joy back! The enemy can't stop you! You already have the VICTORY CAUSE GOD ALREADY BEAT THAT DEVIL DOWN FOR YOU 2000

I was talking to a friend the other day about how she was so frustrated because someone came to her with her personal pity party that she/he has had for quite a while now. She did the right thing and spoke life into her/him and that was very well done. She sympathized but didn't join the the pity party. The thing that popped out to me was that this person had this pity party going on for longer than a day. Never mind that The Word says JOY COMES IN THE MORNING. You can argure that The Word doesn't say WHAT morning joy will come in. But my logic tells me that it comes in THE morning. So if I have a bad day today and I know that Joy comes in THE morning, that means to me that when morning comes, it's got some JOY in there for me to receive! If I chose NOT to receive it, it's on me. BUT JOY IS THERE. This brings me to ask, how many mornings have you not let joy in just because you are stressed out or mad about something that already happened? Is there something you can d

So now that I have exposed who I am. Let me tell you more about the real me. So I already mentioned that I'm an ex-wife and a wife, a mother and a step-mother. That's easy. I am also going to tell you who I was. Work with me, there is a reason for this. I was: A Selfish Wife A Verbally Abusive Mother A Potty Mouth A Hooch A Disrespectful Daughter Vain A Girl With No Self Respect A Pothead An Alcoholic A Pill Popper A Sinner of the worst But let me tell you who I am now: A Proverbs 31 Wife A Loving Mother A Woman With a Holy Mouth A Respected Woman A Daughter that Loves and Honors Her Parents Humble Self Loving and Respecting of My Temple Clean Saved Now that I've told you who I was and who I am. Here is why I had to say it that way. Those things in the first list, were really honestly who I was. I really was much more than that, but I don't have time for a list that long. If we are all honest with ourselves, many of you have the same descripti