Hey there!

Just wanted to say welcome to my blog visitors from the Philipines, Pakistan, Russia, and Canada. Thank you for visiting my site, I pray that my journey can bless yours.

God Bless, and Dream BIG!

-Anthony

Now I Know

"Sometimes to be able to even muster enough faith to see what's ahead as possible, you may need to look back."

Now I know why moments of intense pressure and desperation exist because I needed to resolve that God is the only way.

Now I know those moments that I wanted to quit, were actually the moments God was pushing me forward.

Now I know why there were times in my life that I didn't understand because God was actually bringing clarity... clarity about Him.

Now I know why it hurt so much to stretch more, love more, forgive more because you can't help hurting people when your not whole yourself.

Now I know why I've gone through what I've gone through, experienced what I've experienced, had victories and failures, blessings and droughts, pain and joy.

Everything has set me up for this moment, my destiny, dream and purpose in God await! I'm being prepared for what's ahead and so are you! Don't stop, keep moving forward! God loves us just as we are, but too much to let us stay that away. The breath of air you just took is proof that your best days are still ahead of you.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

A thought on Faith

Lately I've been feeling a tremendous overhaul taking place in my faith with God. I feel like God is my mechanic and a trading of parts is taking place from yesteryear's faith to a newer higher performance faith. This new, improved, untapped faith will be needed for what I have yet to do. I'm a work in progress, not yet done, but you better believe I won't stay in the shop, and when it comes time I definitely won't stay in neutral.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. - Mark Batterson (In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day)

5 Tips for the Process

Are you aware of what God is teaching you, growing in you, pruning off of you, building in you, stirring through you, taking away from you, shaping you, working in you? How is God working in your life?

One thing that can be certain, God is always working in us. "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting it and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:5 Amplified Bible

Sometimes it's easy to see the work of God taking place in our lives, and other times it's not so easy. Sometimes it's easy to allow God to work in our lives and other times it's flat out difficult to understand and trust God through the process.

5 Tips for the Process

1. Trust God - Trust God when you can't track Him. God knows what's best for your life, He created you.
2. God will not always work the same way - It may not be your way, may not be easy but if it's God's way it's the best for your life.
3. God's purpose endures - Nothing can stop the work of God, not the loss of a job, home, finances, relationships. Nothing! The only thing that can stop the work of God in your life is You, even then God has a way of realing us back.
4. Listen for God- God is the GPS of life, take time to listen for direction, warning, wisdom, correction. Life is a journey, and it's about who you are becoming through that journey. You cannot navigate the journey of life alone.
5. Understand God- It's not enough to know God, God's plan or God's purpose you need to understanding. Understanding God comes through fellowship with God. Understanding God is like having HD Television, it's widescreen, so you see more, and defined so you trust more.
   
   
   

Dream Test Part 4

**See I HAVE A DREAM...below**

This is for all of you who have something still living inside of you tugging at you every day. It's bigger then you, way bigger than you, but somehow you revisit this incredible desire time after time. Sometimes it's through a movie, a story or a song that triggers this deep emotion lying within you. Then there are the days, the days that everything feels oh so far away.

If sometimes it feels like your dream is far fetched, like it will never happen then this challenge is for you. Do you want to know where the richest place in the world is? It's not the diamond mines, banks or the stock market. The richest place in the world is the cemetery, every single one is filled with dreams that were never lived out, time that was wasted, and opportunities missed. Don't let that be you.

The facts might tell you that your bank account is too small, that your too old or too young. Facts might tell you that your education, skill or talent is not where it should be. Facts might tell you what your trying to accomplish can never be done. Listen to this it's a quote shared to me just a day ago from my friend Dan Caraballo lead Pastor of the Bay Area Dream Center. "Faith will take you, where facts will leave you." Dreams don't show up when faith is not present. The topic this past week on my blog, Dream Start is to get ready for you start your dream today. Too many people are looking for the perfect start to start their dream. I'm telling you, that you already have in you what you need to start your dream right now. Are you ready?; Here's the challenge, I seriously wanna hear your dream. Not only that I want to help you share it with your everyone you know. Here's how send an email to dreamstart10@gmail.com and include your full name, city and a small description of your dream. I will attach your dream to this post. When YOU DREAM has been added send the link from this blog to Facebook twitter or email with the subject line "I shared my dream and you can too!"

Let's see how many people you can inspire by taking a chance and voicing what's in your heart. I'm telling you everything changes the day you share your dream...everything. I'll have one final post next week on Dream Start and it will be a very exciting one.

I HAVE A DREAM...

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Lisa Cruz - Newark, Ca

It had been bothering me a lot the last few days that I could easily see everyone else's potential/gifting possible ministries/callings but yet for myself I could not.. I could not say that I had a vision or dream for my life, but couldn't understand why..

Another usual morning of rushing off to work.. In the car I just had to put on a CD, I put on my christian rap CD and God immediately began speaking to my spirit as the music brought back memories of a lifestyle/mentality I used to have as a teen/young woman...Then God immediately gave me visions of youth.. Bus fulls being driven to church.. youth

from SF, Oakland, Hayward.. at risk youth, with enormous talents/giftings... So I got my vision and I felt like I was going to explode with emotion (already cried and felt overjoyed and filled with excitement) if I didn't immediately tell someone...

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Reuben Maza, Milpitas Ca

I could honestly say that it was music that saved my life. I grew up in church but yet I was in the world doing drugs and doing no good. I dropped out of school and was going no where fast. I had a daughter at 19 and just felt so lost .. It was worship that kept me connected to God and that took me out of what I was going trough. Being a worship leader is a big part of my dream but that's not where it ends. I really feel called to be a counselor to be able to help youth,young adults and single parents. I know if there was someone to talk to me when I was younger to mentor me and teach me how to not to just no God but to have relationship with him things would of went a lot different in my teenaged years. But, I thank God for my past because it helped me build my future. Now I am currently an intern at CWC interning to become a worship pastor. I know its not gonna be an easy road but I'm willing to do what ever it takes to save lives for Jesus Christ because that's exactly what He did for me..

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Shannon Araujo, Santa Clara Ca

Ok, so honestly, it's a little scary for me to post this. It's been hiding in my heart for so long. For a while I tried to ignore it and hoped it would just disappear, but it didn't. Then it seemed as if it was stolen from me, but it wasn't. It turns out that God was just molding and shaping me into a person that could better understand what my dream would take. Am I there yet? Nope. Do I know exactly what steps I need to get there yet? Nope. But my trust is that God will lead me to exactly where He wants me to be, and doesn't let me dream in vain. He dreams with me. My dream, is to bring God's unfailing love to the orphans of South America. (and all over the world) I want to start a home for homeless, parent less children where they can know LOVE, ACCEPTANCE and HOPE. I want them to have a warm safe place to sleep, healthy food to eat, regular check-ups and people to love them as their own. I want them to know the Love of God, and the saving grace of Jesus. I want them to be able to dream the dreams that God has given them freely. Will some be adopted by warm and loving families? I pray they all will!! I want to be able to pour out the love I was so graciously given by my wonderful parents, my awesome hubby and son, and (of course!) by the creator of the universe who loves me exactly for who I am. My heart breaks for these young ones that have no hope, and don't know love....and while I alone cannot accomplish the task of bringing love and hope to thousands, I invite God to use me to bring it to those I can, in hopes of producing others that in turn will do the same. Love God, Love People, Change the world....

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Leebo Pomele Tiffin, Ohio Ever since I knew what football was, I dreamed of one day making it a means to provide for my family and I. After graduating high school in 2004, I walked away from the game I knew and loved since I was four years old to go to Masters Commission (Bible College/Discipleship Program). Six years from walking away from my dream, I stand in the midst of my destiny. Entering my senior year in college and my last year to play college football. I hope to one day be able to establish programs to aid low income families and equip them about the power of getting educated. As well as reaching out to single parent families who are in need. And lastly, being able to mentor teens and help them reach their dreams. Football is a great start to making these dreams a reality!

Dream Start Pt.3

The reason why you need to say something about your dream...

I've carried a dream in my heart for 11 years now, it's weathered plenty of storms, at some points seemed to die and has gone through a lot of testing. As I look back through time, the day my dream actually took off from the starting line was the day I was willing to make my dream known, not just to one person but to many. Something happens in the heart of an individual that can share something they are destined to fail in without God. YES my dream is that big, and without God I'm done, and so are you, but those are the dreams that God wants us to have.

If you can attempt your dream without God it did not come from Him, blame it on the pizza, the cookies or an inspiring late night movie. The dreams that God has for our lives always outlive us long after we are gone.

Everything you've gone through, everything you are today, your passions, your experiences, your heart breaks, your victories, everything, has led you to the moment you are at right now. The day I made my dream known, to plant a church in Hawaii, something activated in my life. I've experienced so much in the last few years from job promotions, incredible responsibilities, leadership opportunities, leadership challenges, new grace, a deeper understanding of God, my faith has been stretched, and so much more. God was growing my character to fit the dream. I feel like I've lived life more in the last few years than I've ever lived before and it all started when I acknowledged God's plan, God's call and God's dream in my heart and I made that known. Yes I was scared to share my dream, taken my brunt of criticism, heard the question "are you sure?" Even been asked "is that God or is that just you?"

Life changes when you acknowledge and speak out what God has placed in your heart to do; your dream takes on legs and an incredible journey will unfold. I'm convinced that the life I've experienced in the last few years and the chapter that is getting ready to unfold would not have taken place at all if I had not said something. Do you see now why speaking your dream out loud is so important? Isn't that they way the world was created "...And God said, let there be..." What do you want God to create out of your life? Are you willing to share it? I'm going to give you the opportunity in my final post to take some incredible faith steps, again I'll setup the platform, I've been doing so all week, you just need to show up. Get ready!

Dream Start Pt. 2

Late 2006, something begins to stir in my heart, like a new chapter was about to unfold. I couldn't quite pinpoint what I was to do but I knew I was going to need to do something. I enter into the new year with these litteral words "this is my year"

Every year at our church, we open with a week of prayer. One night my Pastor Dan Vera, called me out and pointed to me, he echoed the same powerful 4 words that I was already feeling in my heart. "This is your year" Something was about to take place and I knew it, I could feel it, I was convinced that in 2007 I would take some major faith steps.

So what did I do? I waited, and I searched and I looked for the answer that God was actually dangling in front of me like a carrot. The light had turned green and the next move was mine. You see the bible say's that "before you ever lived a day on this earth, all of your days were written beforehand" What that scripture tells me is this, Life is about showing up...it's about showing up to your purpose, showing up to your potential, showing up to the you that God has designed you to become. It was time for me to show up, I was beginning to feel an urgency a deep soul craving.

Frustration began to set in, but I knew in my heart what I needed to do. I needed to take a crazy step and do something that I was afraid of doing. I needed to acknowledge a feeling that I had in my heart for a very long time. It was time for me to make my dream known. Not just to one person, it was time for my dream to go public. Sharing a dream is scary, especially when it's super sized. I was afraid of what people would think? I was afraid of failing? I was afraid of being wrong. Till this day my knee's buckle when I think of what I'm getting ready to do.

This is the first part of my challenge. Some of you know what I'm talking about when I talk about frustration. You've felt the tug to take some steps but feel stuck in the quicksands of "what if" and "I can't." Many people stop right at this point when it comes to dreaming. People discount themselves out of doing anything great for God because they don't feel great. We're afraid of failure, so why try? We're afraid of what others think, so why say anything? I'm too small, don't have what it takes, lack the talent, the skill or the ability so why even dream?

This is where I believe most dreams die, sadly before they even take off. If your right there, right now, don't let it die. Just dream, think what God thinks about you, embrace God's word about you as it say's in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I think towards you say's the Lord, plans of a HOPE and a future"

Listen to this, I believe that this is speaking to you at this very moment. The very thought that God would give you a picture of something great is proof that He trust you to do something great. Do you understand that "YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made" Check this out, experts have discovered that if you were to take a single cell from the human body, and from that single cell extract the DNA; the DNA strand would extend 6 Feet long. And if you were to take that DNA strand that extends 6 feet long, you would find the coded message of you, 3 Billion characters long. How complex is this? If you were to to take that 6 foot DNA strand, that came from a single cell and began to read 1 single character every second night and day, it would take 96 years to complete.

"You are fearfully and wonderfully made." I'm going to go out on a limb with this, you won't find it in the text books and I'm not a scientist, but if you take that scripture and the facts presented it's not a hard thing to believe that God's purpose in your life can actually be embedded in you.

When you live your life the way it was designed, it's the greatest form of worship unto God that could ever take place out of your life.

Maybe your at the point I was several years ago, something needs to happen. It's time for you to show up to your greatness. Your tired of the frustrated feeling that there's more to your life but your not living it yet. Maybe it's time to make known that knee bending, heart pumping, passionate dream that's in you. You may be wondering why? It's important, very important, let's just say it's a darn right critical step that cannot be taken lightly. I'll share "the why's for taking these steps and making your dream public" in my next post and what I believe happens when you speak your dream. I'm going to give you a chance this week to do something, I'll set the platform for you, you just need to show up. More on that thought later. Oh yeah, one last thing THIS IS YOUR YEAR.