Anita met Jesus Christ in a tiny Pentecostal church in Silverton, NJ on a Sunday night in April. 1982. A shy non-practicing Catholic girl, in bondage for many years and haunted by many ghosts of abuse, rape, shame and hopelessness. A glorious healing light burst through that night, even though she trembled under the growling, accusing voice of the tattoo-biceped, ex marine, who slammed his fist on his worn pulpit. His glittering black eyes bore through her.
"If you die tonight in a car accident.. Will you go to heaven or burn in hell?"
She declared the salvation prayer and in that small church, Anita finally found a loving, accepting family that she had always wanted. She bloomed, making up for many lost years, enrolling in college and graduating at the top of her class, Magna cum laude. The earning of that degree was interrupted though, by the courtship with a demented man who threatened to kill her if she didn't marry him. That domestic violent season which lasted almost two years nearly took away her exuberant faith and new-found nursing home ministry. But Christ never abandoned her.
Healing took place and resilience set her back on track. She met lead guitarist, Chris Durante at a church picnic where he invited her to front his Christian rock band with him. The Lord began to hone Anita in her new role as lead vocalist-lyricist of "The Promise" and Chris, her and the band shared the Gospel of Christ to the NJ, PA and NY maximum security prisons, family festivals and community showcases.
Anita also grew in leadership positions, teaching behavior modification classes at Nutri-System Weight Loss Centers and as a youth advocate for Youth Advocate Program. Just as she was enjoying her life, strange and debilitating symptoms sent her to the hospital where she was given a diagnosis of Lyme disease. 1992 was riddled with hospital intravaneous Rosephin treatments and Amomoxicillin antibiotic.
The next several years, with her immune system breaking down and battling many episodes of bronchial infections she almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning from her apartment's broken heater. The carbon monoxide did serious damage to her brain and deep depression set in and she was unable to sustain employment.
But God wasn't finished with her yet. She found herself once more with hope and found another accepting family at non-profit Christian outreach, Love in the Name of Christ, in the Fall of 1998. Executive Director, Carolyn Eyerman and project Manager, Joan Hodem saw things in Anita she never knew she had. The six years there taught her even more about people and serving their needs. This was also where her journey with the guitar started!
Dystonia is a complex, highly variable neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions. Dystonia is a range pf movement disorders that involve extended muscle contractions. There may be twisting body movements, tremor and awkward postures. According to my research and personal experience, my Dystonia symptoms were caused my Mercury Amalgam poisoning, toxic Mold and nerve damage from carbon monoxide poisoning. EMF sensitivity and dirty electric can also cause the nervous system to overload.
The main treatment for Dystonia are Botox and DBS Deep Brain Stimulation..
I was diagnosed in 2007 with Dystonia. I was prescribed a muscle relaxant.
So, Anita Ivette Ferrer, was a gentle and fragile girl, easily frightened by the Outer Limits electricity monster and intimidated by her mother's raging temper tandtrums. Nonetheless, she had a dream. She sketched and sang and composed poetry in careful calligraphy hand.
A traumatic and threatening encounter with a bullying classmate in her favorite art class shattered her pre-conceived notion that people were kind and could be trusted. The bullying continued till graduation day and she wore her cloak of shame and rejection like a weighted anchor. Doors don't swing open wide for those who've suffered bullying, abuse, poverty and/or molestation.
But in April of 1982, Jesus Christ opened wide the door of grace and Anita walked through. Decades of deeply ingrained traumas and negative events were assuagged and she began to see more clearly that she had worth and God had a plan for her life..
Enrolling at Brookdale Community College, Anita discovered that door of favor swung wide open and she rediscovered her poetry, singing and art. No longer fearful and distrusting of people, she was deeply curious and disturbed about injustice and social issues. er professors were impressed with her empathy and passion to pursue studies in the humanities. Graduating with high honors despite great financial hardship and a violent failed, marriage, Anita knew that the best was yet to come.
Anita's journey with Christ led her to chase and slay many giants, particularly health. Lyme Disease came in 1992 and then carbon monoxide poisoning almost took her life in 1997.All during this time, Anita chronicled her life events through her journaling and then came an invitation to learn the guitar.
Her health lost it;s resilience from the damaging environmental assaults on her nervous system, but her love for composing songs and performing continued. Then were menntoring broken women, youth outreach and hospice. Outwardly, it looked as if Anita's continual suffering and down-spiraling health would diminish her calling, but herdevotion and trust in Christ's promises was her saving grace and anchor.
Despite her present and most daunting giant, oromandibular-TMJ Dystonia from mercury poisoning, she continues to sing, write about and express her gratitude of facing death...and helping others to live!
Anita hopes to find a cure for the Dystonia so that she can travel and tour, speaking and singing about overcoming and getting better with age.Her heart beats for the glorious expectation of God's best through her. She hopes that her music and art will provoke intimacy with Christ and a deep empathy for hurt and broken people. She champions the underrdog because she is a giant slayer.
So it has been a very challenging two years for Mark and I as we prepare to move permanently to Georgia. We have made quite a few trips with our trailer and we are down to our last wall units, dressers, Nordic track and mattresses. Mark already has brought most of hi mechanic tools, but I still have my music studio equipment, my sewing machine and huge supply of my fabric, photography lights and jewelry designing stuff.
Our main difficult and costly challenge is finding a moving delivery company we can afford. Mark decided that the best option would be a out-of-state moving transport costing almost four thousand. We are hoping that our family, friends and church-ministry family would partner with us and help out with the cost.
Mark and I trust Father God that He will provide everything we need for our new ministry chapter. I hope you will pray about sowing into Mark’s ministry to the biker men and my Brave Flame music outreach. Please feel free to message us at my website and there is a donation button.
Hello precious girl or woman! Did you know you were meant for a royal heritage and destiny?
If you are in a dark season, I wish to share with you how special you are that there is nothing in this world that can separate you from God’s love!
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. NLT
Your life may have taken a bad detour, but if you give Jesus a chance, He will turn your life around and crown you with his healing, deliverance and grace.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Psalm 27:10
Remember that you are not an accident and before you were even in your mother’s womb, God had plan for you!
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” — Jeremiah 29:11
When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are adopted in a royal heritage!
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Pet 2:9
Jesus is not only your Lord and Savior, but also your bridegroom, so delight to be with Him. Come away with Him! Read and meditate on the whole book of the Song of Solomon. It is a gracious invitation from our glorious king and husband.
My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. Song of Solomon 2:10
One of my favorites passages about God’s love for me is from Isaiah 62 2-4
2Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. 3You will bea crownof gloryin the handof the LORD,a royaldiademin the palmof your God. 4No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.…
And if you are sick or struggling with an illness or terminal ailment, Jesus has already paid the price and victored over sickness, death and hell! Be very careful with your speech and never own anything negative or what is not of God because you open the doors for demonic harassment and bondage. Declare and believe in faith, only God’s word. Live by it every day.
Would you like to turn the page of your life to new chapter, then contact us at our website by signing our Guestbook
I’m finally enjoying some rest and relaxation after a very challenging three weeks working with my husband at or retreat property in Georgia. The 18 hour (two day ride in the back of our Sierra) always exhausts me and it takes days for my body and mind to recover.. I’m always grateful to God for his protecting angels keeping us safe from accidents and interstate disasters.
So here I am back at our New Jersey rental, basking in God’s gracious presence and so overcome with Love and gratefulness for His provision and faithfulness. I feel a surge in my inner spirit as I lift up in prayer the name of many people in Mark and my life.
While in Georgia, I fell upon a beautiful YouTube devotion page which I start my day with. I noticed a Denzel Washington video in the cue. Denzel happens to be one of my favorite and beloved actors and the film which most inspired and astounded me was his incredible performance in the the film, The Book o Eli. Though the opening scene of him shooting a feral cat for his meal almost made me refuse to watch the rest of the movie, (because I am a devout cat lover, lol) I felt compelled to watch this post apocalyptic movie, knowing that any film Denzel stars in is excellent.
I click on the video and Denzel is speaking to graduation college students. He shares his testimony about his life’s journey., the pitfalls, the disappointments and inspiring people whose council influenced his decisions and successes. People reminded the young man to “make sure you have something to fall back on.” His response was, “If I’m going to fall, I don’t want to fall back on anything except my faith. I want to fall forward, at least.I’ll see what I’m going to hit. Fall forward”.
He went on to tell the students that everyone had the gifts and talents to succeed. But, did they have the courage to fail? “The rewards will be great, “,he said.. The chances they take, the people they meet the people they love and the faith that they have, is what will define.
“Keep striving, never give up, fall down seven times, get up at eight. Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. Dreams without goals are just dreams.”
The conclusion of his speech was “The most selfish thing you can do in this world. is to help someone else. I’ve kept God in my life and it’s kept me humble. I didn’t always stick with Him, but He always stuck with me. So stick with Him in everything you do!”
His concluding statement was, “Don’t aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference”
In The Book of Eli, Eli, (Denzel’s character), he truly portrays the hero, the survivor and God’s faithful servant as he battles his way through the wasteland of post-apocalyptic United States of America. The Bookof Eli is a must-watch movie and remains compelling source of inspiration for me as I battle my own giants. As Eli clings to his source of strength, God’s word, the Bible and God’s leading, I too abide in the strength of the everlasting and faithful God, Jehovah. I urge you to give this movie a serious watch, especially pondering the lessons, victory and challenges that Eli faced trekking a very chaotic and evil world. We pilgrims must always remember that the world is no only a temporary abode- journey and if we put all our trust in God, He will guide, encourage and lead us into His haven of rest at the end of our journey. As we watch the conclusion of the movie and see that Eli prevailed because of His trust in God, he re-established the law of the Lord and so began a fresh new beginning for a formerly hopeless and threatening world!
Prayer, Heavenly, gracious Father God, I ask that those reading this blog, would consider their destiny and future in light of these perilous and uncertain times. Jesus Christ told us that they days would get dark and people would grow more evil. Jesus comfort us with these words in John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
May every person’s heart be wooed and open to the calling of your precious Son, Jesus Christ…and make the decision to live for and in Him, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.;
MY debut album, song collection Produced by Ernie Wilkens, Gary Dates and Daryl Dahrouge. An eclectric collection of folk-rock, jazz hip-hop and jazz rock.
So, I met Chris Durante at a church picnic in the summer of 1989 and he asked me if I would front his Christian hard Rock Band, The Promise. I was just a folk soprano who sang a capella with twin sisters in ursing homes. Who knew that God was preparing me for greater ministry and service to people through my non profit Brave Flame Productions. Chris 's artistry has embellished most of my songs and albums over the years and we are grateful for the influence and inspiration of the the Holy Spirit through us frail and fragile instruments!
John Mulrenan, producer-engineer, Acorn Digital, Howell, NJ has also been a long-time friend and music partner. He has lent his artistry to my projects on keyboards, piano, bass and programming. His expertise has been invaluable. He is an underrated and transcendent talent!
And last, but not least is my talented husband, Mark, who has been my sound engineer.since we married. His extensive experience doing sound for NJ's best bands has been a valuable asset to my music. Bless God for giving me such a devoted husband!
1989 Maximum Security Prisons & Correctional Facilities
The Promise Christian Band
1998 Love in the Name of Christ Christian non-Profit
Coordinator: Just the Right Touch
One on One Mentoring, Helping welfare recipients & displaced homemakers transition to the work force, supplying appropriate business clothing & resumes & mentoring,
Youth Advocate YAP, Youth Advocate Program.
Mentoring youth in social & life skills: liaison between parents/guardians with social service agencies
