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Hi! I am Anne Armour Berger. I'm originally a Southern Girl, having lived the first 15 years of my life in Kentucky. I kiddingly try to tell people that I'm a "New Yorker"...but my southern accent blows that joke everytime.
 I’m 44 years young. Yes, I do believe that the "forties are fabulous". My muscle man, Army dude, husband, Greg and I have been married for nearly 20 years. We have two great kids. Our son, Andrew is seventeen and our daughter, Andersen is thirteen. Hence my first gray hairs, recently spotted in my eyebrows. I'm a woman of few secrets.
I grew-up upper middle class with parents that loved me. I attended private parochial schools through the 8th grade. I attended a formal, traditional church every Sunday. I knew that I loved and respected God. I thought that was enough.
Our religion did not ‘encourage’ studying the Bible, but I was never told that I couldn’t…so I too am to blame for my lack of knowledge. I believed in JESUS, but I did not KNOW JESUS. I had no idea that there was a difference. A BIG difference.
I was a cheerleader for three years. I was friends with the ‘good kids’, I hung out with the ’popular kids’ and I snuck around with the ‘wild kids.’ My search for contentment was kicked into high gear through high school and college. Popularity, boyfriends and booze were just some of the avenues that I searched for that contentment in. I was very materialistic too…a sorority girl!! Sure I was out there sinning but I thought it was okay, after all…I was “sinning with STYLE.“ I truly deceived myself into thinking that all of my MANY sins were “Okay” to GOD.
God to me was just what “I” wanted Him to be. Of course, I wanted HIM there for me in hard times, but I wanted HIM to just turn His head and not watch my good times. HE knew me…He’d understand. Deep down inside I think that I really knew that this was a cop out, but I was not willing to give up my good times. Little did I know that God had even “BETTER TIMES” in store. Now I look at those ‘good ole’ days’ more as times of ‘being lost, searching and sadness’.
Since marrying Greg in 1988, my mother-in-law, a wonderfully kind, authentic Christ follower has continuously shared her faith with me. I now realize that she was ‘witnessing’ to me. At the time I THOUGHT we were just having “Christian to Christian“ discussions. I thought I was a Christian. After all, I went to church every Sunday, I was a good person.
On August 6, 1991 shortly after having Andrew, my mother-in-law invited me to a Christian Women’s meeting. She had invited me many times before but this time I showed up. After walking through the door, it’s as if my heart was suddenly overcome with a great sense of ‘thankfulness’ for ALL that the LORD had done for me. Healthy baby, nice husband, roof over my head, food on the table…God was so good to me and I knew that I did not ‘deserve’ it. Below the surface, I really was the opposite of a ‘good person’. WOW…HE MUST REALLY LOVE ME to have blessed me so much anyway.
I could not even tell you what the speaker actually talked about that night. But when they asked for people to come to the front if they would like to be prayed for, my feet could not get me up there fast enough. I don’t remember my ‘exact’ words…but I DO remember my ‘exact feelings’. I said and felt something like “God, YOU have given me SO much even though I TRULY DO NOT deserve it. Jesus did actually die on the cross for ‘me’!! I am SO grateful! I surrender my life and my heart to YOU! I’m YOUR‘s! Use me as YOU will!!
I KNEW from that moment on that I was now a ‘different’ person. It was as if all of the old garbage in my life, just did NOT matter anymore. I was a person who now had a clean slate and a purpose. I was not raised in a church where the term “born again” was used so it was not until a couple of days later that I found out that was what my life changing experience was actually called.
I used to have to ‘drag myself’ to church on Sundays…then all of a sudden, I wanted to go to church. But…God gave me a desire for more. My ‘nightly prayers’ were good but I have found that I like to chat with God frequently throughout the day. It’s SO COOL…because HE does not get tired of me talking!! According to God’s Word…HE likes it!!
Later on, just hearing the Pastor tell me about the Bible on Sundays was NOT ENOUGH. After beginning to read the Bible for myself, I soon found that the Bible’s contents were not just HISTORY and rules, but they were ‘directions’, guidelines lovingly written for TODAY…for ME…to make my life BETTER!!
Growing and encouraging others to grow spiritually has become a priority in my life. Being active in my own church, working along side with others serving the body of Christ, is important to me. I feel ’small group’ Bible study involvement and participation is vital to spiritual growth. I lead a women’s bible study group for a number of years. I also have a passion for worship music and this too is another area in which I have enjoyed serving the Lord. Sharing Christ with others is my passion and the call on my life. I am so blessed to have opportunities to do this through my writing and various speaking engagements.
This has not ALL happened overnight, it’s been an on-going ‘growing’ process over thirteen years now. Yet…it’s NOT enough…I’m not finished…I want more…I want more of Christ and I know He wants more of me! He has been so patient with me. I know that I still have A LOT of growing to do. I also know that the more I focus on my relationship with Him, the closer and closer we are becoming…the better and better my life, my marriage and my family life are becoming. It’s incredible.
I am still a sinner. I still have struggles, trials, and sadness in my life from time to time. But it’s my confidence in God’s love and His peace that get me through. The ‘good times’ are frequent and are BETTER than any ‘good’ times I had before I knew Christ. I am a Christian and I have FUN!!!
Turning my life over to GOD was THE BEST THING I ever did for myself. JESUS IS ACTUALLY MY VERY BEST FRIEND and I know HE will never leave me!!
I’ve got a seat reserved in heaven and it’s MINE!
He loves me more than I can even imagine. But you know what???
He loves YOU just as much!!
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