Artistic Gifts from God

Good Morning,

Here is the Word of God in artistic form. Poetry and art given by two "daughters of Z"; Perinda Lowe and Adrienne Berry. God desires for us to become a "whole body" utilizing every gift, talent and ability for the fullness and the maturing of His body. Romans 12:4-6; "For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs and members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use. So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another]. Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them..."
Enjoy, receive, grow, be healed and set free as you enjoy the gifts that are being used for your growth.

Love,
Pastor D.

The Change of Life

What does it mean to change anyway?
Is it something you feel?
Is it something you say?
Is it something that you can wish for or away?

To change, to transform
To become something else
To leave behind all the former parts of yourself?

Some say, that change is good
To just go with the flow
And not to resist
Or rock the boat

Some ancient cultures hold onto their way
And they’re still the same as they were then, today

Change is the agent that rips your soul out
It’s what makes you fear
It’s what makes you doubt
It’s the something that most never figure out

Change

Change is the anger that drives you to act
It’s the fire that burns
It makes gossip fact

Transformation is swift
Like the flick of a blade
Shining and gleaming with a hint of rage

Ready to take and ready to steal
Ready to give and ready to heal

Change is a pain
Like you’ve never known
That squeezes your heart
Until you’re alone

It’s the ripping apart of your family or friend
It’s that feeling
You just want it all to end

Turmoil, hurt, pain, and grief
They all walk with change
While you look for relief

Change is that thing that you’ve always feared
That you looked for to happen
But fought it with tears

I had cried out for change
But I didn’t think that You’d hear
Change me, O God
I whispered in Your ear

And you started to work
And my world started to crumble
You searched my ways
For things you could humble

And the process was hard
Making stone into clay
My life became darker
The sun went away

You said there’d be shaking
And every moveable thing
Got torn away as I stood in Your rain

My heart broke
And You spoke again
You called me Your child, Your lover, Your friend

How God, could You even say that to me?
Did You see what just happened?
You let these things be?

One by one, they left me
As I cried out to You
And You did nothing
Of what I thought You would do

They beat me, they hurt me
I cried out in pain
As the world turned against me
Again and again

God, don’t You love me?
God, don’t You care?
How much more do You think I can bear?

It was quiet
But I was desperate
And I searched for You
For Your love, Your voice
That touch I once knew

And I started to hear
And You started to speak
Past my pain and my suffering
And the darkness, so bleak

And you rolled the tape
When You heard my cry
When I asked for change
And You heard from the sky

And You started working out things in my life
That were holding me back
And getting me off my off track

And You took them from me
Per my request
And You started moving things
Where they fit best

And I started feeling the pain of the growing
Which started blocking the love You were showing

You are that change
That one that we fear
Will rip us away
From what we hold dear

Transforming us into what?
And since we don’t know
It halts us from moving
So, that we can’t grow

But that one small prayer
That fell from my mouth
Was enough for You
To take control of my doubt

The pain that I felt
As I was transforming
That sense of dread
That led me through mourning

Was replaced with a strength
That I’d never known
That started to grow
From the seeds You had sown

The shaking You spoke of
Put me in a place
Where I started to walk
In the fullness of grace

Not relying on man
Or woman or child
Every false idol
Was left in a pile

Change is a thief and bandit all right
But it stole my fear
And renewed my fight

It’s that process
Of a slave becoming the free
When the ugly
Becomes the picture of beauty

There’s a shifting
When the bound is let loose in the streets
When the one that was forgotten
Does amazing feats

Change is that suddenly
That was always in the works
Change is the life
On the other side of the hurt

Change is the hope
We always crave for
It’s the future, the healing
It’s the open door

Change is our Savior
Redeeming the time
Making us into
A people that shine

Propelling, moving, changing, growing
Pushing you forward
Without you ever knowing

Making you do
What you thought you never could
Making you love
Like you thought you never would
Higher heights, deeper depths
Closer than your next breath

Transformation, the word is a beautiful thing
When you should be crying, you can now sing
When you should be crumbling
You can now soar
When you should be dying
There is joy to your core

There’s a peace to the saying
That this too shall pass
And while our world keeps changing
God’s love with last

Poem by Perinda Lowe © 2008

Artwork by Adrienne Berry © 2008

Comments

[Nehita]

WOW!!! What an awesome poem!!!! Perinda wonderful job as always and Adrienne I have ALWAYS been a big fan of your artwork. Wow, 2 wonderful creations...well 3 including Pastor Debra's prophetic word used in such wonderful ways. I'm just amazed!!!!

[Deneen Curry]

Praise God. I thank God for the many gifts and talents that he has placed in the hearts of his children. I thank God for your boldness and stepping out on faith and doing what God has placed in your hearts to do. To give him glory and honor in your gifts and to share with others so that they may be blessed by them. I'm just so excited about the many doors that God has opened up for the dauthers of Z. From the blog to the gifts and talents. There's no limit to what God can do and will do. God is so awesome. Continue to be used by him and give glory and honor to God. I'm so excited for both of you and the plans that God has for his body. Praise God. I just preached myself happy. Amen. Okay let me go I'm suppose to be working.

[Vanessa]

This is right on, every word. It is so amazing, we cry out to God for change, and He hears us, and starts the work in us. Then we think He has left us right in the middle of it all, because it is not the way we thought it should be changed, or because we think it is too hard. But the Word says to "faint not", so, I will press on and allow God to finish the work He has started in me.

BEAUTIFUL & TRUE

[Debra]

That was awesome, powerful,enlightening and so true!! The poem and artwork shows my God and His great diversities in His "bride." He loves to show off His babies!! I'm glad that I'm connected to you 'Daughters of z.' Go girls!

[Adrienne]

Mmm....mmm...mmm...WOW! God is silencing me more and more these days and that's all I can say. I am humbled and honored to be used amongst beautiful strong women. Thank you Pastor D. for always seeing something in me, that I didn't see and encouraging me to JUST DO IT! Much love to the daughters of z!

[susan]

This is excellent! So many ways to express our Love to the Father!!!