My Personal Journey With Jesus Revealed Through Poetry

"My Personal Journey With Jesus Revealed Through Poetry" includes my personal testimony along with poems I have written since 1999. My personal testimony is about how Jesus walked with me and carried me through the trials and tribulations of the past seventeen years. This includes my salvation experience, my personal encounters with Satan, my time spent in mental hospitals, two times when I could have died, the loss of family and friends, and also how God provided me with a new Christian family and friends who are helping me rebuild my life and showing me how to minister to others. The three sections of poems include personal journey poems, praise and worship poems, and poems about the end times. The reason I am telling my story and being so open and honest is because I want you to know that Jesus is real and that He will save you and walk with you for eternity if you only open up your heart to Him. My name is Brian Whitacre. I was born in 1973. As a child I enjoyed school and played sports, however I didn't know Jesus. My spiritual journey started in 1993. At the age of twenty I began attending a Pentecostal Church where I was drawn to Jesus by the power of love. On April 24, 1994, I got saved as God spoke these words to me "are you willing to give up your secular music for me?" I said yes and God also delivered me from my bad temper and cursing. However, right after I got saved, I came face to face with Satan. This encounter changed the course of my life forever. Because of this encounter I ended up in a maximum security mental hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Since 1994 I have spent many long hours in mental hospitals where Jesus proved He would never leave me.

A Journey with Jesus is a collection of poems inspired by God for the journey to know Him more. It was April 1972, two weeks before Easter that my father died. My world crumbled..I knew there had to be a deeper faith. My journey began as I intentionally sought to know Him through Bible study and in reading His Word. The following Easter, I realized with deeper understanding, that Jesus death was Gods unmerited gift to me. I understood the paradox of death.. A terrible loss but also, a gift. The death of Jesus brought the gift of eternal life; my dads death led me on a journey to understand the magnitude of Gods great gift. My journey with Jesus began in 1972 and continues today. I believe that as you read these poems in your own quiet time, you too, can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and become that little lamb who loves the shepherd.

Ever feel like your life's journey crosses into the battlefield? A Spiritual Journey: Shedding the Light of the Lord through Poetry, in the heart of Megan Elizabeth, marches through the battlefield of life clinging to the promises of God. She holds onto His promises of yesterday's history and the promises of tomorrow's future. Through each stage of the journey comes a new color of maturity. To become like Jesus Christ is the end of the journey. Megan Elizabeth's horizon is awaiting the rising of the Son. Though her journey is ongoing, she knows at the end of A Spiritual Journey: Shedding the Light of the Lord through Poetry she will be bowing down as the Son comes up.

Words are powerful. They have the ability to influence a change of heart and mind. They command attention and can build someone up or tear someone down. Life has its share of challenges all of which can be overcome. This thought-provoking testimony of poetry demonstrates just how much of an impact words can have on an individual's life. A Poet Revealed is a clear description of a life transformed and sustained by words. This journey into the life of a poet reveals just how much one's test can truly become a testimony. Up until now my lips have been filled With spoken words of written thoughts that were sealed Keeping them to myself apparently wasn't God's will So now, I am a poet exposed, I am a poet revealed.

MY BOOK IS BASED ON HOPE & THE INVITATION THE INVITATION...COME TO CHRIST (Rev.3:20,21) HOPE... COME AS YOU ARE; BROKEN BUT NOT FORSAKEN Each poem you are about to read reveal struggles I dealt with throughout my journey, but what visions of Glory I was shown in between the stepping stones of life as my mind continued to be renewed. (Eph. 4:23, 24). We become a New Creature in Christ but we make many mistakes along the way. Do not be discouraged. We are all imperfect in the fl esh, but look to His Holy Spirit to guide you to a higher place in your spirit, where you will begin to see a New You! Once youre Born Again in Christ you become Born of His Spirit. (John 3:3) Through His Amazing Grace, your sins are covered by His blood He shed for All Mankind. (John 3:16-18) Jesus Loves You! YOU ARE NOT ALONE YOU ARE FORGIVEN; YOU ARE SET FREE

I write about true life: the things that inspire me, bother me, and encourage me. I also write about my family and friends and other people along the way. I always point to the Lord as my source of love, encouragement, and the answer to all my worries and cares. There is nothing too big or too small that God cant handle. He is my all in all.

From unexpected struggles and precious moments spent in God’s presence, God is building life stories of strength, endurance, and an overcoming spirit because nothing in life is wasted. Looking through a biblical lens, God seeks out ordinary clay vessels to tell his story to bring to light what his own eyes behold. The book From My Heart to His Heart reveals real-life experiences encountered during a personal wilderness season that challenge the reader to look within. The book opens the eye to recognizing that those who walk closely with God are not exempt from a wilderness season for it comes to us all. Entwined with biblical Scriptures and history, and divinely inspired poetry that tells of intimacy with God, the reader is drawn to reflect on God’s presence when prayers seem to go unanswered. From compelling real-life stories that engage the heart, the mind, and the soul—truth is revealed. Walk with the author to experience joy from a place of sorrow, and to trust God from a place of isolation and silence, and then rejoice in understanding that God takes all of what we’ve gone through to build purpose and to position us to bless his kingdom.

Poems from the Heart, Conversations with God is one man's walk with a loving God that began on January 6, 1987 and continues to this day. Poems from the Heart, Conversations with God not only contains God's wonderful love in words, but also His love for us as shown through incredible images. Now all can say that they have seen God and the door to His kingdom with their own blessed eyes. We all have a path in life that God has given us; may Poems from the Heart, Conversations with God be an inspiration during your own personal journey. Jim DeStefano lives in Monroe Township, NJ, with his wife. He is currently a Christian counselor with a Masters in Social Work. Please contact Jim at Poemsfromtheheartbook.com. You may also order books through this website. For more information, email: [email protected].