The Tapestry of My Calling

The Tapestry of My Calling

by Gloria A. Walker © 2018

            Interwoven in the fabric of my life is the mantle given to me at my new birth. Too young to understand, I did not care for it as I should. As a result, it became fragmented, threadbare, barely clinging together. As I sit here in my quiet time, alone with Him, I hear Him say, “It’s time.” “Time?” I ask. “Time,” He said. “You have allowed the cares of this life to fray the very fabric of your being. Where you once trusted, you now doubt. Where you were once open to new experiences, you have built a wall. Where you once loved freely, you withhold that love to guard your heart. In doing so, you unknowingly shut Me out. I was left in the peripheral of your life; however, I AM no longer willing to be relegated to the sidelines of your life. It’s time.”

            I watched as He picked up that tattered remnant. I saw the threadbare places and I found myself trembling. He drew my attention to some of those torn places. He said, “Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3 AMP). I felt the strength of His love reach out to embrace me, giving no room for fear, ‘for perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18). As His love surrounds me, He reminds me, “I AM Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals you. For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds” (Jer. 30:17).

            As He speaks, His Word intertwines with my being, giving strength where there was weakness, joy where there was heartbreak, love where there was indifference, rivers of living water where there was stagnation, and life where death once hovered. I watched as He took His fingers and began to repair those broken places. He began to weave in His sufficient grace, reminding me, “I have made you a watchman. Therefore hear the words at My mouth and give them warning from Me (Ezek. 3:17). No longer will you run from the call I have placed on your life.”

I froze as I felt the weight of the mantle that was placed on my shoulders. It was very heavy and I felt my knees buckle under the weight of it. He continues in that still, small voice, “The mistake you made before was to try and carry it by yourself.” He then slipped His right arm around me and fitted half the mantle on His shoulders. He said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your soul. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30). You were never meant to carry this mantle on your own.”

            As the weight is lightened by sharing the load, He continues to encourage me by saying, “Fear not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; year I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). Together we began to move forward, the tapestry of my calling now mended—the threadbare places now made whole. Nestled there in His embrace, under the shadow of His wings, I feel the anointing oil of His Spirit impart the ministry of words to my spirit. I found myself relating to the words of Psalms 45:1, “My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

            I hear Him whisper as we walk side-by-side, “I have gifted you to write and to speak. Make Me known to others as I reveal Myself to you. Don’t allow the weight of the mantle to distract you from your purpose. But allow the mantle to reveal the weight of My glory as you use your gifts to draw others to Me. Remember, if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32).

            As a result of this encounter, I am re-releasing this book of love letters and poetry, picking up the mantle, continuing to create a tapestry that glorifies God. To purchase, click on the link below.

https://www.thebookpatch.com/BookStore/out-of-the-depths-of-my-heart-i-cried/15fdbdea-c355-483f-8e57-784be4f3cd71?isbn=9781642546514

On The Banks of God's Great Sea

"In loving memory of my father, Arthur McClain, who died of lung cancer on December 16, 1994. Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

On The Banks of God's Great Sea
By Gloria A. Walker @1996

Daddy, I know you're resting
On the banks of God's great sea.
As you watch the children play
Will you remember me?

The Watchman's Healing

Battered. Broken. Bloody.  The mountain of healing is before me. What little energy I have left is spent raging at that mountain with the promise of healing but not the power to follow through.  No hand comes to soothe my fevered brow. No hand comes to offer a cool drink of water to quench my parched and thirsty soul. My life’s blood spills to the ground where I lay dying. All around me are the things that wait for death so they may pick at my flesh and devour what is left of me.

A Servant's Heart

by Gloria A. Walker © 2011

You called to me, I answered,

"Yes, Lord, Your will is mine.

I'll yield to You my life and love.

I'll leave it all behind.

To walk with You o'er mountains high,

To walk through valley's low,

To walk with You on sunny days,

To walk where cool winds blow.

The Commitment of an Intercessor

Today our pastor put forth a call for more Intercessors. For those considering responding to that call, please read the following short excerpt from pastor Frangipane's book The Power of One Christlike Life. What an appropriate teaching/example of the life of an Intercessor.

The Commitment of an Intercessor

Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin---and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!" (Exod. 32:31-32)

The prayer of Moses is remarkable. Moses was not only the leader of Israel, he was an intercessor as well. Ultimately, an intercessor gives up all personal advantage for the sake of those for whom he prays. Moses knew he personally had favor with God. Yet he presented himself as a remarkable portrait of one irreversibly committed to Israel's transformation. He said, "If Thou wilt, forgive their sin---and if not, please blot me out from Thy book."

I AM FREE!

by Gloria A. Walker © 2011

"And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work : in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him" (Luke 13:10-17).

I stand trembling in the midst of the crowd. Stand. I am standing! I am as excited as I am overwhelmed. I look into the eyes of the One Who has just called me to Himself. His eyes are filled with such a powerful love, I find myself raising my hand to caress His face, as the feel of His hand lingers at the base of my spine. I am stopped in midstream as the words swirling around me like a whirlwind penetrates my heart. “There are six days in which men ought to work, in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13:14). Such indignation, such anger, such vitriol in his words. Don’t you understand? I AM STANDING! Why can’t you be happy for me? Why can’t you celebrate with me?

RESPONSES TO ADVERSITY

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Hab. 3:17-18). 

When we experience adversity, we generally respond in one of three ways: (1) we become angry; (2) we try to gut it out; or (3) we accept it with joy. 

Anger

When adversity comes our way, we say, "Why me, Lord?" We become bitter and resentful and blame God and others for our problems. We view ourselves as victims and demand that God answer our accusing questions: "Why don't You love me, Lord? We feel entitled to life, health, wealth, and happiness. 

Yes, LORD!

by Gloria A. Walker © 2011

"Out of the free flowing intimacy birthed from my relationship with Him comes moments where I find it necessary to express in writing what I cannot articulate with my speech when I am in His Presence. This is the result of one of those moments." 

Emotion. Wave after wave of emotion. Rising and falling. Reaching a peak that is hard to handle. Subsiding enough to allow me to breath, but never far from rising again.

What will happen should it reach it's zenith? Will I explode? Will I melt from the inside out and become putty in Your hands? What are You asking of me? What are You requiring of me? Is this a purification or a consummation?

Either way, the fire is hard to bank. It feels as if wants to break all restraints. It gives me no rest. It doesn't matter. Lord, I yield to all You ask and require of me! Yes, Lord!

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

by John Paul Jackson © May 2011

My relationship with God changed dramatically in 1978. That was the year I started praying every day. I did so because my marriage was in trouble, my little business was in trouble, my job at a major corporation was in trouble and everything was going downhill. 

You know what? I thought. If I'm going to get fired, I might as well get fired because I'm a raving Christian and not because I’m being a bum, like they think I am. So I started praying — not because I was passionate about prayer but because I really, really wanted to keep my head above water!

NO MATTER THE COST

by Gloria A.Walker © 2011

Out of the broken places of my life rises the fragrance of my worship.  Even as my arms open like the petals of a rose and drink in His loveliness, I remember from whence I’ve come. I remember my heart as it lay in pieces at the feet of those who said they loved me. I remember my body bent beneath the burdens heaped upon me by the very ones who promised to help me. I vividly remember that dark place where I tried with everything in me to escape in the deep recesses of my mind so I would not feel the pain and disappointment dealt to me, even in the household of faith—the one place where escape should have been possible. I remember lying there with my eyes closed, broken and bloody from the warfare around me that only I could hear, see and feel.

REFINER'S FIRE

by  Gloria A. Walker © 2007

        Forged in the flames of adversity. 
        Welded in the crucible of pain. 
        Tried in the furnace of affliction.
        Birthed in the heat of the same.

        Parched for God’s Holy Presence.
        Thirsty for His healing rain.
        Yearning for dew drops of mercy
        To quench the heat of the flames.

GOD'S WOMAN

by Gloria A. Walker

excerpt from "Out of the Depths of My Heart I Cried" © 1996

There's a beauty of the spirit

That she simply cannot hide.

She's surrounded by so great a love

It will not stay inside.

It overflows into our lives.

It fills our empty days.

It draws us every closer to

Love's awesome, burning flames.

The Old Rugged Cross

by George Bennard

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, 

the emblem of suffering and shame; 

and I love that old cross where the dearest and best

for a world of lost sinners was slain.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,

has a wondrous attraction for me;

for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above

to bear it to dark Calvary.

What Price Freedom!

"And I say, oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Yes, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah! I would hasten to escape and to find shelter from the stormy wind and tempest" (Psalm 55:6-8).

I close my eyes and meditate on these words. As I meditate, I feel as if I'm slowly shedding every care, "every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles me" (Heb. 12 1c AMP). Suddenly, I am one with the Dove, soaring across the heavens. As I indulge my new found freedom, I test my wings; descending and ascending, around, up, down. With all of the excitement and continual somersaulting, I begin to tire. The sky looks funny, as if a storm is brewing. Look, a hill! I think I'll rest under that tree. So much noise. No one will notice if I rest here a moment.

Our Nation's Crisis: Stand and Pray

This morning as I sought the Lord, I felt an urgency in my spirit to pray for President Obama. Yet, while I do pray for him daily, I also felt that my prayer was intercepted by my concerns with some of his policies and appointments. I honestly had to pray through my own disappointment to get to the "mercy seat" of God's presence. Later this morning I read Victoria Boyson's message. Victoria and her husband Steve are friends we have known for years; both have supported me in ministry at various times. Her word is a confirmation to the urgency I felt to pray for the president. Weigh this teaching for yourself, but also do not let your prayer be intercepted by a critical attitude.

Francis Frangipane

Our Nation's Crisis: Stand and Pray
By Victoria Boyson
(En Español)

Back in the winter of 2008, the Lord spoke to me and told me that our city, Cedar Rapids, IA, would flood. I took His warning in stride and thought, "Okay, we've flooded before and been alright. A few flooded basements and swampy yards, but we can deal with it." I prayed a prayer of protection over the city and thought nothing more about it. 

     Then, in June of that year as the melted snow and ice from Minnesota and Wisconsin starting coming down the rivers our way, it looked like a much worse flood than I'd anticipated. Cities north of us had bad flooding, so we began preparing for what we thought could happen to us. 

     But as the flooding reached our rivers, it started to rain, which greatly escalated the threat. It rained and rained and RAINED! It seemed like it hung over our city and just poured.

     Suddenly, the reality of the disaster that was occurring hit us - the rain just wouldn't stop and the river that runs through our city could not contain it. We began to pray and to take the situation very seriously: our prayers echoed the fear in our hearts. I felt the level of intercession in the city heightening. We were finally taking this threat seriously and, through prayer and intercession, the rain stopped and the flood began to recede. But it took too long for us to react.

      It flooded our downtown and many homes and businesses were destroyed. Those who could afford it, rebuilt, but many businesses closed for good. Thousands of people were suddenly left without homes, clothing and food, struggling for the basic necessities of life. 

I'll Die

(Just as physical attributes are passed on from one generation to another, so are spiritual. And just like Elisha, I have been blessed with a double portion anointing through my children. As you read this poem written by my son embrace this gift first to me--my double portion-- and now to the world.)

 

I'll Die

by Darryl D. Walker © 2006

In love with love even though I know with love I’ll die.

I try to find other means for my spirit to be revived.

But yet here I am again with love, my flesh feeling so alive.

But my spirit cries, “Why?”

‘Cause my soul can’t find any real sincerity behind loves eyes.

My flesh tells my spirit and my soul that what they see is a lie.

Feels like love, tastes like love, so it must be right.

Deny myself true intimacy, a bad choice I made,

Because I chose to love love instead of first choosing to love me.

A Love Song

 (Just as physical attributes are passed on from one generation to another, so are spiritual. As you read this poem written by my daughter, embrace this gift first to me and now to the world.)

A Love Song

By Kiera Walker 6/6/06 ©

I look at the world around me, and I am amazed at what I see.

Your detail is so intricate and so infinite beyond belief.

As the smell of each flower flirts with my nose,

I search the deeper things in life that I may see through the eyes of whom it was composed.

My eyes absorb light, reflecting the color of Your ways.

I so easily become enraptured with you- quickly falling into a daze.

I lean near Your ear to hear what I can hear.

Immediately I am consumed with the sounds of drums beating ever so clear.

The Gift of Woundedness

by Francis Frangipane 

(www.frangipane.org)

The world and all it contains was created for one purpose: to showcase the grandeur of God's Son. In Jesus, the nature of God is magnificently and perfectly revealed; He is the "express image" of God (Heb. 1:3 KJV). Yet to gaze upon Christ is also to see God's pattern for man. As we seek to be like Him, we discover that our need was created for His sufficiency. We also see that, once the redemptive nature of Christ begins to triumph in our lives, mercy begins to triumph in the world around us.

How will we recognize revival when it comes? Behold, here is the awakening we seek: men and women, young and old, all conformed to Jesus. When will revival begin? It starts the moment we say yes to becoming like Him; it spreads to others as Christ is revealed through us.

BY HIS WOUNDS I AM HEALED

by Gloria A. Walker

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:1-5 NIV)

The three walked into the city of Jerusalem. Strange! They were told this was a busy metropolis teaming with people of all races, creed and color. Where is everyone? They stopped to ask a local merchant why the city seemed emptied of all of its citizens.

"You must be new in town. Everyone has gone to see a crucifixion."

"The whole town?" asked the first. "Isn't it a little unusual for the whole town to want to see a criminal executed?"

"This is no ordinary criminal,' replied the merchant. "He claims to be King of the Jews!" 

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY AND THE THINGS WE LOVE, PART II

By Francis Frangipane (www.frangipane.org)

As wide as our sphere of love, to that extent we have spiritual authority. We see this in the mother who loves her child. Such a woman has authority to protect, train, and nurture her offspring. She has authority to protect what she loves. The same is true of the husband over his family. His authority is not merely to rule but to establish in his home the life of Christ. True spiritual authority is born of love.

The individuals who love their local congregation have authority to build up that congregation. Their authority is not extended, however, beyond the boundaries of their love. If we love the entire body of Christ in a locale, our authority touches the lives of those in our city or region, either through the burden of prayer or through teaching or outreach and service.