From the Dungeon of Defeat to His Living Masterpiece

Poetry, to me, is an elegant bridge that God uses to lead us away from the numbness of the familiar into the amazement of His awesome love and grace. He used the Psalms to reveal magnificent truths about Himself to man, and we have been blessed by those songs of love for thousands of years. When He finds a yielded, available vessel who is open to help shepherd His little flock through the minefield of this valley of tears, He will use that instrument to pour out precious and priceless gems to bless their pilgrimage Home, and in the process, rejoice their souls. Shirley Gutierez is just such a conduit of the Master's loving touch. Having fought many a battle down here herself, and found His victory to be sweet, now she shares with you -- or better said, now He shares with you through her -- through her poetic gifts, truths that will equip you to see His marvelous light in the midst of your own darkness or your own vexing valleys. Some would-be poets write "poetry" just for the sake of writing poems. Not so with Shirley Gutierez. This dear saint allows the Holy Spirit to use her to speak truth through her words that lifts the veil and carries the reader beyond the shallows of mere logic, reason or raw emotion. I think the two words that best describe this gift to the Body of Christ, the book you hold in your hand, are anointed and inspired. See for yourself; you are in for one blessed encounter with grace, regardless of where your finger might land in this volume. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" 2 Cor. 4:7. This is the one verse that comes to mind when thinking about this sister and her work. That "Treasure" inside her has been allowed to use that earthen vessel for His pleasure and His glory as He touches your heart. Someone has said that poetry is "plucking at the heartstrings and making beautiful melodies with it." May you enjoy the music of her poetry, and may that sweet music draw you ever closer to the One who poured them all out through her, for you. Dr. Charles Browning Christian Therapist Orange Conty, California September, 2012