Missing in Action: Hi. Well, it’s been a while. Honestly, I have trouble managing all my accounts, but I did create this blog for a reason, and I do enjoy writing…so I need to get back into it. I’ve been slightly more active at my Creative Passages Facebook site, but I need to be more active here, too, and that is a goal for the new year.
I’m always making art…that never seems to stop, although that has slowed down some as well.
So let me catch you up here. I bought a house in July which was my first house ever at age 52! It’s a half mile from the beach which has always been something I dreamed of, to be by the beach! I call it “Joy Bloom Cottage!” Buying a home may be a normal occurrence for most people, and I know I’m behind at age 52, but because of the life I’ve lived, the trauma I’ve endured, and the various struggles I’ve encountered as a single mother and as a divorcee, that is quite an accomplishment for me personally! I’ve had to work my way up from poverty to solid middle class. I had to break off the poverty mindset, get my finances and credit in order, etc. Tonight, I don’t feel like going into all the details of the things I’ve had to overcome, but let’s just say that I’ve faced potential homelessness at least 4 times. Perhaps at another time I’ll share more of my personal story. I finally have a place I can call my home. I finally no longer have to worry about how my bills will be paid. God brought me my house in the nick of time, too, because the cost of rent is something I no longer could afford, even with a middle class income. The cost of living is too much, and my heart constantly cries out for God to fix this for all of us because too many people are struggling. Too many can’t afford the cost of living. It did take me 3 years to find a house in my price range. God pulled a few miracles like only He does, and right after I left my previous apartment rent went from $850 to $1300 a month! My mortgage is only $1115.50. I love my house! For the first time I’d rather just be at home, then go places or eat at a restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I still like going places, but I love the atmosphere at my house now. I thank God often. It feels like I’ve stepped into my promised land. Now this is one reason I’ve been behind on my art and writing…setting up my new home.
Alot of my art making went towards my house, decorating it. I always make new art whenever I move into a new place. Then after that, there was birthday present art and holiday gift art. So many of my friends and family received art! I didn’t do a good job of taking pics or scans prior to giving it away.
The best part of my new place…well one of the best things, is that I do have an art studio. It’s an art shed…and well, it looks like a shed just yet. I did have a whole other new shed built just so I can place extra storage and garden tools in there and clear out space in my art shed, but the roof needs to be made water proof because water leaks in where the screws are. Once that happens I can begin to move non-art stuff in there. My art shed is crowded and not very pretty right now. There’s not alot of working room, but it’s more then I did have working out of a closet in my room with a small foldable table at my old apartment. It’s nice having things all be right there, and not having to take 5 boxes out of my closet to get to the one at the bottom, but I’m still getting annoyed with it being too crowded so I can’t wait to get it set up…maybe by this summer-is my goal. Spring would be even better!! Right now, it’s too cold to mess with it. And by the way, it snowed!
We are enjoying a beautiful snowy landscape in Norfolk, Virginia. First of all, it doesn’t snow often here, and when it does, it usually melts right away, but it has stuck around a few days.
I do have two big shelve systems to set up in the shed. I can’t wait to get everything spread out and available within reach. Eventually, once everything is organized, I want to set up an etsy shop.
Work has me busy as well. The Pandemic just really sucked up my time. Sterilization of the art supplies that I use to provide art therapy groups added extra to my time. Also there’s been more patients just because the pandemic has been so stressful and hard on everyone, and aside of that we are expanding as a psychiatric hospital! I find myself working about 50 hour weeks just to complete all the notes and cleaning everything required. Then of course, there’s my family who still live with me, house work, and church, etc, etc. Most importantly, I still find time to make with God, which is absolutely essential to me. It’s like I can’t survive without God, and the success of my life is very much dependent on God, and my ability to hear him and submit to him.
Aside of all that, in October, I finished up my 1st year of my Five Fold Ministry class and School of the Prophets class. I got recognized for the gift of evangelism. That surprised me. The 2nd year of classes have just started although now its twice a month instead of every week, which makes it a little easier!
I do want to write more, keep up with my art more, and find more time for my blog/vblog, etc.
I’ve been in a time of deep soul searching and introspection as well. Things have shifted for me a bit as an artist. I was moving into live prophetic art worship painting events, etc, prior to the pandemic and did have some workshops I could also take part in, and that brought with it opportunities to be exposed more, sell more, etc. Since then, I have not focused on marketing or selling. That in itself is a big job to take on. God has something new on the horizon for me, though, and for me it’s huge!
So probably in February I will be leading my own intercessory workshop. There has been a ton of people at my small church who have family members with mental illness, along with myself and my own family members. I feel like I’m about 85% recovered from trauma (sexual abuse) and PTSD, but aside of that I do have multiple people in my family who have suffered from depression, alcoholism, eating disorders, OCD, anxiety, panic disorder, ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, etc. The goal is to educate the church on how these people (the mentally ill and those suffering from various afflictions) should be treated by the church and also to intercede for them through prayer. I want to incorporate tongues and art, too. Maybe dancing as well. I have been attending tongues workshops done by my friend Corinna for the past year or two, and tongues are a powerful tool, especially for intercession.
I’m really excited to be leading the workshop, and to maybe lead others into using art as an intercessory tool. I have been using art as intercession in my own life for the past 2 years, maybe. I’m praying about the best way to go about it, or if the art part should be incorporated in every class or just occasionally. The best part is that I didn’t pursue this opportunity myself. I was just asked to do it. It just fell into my lap, but maybe as a result of my heart and what people know about it. The catalyst was a bipolar woman who visited our church and other churches from out of state and although she was treated well at my church, she was not treated well at other churches. This really upset the Lord, and I mentioned it to a friend who became part of our church board, and that friend then had the idea for this class, which my pastor not only agreed to, but became excited about. He wants to give me a ministry license maybe after a year of doing these classes if I do a good job. The other classes also put me on track for a ministry license, and even though I don’t technically need them to get my license because my pastor intends to ordain me eventually, I just want to expand and stretch myself spiritually. The classes I am leading will be once a month. Another friend, named Wendi Nixon, I will be coordinating with, will also be leading the class once a month, but at opposite times, that way there will be this class/workshop occurring every two weeks. Aside of the bipolar woman, I think the Lord planted the urge to reconcile this problem (of how certain people groups were treated in church) in me throughout the years as I also encountered people/religious leaders, who seemed to exacerbate my trauma or fuel my rejection issues, etc., by not understanding how trauma works or how people heal. So many people believe that trauma survivors can just believe God nailed their past to the cross and that they can just forget all about it and will no longer suffer from it, when it seemed very evident to me that healing was more a process of God renewing my mind versus a one time event, and in fact those that believed it to be a one time event still seemed to be suffering, in denial or avoidance mode, and projecting issues onto others. I often felt judged, and maybe somehow thought to myself that I want to address this someday. Although I have family members still suffering (and I’m not at liberty to go into details because of privacy concerns and needs of said family members), I feel strongly that this next year and this new era we are going into will very much see a focus on deliverance and inner healing. God’s given me so many prophetic words about that. I think God wants us to be contending for this and believing for this!!
Which brings me to my next point. I feel like I do have a strong prophetic gifting, and most likely, I am walking in the office of a prophet, although not to my full measure yet. Only time will tell, but I strongly suspect this. Although I’ve been taking the School of the Prophet class and am going on my 2nd year, I was activated in the prophetic I think around 2005, so I’ve had some time to grow into it. I’ve only been told I held the prophetic office once and told I had a prophetic mantle one other time, but I believe God will make room for the gifts. My pastor, Ray Boetcher, does recognize this gift in me. I really love him for seeing all the gifts in me and making me feel loved and appreciated. He not only does this for me, but for all of us in the church. I’ve been asking God to bring me money to help build the church. I started investing in stocks in 2020 (outside of my retirement) and crypto too since last year. I go to a really small non-denominational, spirit-filled church called the Riverroom church. It’s a five fold church and our pastor really believes in equipping all the Saints to move in their giftings! So with that said, and having been exploring all my giftings through my classes, I’ve also been really examining my heart and inner motives. I’ve been trying to figure out what does God want me to do with this gift exactly? I’m exploring my need for approval and also my fear of man, two alternative motives which could interfere in God’s desires, and I’m laying both at the alter for him to address and remove in me. I want nothing more then to have a pure heart and use my gifts to serve the Lord versus promote myself or alternately not use my gifts out of fear. Don’t we all have to sort through these things as we expand ourselves in our spiritual gifts? I don’t ever want to be like the Pharisees selling in God’s temple or prostituting the gifts, which is tricky when you’re a prophetic artist, because one part of me wants to thrive with an art business and another part of me wants to use my art and giftings as a way to serve others in ministry. So God has to help me sort all this out. This is another reason why its so important for me to maintain a close and intimate walk with the Lord so I never get out of alignment or out of his will and desire for me…which if I’m not careful could potentially be so easy to do.
I would like to make this blog a place to collect the various prophetic words I have received, though, and be able to look them up or refer to them, because sometimes they build on one another.
I’ve been seeking to understand more details of my own prophetic lifestyle. Like I noticed that I get impressions in my spirt and that it moves me to write about it, most often. Its like the words of God will flow through me when I write. I do get visions, but less often. That’s what’s odd about me as a prophetic artist is that I don’t get a lot of visions. Most of my visions are like quick split second impressions, although once I went into a experiential encounter where I felt like I was there. I also have prophetic impressionistic encounters were I’m interacting with God, that last longer, but they feel like impressions in my spirit versus like I’m really there. I would like to feel like I’m really there some day. I also tend to be a prophetic “feeler.” In fact, I remember moving in that gift even as a teenager, because I was able to sense the emotions of others in my spirit and also how God felt about them. I also tend to have physical manifestations in my body when the spirit of God comes on me. Interestingly enough, I also remember my trauma primarily through my body. I’m very kinesthetic. Sometimes, I just have a sense of knowing about things. I’ve also had prophetic dreams off and on since childhood-major dreams of the end times, rescuing and hiding people, and fighting off demons. I was a spiritual warrior with a sword. I believe God has a deliverance ministry in store for me, and that these workshops are just the beginning! I want to see generational curses broken off and generational blessings released! What I’ve also figured out is that my life tends to be a prophetic illustration, and as I’m making the art often times that turns into an illustration as well. It will evolve or God will speak to me as I’m creating it. I like to start by playing and exploring versus having a prophetic vision like most prophetic artists, although occasionally it will happen that way. Sometimes God gives me just a theme.
I noticed that since 2012 God has done alot of signs and wonders in my life and there’s been patterns involving numbers and time periods etc, which may line up and coordinate with what God is doing with his church or this nation. It’s too much to go into detail now, but since the words can be interconnected, and sometimes I get them so early they are not even relevant at the time, I want to be able to look them up and connect them more easily here. For instance God started speaking to me about restoration is 2012 with a sign and wonder of $50 bill (which was ripped up and blowing in a hurricane and I found all the pieces and taped it together and spent it on art supplies), and although there’s been lots of restoration in my life, it seems as a nation we’re just now going into a season or era of it. But notice that number 10 there; its been 10 years since 2012 and we’re just now going into a season, a new era, of restoration and deliverance! That 10, I believe is important! It means double grace, maybe, and there’s probably more tied to it. Also tied into this is how God gave me a major vision of his outpouring when I was 50 years old, called the Overflow,
which I completed with alcohol inks. Now, 10 years later after the sign about restoration, I believe we’re going into a time of answered prayers and promises come true! My house was just one promise come true! I’m believing for a domino effect of promises come true! But what I’m also trying to say is that I believe there’s so much more prophetic mystery and significance then I’ve even been able to tap into and understand. Like God’s saying, “Come here. I have a bunch of puzzles and riddles for you to solve, and you can have as many as you can make the time to do!” I barely understand the interconnectedness of it all, but if I could put all the words and dreams in one place it would be easier-which is what I’d like to do here if I can just figure it out. There’s a dream I had in 2019 which seems to be coming more relevant now, too, but that’s a whole other story.
Creative Passages 