Raised from Birth

It all started in the Spring, March of ’82,
Riding on my Daddy’s shoulders about the age of 2,
He brought me to this church called Calvary Temple,
He gave his life to Jesus, but it was nothing simple;

Moving forward to the years that I spent here,
Don’t be surprised if the ink smears from my tears,
The godly seed that was sown in between my ears,
Fell down in my heart, produced godly fear;

The men of God who were placed by God above,
Led me to the Words of Life which is God’s love,
And all the teachers that dug deep to find water,
Produced a well that began as a little toddler;

So many churches may teach you The Word of God,
Yet not require you to do the very Word of God,
Our godly leaders stood firm on the old paths,
Went back to the basics, it sure wasn’t a crowd pleaser;

Those decisions struck hard like a buzzer beater,
It sent away the crowds hot like a burning fever,
There was a turning point at Calvary Temple, my church,
And this is how The Lord purifies His Church;

In the house of God, I grew up as a young man,
My flesh got stronger, I had my own plans,
I took my life back, gripped it in my own hands,
Then God drew a thick line deep in the sand;

I had the choice to follow Jesus or my own rules,
A hard decision because I thought that I was so cool,
This fellowship trained me up, held me accountable,
Pointed me to Jesus and away from being a proud fool;

Once a youth and now a man at age 34,
It’s very clear what all the saints had been praying for,
With my living soul in the balance, yes, they waged war,
Against the evil powers present in this dark world;

When Satan threw me curve balls and really wild pitches,
They went to bat for me and slugged it over the back fences,
They helped me up and pulled me out of some ugly ditches,
Taught me how to live by faith and seek first God’s riches;

Taught me to bless my enemies when they curse me to my face,
Give them bread and a cup of water as an extension of my faith,
To pray for those who hate me and wait for me to fall,
For even when Jesus was crucified, He prayed for them all;
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To practice holiness, godliness, and to remain pure,
Learn to forgive and to repent at my hearts core,
To trust in the Lord and not in my own perception,
God’s Word is final, there are no exceptions;

I thank God for my true friends, my counselors, and my parents,
They were the vehicles God used to receive God’s inheritance,
God places us as He wills, in his Kingdom on earth,
But this is just my testimony of how God raised me from birth.

Jerry Brooks