Title: Spirit-Driven: Volume One – A Collection of Songs, Lyrics, and Poems
Author: Kathleen Lizardi-Calhoun
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 978-1-5127-9532-5
Pages: 146
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Hollywood Book Review
Awarded to books of excellent Merit
Spirit-Driven: Volume One – A Collection of Songs, Lyrics, and Poems is a riveting and inspiring assortment of poems from Kathleen Lizardi-Calhoun. Her collection of poems and song lyrics will be impactful for readers. Spirit-Driven is a mixture of song lyrics and poems about a narrator’s faith in God. Some of the poems have words from God’s point of view, like “ By My Stripes” “ My word is your power/In the storm, raise it to me/You will have strength/In that hour/I will set you free.” Many of the poems and songs detail the joy the narrator feels now that they have faith in God, as in “Christ in Our Place: “ By the King, we are justified/ By His blood, we are saved.” Poems also detail how people should have faith and should come to Jesus just as they are in their lives in poems such as “Come to Jesus as You Are.”
Lizardi-Calhoun’s writing is very emotional and heartfelt. Her writing is evocative and imparts important lessons about being kind to other people, especially vulnerable people. In poems like “Help Save the Life of a Child”, the narrator of the poem details how they want to help children have a more spiritual life with God. In “Homeless to Saved,” Lizardi-Calhoun writes about a narrator that helps a homeless person find their faith and saves their life. She writes profusely about her faith, but in an elegant and subtle way that is not preachy nor overbearing to readers.
Spirit-Driven would be best for readers who want to learn more about faith and express their devotion to God. The poems would be best for readers of Christian ministers like Joyce Meyer or TD Jakes. The songs in the text, like “Faith Eyes” and “Heavenly Eyes” are inspiring and would be ideal for fans of Christian gospel artists like Chris Tomlin or Kirk Franklin. The poems can be read in Bible study groups and the songs can be sung in church choirs as well. Even people who aren’t religious can be moved by the themes of unconditional love, forgiveness, and kindness throughout the book.
Spirit-Driven is an excellent collection of poems and songs that will warm readers’ hearts and motivate them to help others. The book is a beautiful expression of faith that all readers will love.