About Denise Haeffner
Denise spent most of her childhood in Asia (Indonesia and China), where she fell in love with God, the amazing cultures and beauty He has placed in the world, and a lifestyle of following wherever He leads. Her parents, Finn and Sandy Torjesen continue to live and work in China, as well as her twin brother, Davin, with his wife and daughter. Denise currently lives in Colorado Springs with her amazing husband Adam, who encourages and prays for her every day. None of this would be possible without him.
My artistic journey has been just that, a journey. I have always loved to sketch and paint, but for years it was just a hobby. I never thought my spiritual walk would intersect with my artistic life. Thankfully God’s ways are above my ways and His thoughts above my thoughts. A few years ago God challenged me in a unique way. It wasn't about art, it was about control. He started impressing on me a need to pray against a spirit of control in my life. I had no idea the depths these prayers would take me! I discovered one form it had taken was in how I spoke to myself. I remember consistently telling myself that I wasn't creative and there was no way I could ever be an artist. I am truly grateful that God, in His mercy, opened my eyes to the lies I had believed. He has created me in a certain way, for a certain purpose, and it is good! Once I started rebuking the lies an amazing thing happened; for the first time God started giving me pictures. All of a sudden as I prayed or meditated on scripture an image would come into my mind. I started painting them and my art changed completely. I realized that He was showing me pictures of the divine romance that He longs for each of us to recognize in scripture and in our own lives. Hosea 2 is a key verse for me. I am in awe at the heart of God for His people:
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Therefore, see, I am alluring her, and shall lead her into the wilderness, and shall speak to her heart, and give to her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Akor as a door of expectation. And there she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 'And it shall be, in that day,' declares the Lord, 'that you call Me 'My Husband,' and no longer call Me 'My Lord.'
Hosea 2:14-15
God desires to ‘allure’ us, to ‘woo’ us! How amazing is that?! It is not a bad thing to call Him ‘Lord,’ but He desires a deeper level of intimacy. He wants us to call Him ‘Husband.’ I am still learning to be sensitive to His voice and to the images He gives me. He has told me that I am an 'interpreter,' and I pray that through these interpretations of the 'divine romance', you may see a little clearer the deep intimacy our Heavenly Father longs to enter into with you!
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