Farther Along on This Woman’s Journey

By Janice Carter Brown

Farther Along On This Woman's Journey is the second book of inspirational poetry published by Janice Carter Brown. Like her previous work, Dusty Roads, this book is a compilation of poetry and prose that inspires, informs, admonishes, and amazes. Her knowledge and use of language brings her writing to life, clearly revealing the purpose of each piece of literature. This book further expands Ms. Brown’s view of the world, her faith, and societal influences in this modern age. It is the intent of the writer to reach the masses through poetry and prose, to be a shining light drawing the lost to Christ, and a bright beacon of hope in dark places.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973643661

Janice Carter Brown

Janice Carter Brown is an author, artist, teacher, preacher, and business owner. Her Christian faith and love for the Lord are the most important influences on her writing. Multiple interests, wealth of knowledge, and life experiences combine to make her writing unique, thought provoking, and insightful. Her openness and genuine expressions are always God-ward, even in writings that may seem secular in nature. Like prophets of old, many of Ms. Brown’s writings clearly point to the remedy for the adverse conditions of the world; Jesus, who is the Christ.

Book preview

PART I

INTIMATE ENCOUNTERS

The desire for intimacy is one of the basic needs of every human being. Even life in the realm of the animal kingdom experience the natural instinct for assimilation, to procreate and bond with their counterparts and family unions. The instinct of all creation is to repeat the unspoken command to nest and home with those like ourselves in intimate relationships. As we study the lives of our ancient forefathers, the early worshippers of God and the early Christian Church we long with subtle envy for the closeness Adam, Abraham, Noah, Elijah, David, the disciples of Jesus, and the first century church, had with the God of the universe. They experienced a personal relationship with God and he reciprocated by allowing his spiritual presence to manifest in the natural world. Signs and wonders inevitably followed those who fellowshipped with our mighty God. In modern times, God seems to have remained allusive at times. Even at our spiritual highest the hunger and longing were only partially satisfied with a strong outpouring of emotion; emotional release followed by a peace that passed understanding or human explanation. Personally, God has been in my presence, or rather, I was in His presence, but not with the thunderous magnitude that is represented in the Bible. The glory cloud in Solomon’s temple and the falling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost have been experienced only sporadically during these latter days. The latter rain that we expect to fall at any time is often an outpouring of emotion that is intensified depending on each individual. While some semblance of emotion ultimately flows through all of us, the intensity varies. When God does allow his glory cloud to descend upon us, we can’t help but get excited and, emotional. During my Christian journey, the glory of the Lord usually comes upon me when I am quiet, during times alone with him; the knowledge of his presence reaches beyond what I feel to what I know is an actual fact. I must confess that I oftentimes become distracted in public worship. The voices and actions of others sometimes cause me to lose focus on the object of my worship, therefore we must worship God in spirit and in truth; not based on emotion only, but in the knowledge that his spirit is present to commune with us. When I meditate, when I pray, when I write, God is with me and I am aware of his presence. During the writing these poems, I can say with certainty that God’s presence was around, in and through me during intimate encounters.

Fill My Cup Lord

I want more of God. I need more of God. I’m sure there are those who would say that this is an exercise in futility. Can God be ingested, digested, absorbed, consumed, melded, assimilated, incorporated, consolidated? How can one obtain or possess something (or someone) that is unobtainable, unpossessable; who is as vast as the universe itself; who created the universe? Well, God made it easy, somewhat. It is as simple as accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, but it’s not as simple as purchasing a ticket for the inevitable trip we’ll all take someday. There’s this concept of living a godly life in the interim. Nevertheless, this magnificent, powerful, omnipresent God made himself available in the form of a spirit who is able to inhabit and cohabit with us and all he needs is an invitation. At this stage of my life, nothing else can match the importance of this desire; more accurately, need. As priorities go, this is the ultimate, for every facet of my life hangs on this holy objective. Everything depends upon my relationship with God – my marriage, my ministry, my family, my health, wealth, wisdom, etc., all depend on how God sees me, how I see him and respond to his voice. To be found in him, being a faithful steward of what he has given me is my calling. All the titles, positions, accolades, awards, praise or acclaim only go as far as their service to the selfsame purpose as I; that they have been useful toward my servanthood in the kingdom of God. That being said, I need more of God to be all that he requires of me. I need him to fill the cup of my being with his overwhelming presence and anoint my every intent with his purpose.

Fill My Cup Lord

With the wine of the Spirit

Fill my cup Lord, let me savor more than a taste,

Of that sweet nectar of your spirit, heavenly laced;

An aged refined potion of your omnipotent power

That gets stronger, more vitalizing, every hour;

Not like the wine of the grape that dulls the senses,

Leaving the mind to suffer wayward consequences;

Or the fruity apple brandy that masks an imposter,

That tells vain untruths, hallucinations foster.

Fill me with that strong elixir of your holiness

That stains my soul with its scarlet righteousness;

And opens my eyes to see what and how you see,

Slowly changing the weak nature inside of me.

Fill my cup Lord until I am truly satisfied,

A well spring of joy that cannot be denied;

That causes my heart to sing a joyful song,

A hymn of joy and gladness, singing all day long.

With the oil of anointing

Fill my cup Lord with the oil of anointing.

Pour into my spirit, a will of your appointing;

The heady fragrant salve to sooth my troubled soul,

Reminiscent of frankincense, a priceless oil of old.

Fill my cup Lord, till it overflows

Onto my head, my body, down to my toes.

Change my thoughts Lord, sinful ways dispel;

Bring forth fresh oil from your deep refreshing well.

Anoint my flesh, oil me like a newborn babe.

Redeem my soul to the utmost, save Jesus save;

That I might be found forever faithful and true,

Bringing a new life to others only found in you.

God, cause my face to shine in illumination,

Basking in fragrant glory of quiet meditation;

The aromatic oil of your holy presence,

Transform me Lord into your sweet essence.

Fill my cup Lord with even more of thee,

Till your grace covers every part of me…

The Spirit is Moving

To many, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, is a mystery. To some, he is a myth. To the atheist, he is a lie. Lord, have mercy. To us who know the truth, he is the third person of the Trinity. Yet we too are often perplexed about the status of this mysterious spirit being. Is he the spirit of God, of Christ, his own personality, or all three? The Bible and indeed Christ himself, suggest that the Holy Spirit is a separate entity; that he would only come and dwell in us when he (Christ) ascended to assume his position at the right hand of the Father on the throne of glory. Some may conclude that this proves that the Spirit is Christ himself, that he cannot dwell in more than one place simultaneously. But of course, that totally dispels the quality and dietic characteristic of omnipresence. The laws of matter do not apply to the supernatural. The Holy Spirit, in the shape of a dove, ascended on Christ at his baptism. The Spirit drove him into the wilderness to be tempted 40 days and nights. Jesus endowed the disciples with the power of the Spirit when he sent them two by two. He foretold the coming of the Spirit in Acts 1:8 and subsequently 120 of his followers were inundated with the Spirit in Acts 2. However, Paul states in Romans 8:9b, now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his and exhorts in Colossians 3:16, to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Was Paul referring to the character of Christ in both scriptures, or do we take the wording literally? It would seem that only the Spirit can give life changing power to the word itself. The paradox of God continues. One thing is for certain, the Holy Spirit is who he is. He is indeed that comforter who Christ promised. Without the Holy Spirit working on our behalf, we would not be able to survive the day to day onslaught of the enemy. Our adversary the Devil and his emissaries are wandering around seeking whom they may devour. The Holy Spirit is constantly working undercover to keep us on a righteous path. Oftentimes we are unaware of his working, only that we are able to cast down evil thoughts that knock on the doors of our minds. We avoid catastrophes because something told us not to travel our usual route or reminds us to be cautious when we are in a strange place or walking in a dark parking lot. The Holy Spirit quickens us when we have offended and when we have been offended. He opens up the bowels of our compassion to do ministry, to give to missions. God even sends his Spirit to watch over us while we are struggling with our decision to receive Christ, his son. We are all spirit beings, with or without the Holy Spirit. It is when we receive him that he comes in and dwells within us as a holy companion. He is quiet, courteous, and kind and his character rubs off on us if we allow it to. I am thankful that the Spirit is moving in my life, all day, every day. Amen.

The Spirit Is Moving

The Spirit is moving,

Supernaturally

Hovering in my mind;

Discovering my innermost thoughts,

Discerning those things concerning me;

Turning things around,

Changing things, and my heart sings.

The Spirit is moving;

His Spirit on my spirit,

His spirit in my spirit.

He is around me, surrounding me,

Indwelling me, compelling me;

A melding of entities,

Triune God and triune host;

Father, Son, Holy Ghost;

Spirit, mind, temple,

Complex, yet simple;

A paradox of spiritual ambiguity.

The Holy Spirit, His Spirit

Is moving.

When I am sleeping in my dreams,

It seems

My unconscious state communes

With him;

My subconscious state is attuned

With him.

He groans, he owns my unspoken prayer;

He is my unspoken prayer,

Interpreting my silence.

When I cannot think,

When I cannot speak,

He is

Making intercession,

Reversing curses,

Making holy my humanness.

The Spirit is moving,

Breaking down the walls

Built by sin and unforgiveness;

Purifying unclean places,

Occupying empty spaces,

Sanctifying…

And when I open my mouth,

Filled with his glorious presence,

He speaks through me

A language foreign to evil;

Unknown tongues,

Tongues of angels,

God’s language.

The Spirit is moving,

An elevation of my existence;

A surrendering without resistance;

An elation of the emotions,

An oblation to the Lord,

An ovation to the Lord;

A sacrifice of sweet savor,

A praise to the Highest,

Jubilation…

A well spring rising from within,

A gradual release and then

Joy, unspeakable joy

Floods my very soul;

And when he has consumed me

With fire,

I shall come forth as pure gold.

O taste and see that the Lord is good!

I Spoke to A Mountain

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not…if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done (Matthew 21:21). This astonishing statement was made by Jesus after the incident of the fig tree, when Jesus cursed the tree for its lack of productivity. The disciples were amazed at the power Jesus displayed. They never ceased to be amazed. The scripture says that the disciples saw it and marveled, saying How soon is the fig tree withered away! (v.20). It seems the disciples never did get it even after witnessing the countless miracles performed by Jesus. The miracle of the fig tree would seem a small thing compared to resurrecting someone from the dead. But then, it’s easy for me to be judgmental concerning the disciples. We have all the evidence of the miraculous however we too stand in awe when the manifestation of it appears. The light did eventually come on when Jesus himself rose from the dead. All the words he had spoken to them suddenly came together when, once again, he did just what he said he would do. Mountain moving or tree withering faith is difficult to attain, even when we are actual witnesses to the power in and through the name of Jesus written in his word and manifested before our very eyes on a day to day basis.

I Spoke to a Mountain

I spoke to a mountain,

Mountain be thou removed,

Yet it remained

As if it has not been reproved.

I spoke to it again

With much authority,

But the mountain gave no sign

That it heard me.

In anger and frustration

I began to shout out loud,

But the mountain to which I spoke

Stood tall and