by Tracey Brown, Ph.D.

ISBN: 978-0-938339-02-1

“But we have this Treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”    II Corinthians 4:7

 

      In looking up these words in the original Greek, I discovered the word vessel (skeuos) to be defined as a holder, jar, or something that contains. The word earthen (ostrakinos) is a substance made of clay, brittle, and easily broken. Wow! What better way to describe me than a valueless, brittle holder that’s made out of clay .

      That meant I was nothing more than a lump of clay. Isaiah 64:8 says “We are the clay, and You are the potter. We are all formed by Your hand.”  He had formed me for a special purpose, to hold a extraordinary treasure and that Treasure was the Holy Spirit.  This revelation made me come to the understanding that there was no vanity in bringing recognition to the words God had written on my heart so I would write on paper for others to read, bringing to light what I feel is the true purpose of poetry.

      Poetry is an expression of feelings and emotions. It is visual images written down in some form of rhythmical verse that will cause the reader to use his own mind and heart, hopefully to bring him a kind of peace and rest and maybe a better understanding and acceptance of God and His love.

      A dear friend of mine once told me when she read my poetry she saw me sitting at a desk, writing, with Christ standing behind me, His hand on me.  That imagine stuck with me and I felt there was no better title for this collection of inspirational poetry than:

 

“With His Hand On Mine”

Reach Out In Hope

Ministries

WITH HIS HAND ON MINE is the perfect title for Dr. Brown’s newest book. You just know this is true while reading her books. Not only does He have her hand in His, HE lives in her heart,  GOD has truly held her in the palm of His hand as He carried her into a variety of life experiences that she never dreamed she would travel through. This has enabled her to pen in such a unique and personal way the events she has witnessed in the lives of others as well as her own life. WITH HIS HAND ON MINE is a great book of true life poems. I enjoyed this book while sitting on my porch surrounded by God’s beauty . It was a blessing for me and I am confident it will bless you.  

 

Linda Laing

Retired Warden 

Excerpts