Seek, Wait, Trust
Poems for Navigating the Spiritual Journey
by
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Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God, save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. – Psalm 86:1-4
Unexpected Moments
A tsunami of grief overtook me a few years ago
when I heartbreakingly discovered
your short nap had turned into eternal rest.
Primal screams mirrored the hurricane-force howl
of wind in my muddled mind.
The heaviest breakers,
that brought me to my knees in the early days
after your untimely death, have subsided.
The storm surge of tears has diminished in frequency
as an ebbtide wanes during a tidal phase.
But there are still unexpected moments
when a wave of sadness washes over me
like rising and falling rollers to a novice surfer.
Occasionally, I even need to grab something
nearby to catch my breath and my balance.
Most days now, mild depression
gently laps against the shoreline of my productive life.
Yet, keeping busy doesn’t wipe away sadness
any more than a massive swell wipes away
all the debris it deposits on even the most pristine beach.
Today’s sea sounds are meditatively serene as I stand
by the water’s edge on this anniversary of your death.
Over time, calm has replaced fear; peace has overtaken panic.
Hope, like a groundswell, has restored laughter and levity,
and joy is beginning to outpace grief.
Sunbeams add a little heavenly warmth
to this appropriately chilly morning.
Marveling at each white-capped wave,
I thank God your life washed over mine
with a permanence that even death cannot erase.
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About the Book
If you long to draw nearer to the Creator, crave to feel the Spirit’s comfort, or yearn to follow Jesus along the journey of faith, you will treasure the humble wisdom that has crossed your path. Seek, Wait, Trust: Poems for Navigating the Spiritual Journey contains the pensive, poetic voice of Mary Morgan Brown and the compelling prayers of Rev. Dr. Gregg Brown.
“These are not just literary offerings, but also testimonies of what God can do and will do,” Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. observes in his Foreword. “In many of these poems, scripture verses have morphed into direct advice not so much to be quoted, but actions to be taken. Listen not so much for rhymes or meter, literal or symbolic intent. Listen with your heart to hear the voice of God. God has heard the interrogatives, intercessions, petitions, and gratitude of your soul and has lovingly placed an answer in your spirit...If you do not discern the meaning on your first reading, read again and again. When you are finally ready, say ‘Speak Lord, your servant child is ready to hear!’”
This book is a boat of wisdom for those on a quest for deeper meaning and purpose in life. The foreword is the bow; the poetry, the hull; and the prayers, the stern. Take the helm. Seek and chart a steady spiritual course. Wait for God’s navigating guidance. Trust your entire destination to the living Lord.
• “Mary’s pensive, piercing insight and Gregg’s vigorous, Heaven-bound prayers will leave the reader revitalized and transformed for a closer walk with God and more loving interactions with people.” – Jackie Wright, publicist, President of Wright Enterprises
• “Ms. Brown’s poignant, tender, and always relatable poems render new insight to scripture, bridging the peaks and valleys of an ongoing spiritual search.” – Robin Fletcher, writer, Founder of RdF Consulting Services
• “It is a poetic dance and masterpiece of movement through self-discovery...it is the essential traveling case required of believers.” – Rev. Dr. Clarence L. Johnson, Senior Pastor, Mills Grove Christian Church, Disciples of Christ
About the Author
Mary Morgan Brown’s Seek, Wait, Trust: Poems for Navigating the Spiritual Journey was preceded by Love is the Remedy: Poems for a Mending Heart and will be followed by a series of children’s books. Mary is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, a certified Amherst Writers facilitator, twice featured in Who’s Who among America’s Teachers, and a past Golden Apple nominee.
Rev. Dr. Gregg Brown, a social justice advocate, is Senior Pastor at Miracles of Faith Community Church, ELCA, in Oakland, CA. Pastor Brown’s humble leadership and life-changing ministry have received national media attention from the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Times, and Chicago Tribune. His honors include the N.A.A.C.P. Merit Award, Man of the Year recognition from ABI, and Peacemaker, Civic Leader, and Humanitarian of the Year awards.
Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. is Senior Pastor Emeritus of Riverside Church in NYC, author of Whose Gospel? A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism, Founder of the Healing the Nations Foundation, and among the “12 Most Effective Preachers” in the English-speaking world.