jeff-leslie
American
I was born in the 1950's and became interested in writing poems and songs when I was about 14. I became a born again Christian when I turned 15 and suddenly, happily found a reason to write. / / 90% of my work is of or relating to the influence of Christ on my life. The other 10% of my material is for the sake of romance or simply story telling. / / You can hear my music at SoundClick.com/jeffleslie. / / Thank you for your interest. May God bless you!
Who created everything
Only He, only He
Simply saying "Let there be..."
Only He, only He
Who leaves footprints on the sea
Calms the storm into a breeze
Who can calm the storm in me
Only He, only He
Who has power for the weak
Only He, only He
Who brings Satan to his knees
Only He, only He
Who makes miracles with ease
Heals the sick of all disease
Who can meet our every need
Only He, only He
Who can set the captive free
Only He, only He
Who forgives of sin's debris
Only He, only He
Who knows how we're going to plea
Who will always intercede
Who has grace for even me
Only He, only He
Who is crossing every T
Only He, only He
With a sacrificial tree
Only He, only He
Oh you know His history
In the tomb for days of three
Now from death Who holds the keys
Only He, only He
Who has risen without wings
Only He, only He
Who resides in praise we sing
Only He, only He
Who will bless those who believe
Who is coming back for these
Full of gifts we can't conceive
Only He, only He
Who made heavens never seen
Only He, only He
Who brings truth to every dream
Only He, only He
Who has been, will always be
Lord of lords and King of kings
Mighty God and Prince of Peace
Only He, only He
Oct 16, 2015
Oct 16, 2015 at 10:29 PM UTC
Is all man kind?
For in kindness we are called.
Are we for giving,
And inclined to give our all?
Are we with standing,
And stand with those who stand for Christ?
Are we for going,
Going all the way with Him until we die?
Are we for knowing,
Knowing God to be complete?
Then deep in dwelling
The Word of God our minds should be.
Are we forth coming,
Or coming first to claim the prize?
Are we for bearing
The rugged cross where Jesus sacrificed his life?
Are we with holding,
Holding those who need His love?
Will we miss fortune
For a fortune from above?
Are we for seeing
What no eye has ever seen?
Then never ending
Should our praises be to Jesus Christ our King!
Oct 16, 2015
Oct 16, 2015 at 10:21 PM UTC
I watched a man in Central Park
Read Hamlet to a dog
That did not even turn to bark
To make me move along
Instead he sat with ears transfixed
To hear his master’s voice
With no desire for fetching sticks
Or chasing cats and toys
Although he failed to understand
"To be or not to be"
He wagged his tail and watched the man
As though he set him free
Then suddenly a thought occurred,
The man is like the Christ
Reciting from His holy Word
The reason for my life
His will is in a language
That is vexing to my brain
But still I sit here hanging
Onto every Word the same
And though there may be times I pray
"To be or not to be"
With every Word in every way
He sets my spirit free
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 11:28 AM UTC
When no longer I'm investing
In the things that fall apart
When I've found on Pleasure Island
There's no treasure for my heart
When the only thing I'm longing
Is Your presence I can say
I have finally found my way, Lord
I have finally found my way
When I've fed the poor and hungry
Finding I can do with less
When I'm friend to the abandoned
Giving up my selfishness
When I've looked in all directions
And then focus on Your face
I have finally found my way, Lord
I have finally found my way
Ever patient You are waiting
Softly calling down to me
Saying I can reach the heavens
When I fall upon my knees
When I want to be like Jesus
In the things I do and say
When the agony and ecstasy
Are welcomed both the same
When I see the blessed Savior
He will call me by my name
You have finally found your way, child
You have finally found your way
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 11:14 AM UTC
Faith can move the mountains
But sometimes let them be
Then grant me, Lord, the gifts I need
To reach the highest peak
For I'd rather have the courage
And the strength it takes to climb
Than live with lessons left unlearned
For never having tried
Faith can walk on water
But sometimes let me swim
Then grant me, Lord, the gifts I need
To fight the waves within
For I'd rather have endurance
That it takes to tame the tide
Than live with lessons left unlearned
For never having tried
Faith can heal the deaf man
And cause the blind to see
Faith can make the lame to walk
But sometimes let us be
For if You could bear that brutal cross
To cleanse the sins of Man
Then I can wear for You this chair
And learn Your lessons planned
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 11:07 AM UTC
I sometimes feel that I am like a seedling
Not fully formed to what I'm born to be
Growing in the air beneath the heavens
Just waiting for the day that I break free.
I've felt the force of wind and stormy weather.
I've felt at peace but not like I belong.
For I believe that life beyond is better,
Where after death my soul will carry on.
And when I bloom and burst through heaven's boundary
To take my place with those who bloomed before,
Surrounded by an Eden unimagined
I'll glorify the Lord forevermore.
(c) 2013 by Jeff Leslie
All rights reserved.
Non-profit use permitted.
Oct 24, 2013
Oct 24, 2013 at 10:57 AM UTC
His hair is set so every strand
Is perfectly in place.
His costume and his make up
Fix a smile upon his face.
He plays the handsome hero
In the spotlight on the stage
For that's the way the story goes,
He always saves the day.
Applause resounds like thunder
As the crimson curtain falls.
It never stops till he returns
For seven curtain calls.
He's sure to win the Tony
Say the signs and the marquee.
With confidence He calls himself
Sir Tony Nominee.
He lives his life in costume
As he strolls along the streets.
He speaks his hero's manuscript
To everyone he meets.
His longing for applause has caused
His true self to subside.
Now no one can recall the man
Sir Tony tries to hide.
He thinks if he's the hero
That his fans have so admired,
Then he'll receive the love they give
Sir Tony so desired.
And then a friend came up to him
And said, "I have to ask,
Oh, when will be the day
That you remove that foolish mask?
"Do you misunderstand you're not
The man we want to see?
You don't have to be the hero
You pretend to always be.
The only way the face you bear
Will be completely free
Is when you face the truth, my friend,
Sir Tony Nominee."
One night the time had fin'ly come
Our hero feared the most.
For after his finale
Tony's play was going to close.
So what will he become
Without his costume when he quits?
Without his makeup, perfect hair,
And hero's manuscript?
The room was full, the lights were dimmed,
The curtain slowly rose,
But gone were all the sets and props
When time to start the show.
An actor never seen before
Then crept across the stage.
The ordinary clothes he wore
Displayed a man of age.
He stopped and turned toward the crowd
Then fell upon his knees.
With tears of shame the man proclaimed,
"I'm Tony Nominee!"
A hush consumed massive room
As Tony shook with fear,
Then he could not believe the sound
That fell upon his ear.
Like raindrops on a city street
A clicking sound would grow
As cameras flashed like lightning
Till the room began to glow.
Then louder than the thunder,
Like the very voice of God,
The room began to rumble
From the crowd's intense applause.
Then Tony learned the words
His trusted friend had said were true.
The only part you need to play
To face the world is you.
Whoever says to fit the mold
They preconceive of men,
Oh, listen not to selfish thoughts
That you receive from them!
We all pursue perfection
In this journey known as life,
But even when we change ourselves
We're seldom satisfied.
That's why there is such beauty
In a baby at its birth.
For therein lies the hope
Of God’s perfection here on earth.
Reality then hits them
Like they're slammed against a wall.
They find there's no perfection
In the mirror after all.
For each of us will find some faults
As our reflection leers,
That cause us to be diff'rent
From the looks of all our peers.
So never try to measure
What you are by what you see,
For looks can be deceiving
As with Tony Nominee.
The greatest way upon the earth
For you to make your mark
Is find the Truth within yourself
Accepting who you are.
The beauty of a person's life
Comes not from what you see.
Your hair and face and body shape
Can never perfect be.
The love you hold within your soul
Is where your beauty starts.
While man looks on the outer shell,
Our God looks in your heart.
May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011 at 3:32 PM UTC
I have longed to be like Jesus since the day I was reborn
With a heart formed by the Father, by His hands so strong and warm
For although my soul was perfect, this old heart had far to go
It was lofty and self serving; never broken, hard as stone
But the only way to change my heart was not to mold like clay
He must carve it with a chisel that would break the stone away
So pain became my teacher and its lessons I learned well
As every trial would test me with each wounding swing that fell
One day I asked my Father as He formed His shapeless art
"Where did You find that chisel, Lord, that breaks so hard my heart?"
He took me to a village, somewhere, long before my time
And showed me where a blacksmith, there, was working near his mine
The local king had ordered that some special spikes be made
To perform a certain service later on that ancient day
The smith stoked up his furnace till it singed his heavy beard
And the strikes that made his hammer ring were heard by every ear
Then he spun the massive whetstone, pressed each spike against its edge
And the sparks shot out like lightening as he sharpened up the ends
The spikes, still warm from grinding, then were gathered in a cloth
And delivered to the mountain with the prisoner and the cross
Instantly I understood just what he made them for
The chisels used to shape my heart first crucified my Lord
Now every stroke that life will bring I'll welcome like a prize
For every chip that falls away will make me more like Christ
May 30, 2011
May 30, 2011 at 3:14 PM UTC
Reclining in my easy chair
I drifted off to sleep
When suddenly my youngest boy
just bounced up on my knee.
"Hey, whatcha doin', Dad?" he asked
with eyes as big as dimes.
"My time is yours, my son," I said
"Is something on your mind?"
"Well, yesterday at Sunday School,"
His little voice began
"The teacher said to try to picture
Heaven if we can.
"And then she said to make a list
That next week we can show
Of all the things there we will see.
So, Daddy, do you know?"
I wrapped my arms around him and he
Felt my warm embrace.
Then leaning back he laid his head
Against my bearded face.
"Now close your eyes, my son," I said,
"Pretending you have wings
And flying high you’ll see a sight
Beyond your wildest dreams.
"Imagine first a bluer sky
Than eyes have ever seen
And light not from a golden sun
But glory of the King
"Then listen for the music heard
From angels all around
And run your toes through cotton soft
White clouds along the ground
"My grandma and my grandpa's there
Whom you have yet to meet.
Surrounding them are faces filled
With smiles from cheek to cheek.
"They live within a city lined with
Streets of solid gold
In mansion after mansion
Like the stories you've been told.
"A river filled with living water
Flows through Paradise
With just a sip your soul will be
Forever satisfied.
"Just think about the greatest day
on earth you’ve ever had
Then multiply a million times
And that’s the fun you’ll have."
My son then turned and squeezed my neck
And asked, "Can we go now?"
I smiled and said, "We have no wings.
We'll have to wait somehow."
He then slid down and spread his arms
As if to fly away
And shouted out, "I love you, Dad!
Today's my greatest day!"
Then rising up I watched him whirl
And spin into his room.
I shouted back, "I love you, son!
It’s been my greatest, too!"
Dec 30, 2010
Dec 30, 2010 at 7:43 PM UTC
Everyone who lives is given power,
With potential to control each soul we see.
All we do and all we say
To others make their mark some way,
Either filling them with joy or bitter grief.
Let's say one day you called upon your neighbor,
Who came to you to warm with their embrace.
For, perhaps, down through the years,
You had brought comfort to their tears,
And they still were filled with love left to display.
Something like the sun would burn inside you,
Like dawn was breaking deep within in your heart.
Warming everyone you met,
As this love to them would spread.
Even enemies would be as neighbors are.
Then every time your enemy would strike you,
Your instinct to his cheek would be a kiss.
He would stop and stand amazed,
Thinking you were somewhat crazed,
Yet, would want whatever caused you to do this.
Let not your power, then, be taken lightly.
In constant prayer, may this be humbly said,
"Father, fill my heart and mind
Till all I do and say are kind,
So to see me would be seeing You instead."
Dec 30, 2010
Dec 30, 2010 at 7:14 PM UTC