Jeff Leslie
Lyrics and Poetry
pg. 18

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS-THE TREASURE-THE TRUEST FRIEND-THE UNSEEN SHORE-THE WOMAN AND THE CHILD-THERE’S A LIGHT

“THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS” by Jeff Leslie 12/85

There was no snow
No holly, no ivy, no mistletoe
No evergreen
With silver and gold tinsel hanging
And colored lights blinking

There was no feast
No friends, no family, not in the least
No crackling fire
With stockings and greeting cards hanging
And spiced tea brewing

There was no fuss
No stores, no sales, nowhere to rush
No packages
With pretty painted paper wrapping
And bright ribbons rounding

Just a manger
With the Babe in swaddling clothes
He is Christ
In all our abundance may we not lose sight
The Spirit of Christmas

"THE TREASURE" by Jeff Leslie 3/6/92 (Proverbs 1)

Seek wisdom as you'd search for precious silver
Understanding as you would the finest gold
And soon you, too, will have the wealth of angels
It's a treasure filled with fortune yet untold

There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
An everlasting life of love and peace
There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
And if you know the Truth, you own the Key

Wealth will not be in the world around you
So fix your eyes upon a higher prize
For soon the Day will come and you have found it
It's paradise, your treasure in the sky

There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
An everlasting life of love and peace
There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
And if you know the Truth, you own the Key

This is the Truth in a Word
Jesus, Jesus
Lord of all Heaven and earth
Jesus, Jesus

There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
An everlasting life of love and peace
There's a treasure locked within the gates of heaven
And if you know the Truth, you own the Key

“THE TRUEST FRIEND” by Jeff Leslie ca. 1978

There’s nothing in the world more treasured than the truest friend
With love that simply cannot be measured that will never end.
Distance won’t diminish it, time would never finish that loyalty.
It matters not how one may change that should never rearrange
The feelings held by one so true.
There’s nothing that he would not do.

A friend would never count the cost to see you satisfied.
If your gain had to be his loss, you would not be denied.
Time would never limit him. He’d give every minute to comfort you.
There is not too great a price. If it meant to sacrifice
His life so you could live,
There’s nothing that he would not give to show his love.

Remember what Jesus did.
Faithful to the end.
He gave His life to show
The love of the truest friend.

Jesus came to be a sample of perfect love.
We’re to follow his example. We can’t give enough.
Think of what he did for us just to gain our simple trust
To follow Him.
There was not too great a price. When it meant to sacrifice
His life so we could live,
There’s nothing that he did not give to show his love.

Remember what Jesus did.
Faithful to the end.
He gave His life to show
The love of the truest friend.

“THE UNSEEN SHORE” by Jeff Leslie 1/3/00

The ocean has another shore
That isn't made of sand
And every wave is rising
Just to reach the unseen land

Do the dolphins know a secret
As they dance above the sea
They can walk on top of water
Is there something more they see?

They’ll leave a cozy homestead
And their happy little lives
Make a break toward the surface
Just to catch a glimpse of sky

They know there’s something up there
Maybe something like the sun
That attracts their inner being
And just causes them to run

They know that there’s a better place
Beyond the yellow ball
Where their lives are never threatened
For they hear a higher call

“THE WOMAN AND THE CHILD” by Jeff Leslie 10/29/86

She leans against the lamp post that lights her skin
Strategically exposed in subtle places
The moisture in the evening air has wet her hair
As it sticks smearing colors on her face
Behind this womanly facade hides a girl with no respect
Her heart is frozen cold from a life of cruel neglect
She cries out with a vengence,
“I’m gonna hurt every man that I can!”

Another life inside her has begun to grow
She hasn't got a clue about the father
Everybody’s staring as it starts to grow
She’d ask for help if she thought they would bother
Terror like a storm is swiftly brewing in her head
Combining with the fear of where her carelessness has led
She cries in desperation
And the morning finds the unwanted child is dead

The silent streets will echo distant morning
A voice is crying, "God what have I done?"
She rushes to the church for consolation
She’s lost every desire for living on

She tells a man of God her story and his heart will ache
Broken for the woman and the child
He tells her it’s no reason for her lonely life to take
God is here to comfort the beguiled
Now she lives with His forgiveness but she’ll never be the same
To seal it in her memory she gave the child a name
She Christened him “God's Mercy”
For she knows one day she’ll see her son again

The crowded streets now see a wounded warrior
Changing hearts of every woman, every man
Campaigning for the sake of unborn children
Determined to save all the lives she can