A tree for the Ages

A Tree for the Ages

by Steve Loggins

11/28/09

Trees are cut all the day for every kind of reason,

To build a home, to make a fire, to celebrate the season.

 

Trees are a gift from God to us, they help renew the earth,

From falling leaf that compost makes, to acorns giving birth

To mighty oaks that reach the sky for nesting eagles’ homes,

And sheltering holes for bird and beast and insects’ honeycombs.

 

A tree may grow straight and tall, or crooked, dwarfed and small,

It may be hard or soft inside, yet saw and axe will make it fall.

 

We use its wood for many things, both beautiful and base,

For noble things like bridges built, yet sometimes things disgrace

 

An arrow may fly to kill a man, or bring home winter’s meat

The wood may burn to light the way, or fill a house with heat

 

A conflagration may result where all we own’s consumed,

Then a tree is felled and milled to build on more and bigger rooms.

The tree is prized for what it is and what to us it brings,

Its fruit can feed us, its roots can heal us or snuff out living things.

Of all the gifts the tree has borne to us who owe it so

The best is The Gift of sacrifice that the Son of God bestowed

On Calvary’s brow, a tree once stood, with crimson stain and thorn,

A testament of grace from God, brought by His only Son.

With outstretched arms and iron nails, a tree felt his Maker die

And if a tree could only weep, I’m sure this tree would cry.

Not knowing that God’s plan for man and all of flawed creation

Would be delivered by His blood, this tree’s sad decoration.

It is a tree for the ages, it stands outside of time,

No one can praise its beauty for its purpose is Divine

I’m sure the tree of life that roots in waters from God’s throne

Has kinship to this tree of death where Jesus died alone.

For you and me, and all who come to take of Calvary’s gift

This tree of knowledge of His grace, no longer set adrift

A rugged cross, amazing grace, such songs we sing today

Because a tree once held our God who took all our sins away.

Winter's Coming

Winter’s Coming

Once the leaves begin to change, and the seasons start to wind,

Awareness that the world has turned embarks upon our mind.

The days grow short, and a chill ensues, a little at a time,

With a vigor for us to opt to see... or ignore the signs

That winter’s coming – all too soon, for some of us - we sigh

Longing for those summer days, filled with happy times.

Winter can be a bitter place, with nothing left to find

Or a time and place of love for all things God has intertwined.

It is our choice to hate or love the wintry Days of life,

But icy days can offer, too, some memories with spice,

It is our choice to linger in, or run outside to play,

In Winter’s wonder land of joy in bleak and snowy days

The seasons of our life turn 'round each and every year

The years roll on and soon we find that winter's growing near

In life’s grand plan for every man, in sorrow and in cheer,

We make a choice to love our life, or hate the times we fear.

Embrace your life in summer’s day, the fall, and winter too

Love every season of every year, as a gift from God to you

Without the spring, no flowers bud, the world becoming new,

But winter’s cold helps make it work for all things, God’s review.

Winter’s coming – it’s a fact – for all folks young and old,

Some live the day, some try to stay in summer days of gold,

But this one thing is clear to us – His blessings are foretold,

No matter what the season brings – in winter’s days of cold –

Or breezy days of autumn’s might – He’s always Nature’s Lord.

Temptation's Song

Temptation’s Song

by Steve Loggins

11/9/09

Faintly comes the notes of song across the turgid sea,

strains so sweet we long to hear, to know their source, to see

what could make such vibrant sounds, with craving desire to me,

I want to know!  To hear it more, in its sensuality.

Jib the sail! Put out the oars! Give way to the wind and run

as fast as we can to the root of our lust, for the freedom to have fun,

Despite the cost, we press quickly on, our labors left undone,

The Siren’s song is all that counts, the world now counts as none.

No thought to wife, or sleeping babe, who rest in harbors far,

the song is sung that drive men mad, that forge out prison bars

from man’s own appetite for more, those things that lead to scars

for friend, and family, and self; a man will chase a star.

The consequence is never viewed the way it always ends,

upon the rocks our ship is dashed, no hope to make amends

for mistaken chords of screeching noise that lure us to descend

From safety’s heights to depths of woe, no place that we intend.

Yet on we go, the tempter’s song seems sweet and rare and dear,

we chase a phantom love of self, the song is what we fear,

we think that we will never have it all, our lives will be severe,

without the song to follow, to chase, to give us cheer.

It is but lies, the tempter’s song, he promises the moon,

but always pays his debt to those who listen, all to soon,

with imitations of the real, with a bandy silly tune

instead of symphonies outpoured by masters opportuned.

Resist the urge to listen to the song that leads away

from that we know is better, the path that leads to Day,

To light and hope and life and love, a love that always stays,

No shipwrecked souls are found here. He saves them all who pray.

Galilee

Introduction:  I wrote this poem originally in early 1977 right after I came back from Israel. I was thinking about the beauty of the Sea of Galilee - I actually only wrote 4 stanzas at that time and set it to music (pitiful, really pitiful) - I pulled the dusty words from my all too feeble memory banks and added two more quatrains and now it is a poem I wanted to share!  I also tweaked a few lines in the original first stanza.

Storms on Galilee

by Steve Loggins

stanzas 1,2,5,6 written in February of 1977

stanzas 3 & 4 written 10/25/2009

The morning mist hangs low upon the sea of Galilee,
The rising sun will scatter it away,
Reflected glory of the sun plays out upon the waters
of the lake that looks and acts like its a sea.


The beauty of this site both blessed and cursed by God’s own breath
is stunning in its simple serenity,
It is difficult to comprehend the suddeness of stormy wrath
that grips this jewel in raging foamy fury.


The storms that come to Galilee roll down from mountain heights,
in moments seas once glassy still are churned
To waves that threaten man and beast who brave the stormy night
To sail where God alone would dare return.


Men hardened to the threat that Galilee can quickly make
are rowing on the lake for its His will,
The storm descends and makes the waters boil and undulate
while He alone is sleeping in the keel.


The Master stilled the storm with just a spoken word or two,
while fear-filled followers watched with awe-struck eyes,
His sleep-filled eyes grew cold with disappointment for to know
their faith in Him was little, or a lie.


We all can learn a lesson from the sea of Galilee,
To let the master calm our stormy soul
and though we doubt His awesome might, He still is in control
of our destiny, our troubled hearts made whole.