The Precious Gift

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

When the storm breaks through

In the middle of the night

And Satan, through revenge

Seeks to take away your life

Fear not, dear young one

For nothing that’s alive

Can take away this gift

Paid for, by Jesus Christ

This gift was given nigh you to find

But to all who will believe

To him who opens up his eyes

To him who willingly sees

The love of him who gave it all

To set the captive free

The pow’r of him who did not fall

When death pulled at his feet

The gift he gave, was not of wealth

Of power, of strength, of wisdom

The gift he gave was one he felt

Of pain, of death, to come

He walked the walk, hardest of all

Which none could ever survive

And in temptation did not fall

But persisted, and stayed alive

He was crucified, laid on a cross

The sins of the world, laid upon

Innocent, no guilt found, he lost

But he rose, on third day’s dawn

Lo! I say, to him who hears

Death did not find a way

To kill the man whence him alone

Comes power to swallow the grave

The gift he gave is eternal life

For us to rule and reign

At his throne and by his side

He’ll lead us by his name

So I say this, in truth and faith

This power lives in me

And can in you, too, today

If you choose to believe

Believe! Choose to receive him into your heart!

Receive his gift of eternal life by believing in his son,

Jesus Christ and welcoming him into your heart.

He will never let you down! Discover his love!

The Road Of Brokenness

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Sober minded I come here

With a broken shattered heart

Surrounded by the fears

That I’m going to break apart

Through the window of my tears

And the broken scattered shards

That’s scarred through the years

Imprisoning my heart in scars

The scars I’ve felt so near

Have calloused my heart hard

By the hardness that’s endured

It has brought me way too far

To a place I can't be heard

To a place deep in the dark

To a place of endless hurt

A place where demons are

As I walk along the road

I spot a lamb pure white

Led to slaughtering stone

Going along with no fight

At first, I watch the sheep

Thinking he deserved it

But then it strikes me deep

As I looked, and heard it

Its voice, calm and tender

Its eyes locking with mine

He said, “I’m you’re savior

It’s for your sins I shall die”

I look intently at the sheep

His truth pains me inside

I break apart, start to weep

And I question, “Why?”

The knife is put to throat

My heart begins to break

He did nothing to invoke

This death of horrible pain

Before last breath is drawn

He says, “I did this for you”

I watched the lamb in awe

As his final breath he drew.

The Sacred Vow

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

I’ve fallen, in darkness

All I’ve done, is reckless

All in all, I am a mess

I shun, what I relished

The death, I did feel

Has affected my being

Will I ever be healed?

From what besets me?

I live, though in pain

From all of my enemies

Laughing and mocking

In triumph and victory

Pointing and sneering

Lashing and veering

Toying ‘round my soul

With hands of piercing

I wish to be free

So fin’lly I shout

I cry to Yahweh

Here is my vow

I cannot go on

In bondage and sin

While calling you God

Pretending to live

The Christian life

Walking the walk

Plainly living a lie

But calling you God

If I live like this

Any longer at all

I cannot live

I shall truly fall

So this vow I make

To give you ev’rything

I live for you, Yahweh

I offer you my being

This sacred vow

Shall never be broke

Upon my life shall

This vow be revoked.

The Squirrel

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Once upon a time

On a day within the spring

In a lovely paradise

Lived a squirrel, in a tree

This squirrel was like any other

He gathered nuts as he went out

He had a father and a mother

Whom he cared very much about

Now it happened upon one day

In this family of loving squirrels

That the child ventured to say

“Father, I wish to see the world”

So the father, though sadly

Permitted his son to go

And in tears, with the family

Bid his son well on road

Days preceded days

Months followed months

He gained the praise

Of those he was amongst

He lived in mock rejoicing

With many friends indeed

With pride and in boasting

Over his sworn enemies

But a day did finally come

When he in bliss freedom

Found himself stuck among

A trap he couldn’t free from

His friends did quickly scatter

Leaving him with no word

He cried aloud, but no matter

How loud, he was not heard

He recalled his father’s words

“Among all in life, find truth

Truth will set you free, so learn

Binding cords it will loose”

Now as he cried, close nearby

Among the trees in the forest

Was one who heard his cry

One who truly cared for him

His father had kept a close eye

His every move he watched

He had beheld him in his sight

As he slept, and he walked

When he heard this loud shout

He quickly ran to his son’s side

From the trap he pulled him out

And saved his son’s dear life

But in saving his son’s life

Far into the trap he slipped

He carried his son’s plight

Just so his son might live

The squirrel stood in wonder

Astounded at what he’d done

His father laid there under

The trap of his transgression

He cried there unendingly

He wept the tears of repentance

Realizing how horrendously

His father paid for his sentence

He deeply mourned for his father

Remaining there three long days

He went, and brought his mother

Finding none, where he once lay!

They searched, but found no one

In the forest, far, deep, and wide

They grieved, the mother and son

For both husband and father died

They began to leave for home

In spirits of sadness and dismay

They returned to their tree alone

Wishing vainly he’d not gone away

They entered their lonely tree

Expecting not to find any there

But what their eyes beheld to see

Was something they could not bear

What beheld they in their sight

Was not father, husband, or friend

But a redeemer clothed in white

  Who loved them both unto the end

Tish’a B’Av

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

As my people question why

With terror in their hearts

They are cruelly terrorized

Continually broken apart

Crying out for a redeemer

Who has already come

Seeking he who’ll free their

Souls from their prison

But the prison lies within

The heart within the soul

Their prison is their sins

Of unbelief, and of idols

And through all the mighty deeds

Hashem did before their eyes

They were blind, and did not see

The glory of his marv’lous light

They blatantly turned away

From the Torah and Hashem

They refused to simply obey

All that he commanded them

And through their defiance

Pride, and ignorance

Yah annulled his alliance

And has ever since

His covenant is as ruins

What's left of an empire

A homeland influenced

Then set ablaze to fire

They left their one true love

For the ways of the nations

They abandoned Yeshua

And united with the pagans

Now their day of sorrow has come

Of weeping and gnashing of teeth

For them to turn to Yahweh’s son

Lest his anger continues to be

So in this let us remember

To never become as they

                  But in this, let us surrender

We Said We Said

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

We said, “God won't care

If we sin this one time”

We said, “He is not here

Why should God mind?”

We said, “We’ve no need for

His ways in our lives”

We said, “He’s no more

For to us he has died”

We said, “He’s forsaken us!

He’s brought us here to die

At least being the slaves of

Egypt, we ate and survived”

We said, “Moses has gone

So make us idols of stone”

We said, “For there is none

To lead us, we’re all alone”

We said, “Give us a king

To justly rule our land

Like the nations we’ll be

For then, we will stand”

We said, “These prophets

These prophets shall die!

They’re liars and scoffers

Of a king, prophesying”

A king who will reign

Over all of creation

A kingdom he’ll bring

To rule all the nations

We said, “This Yeshua

Claiming to be Adonai

This ‘King of the Jews’

He shall be crucified!”

We rebelled we turned away

From Hashem the Lord God

Still for us, God died to save

Man, from his wrathful rod

We said, yes, we said

But now I stand to say

Never, ever, ever again

                     Will we reject Yahweh

What Hath a Man

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

What hath a man knowledge?

Hath he knowledge alone

Without the wisdom

To truly know

And what hath a man riches?

Be it riches, no more

If he hath not the richness

Of eternal store

What hath a man power?

To rule all the lands

When cometh final hour

He shall not stand

And what hath a man life?

Spent in vain, null and empty

If not through Jesus Christ

We are wholly redeemed

What hath a man all these?

Knowledge, riches, power, life

For death comes as a thief

To steal all that we hold tight

As fragile as a butterfly

Here one day, gone the next

Like a passing wind, is life

That’s come but now has left

A fleeting instant in infinity

A glance at a passing train

Makes us question, “What have we?

How long will we remain?”

So what really do have we?

But futile dreams and visions

Why do we so vainly seek?

In manners of self ambitions

Oh, how wretched a man

That seeks only his will

Rejecting the command

Of him, his breath he fills

Oh, how blessed a man

Hath he salvation within

Then he will fin’lly stand

With the King in heaven.

A Sin, a Thread

A poem, by Matthew E. Kegans

No one will know,

I said to myself

I’m all alone,

With nobody else

Just once again,

I see it alright

For me to sin,

In no one’s sight

I laugh, I mock,

I scorn, I talk,

Of everyone else,

“Walking the Walk”

Meaningless! I say,

To do what is good

For nothing, no pay!

No one to look

But now my sins,

Turned crimson red

Have come again,

A sin, a thread

And like a slave,

I fall again

Under the weight,

Of my sin

A sin, a thread,

Turned crimson red

Here now I beg,

For life’s last end

And those I mocked,

Now mock at me

They gather a flock,

Of mockery

My sins, once kind,

Now form a rope

My feet, they bind,

No mercy shown

Bound by threads,

So harmless, seem

A sin, a thread,

A rope, they weave

            THE END

Desire For Desire

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

There is nothing in this world

That I desire but knowing You

You’re the treasure and pearl

That I seek for in Your truth

Temptations come to follow

As in wonder, I am amazed

But false desire, it is hollow

‘Cause I keep You in my gaze

My desire stirs much deeper

Than counterfeit sensations

Yahweh is my true redeemer

His sacrament, my salvation

I desire to follow You, Lord

Every one of my given days

Your word is my own sword

And a lamp unto my ways

I know that Your streams

Aren’t dry, but flourishing

For by them You will lead

Me by your pastures green

Your words satisfy me

Like honey to my lips

I seek it with striving

To feel Your gentleness

With this striving desire

To know You, father God

Please come set me a-fire

With Your spirit and awe

My plea and my prayer

To be intimate with you

To keep the flame a-flare

Giving thanks in all I do

So let not my heart’s fire

In vain, be blown away

Instead, let it grow brighter

So Your word I may obey

And in all I say and do

With this passionate desire

May the glory be to You

Your name be lifted higher.

Follower’s Dream

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

A man walks freely

On the road of life

Seeking, oh seeking

So that he may find

To find purest gold

Pearl of great price

To grasp and to hold

To find what is right

So deep is the passion

Buried in a man’s soul

What none can fathom

What only man knows

The affection for a father

Love towards a mother

Like the thirst for water

Is man’s want for a lover

Someone to follow

In trails, through plight

To cry with in sorrow

To hold in the night

A father who wasn’t there

Passion yearns for deeply

A mother who never cared

A child seeks to please

Every follower’s dream

Is to find a one true love

Someone who will bring

True fulfillment thereof

So many times one tries

To find the one who is

The truth, way and light

So they may truly live

Countless times too many

They seek for the falsities

Finding themselves empty

With unfulfilled dreams

But as persistence does show

That he who’ll carefully seek

To find truth that he may know

Will find the Follower’s Dream.

Freedom

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Falling asunder

From the path I have chosen

Coming to wonder

Did I choose right

Descending too quickly

Into realms of the broken

Past the land of the living

Where there is no life

Crying aloud

For the strength to continue

Pitiful shouts

That no one hears

Passing the days

As I’m forced to live through

The crashing waves

Of my endless tears

I hear the songs

Of death’s woeful voice

Chanting along

I begin to embrace

What’s laid before me

A heart-rending choice

It was meant to be

This choice I will make

The endless valley

Of death’s shadow I walk through

Darkness’ all I see

From the deepest depths

All of a sudden

A light from out of the dark blue

Starts a-floodin’

This darkness and death

Jesus Christ

Came into my broken being

Shined a light

So bright, so I could see

All my sin and death

He carried all my everything

And upon last breath

He set me free.

Valiant trees,

River rush,

Gentle breeze,

Flower’s blush

Cliff a-high,

Golden sun,

Moonlit sky,

Autumn’s run

Waters of life,

Canyons steep,

Forests alive,

Life-giving trees

Space of wonder,

Galaxies of splendor,

None hath gone asunder,

From the Father’s care

Spring of laughter,

Summer of joy,

Fall comes after,

Then winter’s ploy

Life amuck,

Fish in swim,

River and duck,

Together live

Turtle in progress,

Deer in run,

Beaver’s logging,

Eagle’s lunge

Starless evening,

Fathomless skies,

Daylight heating,

Blazing light

Has man prevailed,

O’er beast and field?

Or lastly failed,

Due Father’s shield?

What be the case,

God will always be,

Master over these,

                         Over all eternity

Nature Pure Nature

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Storms, crashing

Stirs with blasting

Blurring, flashing

Soars with lashing

Enduring, ravaging

Striking, lightning

Turning, damaging

Adjuring, fright’ning

Savage, relentlessly

Callously merciless

Ravaging, hurling

Clouds O turbulence

Vindictive, rash

Rivets and shafts

Malicious blasts

Of livid, light stabs

Thunders of trembling

Rivers of rain filling

The lightning, reveling

With bolts of ‘lectricity

Oh, how I do pray

For this rain to go ‘way

But what shall I say

Come back another day?

Though I wish, I wish

My wishing is in vain

Have I power to give

Light to another day?

Or moonlight to sight

Shall I say to the moon

“Stay put another night”

Granting right, it to loom?

My power, is no power

O’er creation have I none

Still, come midday hour

Moon tradeth with sun

Seasons in times change

Shining year to new year

But the Father still reigns

Over nature, pure nature.

Nature’s Gold

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Light, so perfect in nature

Bright, in every which way

Night, scatters like vapor

As light, sheds pure rays

Piercing the shadows

Shattering the dawn

Thrusting like arrows

Bleeding light all upon

Precious gift from above

Blessing all who are below

Flying like a gentle dove

Granting life to all bestow

Revealing as truth in store

Aiding blinded eyes to see

Yah’s creation all the more

Giving life to those in need

Into dark thus it shines

Through shadows aplenty

Vast radiance that blinds

Robbing darkness empty

Corners once clouded

With blanketing shade

Now become crowded

With brightness’ raid

A sword blazing clear

In the openness of day

Striking endless fear

To all in darkness lay

But a safeguard to those

Living amongst the light

In what they are clothed

Encircled by bountiful life

Immense luminosity

A power beyond compare

Endowment for all to see

A greatness that is fair

But higher than any portrayal

Of what this stands to behold

Is he who has never so failed

To grant to us Nature’s Gold.

Rebuke

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

You bless Hashem

Yet you turn from his ways

I ask, “How then?

Are you favored by Yahweh?”

If you seek God’s will

Follow his commands

Only then will he fulfill

And exact his plans

But if you blatantly refuse

The truth he has in store

Then how can Yahweh use

You to do anything more?

A blessing and a curse

He sets before us now

The blessing, if we learn

The curse, if we turn down

Such simplicity is within

What he commanded for us

The curse comes with sin

The blessing with his Torah

He wills for us to prosper

When we follow in his path

Yahweh alone is the Father

And we’re his children that

He loves to bless and water

As we grow strong in his ways

For he is the almighty potter

And we are as formless clay

A chosen nation set apart

Are what we are in Christ

From Egypt he took us far

To live holy set apart lives

So why do we go on living

Apart from Yahweh’s laws?

If we carry on pretending

From his branch we’ll be cut off

You look but you do not see

You follow with blinded eyes

I rebuke, turn back to Yahweh

Or in end, you shall justly die.

The Ancient Ways

A Poem, By Matthew E. Kegans

Man was predestined to labor six days

Resting, come seventh day’s dawn

To toil the land with groans and aches

Living, in such hardness prolonged

By the strength of his hand shall he

Grasp the fullness of what is to come

Living by every word that precedes

From the mouth of God it is done

But where there is good, evil resides

In a land full of promises and dreams

And within every man his soul inside

Harbors a spirit which either can be

The spirit of God, or of this world

To do what is right or fall away

Living for one, or his personal

Desires and dreams gone astray

As evil has goaded the hearts of men

Such has become their heart’s desire

Falling astray from the ways of Hashem

Defying the will of him who is higher

Walking away from the road less trod

Which few have dared to endeavor

To travel the path so wide and broad

Leading to sadness and pain forever

A choice that many have chosen

Regretting the choice once made

The choice in time, forever frozen

Leading to heartbreak and pain

As ancient as the beginning of time

So lasting as carving on stone

These ancient ways intended to guide

Mankind on this lifelong road

But turned away has man so done

From path of blessing and promise

The honest ways has man so shun

For the richness of living lawless

If only would we swiftly return

To he who gives and takes away

Maybe would we finally learn

The truth of his Ancient Ways.

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