essays 205-212

1. #212 What Percent Fizz?
2. #211 Thinking on Buttercups
3. #210 You Call that Grace?
4. #209Punching the Snooze Button
5. #208 Looking for Praise in all the Wrong Places
6. #207 Wet Feet for God
7. # 206 The Person behind the Crow
8. #205 Dirt, Trash, or Clutter?

#212 What Percent Fizz?

We went to Stan's company picnic on Saturday. The kids had a great time winning little prizes at the carnival: pinwheels; clip-on frogs; and large, inflatable toys in the shape of an arm (called "back slappers"). We were standing around in the 90 degree heat, watching a lady pushing around the wheelbarrow she'd just won. Stan remarked, "I've been coming to this picnic for years and I've never won anything". No sooner had that last syllable dropped from his lips when a guy came up to him and said, "Hey, Stan, they just called your name". From the door prizes that remained, he chose a set containing a small Igloo cooler and a large, five gallon cooler for beverages. Our lucky day.

Our 8 year old, Alex, was fascinated by that cooler. I didn't pay much attention to what he and his brothers were doing until I went in the kitchen and saw them pouring pans of water into the large cooler. And pouring. And pouring; until the cooler was filled to the brim.

"What in the world are you doing?" I asked.

They had filled the cooler with water just so they could push in the little spigot and draw the water out again. I left the kitchen as they were filling up quart jars of water and dumping them out in the sink.

A short while later, I heard, "you'd better come in the kitchen and see what Alex and Derek are doing". I saw the five gallon cooler, still sitting on the table. And then, I noticed a curiously large number of empty orange pop cans on the table. The boys were opening pop cans and pouring them in; about nine cans worth by the time I stopped them.

"What in the world are you doing?!" (notice the exclamation mark this time)

They wanted to make a pop dispenser; I suppose like those machines that so fascinate them at Burger King® and Hardees®. I thought they would be old enough to know that fizz doesn't last forever. I explained the difference between carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. "This cooler is for lemonade or punch or water, not soda pop. Pop loses its fizz and then it's no good." I washed up the five gallon cooler and put it away (up high, in the storage closet.)

I thought about that effervescent, evanescent fizz. You need fizz to make soda pop taste like soda pop; ever notice how sickeningly sweet it is without the fizz? (I did; I tried drinking some of that flat orange soda before pouring the contents down the sink). We need a little fizz in our Christian walk as well; we need some enthusiasm and sparkle. There is nothing appealing about flat, flavorless, fizzless Christianity. (Know any Christians like that?) But we don't want to be all fizz and no substance, either. (I tend to be flat at home and much too fizzy away from home.)

We need to be deeper and longer lasting than bubbles that pop on the surface. We need staying power. We need to know what our faith is about; what we believe and Who we believe in. We need to know what the Bible says for ourselves and not just take someone else's word for it. And we need, as always, balance. What percent fizz are you today?

(My friend Sue pointed out to me that fizz is only possible when the contents are under pressure.  When things in your life are going smoothly, that is when you need to watch out--you don't want to become flat)

Lori Fiechter
6-7-99

#211 Thinking on Buttercups

I took my youngest son with me yesterday to a small Amish grocery store not far from our home. Thursday is a very busy day at Troyer's--the day the produce truck arrives-- and yesterday was no exception. I only needed a few items so I didn't take a cart; didn't even take a basket. Alex and I just carried our peanut butter, Jicama, marshmellows, and cream soda (what a combination) to the register. I set the items down on the conveyor belt and waited for the lady in front of me to pay her bill. All of a sudden, I noticed a movement at my left. It was an elderly lady pushing her cart ever closer to me. She made some idle chit chat and then she pushed her cart right up to the cashier, clearly butting in front of me. I thought the cashier would take me first anyway (I'd been standing there for a minute or so with my checkbook open) but she took the old lady with the cart. The line-butter excused herself as she walked around me (and my groceries) so that she could pay. I was a bit dumbfounded, but I didn't say anything. It could have been effrontery but it was probably ignorance.

On the way to the car, I asked Alex if he noticed how that lady went ahead of us in line. He said, "yes" and then he started talking about all the buttercups in the yard there. "Why do you think there are so many buttercups here? They are so shiny, aren't they?"

I was taken aback. My son didn't dwell on the small injustice we'd just suffered; he was thinking about buttercups. I'll bet the Apostle Paul would've liked that. It reminded me of the familiar passage in Philippians 4: whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely (like buttercups), of good report, if there be any virtue, any praise, think on these things. Don't dwell on slights, imagined or otherwise; don't nurse grudges. "Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" (I Corinthians 6:7) What if the driver of the car in front of you cuts you off or drives down the middle of the road at 40 miles per hour? Don't let his behavior go straight to your blood pressure. Sure, you can justify your anger, you can claim your rights. Or you can give it to God and let it go.

As for myself, I'll try to think more on buttercups today.
Lori fiechter
5-21-99

#210 You Call that Grace?

I was unpleasantly surprised to see a $29 late charge (plus $2 interest) added to my last credit card bill. The bill would only have been $13 without the charge. I recalled that I'd forgotten to mail the previous bill until the day it was due but I didn't worry; I'd been paying off the card in full each month and this new card claimed to have a grace period, just like our old card. I looked over the fine print; yes, there was something about a 25 day grace period. Feeling confident, I rang up customer service to straighten out their mistake. I explained the situation. It turns out that this new card's "grace period" just means you have 25 days after you receive the bill to pay it. Payment must still be received by the exact due date shown.

I said "that is not how our other credit card works; we have 25 days after the due date shown. What you are saying is that you don't really have a grace period at all."

"Yes", she finally conceded, "that is true". (Talk about making up your own meanings for words, just like Humpty Dumpty's "when I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less.") However, since I was unaware of their policy she would waive the fee this time. But now that I am aware, there will be no mercy next time.

Right now, we are living under grace: we are enjoying blessings that we don't deserve; we have the opportunity to be saved through Christ, not by our own merits. It is a true free gift, no strings attached. (Ephesians 2:8) God says what He means and means what He says; His word is true and never changes. If He calls something a free gift, it is a free gift. There is no "fine print" that you have to read in the Bible to see what God really means. His contract is straightforward and up-front:

Our first father, Adam, sinned and we are all sinners as well.
Sin must be paid for.
The price is too high for us.
Jesus paid off our debt with His own blood--because He loved us!
We ride to heaven on His pure white coattails.
All we have to do is let go of our old life and live a new life in Him; we claim Christ as both Savior and Lord. "Mercy there was great, and grace was free; pardon there was multiplied for me--at Calvary".

But if you haven't allowed Christ to pay your bill for you, beware: the bill will someday be due and there will be no extensions after death. Mercy is great--on this side of the grave. Grace is free--today. But God "now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world" (Acts 17:30,31) You don't want to be judged along with the world; no one will be counted worthy on his own merits. You see, God won't be comparing you with that no-good neighbor of yours down the street; He will be holding you up against the standard of perfection. Think you'll measure up against that?

Today, if you will allow yourself to hear His voice, don't harden your heart. (Hebrews 4:7) And whosoever will, let him come. (Rev. 22:17)

To those of you who have already accepted His free gift, "exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." (Hebrews 3: 13,14)
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

Lori fiechter, 5-13-99

#209Punching the Snooze Button

It wasn't always hard for me to wake up in the morning. Years ago, when I was still young, I got up before the sun; even in the summertime. I had to; I worked at a bakery. And when my boys were babies, I didn't have the luxury of sleeping in: they saw to that. But now it is a real effort to drag myself out of bed before 7AM. I try to give myself a mental pep session: "you've had over eight hours of sleep, Lori, get up!" But I roll my eyes in the direction of the digital clock radio and think, "just five more minutes". And then "just five more minutes" and before you know it, my chance for some quality quiet time with God has passed. What does it take to wake me up? A persistent fly buzzing around my face is effective; or a loud clap of thunder; or the telephone ringing from three feet away. Other than that, it seems hopeless.

What will it take to wake you up?

Perhaps you are not a believer yet. You know that you want to come to Christ some day--you have a sinking suspicion that hell is a real place and you have no desire to end up there--but you keep on punching the snooze button. "Someday; just not today. Just five more minutes, Lord. Yes, you will wake up eventually--everyone will--but will it be too late?

Or maybe you have been saved but you are still stumbling around in the dark, spiritually slumbering. What employer will praise you for sleeping on the job? (Unless you are taking part in one of those medical studies on sleeping--where they put you in a windowless room with no cues as to what time it is.)

Don't you know what time it is? It is high time to wake up; it is time to be working. (Romans 13:11) You know that the enemy of our souls doesn't sleep; he is always sowing his weed seeds. (Matthew 13:25) You are awake? Good. Now watch how you are walking; you can be sure that others are watching you. Live purposefully; watch for opportunities to serve and to witness. Redeem the time. (Ephesians 5:14-16)

If you are wide awake, wonderful. Now wake up some of those other sleeping souls.

Watch.
Work.
Walk worthy.
Wake up!

l.f. 5-7-99

#208 Looking for Praise in all the Wrong Places

It feels good to get praise from other people for your accomplishments. It makes you feel like you have done something good, something worthwhile. Praise validates your hard work. But you need to be careful; praise can be addictive. It can get to the point where you order your life around those things that will bring you praise. Or at least, you can get a really mixed up value system. In other words, you might start measuring the worthiness of things by how much praise they bring you. Getting that coveted promotion at work brings a lot more praise than changing diapers or doing laundry. Be careful.

A good example of looking for praise in all the wrong places is found in John 12:42, 43

You wouldn't want to lose your co-workers respect, would you, by confessing that you are a believer? You wouldn't want to call attention to yourself by standing up for the principles in God's word, would you? Lie low, that's your motto.

But it is OK to seek praise. Does that surprise you?

Are you seeking honor from men or honor from God? Are you self-satisfied or do you strive for God's commendation? Are you more eager to hear, "nice job" from men, or "well done, thou good and faithful servant" from Christ? Are you looking for praise in all the wrong places?

l.f., 4-21-99

#207 Wet Feet for God

The priests carrying the ark of the covenant had to actually dip their feet in the brim of the Jordan river before the waters dammed up so that the people could walk over on dry ground. (Joshua 3:15) Now that is faith; that is confidence that God would fulfill His promise. God told Joshua to command the priests to come to the brink of the water and stand still in it. Why did their feet have to get wet before God would make the river dry? Perhaps it was a test of their faith and obedience.

Are you afraid to get your feet wet for God?

Do you need a sign, a miracle, before you will obey His will? Maybe you need a sign before you will even agree to serve Him. The very first step in the Christian walk is one of faith. Becoming a Christian involves more than just a mental assent to certain facts. You believe there is one God; very well. So do the demons, and they even tremble. (James 2:19) You believe that God created the world, that Jesus died and rose again. But faith is no mere mental exercise. You must apply Christ's blood to your own heart; He will give you a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26) You need to let Him change you; you need to give the reins of your life over to Christ. There is no way to experience His peace, no way to experience the feeling of being set free from sin (Psalms 107:16, 116:16) without first getting your feet wet.

This same principle applies after you are converted. If God is clearly nudging you to do something (that is in accordance with His word), do you ignore Him? Would you rather stand in the shallow mud of your faith than to trust Him to somehow get you across Jordan?

If there is a situation in your life that seems impossible to bear, do you try every earthly means of fixing it before you call on heaven? If there is a testing or temptation that is too strong, do you trust that God really will "make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it"?

If you are facing difficult choices in your life right now, can you rest in Him, trusting that He will open a way? Or, as the children of Israel, do you choose to flee upon horses to Egypt, trusting that man will save you:

Who is your primary counselor? ( Isaiah 9:6, 11:2) Our God is not a God of the last resort; He is not a God only of big things, but also of the small. You can trust Him with your life--but will you? He is faithful; don't be faithless yourself.

Step into the water.
Lori fiechter, 4-20-99

# 206 The Person behind the Crow

I wrote a poem about a person with a crow on her head. It is a sort of parable poem. Here is the poem; the meaning will follow.

The Crow on my Head

I have a black crow on my head.
I did not bid it come, but it
does not care to leave.
I tried to shoo it off;
It dug its claws in more firmly
and built a nest.
I tried to ignore it.
I even tried to pretend it was a hat.
But it still sits there:
ugly and evil and black as death.
People no longer see me;
They see only that crow.
I will always be the woman
with the crow on her head--
even when the crow is long gone.

Lori fiechter,  4-16-99

Crows are problems, misfortunes, or just things that make us stand out as different. It is so easy to label people and then treat them as their labels. We need to be sure we see the person under the crow.

Jesus treated many lepers, blind, deaf, and crippled people in His ministry. Yet, He always treated them with dignity and respect. (Even the Samaritan woman at the well, who had at least two strikes against her to start with--let alone her living with someone outside of marriage). He saw people, living souls. He didn't ignore their problems; He didn't pretend that things were fine when they obviously were not. But He treated them as people. He never discussed them clinically as His disciples once dissected a blind man's predicament: "Now, who sinned: this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Always try to see the person under the crow. Do we see "Joe, Jane, William, and Mary" or do we see:

Bankrupt-Joe
Deserted-Jane (her husband left her for a younger woman)
Mentally-ill William (he once checked himself into a mental hospital)
and Mary-with-breast-cancer

And there are other examples. Do we see people whom Jesus died for, souls who were created by the same God, or do we see people who dress differently, talk differently, and look differently. (Get out your paint stick--yes, their skin is just a shade darker than yours.) I'm not just talking about prejudice, but about following the golden rule. Do you want people to judge you by the crow on your head? Because each of us has a crow on his head; some crows are just more visible than others.

Lori Fiechter,  4-17-99

#205 Dirt, Trash, or Clutter?

Monday was our annual church cleaning. This is a spring cleaning like our grandmas used to do. (What? Some of you ladies still spring clean? I tip my dust rag off to you!) It is a "take everything out, wash everything down", kind of cleaning; as opposed to my usual "run a dust rag over it and hide the dirty dishes in the oven" sortie.

I helped clean one of the Sunday School rooms. Now, I don't enjoy cleaning things that don't even look dirty. I washed down the walls but you couldn't even tell I'd used my rag. So then I was on the lookout for black marks. I put a little Soft Scrub® cleanser on my rag and got the marks off all the walls. What next? I glanced down and saw the register. I peeked inside the vents: real dust, and lots of it. I just had to take that thing apart and clean it. It was no problem at all to take the cover off. And it was rewarding to get my water really filthy. But then, I couldn't figure out how to put the cover back on. It came off so easily, that I didn't really pay much attention. I pushed and prodded and jiggled. No luck. Thankfully, my co-teacher (a farm girl, who grew up with four brothers) knew just what to do. "I think we need to fit the top under first, then the bottom". We tried, and it fit, slick as a whistle. (Hope I remember that next year.)

Church cleaning is mostly tackling dirt. There is some trash to be dumped and there is a little bit of clutter (things that people have left on the coat racks; they end up on a table behind the lunchroom so that you can sort through them and reclaim that umbrella or scarf or the extra set of teeth you'd misplaced.) There is also some maintenance: light bulbs replaced, loose things tightened. And don't forget the polishing (I love the way the chrome shines on the dining room stools when we are finished)

Dirt, trash, and clutter = mess, but they are not all handled in the same way. Dirt needs to be cleaned up: scrubbed or wiped off or dusted. Trash needs to be thrown out. Clutter that is not trash (can you tell the difference?) needs to be organized.

We Christians are said to be the Holy Spirit's temple. Maybe it is time to do a little church cleaning there. First, we have to decide if something is dirt, trash, or clutter. Is our temple grimy with unconfessed sin? We need the washing of His word and the Spirit's cleansing. How about trash? Do we have bad attitudes that need to be tossed in the wastebasket?

And clutter? Is our life so busy that we can't find time for God? Are there just too many "things" in our life? Clutter isn't necessarily bad; but too much of it overwhelms our temple. Maybe it is time to do some sorting--and soul-searching. Perhaps it is time for a little spiritual spring cleaning. Check to see if your light is shining brightly. Do you shine? I know that I could stand a little polishing myself.

(As I type this, I notice fluttering dust bunnies hanging from the shelves above my computer; a stray cobweb dancing on the ceiling; and a dresser top covered with cords, junk paper, scattered CDRoms and toy spiders.) sigh.

Lori Fiechter,  4-13-99