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- Face to the Sun
- Eye-level
- Autumn Waits for Spring
- My Offering
- We will not Always Wait
- Unknown and yet Well-known
- Only When You Want Something
- Sing Again!
- Puffed up and Popped
- Pick it up Again
- Darts of Discouragement
- I Will Love Thee
- Everyone's Hungry Again
This verse from Psalm 36:9 intrigues
me. “in thy light shall we see light.”
Not, “in thy light we shall see”, but “we shall see light”. What can
that mean?
Face to the Sun
Eyes closed,
Face turned toward the sun,
toward the warmth,
Beams shine through the window,
past the screens,
to my face.
Eyes opened,
face toward the Son,
toward the Light.
Grace shines through the window,
past the screens,
to my soul, wrapping my soul in warmth.
Then Truth shines--
It is a bright light, a strong light,
A piercing light, a blinding light,
and yet, by Him, I see.
Lori fiechter
December 5, 2002
According to the Bible, We can lift up our heads, our feet, our hands, our eyes, our
feeble knees, our voices, even our souls.
| Psalm
123:1 Unto thee
lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. |
The only true perspective is at
eye-level.
But, where are your eyes?
Are you still crawling
or have you learned to walk?
Do you see only grass and dirt
or can you see the sky?
We were not created as four-legged
creatures with a ground-level perspective.
We were created to gaze heavenward.
We were created to lift up our eyes
To the One who created us,
To lift up our voices in praise,
to lift up our souls in worship.
Where are your eyes?
lori fiechter
11-5-02
"a glorious church, without spot
or wrinkle"
not in a blaze of color
but in shades of wrinkled gray.
The bloom is gone outside
but still, the trees are glorious.
My bloom is gone and also my glory.
And yet--
There is a Spring coming!
My hope springs eternal
for that new life without decay.
I will put on my new flesh
as these trees adorn themselves
in garments of gold.
(I must be well-dressed
for my King and Bridegroom,
unspotted, unwrinkled, and dazzlingly white)
It is Autumn;
Already, I'm awaiting that Spring.
October 19, 2002
My Offering
(Malachi 1:6-14)
This is my offering,
to give back what You gave:
This is the vessel
I formed from Your clay.
This is the fruit
I grew from Your vine;
It all comes from You, Lord,
Though I call it "mine".
And here are the minutes
I saved back for You,
And here is the part of my heart
You may use:
The part You may dwell in
While I claim the rest,
(Thy temple is crowded,
Thy room not the best)
But this is my offering,
to give back what You gave,
And this--the marred vessel
I formed from Your clay.
Lori Fiechter
October 16, 2002
Psalm 103:9, Isaiah 25:8,9 and 35:3,4
nor hide Himself forever.
He will not always tarry;
We will not always wait.
There's a rustling at the curtain
While the final stage is set;
We listen and we watch and hold our breath.
Glimpsing shadows past the curtain,
We are waiting for the cue,
We are waiting for the trumpet
from the sky.
We are ready, at a moment,
to leave all and follow Him,
through the layers of the heavens,
past the boundary of sin.
He will not always chide
nor hide HImself forever.
He will not always tarry;
We will not always wait.
Lori Fiechter
October 17, 2002
What do I have to show
for my first 42 years?
modest achievements
(I get out of bed most mornings)
but nothing notable.
The ambition and
single-mindedness of purpose
that I admire in others
is sorely lacking in my own life.
Yes, I've fallen short--
I've not seized opportunities,
not taken the initiative,
The bull's horns are free of my fingerprints.
But I've not completely blown it:
Though I've been lamentably lax, lazy
and lackadaisical
(to cite just the entries beginning with "l-a")
yet I've cast in my lot with
the One who changed the world,
the One who transformed my heart.
So I am content to be unknown here
As long as I needn't fear that
"I know you not" from Him.
To know God and be known of Him
trumps any earthly accomplishment.
All the rest-- titles, honors, accolades?
Paul called them "dung".
Seems foolish to be coveting dung.
Downright dumb.
October 4, 2002
"You only talk to me when you want something".
The phone rings.
I know that voice:
The voice that never calls
just to chat;
Never calls with good news
or thanks--
The voice that only calls
when she wants something.
She doesn't slow down enough to listen,
just says "I want; I need; Will you? Give me, please"
and then hangs up.
I know that voice;
I know that voice, but
She's never taken the time
to get to know Me.
10-02-02
Yes, charming.
Encore! Sing again!
We won't bother with the words
but the melody is haunting:
sweet minor chords
that stir the soul.
Such a lovely song to listen to
and so pleasant to forget.
5-31-02
I Timothy 6:4, I Corinthians 8:1,
Colossians 4:6
puffed up by my own
hot air: knowledge.
I'm ready and willing to
help you see things my way
(really, I insist.)
I'm particular about
definitions and fine distinctions,
I call it "pursuing truth"
But I have a taste for argument
and I like to stir up strifes of words.
I'm all worked up with no place to
blow.
I forget that we won't be judged
on knowledge at the Bema seat,
but on our works
(and the intent and motives of our
heart).
I'm popcorn,
puffy, fluffy popcorn in need of salt,
(grace, that is--the salt of grace)
Oct. 5, 2002
To paraphrase C.S. Lewis (Screwtape
Letters), often we give up just when relief is at the door.
If we had just held on a little longer...
and walk a little farther,
just a little while longer,
just another mile or so.
It is heavy, but He bore it;
Don't despair, and don't abhor it.
grab it firmly,
(watch those splinters)
Pick it up and carry on:
Just a little while longer
Just another mile or so.
Oct. 2, 2002
Our elder
reminded us not long ago to pray specifically for the ministers of the Word, that they not
be discouraged. That could apply to so many others as well: teachers, parents, new
converts, the aged and ill, etc.
(Ephesians 6: 16, Hebrews 10;25)
My shield was down;
I felt the point plunge
into my flesh.
I should've pulled it out
but I was too weak.
I slumped to the ground
and would not rise.
One dart. Two. Three in quick succession.
I give up! I quit!
I just can't do this any more!
pulled out my dart,
raised me to my feet
and handed me my dusty shield.
I stammered my thanks;
you replied,
"Just do the same for me some time."
I will. I am a dart-puller now,
watching for other dart-pierced pilgrims.
And I'm keeping my shield well-oiled.
October 2, 2002
I Will Love Thee
(Psalm 18:1)
I will love Thee--
my Strength;
I will love Thee--
my Rock;
I will love Thee--
my Song, my Salvation.
I will love Thee--
my Hope;
I will love Thee--
my Trust;
my Anchor amidst tribulation.
But how will I prove
this love I profess?
That my confidence solely in Thee,
Lord, doth rest?
I will seek Thee and praise Thee
and strive to obey Thee;
I will walk in Thy truth and grace
day after day
Until I behold Thy face
when I awake.
Then shall I be satisfied,
when I awake.
Lori Fiechter
October 14, 2002
What is the saying: Man works from sun
to sun but a housewife's work is never done?
I washed; everything's dirty again.
I cooked; everyone's hungry again.
Is that some sort of spiritual reminder
of my daily need and dependence?
One large meal won't last a week,
Nor will one extra-long bath.
To the Fountain, then--
To the Table:
I am dusty
and thirsty
and hungry.
9-28-02
