--to the end of self,
to the end of pride,
Come.
To the end of your meager resources,
to the end of your myriad excuses,
Come.

You've run long enough
in the wrong direction;
You've been trying to hide,
but your clever camo is no cover
from God's presence.

What a hodgepodge of
fear, and denial,
and procrastination you are!

Before you find yourself abruptly
at the end of your life,
Come to your senses.
Come now.

Read the signposts;
Heed the signposts--
Just two ways.
(All those other signs are mere distractions)
Why choose by default
the destination you would never select
on purpose?

So come:
Come thirsty,
Come hungry,
Come tired and dirty,
Come as you are,
but
Come.

lori fiechter
2-18-06

How difficult it is to be balanced--between the practical and the spiritual life, to live midway between workaholism and sloth, between thought and action. And how easy to judge and misunderstand those who are not at the same place as we are.  I had someone tell me, "If I knew that you had time to read books, I would have called you and asked you to help us." 

Utterly Practical

(I Corinthians 12)

Utterly practical
and duty-bound,
task-driven,
always busy "doing"--
and it is never enough.

No use for books or
leisure or contemplation;
incredulous that anyone
would waste time on such things;
everything but work and service is a waste.

Nature is to be
pruned, weeded, and ordered,
not wondered at.
Wonder is for children
and idle day-dreamers.

Utterly practical
hands and feet
that view with disdain
or impatience
the less useful
parts of the body.

Ah, how I pity
the harried Marthas
who try in vain
to whip us Marys
into shape.
Bless their busy souls.

lori fiechter
2-1-06

Tug of War

It really is war, with both sides tugging;
Your mind is the rope,
a rope with a choice of allegiance,
a rope with a will of its own.

You can't have it both ways;
Turn, or be torn.
Turn away from the side
that fights dirty,
the side of empty enticements
and easy promises.
Turn away from the side
that will turn on you
once you belong to it.

Turn toward the side
of truth and light,
no matter what the cost,
no matter how difficult it seems.
There is One pulling for you
on that side.
It really is war, with both sides tugging.
You are a rope with a choice--
Choose.

lori fiechter
1-11-06

1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Job Never Knew

If only I could see
how this is working for Your glory;
If only I could look
behind this veil,

Would I accept more graciously
my circumstances now,
Assured that You are close at hand,
and that Your goodness cannot fail?

For Job never knew
the wager Satan placed upon his soul.
He never knew that
it was all a test.

Bewildered, badly shaken,
Alone, almost forsaken,
He cursed his day,
but never cursed his God.

And God was there
in all Job's trials,
Though He left Job in the dark.
Job was to see a bigger God
than he had ever dreamed.

And God is here
when you are hurting;
Not with answers, but with His presence,
Working all things for His glory,
working your life into His story
Rest assured, your faith in suffering
is precious in His sight.

lori fiechter
1-07-06

2 Corinthians 7:6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us...

Isaiah 43: 2 When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.

Strong Comfort

The sorrow is there,
oversized and hungry,
ready to swallow you whole.
It is no comfort to
rely on positive thinking,
pretending the pain isn't so bad,
making the trial disappear in your mind.
It is too real.

But there is comfort--strong comfort,
real comfort,
Mountain-sized comfort,
Sorrow will not swallow you;
God is present.
He has not left you alone to face
an unfaceable future.
His right hand reaches down
to lift you up.

The Comforter is called along beside you,
patient with your slow progress,
listening, gently nudging you along,
always with you,
The Man of sorrows Himself,
the Alpha and Omega
and all the letters in between,
is with you always,
even unto the end of the world.

lori fiechter
1-08-06

Not too many of us hurt others intentionally, maliciously, but we wound them just the same. Forgiveness is a precious and necessary balm. But what is the old saw about two people coming ready to forgive, but neither to accept forgiveness?

Forgive Them

Forgive them, Lord,
They didn't know how much they hurt me
with their thoughtless words.
They didn't mean to overlook me,
didn't try to knock me down;
Help me to choose forgiveness;
help me not to take offense,
Fill me with mercy.

They cannot help that tone of voice
that makes me bristle.
They tread my feelings unaware,
and blithely walk away.
Forgive them, Lord,
as you've forgiven me.
Might I forgive them, Lord,
as others have forgiven me,
behind my back,
Without my asking,
Without my knowing,
just forgiveness, unawares.
lori fiechter
1-02-06

I can't speak for anyone going through the pain of grief or loss; this poem is my attempt to do so anyway.

Brace Face

I grab my brace face
as I head out the door;
I force my chin up,
and practice looking people
in the eye,
Trying not to cry.
Hoping to see love
and not just pity;
I can't bear the awkwardness,
making everyone uncomfortable,
as they try to be so kind.

But who wants to be reminded
that this life is unpredictable;
that changes can come swiftly,
without a whisper of a warning?
I am grief's walking reminder,
mortality's reminder
I stumble on and wonder what to do.

Do I pretend the pain away?
And can I ever hope to heal?
I'm pushing boulders everywhere I go;
It's hard--it's just so hard.
I had a life, complete and full,
Now all I have are pieces.
I put a brave face on those pieces
and pray for strength to
face today;
I can't think of tomorrow
much less a whole year of tomorrows;
I just pray for grace
to make it through today.

lori fiechter
1-02-06

I Timothy 1:15 "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Isaiah 42:7 "...to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

I Peter 2:9 "...him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"

Good Tidings of Liberty

Sin is the dungeon
I blindly chose for myself,
Shut up from Truth's light,
sitting shackled on the floor,
A prisoner with no recourse,
A slave without hope.
Or am I?

There are rumors of liberty.
I hear a knock and pay it no heed.
I am in no shape for visitors.
I certainly don't want Him
to see me this way--
in my shame and my rags and my filth.

I hear other hinges squeaking,
feet running through the halls,
ebullient shouts of joy.
Not for me.
This is my fate, my dungeon, my doom.

And then, I see a thin stream of light
passing through the keyhole,
resting on my outstretched palm.
What can it mean?

I look at myself.
I am far dirtier than I'd thought--
this light is too piercing,
too condemning,
too pure--
and yet, incredibly inviting.
This light is asking for a response;
I'm going to answer!
I don't care what I look like anymore,
or how frightful I must appear.
I just want to be free.
And so I yell,
"I'm in here--help me! Get me out!"

And the hinges creak,
the chains are loosed;
another captive is set free.

lori fiechter
12-10-05

If at First

If at first you do succeed,
Then what?
Rejoice, be thankful, and then
prepare yourself
to handle unexpected
setbacks and failures and flops.
Don't be caught off guard
by your supposed Midas touch
(that ended tragically--if you recall)
Ecclesiastes is the

perfect antidote:
It's all seasonal--
a time for things pleasant
and unpleasant.

Whether you succeed or fail today,
God is still on the throne,
and He is not taken off guard Himself,
nor surprised,
nor disappointed,
nor without remedy
(He was prepared for Eden's fiasco)
And He is working everything for good.
Failure is just another way
of reminding yourself
that you are not
a little "god" after all.
And no Midas--
for which you should be thankful.

lori fiechter
12-01-05

God Wants Me To Be

happy?
fulfilled?
healthy?
respected?
popular?
successful?
admired?
comfortable?

I confuse my list with His own.
Above all,
God wants me to be:

Saved
Holy. Humble. Honest.

Pure
Righteous. Faithful. Obedient.

Fervent in love
Compassionate. Forgiving. Merciful.

Thankful
Generous. Joyful. Gentle.

Steadfast
Longsuffering. Persevering. Patient.
to be like Christ, Himself.

But I show by my attitudes and actions
that I prefer my own list.

lori fiechter
12-01-05

Sifted, But Not Destroyed

(Luke 22:31, 32; 2 Corinthians 4:8,9; Romans 8:26; Hebrews 7:25)

I did not ask for this!
Where did this come from?
I've been side-swiped from my blind side--
This attack knocks the breath from my soul.
--What is really going on here?

--Satan has desired to sift you like wheat,
to see how much of you is chaff,
to watch you lose your hope
and perhaps your faith.
He tried with Peter,
He tried with Job.
You are no match for him.
(Peter wasn't, either)

Put away the tormenting questions--

Why did this happen?
Why would Satan bother with me?
I am no Job or Peter--
Why won't he leave me alone?
Why all the buffeting,
the hope dangled within easy reach and then
maliciously jerked away?
Why all the attention?
Why all the--
Satan--get out of my mind!

Sometimes, it feels as though God Himself has left you,
your mind plays crazy tricks
and deception dances,
weaving in and out swiftly,
spinning truth around dizzily,
making it hurt to focus.
And you are so tired of fighting,
so tired of the battle raging daily,
without change.
So tired.

Hold on, hold fast, hold tight--
there is a promise,
an amazing promise:
"I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not."
Jesus is praying that your
faith will bear the strain,
and prevail in the end.
Jesus is praying for you!
How can your faith fail with
Jesus Himself as your prayer warrior?

Satan may sift you,
but he cannot steal your faith.
He can shake your world
but Your foundation is Rock-solid.
Satan is going to lose this one--
He is going to lose this one,
no matter how long it takes!

Jesus has prayed for you.
And I am praying, too.

lori fiechter

11-28-05