Have you ever walked through fields of fire, have you ever felt that your walk through this life is like walking on coals of fire? Do you ever stretch out your hands towards heaven and just long to be away? Does the sin and the pain of the world, perhaps your world, just seem to sweep in like the tide and cover everything?

Do you ever cry out " take me up a little higher Lord?" Above the din and the noise, above the narrowness of the path, above the darkness of a world covered by the clouds of its humanity? Does your spirit ever drop little clues that beyond that which we can see is a world that is beyond the darkness? A shaft of light penetrates the clouds and your heart is warmed to know that beyond the clouds its true, there is a perpetual blue sky?

Have you seen this perpetual blue sky? Has your eyes glimpsed the glory of God in whom there is no darkness? Have you seen the Son? Has the Spirit of the Living God said " just a little further?" Can you hear a cloud of witnesses saying " get up, get , finish the race brother, finish the race" There is a higher ground brothers and sisters, we journey ever upwards on the narrow difficult path that leads onwards and upwards towards the high calling of Christ Jesus. From the hieghts of Calvary, back into the deepest valley and onto the narrowest of paths where all is stripped away. Lift up your heads brothers and sisters, for our glory is upward, our glory is high and lifted up. Finish the race, and all the scars of this brutal life will be healed, every tear wiped away, never again to walk in the darkness of a dying world, but to dwell in the light of the Son that outshines the sun. Lift up your hands, cleansed, open up your hearts, purified and continue to ascend.


I walk through fields of fire
With coals of fire beneath my feet
I sail through stormy waters
Guided by the mercy seat

The brimstones shortly coming
You must flee now from the wrath
For fire falls down from heaven
Yet I am guided by His staff

The narrow path through valleys dark
Leads onward to the hill
And all around the mountains fall
But our Lord says " be still."

Come higher now ascend the hill
My God atop He stands
And looks to see the pure in heart
To see those with clean hands

Who is this King lift up your head
And sing with all your might
The King of Glory is His name
His light defeats the night

He is God's Son, the Holy One
He puts and end to death and sin
Fall to your knees, lift up your hands
And the King of Glory shall come in!

OK - have been prodded to, "Define 'half-brain dead'." Decided to answer, if for no other reason than to warn folks to be a little more careful when working in gardens or walking through woods, etc..

While living in Connecticut, I had Lyme for sometime before anyone thought to take a blood test. Had headaches, heart arythmias and was affecting my memory. When the blood test came back positive, was then under-treated with just 30 days of an antibiotic in 1991. Still had headaches in 1996, so asked the ER for another blood test and it was positive again. In 1998, got bit again, but this time Did get the bulleye rash - but that time, got a different strain of Lyme that produced something like fibromyalgia.
Then while living down south in 2002, was bit by "something" that produced another type of raised, red, burning and hardened rash that wasn't a bulleye rash, that lasted 3 weeks. After that, I got constant flu-like symptoms, sore throat and exhaustion that can barely be described and a host of other things with it and was labeled-disabled for the physical damage done.
My sleep pattern also changed to where I wasn't getting into the 4th [deep] stage of sleep and when 'awake', was in the "beta stage", which is a sleep stage - not the awake stage. So the brain-dead part is partially that beta stage mixed with the exhaustion, flu-like stuff etc, some days worse than others. Coffee helps some, but is not too great for the heart thing.

Lyme stinks - but GOD allowed it as a way to change my life in a way that only makes me depend on Him all the more and to see each day as a new, though dreaded adventure of how to learn new things about Him, His Faithfulness and how REAL He is, that He may receive Glory unto Himself and that I can be seen for the helpless-fool that I am.

Hope that answers the question adequately.

GOD Bless you & your family and our Church Family.

Thanks. Uplifting on such a gloomy day.


Called to serve on foreign soil
thou we are not alone
our thoughts on Him with whom we'll be
when He shall call us home

another helpless fool.

Happy to have met you Brother Lylewise. Thank you for your words!!!

I have NO idea why today I felt to give my short testimony to Brother Frank as well. Maybe GOD is trying to do something - I don't know, but here it is Brother ...

At 2 months old, my mother left my Dad with the 5 of us.
He had to work, of course, and couldn't find anyone to come take care of all of us, so my younger brother, two yrs older than me and I had to be shipped out to other homes ... he & I seperated.
I don't know how many months old I was when I went to live with this 2nd home, but they couldn't keep me for much more than barely two yrs - so off I went to home #3 which was just a short time, until Dad could find another. About 3 yrs old, went to home #4 for about 10 yrs and then, home #5 until I joined the military to get away. All 5 homes gave the very tangible impression that I was an inconvienence to their home and that fact was verbally confirmed enough times and sometimes the physical 'discipline' expressed that resentment as well. While still unsaved and in the military, I thought I had finally found love - but found out that the man I married only wanted me for a meal ticket to support him, his habits and his women. That ended with an annulment. Then after finding Salvation and while in the Bible College of my denomination at that time, I met #2, that only wanted me to be a cover for his true adulterous nature. I was young in Christ when we met and I sought counsel from my home church pastor and right up to the President of the college, to ask if it was permissable to be 're-married' after the proposal. Not only did they say 'definitely', under the conditions of my annulment and the fact that #1 got remarried already [old testament verse about not 'returning' to a spouse that's been remarried] - but was actully encouraged to marry him, because this man was a graduate of that college. I only left him after 30 yrs of marriage because he wanted his freedom to do whatever. So that made 7 homes, with heavy abuse thrown in to the last 5.

#8 is where I am now. Reunited with some of my very unsaved family that I haven't lived with in 38 yrs and it's not "home", nor is there the love that family should share. I love them with all of my heart, but cannot expect anything in return. I'm only here to serve.

I told my Pastor down South in 2006, while still in home #7 that I had hope that home #8 would be in Heaven but HE had other plans ... for me to move here, to love those who can't love back, for their salvation sake - I pray!
I do so want to go 'Home' to where He Is. I do know now that a home with love will never be down here and have resigned myself fully to that fact, finally ... 'unless' my family gets saved and finds the Love of Christ Jesus for themselves and this is all I ask prayer for - that they will get saved for their own soul's sake, before I go HOME :)

So yes, dear Brother, I do know what walking through fields of fire is - but also know how to look beyond, even the blue of the sky [or the stars], to Where He Is.
I may be half-brain-dead :), but He kept me sane "through it all" [good song by Andre C.].
Praise The LORD of Glory Only!

My twelve year old son said, "pretty amazing". I pray that one day the Lord will give him a wife that is pretty amazing.



You are loved,


ybiC,


lyle

Dear Brother Lyle, you and your dear son are very kind and so very Blessed to have each other - Praise Jesus!

I'm not amazing at all Brother, He is! I've heard testimonies 1000 times worse than mine and the folks who told them came out much better than me ... with less "dust in their house", so to speak.

Many-many Blessings to you and your dear family always, in Jesus' Love.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to perspire with this, fearing men...

but, for the sake of the Saints that have been saved for decades and have served Him, also for decades, as good shepherds, missionaries out there risking their very lives, etc, with delicate/sensitive consciences - I've been reproved for using that term "dust in the house".

'Dust' [singular] is a microscopic particle. One piece of 'dust' requires a high powered microscope to see.

To say that one's house is "dust free" is a scientific impossibility --- again 'scientifically'.

To say that one's life is dust free is to teach "sinless perfection" or stating that that person is identical, in All ways, at All times, to Christ Himself.

We may all get rid of all obvious 'sin' but to be dust-free, rid of all flesh [any thought, word or action that originates from our-selves and not of Him, regardless how 'good' it appears] and claim to walk 24/7 in His Spirit --- Claiming that every thought, word and action originates from or by His Spirit, is beyond even what the Apostle Paul claimed of himself.

Phil 3 [edited to whole chpt] is a much better way for us to express ourselvses - I've been told.




Blessings of Peace to & between all of His Sheep!

Wow... What a testimony.

God bless you dear Sister!

Thank you for taking the time share and encouraging us.

We all need encouragment. I know I do.

Be well in the Lord today,
Doug

Praise God JiG!

This is a very sad but a powerful testimony. It shows the grace and mercy of God. What He can do to what the world looks on as undesirable. Your a perfect model of how God can take what the enemy plans for evil and turns it to the good.

You are a most precious child of God and it is an honor and privilege to be your sister in the Lord.

Have only read your testimony on this thread due to time. Thank you for sharing it and thanking a loving God for who He is and the Savior He gave us, His Son, for us. We can have peace and rest and joy in Him.

Praying for your family to dear one. God is working as we are praying. Giving Him all the glory for who He is.

Love you!
Sheri

Bless you and Thank you!!

Now, to see 'His Family' be united.

I believe most of us have seen enough fighting and seperations within 'families' to be sufficiently hurt, wounded and wearied by all of the disunity within.

Praying for 'our' Family ... Amen!

Thank you and Bless you again & again.