Hard Pressed But Not Crushed, Part Two, A

Alistair,

At times I feel I have no ground to stand on, the ocean becomes wide and deep or should I say sometimes I feel I have no feet, no hands to finish the task.

I remember a story of a climber who once was lost in the mountains, he lost one of his limbs. And much later he became a scientist and created prosthetics so that he could walk again. He used the ways of the world to make a better life for himself.

My husband is a strange character for he and I have one thing in common and that is hiking and climbing. Christ is in question on both of our ends so we continue to pursue Christ on our own. This summer he told me that hiking and climbing are not a valid common ground.

It's funny because that was one of the only tools I had to get rid of the voices. His answer to the voices is medicine and hospitalizations. And all I could think was, but I thought it was Christ.

I now realize that I also needed the church, but she was found in the strangest place and that was to simply for me to overcome the fears that I had myself. But in the common day Church I could not find the healing I needed.

I really like this series and try to listen to it while at lunch, we no longer have internet at home.

Cally. I am not a blogger but I can't help myself when I listen to Alistair and read your comments. I don't know you but I am sensitive to what you are saying. I know how difficult it can be to live with someone who does not share your faith in Christ or your depth of faith in Christ. You will find hope when you find a compassionate church with prayer and support at the alter. It is not easy to walk through life alone when you are married. But remember "He will never leave you or forsake you." I read Christian authors, Joyce Meyers, The Battlefield of the Mind. I have a radio at the head of my bed that is always on a Christian station. I simply turn the volume up or down as needed. My husband loves me very much but we were unequally yoked when we married. We are now praying together. We have a long way to go but we only get there one step at a time. Please find a prayer group and Christian lady friends. The world is in a spiritual battle. In Christ's love.

cally,
your comment up there was addressed to alistair so forgive me if i'm butting in. i'm glad to see that a lady stepped up to the plate and responded to your comment already. for what it is worth, i think mary gave some sound advice and encouragement. your comment was a little hard to follow, but at the same time it had a sense of poetry to it. what i wanted to talk about specifically is the voices, medicines and hospitalizations because there aren't many that will touch that one. i had to take a psychology class as a basic for college a few years ago and the professor raised an interesting question. she asked the class to raise their hands if they would stand by a friend who became ill with cancer. then she asked what about a friend who suddenly began to hear voices or had some other significant mental disorder? the hands dropped but you could tell that it was somewhat relunctantly-- nevertheless, they dropped. i would imagine that it is a lonely place. among some Christians i hear that voices is the sort of thing that is caused by demons. i suppose that could be true now just as it was in the Bible times. but know this, that is not the case with you. demons do not seek Christ nor do they have an appetite for anything of Christ. and Christ cannot coexist in somebody's heart with a demon. your heart for Christ shines through in just the little that you have written on here. keep seeking Him. we are all subject to decay and death on account of the sin of man. the symptoms of decay show up different in each person, but that is still what they are. some get cancer, some get old, some get neurotransmitters and such that don't communicate properly. sometimes medicines relieve the effects of these. the thing with voices is that once a person stabilizes the first thing they want to do is stop taking the meds. that usually results in a deterioration back to the point that requires hospitalization to restabilize. i say that in your husband's defense. but i don't know your situation. hold on to this fact, Jesus Christ inhabits our hearts and not our minds. this can be seen in alzheimer patients who don't know where they are or in what time they are living and sometimes can't even remember their spouse after 50 years of marriage. but they can still cry out to God in their distress. a Christian does not lose God in the process of decay-- they only get closer.

I laughed, I cried...thank you, Alistair, for sharing God's word from Nehemiah...this particular message was timely & poignant for a situation I find myself in right now! Thank you!