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Out of the Fire,
Radically Changed
A Life
Close Brushes with Death
By Helicopter. The helicopter hit the pad with a resounding crash. The rotor blades flopped
down from the force of the landing and smashed into the tail boom, sending the tail rotor
whizzing off the back of the heliport at over a hundred miles an hour, too fast even to see. They
found it the next day a quarter of a mile away! (Page 49—“Stall Out”)
By Rolling Log. Desperately, on hands and knees, like a wild animal, I clawed my way through
the brush, tryingto get past the end of the log before it came through. It had picked up speed and
was coming down the mountain like a freight train, flattening the brush with a snapping,
cracking, wicked "swooshing"sound … (Page 113—“Rolling Log”)
By God. [S]uddenly I was awash in panic. I wanted to run outside, load everybody in my
pickup, and take off as fast as I could go, deep into the mountains, high up on some deserted
logging road. I had to get away; I HAD TO GET OUT! … It was like the very heavens were
angry, like God Himself was raging on His throne! (Pp 211-212—“Judy”)
Dangerous Fires
We had just reached a point opposite the top of the block when the fire suddenly came roaring
towards us in a wall of flames. The wind generated by the fire was like a hurricane, blowing the
flames right at us. They hit the forest at the edge of the block like a crashing wave hitting the
rocky shore. The first row of trees burst into flames with a roar. The whole crew up and down
the line cried out, turned tail, and ran. (Page 134—“Lake of Fire”)
[W]e heard a strange sound like rushing wind. It came from over the ridge to the west of us, a
loud sound like “whoosh.” Suddenly a huge cloud of black smoke obscured the afternoon sun….
With burning embers raining all around us, I screamed at George, “RUN FOR IT!” (Page 130—
“Blowup!”)
Apathy and Purposelessness
[L]ife was so boring that for the first time in my life I learned what it meant to sit down in front
of the TV and spend hours there, glued to the set out of boredom instead of interest…. I learned
what it was like to finally wrench myself free after a marathon TV session and feel empty and
cheated, like several hours of my life had been sucked out with absolutely nothing to show for it.
(Page121—“Pahuta, TV, and Billy Graham”)
Busted
It was as if life as I knew it had ended. I had blown it so badly that they had to forcibly evict me
from my own home, leading me away like a wild animal in chains to be punished. I was glad for
the covering of night that mercifully hid the humiliation from the gawking stares of the curious.
Page 72–“The Nightmare Comes True”)
Trapped in a Thunderstorm
The lightning seemed to be getting closer—the flashes were more vivid, the thunder louder, and
the time span between the two, shorter and shorter. So while seeming to have conquered life and
the system, I had really checkmated myself without even knowing it. I had no future, unrealistic
goals, and was still living a Peter Pan existence, afraid to grow up and face the real world. I had
wanted to change the world, to make a difference in
people’s lives, and I had. I’d started Linda off on drugs, which had launched her into the party
lifestyle from which she’d never returned. I’d helped Linda find life beyond her husband, a
transition so successful that other women who wanted to ditch their husbands looked to me for
help! I had…. Suddenly there was a blast of lightning and a stupendous crash of thunder! After
driving through the thunderstorm for two solid hours, all my effort, all the miles, had only
brought me into the very heart of the storm! (Page 264—“Song in a Thunderstorm”)
Encountering the Miraculous
[Mike Harris:] “When that tree hit me, it knocked me to the ground unconscious. As I was lying
there dazed, all of a sudden I felt the Lord’s presence very close …. Sensing His love and
closeness I began to pray, 'Lord, we can't stop this fire… It's too much for us Lord. I pray you
would stop the wind that's pushing it ….' Within a minute, Dave, the howling wind died down
completely. Then it started blowing gently back the other way." (Page 281–“The Big One”)
Life-Changing Experience
Something was pulling me higher and higher in the spirit, at a stunningly steep angle, a click at a
time. I didn't know what it was or where it was taking me. Higher and higher I went, so high I
was frozen … afraid to look down. I wondered if this Power would pull me right into heaven
itself! I finally got so high, I freaked out—I had a rush of fear—and the Power stopped and let
me go. Instantly, I was released in the spirit, higher than I'd ever been on drugs, higher than I'd
ever been before. In this rush that started with fear but ended with wonder I felt my body
freaking out. My heart was pounding ninety miles an hour and inside me it felt like a hurricane
was blowing. (Page 286–Making the Angels Rejoice”)
By Helicopter. The helicopter hit the pad with a resounding crash. The rotor blades flopped
down from the force of the landing and smashed into the tail boom, sending the tail rotor
whizzing off the back of the heliport at over a hundred miles an hour, too fast even to see. They
found it the next day a quarter of a mile away! (Page 49—“Stall Out”)
By Rolling Log. Desperately, on hands and knees, like a wild animal, I clawed my way through
the brush, tryingto get past the end of the log before it came through. It had picked up speed and
was coming down the mountain like a freight train, flattening the brush with a snapping,
cracking, wicked "swooshing"sound … (Page 113—“Rolling Log”)
By God. [S]uddenly I was awash in panic. I wanted to run outside, load everybody in my
pickup, and take off as fast as I could go, deep into the mountains, high up on some deserted
logging road. I had to get away; I HAD TO GET OUT! … It was like the very heavens were
angry, like God Himself was raging on His throne! (Pp 211-212—“Judy”)
Dangerous Fires
We had just reached a point opposite the top of the block when the fire suddenly came roaring
towards us in a wall of flames. The wind generated by the fire was like a hurricane, blowing the
flames right at us. They hit the forest at the edge of the block like a crashing wave hitting the
rocky shore. The first row of trees burst into flames with a roar. The whole crew up and down
the line cried out, turned tail, and ran. (Page 134—“Lake of Fire”)
[W]e heard a strange sound like rushing wind. It came from over the ridge to the west of us, a
loud sound like “whoosh.” Suddenly a huge cloud of black smoke obscured the afternoon sun….
With burning embers raining all around us, I screamed at George, “RUN FOR IT!” (Page 130—
“Blowup!”)
Apathy and Purposelessness
[L]ife was so boring that for the first time in my life I learned what it meant to sit down in front
of the TV and spend hours there, glued to the set out of boredom instead of interest…. I learned
what it was like to finally wrench myself free after a marathon TV session and feel empty and
cheated, like several hours of my life had been sucked out with absolutely nothing to show for it.
(Page121—“Pahuta, TV, and Billy Graham”)
Busted
It was as if life as I knew it had ended. I had blown it so badly that they had to forcibly evict me
from my own home, leading me away like a wild animal in chains to be punished. I was glad for
the covering of night that mercifully hid the humiliation from the gawking stares of the curious.
Page 72–“The Nightmare Comes True”)
Trapped in a Thunderstorm
The lightning seemed to be getting closer—the flashes were more vivid, the thunder louder, and
the time span between the two, shorter and shorter. So while seeming to have conquered life and
the system, I had really checkmated myself without even knowing it. I had no future, unrealistic
goals, and was still living a Peter Pan existence, afraid to grow up and face the real world. I had
wanted to change the world, to make a difference in
people’s lives, and I had. I’d started Linda off on drugs, which had launched her into the party
lifestyle from which she’d never returned. I’d helped Linda find life beyond her husband, a
transition so successful that other women who wanted to ditch their husbands looked to me for
help! I had…. Suddenly there was a blast of lightning and a stupendous crash of thunder! After
driving through the thunderstorm for two solid hours, all my effort, all the miles, had only
brought me into the very heart of the storm! (Page 264—“Song in a Thunderstorm”)
Encountering the Miraculous
[Mike Harris:] “When that tree hit me, it knocked me to the ground unconscious. As I was lying
there dazed, all of a sudden I felt the Lord’s presence very close …. Sensing His love and
closeness I began to pray, 'Lord, we can't stop this fire… It's too much for us Lord. I pray you
would stop the wind that's pushing it ….' Within a minute, Dave, the howling wind died down
completely. Then it started blowing gently back the other way." (Page 281–“The Big One”)
Life-Changing Experience
Something was pulling me higher and higher in the spirit, at a stunningly steep angle, a click at a
time. I didn't know what it was or where it was taking me. Higher and higher I went, so high I
was frozen … afraid to look down. I wondered if this Power would pull me right into heaven
itself! I finally got so high, I freaked out—I had a rush of fear—and the Power stopped and let
me go. Instantly, I was released in the spirit, higher than I'd ever been on drugs, higher than I'd
ever been before. In this rush that started with fear but ended with wonder I felt my body
freaking out. My heart was pounding ninety miles an hour and inside me it felt like a hurricane
was blowing. (Page 286–Making the Angels Rejoice”)