Praise to Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation

It occurred to me, today, while reading Acts, that much is missed when we fail to report on the works God has done in our lives.

As Paul and Barnabas gathered with the believers in Antioch to report the works of the Lord to the Gentiles, so I will here report the good works of our Savior, that we may together “rejoice and glorify the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:48). And perhaps, as occurred in Pisidian Antioch, “those designated for eternal life [might] believe[]” (Acts 13:48).

This publication is as much for my own benefit as anyone else’s. When the works of the Lord are remembered and held close, resentment and bitterness are held at bay. And perhaps, through my simple proclamation of faith, others will be lead to His light.

So, what you should know about me: I’m a late twenties gal who’s known the Lord from a very young age. My parents, bless them, raised me in the scriptures from day one, and impressed upon me the importance of a life devoted to the King.

It wasn’t until early high school, when emotional maturity caught up with head knowledge, that I dedicated my life to serving Him. What that would mean, I could have hardly imagined at the time.

I have a quote on my refrigerator from Hellen Keller which reads, “Life is a daring adventure, or nothing.” That is how I would summarize my life for Christ. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Lord has shaped my thirst for adventure into a comfort for embracing the unknown–which is exactly what I’ll have to do in these next steps of my life.

You see after high school, I married my kindred spirit (John), and, together devoted to the Lord, we started the scariest adventure of my life up to that point….a internationally focused non-profit called Jesus’ Economy.  Little did I know that through Jesus’ Economy, would come some of the greatest fruits of my ministry.

Now, three years after starting Jesus’ Economy, God has once again called us into the unknown.

Two years ago, a restlessness began deep in the pit of my stomach. I would lie awake at night and think about it. I would walk around my home during the day, listless and wondering. It was in the middle of the night that the Lord finally spoke to me. “Kalene,” he said, “I want you to start packing up your things. Sell them off and follow me.” These words washed over me like a wave of cool water.

To be honest, they didn’t come as a great shock. We were attending a church at the time with a worship leader who wrote a song called “You Say”. One of the verses reads, “if you say to sell everything and follow you, I am willing to—no matter how it hurts. When you say to pick up my cross and follow you, what else can I do? I’ll live what you say.” The words were like a pinch in my side, but I wanted to honestly say them.

So, a few months later, the Lord called me on those words with his vision in the middle of the night: a cleaned out house. A house ready to go.

That was two years ago, when I packed up almost our entire house, sold off our stuff, and got ready to move. I’ll give you a clue: I’m sitting in the same kitchen I’ve had for six years, surrounded by empty walls and boxes, with very little plan and nowhere to go.

You see, I figured that after I packed up my house as the Lord had asked me to, he would immediately provide the next place, the next task. Well he didn’t. Not even close. He took us on trip after trip to ministry opportunity after ministry opportunity and nothing was the right fit. He got me involved in youth ministry again, and, although that produced much great fruit, it wasn’t the right fit. He had us go down the road of adopting a little girl, only to have her be given to another family.

And now, once again, he’s telling me to get mobile. Get the house ready to sell. Focus on facilitating full-time ministry in my life through Jesus’ Economy. I don’t have a plan. We don’t have a place to go if we sell our house. We have options, but the right one hasn’t popped out yet.

So what’s my theory? Well, I believe that God is calling us on journey similar to Paul and Barnabas. We are setting out to proclaim his good news to the people. We are bringing life and hope to the poor through Jesus’ Economy and bridging the divides of the church through our other non-profit, Resurrect Church Movement. Who cares if we don’t know where we are going? We are being led by the owner of the earth. He has resources beyond number and He’s got a great network of folks who can help us.

My encouragement to you, if you’ve stuck through reading this whole thing, is to take the leap. Devoting your whole life to the Lord is scary, to be sure, but it’s the most rewarding thing you will ever do. The friendships we’ve made through this journey, and the deep fellowship we’ve had with other believers, would never have come about if we hadn’t chosen to let the Lord be our guide.

I’m excited for the next steps, and I’ll continue to proclaim his goodness on this site as the journey progresses.

What are your thoughts? Drop me a line if you like.

4 thoughts on “Praise to Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation”

  1. Thank you Kalene. This is so beautifully written. I see your heart through this. A heart for God. Your story reminds me that God just wants us to be quiet and listen and be willing to take that leap of faith.
    This speaks to me as Jesus is saying.”.don’t be scared about the next adventure. I’ve got you in my arms always..leading you gently and it will be good” Am I willing?

  2. I’m loving hearing your Heart through reading your words. I never got the full message through our conversations, but like your dad, your heart is expressed through the written word. Keep writing sweetie!

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