[ This is the first post in this series originally dated 7/22/18.  The rest of the series was live until 12/31/18, and has now been incorporated into my book titled, “Crazy” Might Be A Blessing In Disguise!, which will be published in early 2019.   All previous blog posts in this series except for this one and #27 are now password protected.  To see a map of where the Adventure took me, click on the link at the end of this post. ENJOY! :) ]

Two weeks ago in frustration I put down my checkbook and said sarcastically, “Lord, if you’re not going to provide enough money for rent next month I may as well put all my stuff in storage, pack up my car with only the bare essentials, and travel across the U.S. catching up with people I haven’t seen in a while.”  I then put my checkbook away and went on with my day.

A few days later I was visiting with some friends and I mentioned what I said followed by, “If I did pack up my stuff, it would certainly be a G-d Adventure where I can practice being His hands and feet with people He places in my path, and I can offer to give my Celebrate Recovery Testimony in various locations along my travels.”  The moment I finished that sentence I suddenly knew my flippant comment had suddenly become a divine opportunity to deepen my faith and my intimacy with the Lord through an extended road trip.

Despite that inner revelation, I wrestled with G-d for a few days about it.  After all, I wasn’t excited about giving up the room I was renting to essentially live out of my car plus “couch surfing” for an unspecified amount of time until the Lord turned around my financial situation.  Not to mention, how would I pay the bills that have to be paid no matter what my life looks like at any given moment?  Yes, I do have some income coming in each month with the side coaching and Project Management work I do for a consultant’ I work with, but certainly not enough to cover everything.   Realistically, it would be far more logical to put my company on hold and get a part-time job until things turned around.

The G-d Adventure seemed like a crazy idea in my situation…..and yet the more I prayed over the next few days, I continually sensed the Lord telling me that this “crazy” opportunity would lay the foundation for all the blessings He planned on giving me in this next season of my life.

I would like to say when I sensed what He wanted from me that I automatically responded, “Yes, Lord, your will be done!” — but I didn’t.  Instead I said, “Really? Are you sure?  Can I have some confirmation before I totally uproot my life again for the 4th time in 2 years.

Because the Lord knows my heart is surrendered to Him, within a week He lovingly provided three confirmations (all in one day)  from various newsletters, devotions, and a women’s conference I watched online.  The first confirmation made me laugh out loud: In Todd White’s newsletter the first sentence said:  “…Summertime is a perfect time to go on God adventures with your family and friends….” (underline is my emphasis).  How much more direct does the Lord have to be with me?

But I wasn’t ready yet for His answer.  Even after I received those 3 confirmations, I still resisted and asked for one more (remember Gideon, anyone??).  I’m sure the Lord was humorously smiling at me and my desire for more certainty, and so He honored me yet again by providing another newsletter which mentioned:  “Take time and days, even seasons, to have days off and to go on a sabbatical trip with the Lord.”

It was pointless to avoid the truth any longer….I knew the Lord was giving me a choice to go on the adventure with Him rather than try to “fix” my situation my way.  Since I know from multiple past experiences whenever He stops my financial flow for a period of time, it’s generally to get my attention to a) re-direct me, b) heal something inside of me, or c) stop me long enough to deal with something that needs to be dealt with before I can advance to whatever he has for me next — either way it’s always to set me up for something better. 

I’ve already gone through plenty of healing over the last year (that’s how I got into Celebrate Recovery / CR) and through the healing process I dealt with a number of things that needed to be dealt with….so I’m guessing this trip is a re-direct to develop additional skills and spiritual gifts before he opens up whatever He has planned for me next.  Because His way is much better than my way every time, I let my landlord know what I was up to and began to make preparations to head out later this month.

As I sit here writing this blog post, I’m both excited about all the amazing things that will happen since G-d invited me on this adventure with Him….and I’m also somewhat apprehensive about all the uncertainty of it.  Objectively I know the Lord is Jehova Jireh, my Provider, and He will go before me to prepare my way (Deut 31:8).  Because of that, I choose faith and partner with the spirit of joy as I prepare to leave – telling anxiety, worry and fear to BE GONE, in the name of Yeshua!! (Jesus’ Hebrew name) :)

Since I’ve had a number of people ask me to keep them updated on my trip (both for safety reasons as well as just good old-fashioned curiosity), I’m going to do my best to blog throughout the trip to share my adventure with you.  If you want to be notified of those blog posts, sign up for the notification at the bottom of this webpage.

Feel free to comment as I blog (as long as it’s relevant to what I’m writing…no spam or sales pitches, please).  I may not be able to answer all of your comments, but know I appreciate your taking the time to participate in my adventure through submitting them.

FYI – If you are interested in learning more about Celebrate Recovery, click here: http://CelebrateRecovery.com .  Their weekly meetings and their 12-step study was truly a transformational experience in helping me process the deep wounds I’ve experienced from others over the course of my life.  They have groups all over the US.  So even if you are mildly curious, attend a weekly meeting to check it out in your area. (I also belong to Broken Chains, their motorcycle rider division – I’ve been riding since 2001)

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Jan 1, 2019 note from Kris:  Since July 2018 I have traveled over 12K miles (11K between July – Oct) and given my testimony to 23 CRs across the US so far.  Click here to see a map of where I’ve been:  G-d Adventure Sabbatical Map.  If you would like me to give my testimony at your CR, contact me at 404-551-3601 for my travel schedule.]

photo credit: Stoonn on freedigitalphotos.net