Before We Ever Arrived

Some stories are told after they happen.
This one begins before we ever arrive.

In this episode of Paths to Glory, we invite you into a moment that is still unfolding. As three generations prepare to travel to Kenya for a women’s conference, this is not a story of what God has already done—but of what we believe He is about to do.

With humility, we reflect on the weight of being entrusted with this opportunity, the trust of pastoral leadership in sending us, and the overwhelming awareness that we are not going alone. The prayers, faith, and expectation of the church go with us, connecting what God is doing here with what He is already doing there.

We do not yet know the faces we will meet, the stories we will hear, or the prayers we will witness being answered. But we do know this—God is already at work, and we are simply stepping into something that was set in motion long before we ever arrived.

This is more than a journey.
 It is an invitation.

Come with us—not after the story is told, but as it begins.

If you’re enjoying Paths to Glory, be sure to check out our two other podcasts!

Paths to Glory Kenya shares powerful stories of faith and transformation from the heart of Africa — voices of hope, revival, and purpose.

And for the young — and the young at heart — don’t miss The Jones Family Chronicles, a fun, faith-filled adventure series for the whole family.

You can find Paths to Glory Kenya and The Jones Family Chronicles

The song "Paths to Glory" created with Udio and written by Roy Allison IV.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Everyone has a story. That story is your path. A path filled with trials, triumphs, transformations, and miracles. Welcome to Paths to Glory, where we dive deep into the extraordinary narratives of those who have had their darkest moments turned into beasts of hope. Each episode unveils the raw heartful stories of redemption and removal, showcasing the awesome power of God. Prepare to be moved, inspired and reminded. But no path is beyond redemption. Now join us and let these powerful stories illuminate your own category. That is when a testimony feels complete. When you can look back and trace the hand of God through every decision, every delay, and every unexpected turn. It's easier to tell a story when you know how it ends. But every once in a while there is a different kind of moment. A moment that comes before the story. Before anything has unfolded, before anything has been proven. Before there is an outcome to explain or a testimony to share. It is a moment where nothing has resolved yet, but something has already been spoken. A moment where all you have is direction and a willingness to follow it. That's where we find ourselves right now. In just a few days, Brother Alexander, my wife Pam, my granddaughter Alexis, and I aboard a plane and leave everything familiar behind. We are traveling to Kenya, where we have been invited to speak at a women's conference. On the surface, it seems simple. It sounds like a trip, an opportunity, an assignment. It sounds like something that can be explained in a sentence or two. But the deeper we step into this moment, the more we realize that it is not simple at all. Because this is not something we just decided to do. This is something we were entrusted with. There is a difference between choosing something and being chosen for something. When you choose it it can feel like an opportunity. It can feel like something you pursue, something you organize, something you make happen. And when you are entrusted with something, it carries a different weight. It settles on you in a way that is difficult to explain but impossible to ignore. That's what we feel right now. It's not pressure, it's not fear. It's a quiet awareness that this moment matters more than we can fully understand yet. It is the realization that we are stepping into something that did not originate with us and does not depend on us. It is the understanding that we are part of something that God is already doing, and that produces humility. We are humbled that God would allow us to be a part of this. When you truly stop and consider it, there are countless people he could have chosen. There are voices more experienced, lives more visible, people who may feel more prepared or more equipped. There are those who, from a natural perspective, might seem like a better fit. And yet for reasons that belong entirely to him, he said go. Not because we have everything figured out, not because we are the most qualified. But because this is how God works. He does not choose based on what we think makes sense. He chooses according to his purpose. And when God chooses us, you do not treat that casually. You carry it carefully. But this moment is not only about being chosen by God. There's another layer that this I mean just we feel very strongly about. And that is the reality of being sent. Our pastor has trusted us to go. That matters more than words can fully express. This is someone who has seen our lives up close. Who has watched our walk with God, who has prayed for us, corrected us, encouraged us, and invested in us, and now he is trusting us to step into this moment. That kind of trust carries weight. Because beating sent is different than simply going. When you are sent, you are not acting independently. You are going under covering. You are going with authority. You are going with the understanding that you are representing something beyond yourself. And we feel that deeply. We feel the responsibility to walk in a way that reflects the trust that has been placed in us. We feel the importance of carrying ourselves with humility, with clarity, with sensitivity to what God is doing. This is not about standing in front of people and speaking. It's not about stepping into a moment. It's about stepping into something that we've been entrusted to do. And then there is something even greater. We are not going alone. We may be the ones boarding the plane, we may be the ones physically traveling across the world, but we are not the only ones making this journey. The church is coming with us. Every prayer that has been prayed over us is going with us. Every moment when someone has lifted their voice and asked God to use us, that does not stay behind. Every unseen act of intercession, every quiet expression of faith, every word of encouragement that has been spoken into this moment, it travels with us. And we feel that. We feel the weight of the body. Not as a burden but as a strength. It steadies us. It reminds us that we are not going in our own ability. We are going in the strength of the body. The body that is praying, the body that is believing, the body that is expecting God to do something beyond what we can currently see. This is not just about four people traveling to another country. This is the church moving. This is faith extending beyond distance. This is the body of Christ functioning as it was always intended to function, connected, unified, and responsive to the direction of God. What's happening here and what's happening there are not separate things, they are part of the same work. And somehow, in a way that only God can orchestrate, those two things are about to intersect. That's what we're stepping into. And yet for all that we feel, there is still so much we don't know. We don't know the women who will walk into that conference. We don't know the stories they carry, we don't know the prayers they have been praying, or how long they've been praying them. We don't know the weight they are carrying, the struggles they have faced, the questions they have asked, the moments where they have held on when it would have been easier to let go. We don't know any of that. And yet we are being sent into it. That is what makes this moment so sacred. We are not going because we have answers. We are not going because we know what is going to happen. We are not going because everything has already been revealed. We're going because we were chosen to go. And somewhere on the other side of the world there are lives already in motion. Lives we've never seen, hearts we have never met, stories that are already unfolding even now. Because God doesn't wait for us to arrive to begin his work. He's already there. He's already working. He's already preparing. He's already moving in ways we can't even yet see. Long before we ever step on that plane, long before we ever enter that room, God is already doing something. There are prayers that have already been prayed, there are tears that have already been shed. There are moments that have already taken place that we will only begin to understand once we arrive. And that leads to one of the most humbling realizations of all. We are not the beginning of this story. We are stepping into something that was already in motion. That realization changes everything. It removes the pressure to create something and replaces it with the responsibility to recognize what God is already doing. It shifts our perspective from asking what are we going to do to asking what is God already doing and how do we walk into it correctly. And as we stand here, a day away from leaving, we find ourselves in a space that is unfamiliar but deeply meaningful. We are standing between what has been spoken and what will be seen. Because right now, we don't have the story. We only have the step. And sometimes that is all faith is. And somehow we are being sent into it. Not to create it, but to be a part of it. And that is what gives this moment its meaning. We're not going to start something, we are going to step into something. Something that God has already been writing. And for the next several days we want the church to come with us. Not physically, but spiritually. We want you to experience this with us. We want you to feel the anticipation. We want you to walk into the unknown with us. We want you to be a part of the moment before anything happens. Because this is not just our journey. This is the body moving together. And as we go, we carry more than ourselves. We carry the prayers of the church. We carry the faith of the church. We carry the expectation that God is about to do something. And we don't want to come back and simply tell you what happened. We want you to experience it with us as it unfolds. So the next time you hear from us, we won't be preparing anymore. We're going to be right in the middle of it. In conversations we did not plan, in moments we could not predict, in encounters that only God could orchestrate. And maybe then we'll begin to understand why we were sent. But for now we stand here, not with answers, but with expectation. Because we aren't stepping into something new, we're stepping into something eternal. We are stepping into paths to glory already well traveled. And here's the difference. We're about to walk them together.com. We all travel different paths, so it's important that we remember Proverbs 3, 5 through 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Our paths to glory. Thank you for joining us.