Hey guys my name is Luke Rallens I guess I will start at the beginning. I was born in Sacramento, CA on April 22nd, 1989. I feel sorry for my mom I was a big baby of about 9 lbs. I don't remember much of the first 7 years of my life just few things like Christmas at my Grandparents house and well that's about it. When I was seven years old we moved from Sacramento, CA to Atkins; from a population of 500,000+ to 3,000. Lets just say it was a really big change at that point in my life. Well to take you through the years from ages 7 - 12 all I can remember is the abuse from my uncles, my anger, putting a kid in the hospital and giving him brain damage, my dad taking me fishing on my 10th birthday, and getting Saved by the blood of Jesus Christ when I was 11, and that is about it.
The story I want to bring out of those things I mentioned is definitely the night Jesus Justified me. It was a Friday night we had a big youth get together to watch the new Left Behind movie. Before this night though I had already knew that God was wanting something from me but I wasn't sure exactly what that was. I was very afraid of dying to the point I couldn't sleep at night. I figured most 11 year old kids didn't even think about death or hell let alone what to wear the next day, but for some reason every night I found myself lying there just waiting for hell and destruction. Then we started going to church and I heard these things such as Jesus Loves you, Jesus is your strength, he makes you fearless, and he saves you from hell and destruction. I couldn't believe it was I hearing the preacher right there really was another alternative than hell and destructing, but I didn't understand why was part me saying don't trust it and another part of saying run to it with all your might. Then it came down to that Friday night we watched that movie and constantly it told this thing called the gospel. Which was basically trust in Jesus with everything you have even your life, your soul, your heart, your desires, literally everything. I couldn't hold it back anymore I needed him so I threw everything at his feet my fears, my worries, my soul, hell and destruction, my life. Oh the feeling of weightlessness rushed over me. My fear was gone, my worries were released, my soul was filled, hell and destruction was no more, my life was justified.
That next Sunday I was baptized and the next week at school I told everyone what Jesus had done for me. God had done such a change in my life to where before I would get mad and want to fight people if they had called me a name to once I had a kid slam my head into a brick wall and I laughed at him and told him Jesus loved him. Well from that point in time till I was 16 I went through a point in time with no growth I had my Salvation and that was about it I was never taught anything after that. I, of course, had a constant pull to read his word and learn on my own and sometimes I would do that. When I turned 13 there was a big split in my church I will not go into details but I will say we were one of the ones that left. We went to a church called Bethel Baptist Church in Morrilton, AR. At first I hated the church the youth group was cliquish, where as my other church was not. At this point it started a new chapter in my life
From the age of 13 to 16 I started to back track a lot from the kid that was so passionate to a punk. I was the kid your parents would have told you to stay away from, the kid who overly cussed, who just didn't care about anything. I got to the point I was angry again. I was angry at my church, at my family, at my life. I didn't understand what went wrong what did I do so bad that everyone didn't care about me anymore. I went through Jr. High becoming hardened from constant critiquing of my life I never did anything right. From that point till I was 16 I had it in my mind that I wasn't going to do anything that had to do with God and church cause no matter what I did it wasn't good enough.
This is the point in time where God steps in and shows me something to change my life. When I was 16 I went on a mission trip to Roswell, New Mexico. This city has one of the fastest growing gang populations in the U.S. Our duty while we were out there was to go and invite people to there VBS and witness to those who will listen. There was a street we were told not to go down I don't remember the name of it but it was a heavily populated gang spot. Well it so happen to be a street that was around my route, so we went to walk on past it and I had such a pull to go down this street. Next thing my partner knows is I am walking down this street. She yells at me not to do it that something bad is going to happen, but of course I didn't listen. I started walking down this street going from house to house looking at the way they lived and how run down things are, and as I went from house to house God was slapping me back and forth. Nobody really accepted our invitation or wanted to listen, but the whole reason for me going down there was not for them but for me. God made me realize life is not about me. I had become so hardened for so long that I lost sight of what I was really supposed to be doing. not playing video games and going through the flow of life, but to fear God and do his commandments. I was missing the whole point up till now and seeing these people suffer from human nature I realized people need what Jesus had to give not what I had to give. So from that point on I made a vow to myself and God that I will get in his word grow in him and his love.
So I did just that I started reading and as God revealed things to me I told everyone that would listen. At the same time that all this was going I was all becoming very very very good at football, so hand in hand my pride shot through the roof. Well then God did the one thing I thought would never happen to me. In all my life the one thing I was horrible at in all ways, in fact I had nothing pushing me towards this. God called me to pastor his churches. Which meant I had to give up football, sports, everything that I thought I was going to do for the rest of my life. I had it all planned out I was going to play football in College then if it didn't go to professional I was going to be a math teacher/football coach. I even made a overall 28 on my ACT and a perfect on the math part. In an instant God said nope that's not where I want you to go. It took me a few months to really surrender to his calling; it was at Teen Week at Budd Creek when I finally said alright God lets do this.
From the age16 up to the present day I have graduated high school and started one seminary then switched to another. I also have learned to play the guitar and bass guitar. I am in a band called 287 South or the MBSF praise and worship band. and here recently i have also reached a new chapter in my life. I have become engaged to a beautiful woman named Christy Gill. Last and most important to me I have been preaching God's word I'm not pastoring yet but hopefully soon God will allow me to lead his flock.
The one thing I want everyone to get out of this blog is one thing fear God and do his commandments, for reasoning of God deserves to have the best we can give and nothing less
