FOR KRISTINE Chambers, life hasn’t always followed a straight path. It’s had its ups and downs filled with loss, hard lessons, and unexpected turns that tested her faith in ways she never saw coming. Yet through every storm and season of uncertainty, her faith remained both her compass and anchor. In Chambers’ most difficult trials, she discovered what it truly meant for her to trust God completely. Each setback became a stepping stone, drawing her closer to an unwavering love and faith that now guide every part of her life.
“God never wastes pain,” she said. “Everything I’ve walked through, every tear, every unanswered question, was preparing me for something greater. I didn’t always understand it then, but I do now.
Over the years, she has leaned heavily on her faith when everything else felt uncertain. Her faith led her to somewhere she’d never even heard of, Lebanon.
A VERSE, A WHIM, AND A LEAP OF FAITH
In 2008, Chambers enrolled in a Christian ministry school and immersed herself in scripture.
“I didn’t want to disappoint God by being lukewarm anymore,” she said.
That dedication to the Lord led Chambers through some dark times that included divorce, a change in jobs, and taking on the role of being a single mother. Even in her darkest hour, Chambers stayed true to her faith and fought through the bad days, with things beginning to improve. In 2022, she packed her life into boxes and followed what she could only describe as a “nudge from God.”
“I was reading my Bible and reading the Song of Solomon,” she said. “There’s a Scripture that says, ‘My bride come with me to Lebanon,’ and I had never been to Lebanon, Tennessee. I didn’t even know that there was such a place. I wrote in my Bible next to the verse ‘TN?’ That was in 2020.”
While seeming more like a coincidence than anything, Chambers said the verse stuck with her nevertheless. For two years, that verse remained in her mind, until one day she decided to see what might happen if she just listened.
After spending more than 14 years in radio sales in Northwest Indiana, Chambers decided, on what she called a “whim of faith,” to explore the idea of retiring in Tennessee.
“I called a mortgage guy to see what I’d qualify for, and the next thing you know, I’m looking at houses and putting in an offer,” she explained. “I told my boss I eventually want to retire and maybe Airbnb the place while going back and forth. He said, ‘OK, just don’t quit.’”
Born out of prayer and curiosity, her decision set her life on a new path.
THE COMMUNITY THAT TURNED INTO HOME
It didn’t take long for Lebanon to capture Chambers’ heart. While having lunch with a friend in Mt. Juliet, she said she struck up a conversation with an 80-year-old man wearing a diamond horseshoe ring.
“I asked if he was a cowboy because I had horses in Indiana and wanted to bring them here,” she explained. “He owned land that was once the old Lewis Knowles homestead. He offered to sell it. I called my mom and said, ‘I want both. I don’t know how, but God, I want both.’”
It sounded impossible at the time, but Chambers had learned that faith and fear can’t occupy the same space. She took a chance and asked if she could buy the farm on contract for two years before securing her own mortgage. To her surprise, he agreed.
“I went from renting a single-wide trailer at my girlfriend’s horse farm in Indiana to owning two properties in Lebanon,” she said. “I fell in love with the community. God is everywhere. He’s in the people, the shops, the boutiques.”
The Lebanon community quickly became more than a place, it became home. Chambers found herself surrounded by kind faces, supportive neighbors, and fellow believers who welcomed her with open arms. She made friends with everyone; from local shop owners to small business owners who shared her faith.
Today, Chambers still works for ShineFM radio station, a ministry of Olivet Nazarene Unversity, and travels back to Indiana regularly to visit clients and friends.
“I love what I do for them. I love the ministry. I love the music that keeps the devil away. Worship is our weapon,” she said.
For her, radio is a calling. A way to spread hope and remind people that even when life gets messy, there’s power in praising through the storm.
FROM STRUGGLES TO STRENGTH
Chambers’ journey to Lebanon wasn’t just a move, it was a transformation. Her faith carried her through seasons of doubt and allowed to plant roots in a place that she said feels like peace.
“There were times I felt alone, like God was silent,” she said. “But even in those moments, He was working. I just couldn’t see it yet.”
Through every trial and obstacle, Chambers said it has only strengthened her belief that God’s timing is always perfect.
“I’ve learned that trusting God doesn’t mean life will be easy,” she said. “It means you’ll never walk through it alone. I’ve learned that when you trust Him, even when you can’t see the whole picture, He’ll take you exactly where you’re meant to be. For me, that place just happened to be Lebanon.” GN
