(Photo :Love and the Outcome "Love and the Outcome" )

We are by God created for adventure.  Just as a stallion is not made to be locked up in its stable or a ship made to be kept in a harbor, we are not made for safety.  Rather, the call of Christ is to die.  We are called to risk our lives for the sake of advancing His Gospel to the nations.  This is what vocalist Jodi King and her bass player husband Chris Rademaker have done.  Feeling the call of God to be used as vessels to spread His word through music, the couple sold their condo in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, left their own country and travelled for over 300 miles down to the US.  Fending off hunger, the insecurity of not having a roof over their heads, all they had was God and each other.  After a couple of years of living dangerously for Jesus Christ, they were finally signed to Word Records as Love and the Outcome.  Their debut record to be released on August 27 is a collection of their testimonies set into music.  "Love and Outcome" features 11 brand new songs co-written in its entirety by King and Rademaker together with notable scribes such as Seth Mosley, Ben Glover, Jason Ingram, Dave Barnes and Sanctus Real's Matt Hammitt. 

The sound of Love and the Outcome combines Rademaker's rock sensibility (where he has had an admiration for Brit-rock bands such as Delirious(?)) with King's more soulful contemporary pop sounds.  As a result, this duo has crafted a sound that is fresh, engaging and youthful yet not bypassing the integrant melodic fair that so much an infrastructure of Contemporary Christian music .  Most striking is their lead single "He is With Us."  Easily one of the best singles released this year, this propulsive pop sizzler is a theological snapshot of how the duo made it in their own scabrous pilgrimage over the last couple of years.  For those of us who feel the pangs of fear, King's words here are so affirming:  "We believe there is purpose/there is meaning in everything/We surrender to His leading/He wants nothing more than to have us close."  Other faith building moments come with "No Mistaking (It's You)" and "What A Promise."

Of note is "When We Love;" this is one of the most exquisitely written pop tunes that gorgeously depicts how God's love and human love are intricately related.  In our world of selfish individualism, "City of God" is a sturdy reminder that we have a collective mandate to be a city that shines for Him.  Here King is to be congratulated for one of her most dramatic performances on record.  Her strong soprano packs a confidence that is palpable without sacrificing an iota of her unique punctuation and delivery.  Ballad lovers will adore the story driven "The Story You're Building in Me."  In "Story" King tells of how through the many jottings of life (whether it's the cancer of her mother, leaving home for a foreign land and facing up with life's disappointments) are not capricious.  Rather, each moment is dripped with God's ink as he carefully gives form to His story in us; and God is by no means a poetaster.

The ballad "Ask" answers one of our common conundrums about prayers.  If God knows all our foibles and wants, why pray?  King answers us reassuringly: "Our father knows your deepest hurts before you say a word/But he wants to hear your voice."  As far as debut album goes, Love and the Outcome has released one of the promising releases this year.  Maybe it's because this is more than just a project for the husband and wife duo. Instead, this is an album that has been born after they have tasted the goodness of the Lord.