My Journey and Time Alone with God: Returning to Alabama

By John R. Walden

My grandfather taught me many things as I sat and listened to him. Most importantly, I learned that he was a God-fearing man. I believe that God used my grandfather to instill hardworking values in me as well. I miss him greatly, and I miss the times I was able to learn from his ways of living. As I grew, I began to recognize the importance of being still and listening with all my being to him.

This has perhaps been one thing that God has used in my life to draw me to Him. His Holy Word says for us to be still before Him and know that He is God. So I was drawn by His Holy Spirit to listen with all my heart to His guidance. And as I spent time before Him, I learned to recognize the voice of God through His precious Holy Spirit within. I could not get enough of His powerful presence so I sat long hours, alone before Him, and this book is the result.

In my time alone with God, I asked a lot of questions about life, and I have come to understand much more than I ever knew. God says if you will seek Him, you will find Him, and if you call on Him He will answer you. He will speak to you and through you by His Holy Spirit presence within. Gods love is extended to us through His Son Jesus Christ, who gave His very life to set us free from the bondages of sin.

What is a journey to you? When you spend time with the Father, He will take you on a journey of victory! When you truly seek Him with all your heart, He will give you His wisdom, His knowledge, and His understanding. As you acknowledge His presence and power throughout life, your journey has begun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490877938

John R. Walden

In this book, John hoped to convey what God did in his life during his personal walk. He also wanted to share something the Lord revealed to him in his spirit when he made the choice to sit at the feet of Jesus daily. Jesus showed him the transformation of his own heart. He felt the strongest desire to be more like Him after that and to walk as He walked. The Scripture in Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." John feels with all his heart that God has given him an expectation for healing. He feels God has revealed to him he will experience a total physical healing. As the Scripture says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." He says, "I dare to say this because I have much faith in Christ my Savior!"

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Copyright © 2015 John R. Walden.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7792-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7794-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7793-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906508

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/04/2015

Contents

Special Thanks

Foreword

Foreword

A Word from a Friend

Part One

Chapter 1. In the Beginning

Chapter 2. A Challenge to Be Normal

Chapter 3. Change is Among Us

Chapter 4. My Dad’s Life

Chapter 5. Mother’s Chapter

Chapter 6. Come Walk with Me, My Son, And Know My Heart

Chapter 7. In The Midst of My Storms

Chapter 8. Get Your Own Sister Act (I got mine)

Chapter 9. The Skill Brothers

Chapter 10. Chasing After Your Love (Written by Megan and myself)

Chapter 11. Meet Timothy

Chapter 12. A Giant Heart of a Man

Chapter 13. Megan’s Heart

Chapter 14. My Son Ben

Chapter 15. The Flight of My Life (Flying to Great Heights)

Chapter 16. The Camp

Part Two

Chapter 17. Getting to Know My Grandfather

Chapter 18. 1965 Chevrolet Pickup Truck

Chapter 19. Peach Limb Knowledge

Chapter 20. Garden Time

Chapter 21. Here, chick, chick … Chick!

Chapter 22. A Preacher’s Teachings (Uncle Norris)

Chapter 23. Aunt Peg’s Gift

Chapter 24. The Forgotten Voices of Midway

Chapter 25. A Document of Love

Chapter 26. Remembering Alabama’s Big Boy

Chapter 27. The Old Bus Route

Chapter 28. The Old Place I Called Home

Chapter 29. The Sounds of Walden Lane

Part Three

Chapter 30. As The Journey Continues

Chapter 31. To Convey a Truth

Chapter 32. Prayer Can Change Your Path

Chapter 33. Jesus Was Not Ashamed Of the Cross What about You?

Chapter 34. The Measure of Faith (For a Child)

Chapter 35. Reconciled Back

Chapter 36. Move That Mountain

Chapter 37. Change Within Obedience

Chapter 38. First Baby Steps of Faith Is Being Humble

Chapter 39. Keys to the Kingdom

Chapter 40. In Step with Righteousness (I Can See Clearly Now)

Chapter 41. Letting the Holy Spirit Lead (Another Step of Faith)

Chapter 42. Count the Cost

Chapter 43. Search My Heart O’ Lord

Chapter 44. Awake and Come Out From the Darkness (Sleeping Time Is Over!)

Chapter 45. Walk It, Not Talk It

Chapter 46. Fearful, But Confident

Chapter 47. Contentment (A Stressful Life at Ease)

Chapter 48. The Deceptive Wolves

Chapter 49. Building a True Foundation

Chapter 50. Dressing the Church (Please Find Your Clothes)

Chapter 51. Anybody Want a Free Gift?

Chapter 52. What Me Stumble?

Chapter 53. What a Heart Attack - (A Heart That Quit Beating)

Chapter 54. Undergoing a Heart Transplant

Chapter 55. Tears Beyond a Heartbeat, (Just Listen to My Heart)

Part Four

Short Sermons

Chapter 56. Shipwreck

Chapter 57. Relationship Questions about Faith, Truth and Life

Chapter 58. My Intimacy with Jesus (A Time Well Spent)

Modern Day Parables and Poems

Chapter 59. The Townspeople Love Rose

Chapter 60. Reflections

Chapter 61. My Testimony

Chapter 62. My Brother’s Keeper

Chapter 63. The Cross

Chapter 64. Life Is A War

Chapter 65. Drawing the Line

Chapter 66. Love is the Greatest of All

Chapter 67. A True Walking Friend

Chapter 68. The Wall of the Handicapped Child

What is your journey?

Special Thanks

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S.J.W.

5-4-2001

I want to personally thank my wife who has helped me in more ways than she would ever know.

If someone asked me how would you describe her, I would say, "She is like a rose just before the sunrise and as the sun shines down on her, she radiates from its glow. That type of beauty is God given. Her heart and love for life is to stand in the purity of love itself and let God’s love shine down on her, and through her.

How do I describe her? She has much faith that grows even stronger each day. She has much hope in each day as she looks forward to its newness with her Heavenly Father. She has so much of God’s love within that it radiates from her. She lives to give it away. But the greatest thing about her is her love for the lost world, as she has chosen to be a vessel of honor for God to use to His Glory.

Thank you Father God for this precious gift, my wife, Jean.

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Megan and Benjamin, please know that I love you very, very much and I miss you greatly. Each of you have been so very supportive toward me concerning the writing of this book. I pray that as you read it you will recognize that our creator, Almighty God, has blessed me greatly by giving me the opportunity to share my life’s testimony to the world, and I want you to know that He is there for you too. God will meet our every need if we will but call on Him with all our hearts. As you spend time before Him, may you see and know that His hands are outstretched unto you, as well. My deepest desire for each of you is that you know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for within this trinity is the power for your life on earth to be a purposeful, overcoming life. May you know that I love each of you dearly.

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I wish to thank all my brothers and sisters for their support throughout my endeavor to finish this book for the glory of God. I pray each of you find it to be a worthy cause. May God bless you richly with fond memories and new insight as you read it.

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Tim and Judy Tucker, I thank God for each of you. You have touched my life in so many ways. You are indeed my brother and sister in Christ, who I love deeply.

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I thank Charlene and Phillip Martin and their family for giving me a crash course in English. You have been such a powerful blessing to me.

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A big thank you to Rose Wise (My cousin) for spending day in and day out to care for my aunt (and all those pictures).

Foreword

John Walden approached me some time ago about helping him with a book he was writing about his life and the way God had helped him even though he had gone through school as a special needs child. Since I had known John and his family through our church at one time, he was close to our son in age, and I had taught some of his siblings in high school, I KNEW I wanted to help him as much as I could. Yet, my greatest desire is to have this book, its focus, and its message sound like John, not like an English composition teacher.

John did have physical limitations while he was a student, but there is nothing wrong with his brain. Because he was a special needs child, however, his teachers did not have the time or the same inclination to work his brain to its greatest capacity. Hence, his command and usage of the language has some glitches. That is the area I most wanted to smooth out while still retaining some of his sounds, motivations, techniques, personality.

John knew he had a story to tell, and he wanted to share it with everybody. But he also has the hope and desire that if folks with special needs or with any kind of problem were to read his story, it might give them encouragement, hope, and motivation to do the very best they can, regardless of limitations.

Mrs. Martin

Foreword

I am glad to learn that John Walden has completed a book that he began many years ago, and to encourage readers to be blessed by this testimony of his journey of faith.

It was my privilege to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama, where the Walden family worshipped. They were a large family of 10 children, and the father was a successful builder. It is my understanding that John wants to share a candid account of his life in a troubled family. It seems likely that the mother shielded the children from some of the struggles related to keeping the family together. One of her efforts involved her faithful commitment to her church, and her encouragement to the children to attend and grow in their faith.

I have good memories of John’s surrender to the call to ministry, and his desire to share his faith, and I know that he wants this book to be an expression of the Lord’s provisions and guidance in both the good times and the difficult ones in his life.

Jesus showed his love for children on many occasions. On one occasion the disciples asked who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He responded by bringing a child before them and saying, Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. (Mt. 18:3-5 NKJV)

Little children are loving and trusting. John Walden humbled himself many years ago and began his spiritual pilgrimage. He expresses himself in the humble language of a childlike faith as he shares his story. I pray that the reader will be blessed and encouraged in reading it.

Frank Wells

Retired missionary/pastor

May 15, 2010Enterprise, AL

A Word from a Friend

John Walden has poured his heart out throughout this book in hopes to draw your attention to the Father of all creation. He truly wants the reader to see and know, without a doubt, that all things are possible through Him that sent His Son to die for you. John will remind you of the love of Jesus, and His promise to give you life more abundant.

It is also clear that John has gotten to know His creator and is now overflowing with praise and gratitude for God’s unconditional love toward him. Having received so many blessings from God, John wants to share a part of his past and present victories, as a challenged person. He gives God all the glory and wants you to be encouraged, with much hope, that God is no respecter of persons. The simple truth is that John wants you to know that God is ever waiting to meet your every need.

John also gives us some stern points about the importance of not allowing the evil in this world to overpower you. He reminds us of God’s Holy Spirit presence and power available to us that we might be overcomers for Christ sake.

I have been very impressed with his deep desire to tell the world about Jesus and how He has changed his life. He has shown us the power and purpose of God’s precious Holy Spirit.

I felt he expressed himself beautifully throughout this book, especially as he reminded us of the importance of spending some quiet time alone with the Father.

I could have shouted in agreement with John when he said the church will be filled with stagnate people IF the Holy Spirit is not allowed to manifest God’s power through His people. He is stating a powerful truth here.

I was glad to see John expressed the importance of staying in God’s Word, as often as he did. This is such a very serious subject. John has reminded the church and the body of Christ of the seriousness of setting time aside to be alone with God. He has also reminded us of the consequences of not staying in God’s Word. As he stated, we can be so easily deceived and led astray without His Word written on the tablets of our hearts.

John has accomplished a very serious thing here. He wants the churches to wake up and do that which is right in the eyes of God. To lead the people, not mislead the people. I hope you will thank him, should you run into him, for boldly saying some things that needed to be said. And for reminding us all that as children of God, He will always be near to meet our every need … IF we will but acknowledge Him, seek Him, and call on Him throughout our days. Perhaps you could encourage a challenged person, you might know, with John’s book of his journey and time alone with God. God is no respecter of persons. God is love.

A sister in Christ,

Ginger Aaron

Thank You

My wife and I would like to thank Ginger Aaron for her significant contributions to this book. I met Ginger first at a grocery store, and after talking to her about the book, she received a feeling that she needed to help me, and burned the midnight oil to complete the manuscript. A true ball of energy, Ginger is like a greased BB pellet shooting all over the place, always on the move. She is a computer savvy former church secretary that goes out of her way to help her friends, and is a truly kind and generous spirit. We are forever grateful for her support.

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Part One

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

I came to a point in my life where I had to make a change because of the call that God placed on my life and heart. When I moved back home to Enterprise, Alabama on January 1, 1994, I knew I did not want any kind of label on my life to prevent my walk with God. I guess there were a lot of times that I was pushed as a special education person here in Enterprise, Alabama, in the 1970s, and I just didn’t want any more pushing. I watched people and how the guys I went to school with (special needs) were pushed into a life of betrayal. When I say betrayal, I want you to listen to me – it was the hurtful words and the reactions of people in high school being in their cliques and going to classes with mainstream kids. The school I was going to closed its doors; the special needs students were put in mainstream schools and I felt lost in knowing what was the correct way to act around the mainstream.

The school system itself was a great school program and a lot of my friends did okay in changing schools. As for myself, I had a hard time understanding the basic school skills of studying. I wanted to be the best student coming out of special education. However, the atmosphere became stressful in my life because I didn’t know what it was to have English class, or even R.O.T.C. The biggest and the best class was F.F.A.; that I understood because most of the people on Walden Lane were farmers. When I was called into the ministry in 1977 at First Baptist Church in Enterprise, Alabama, I looked within my own heart and took that step of faith. As a special needs person you know your schooling wasn’t the best, because of being slow in learning, but I could tell the life that was put before me was going to be a challenge if I was going to achieve the better life that God had for my future.

As my school years went on, I did mature to the point where I had a little understanding about the world around me and high school became a turning point with my struggles in life. I learned that the most important skill I needed in school was to learn to study and study some more to make the grades. Then it was time for me to understand what God had for me to do, alongside my high school education. Soon, I learned that faith comes by hearing. My spirit man within was learning to hear God’s voice. And I heard Him say, Trust My steps and follow me. But the real me, the person who God made me to be, was fearful of words like trust, follow and believe, because of my background in special education and not feeling as though I received the understanding of these words while growing up. Achievements were made though, as I grew and entered into high school. My skills grew too, and I began to see that my life would have meaning down the road in my future.

It’s true, I thought that there had to be a better way of living than going around the same old bush in special education. When I looked at the world as a whole, I started to listen closely to what the future had for me. I found in my own life, a lot of times special education can be a downfall for you, if, you’re not in step with the society of mainstream. Some highly-functioning special need persons can learn by repetitive teaching and spending time alone with God, as they know God, and understand God in their hearts. My time alone with Him was stepping out in faith and learning a lesson that no school can teach, and that was to trust in God. In my heart, I began to search for the meaning of love and what it was to give all I had. As I grew, I began to understand in my walk with God that trust will never be broken by God’s love for the individual. I was that individual. And I needed to know this.

It was hurtfull to me when I began my Christian walk to be labeled handicapped. I was being protected by God and my family a lot of times as I was growing up, but I started to leave the childish things behind and faced harsh words from the world. I had a lot of questions about knowing who God is and what He wanted me to do when I had to grow up in life. It came to my heart as I walked daily before God and I read in the written Word of God that trusting in the LORD with all your heart was not dependent on your understanding but on the need to acknowledge God in all that I was to do. Then my path in life would be His will and the path for me to follow all of my years. I needed wisdom, so I started reading the Written Word of God. I needed understanding, so I listened to great teachers and preachers in my youth. I learned that stepping out on my own at the age of twenty-six in 1986 taught me lessons in life that no teacher of God’s Word could. I was to be on my own. How did I re-act to life at that time? Well, I needed insight in the facts of life. My first marriage fell apart. But we have two wonderful children from that marriage, and I get to see them whenever I am able to. I went through a divorce, lost a lot of family members to death, and lost all to a bankruptcy. I thought, God, surely this is not your will for my life, all this pain just to grow up in a mature way. I could have copped out and said, But, God, I’m a handicapped person, or I’m a special needs person, but I chose to walk and learn from mistakes made. When I thought real hard, my heart was changed for the better, because I lost all to gain a lot more.

I felt that I could now understand the story of Job in the Bible. I have a friend here in Enterprise who said to me that God will always protect His children when they obey His guidance for their lives. It’s when you refuse to listen to His wisdom, refuse to understand and gain the understanding, that trouble comes and filters into your heart. I found out through events in my life as a teenager and as a grownup that the deeper your walk with God, the more God can trust you with that which is given to you. Outside of God’s protection, the world tempts and offers enticements when you turn away from a righteous life style. Spiritual death knocks at your heart and your life when you turn cold to God’s voice and refuse to walk upright before Him. I know firsthand that God will move when and only when your heart and spirit are in tune with His Voice. When you clean yourself up from the cares of this world, and do a one hundred-eighty degree turn in life, you will see things more clearlie. I said yes, I will follow you, God, wherever you lead me. And He said this will cause people to take notice of how I am moving in your heart and life. You’ll find out in the days to come who will be against your love for me. Your so-called friends who play church and call themselves Christians are the very ones who’ll try to pull you back into your old life style. Watch out about being influenced by the friends that you had in your youth, because a lot of times these so-called friends wants you to still be a part of their good old boys group.

They will give you advice, but won’t take that same advice for themselves. They’ll gossip about other people and will not have removed the speck out of their own eyes. Once I got the speck out of my own eyes, then I could see better through God’s perspective. As I started my time alone with God, along with the struggles that I would have, I started to write down my hurts, the sermons, and dreams of just wanting to fit into a place in life where my voice could be heard. So I put things down, prayed for days, and I knew that a book needed to get into the hands of people who needed a fresh look at life from a man who wants to be drawn to God and not away from Him. This is a word I got from God one day. As I walked with my Heavenly Father that day, and as I told God how it felt to be an outsider on my walk back home. He told me that it was OK, for He had another path for me to walk and I would see the old place of a childhood dream, and the wonders that I had as a child. What happiness. I knew I needed this in my life. Father God would set a time alone with me, a special needs child. I would walk a path, for some time, by the pond that was made for my Grandfather in his later years of life. I just wanted answers to questions I had when I started my life’s journey. God would speak to my heart and the Holy Spirit would say, It’s going to be a path of uncertainties, but when you ask for guidance, I, the Holy Spirit of God will be guiding your steps. I’ll be by your side, and when life gets too ugly, in the face of truth, I’ll be the helper and the healer of all your wounds. Know that when you get kicked and knocked down, they are kicking me, too. But also know that your wounds will be a lesson learned, because I was wounded for all your transgressions. Your time with me will be a place in time when your life takes you back to and from your home town. It will cause people to question what they believe, and why they believe it. When you ask for guidance, I will show up in your life as truth, I will confront false teaching with truth by giving you happiness and joy untouched by the world, when you humble yourself to the path laid out before you. Your truth to life is to obey me in all that you do and your strength is to live a humble life and give to others who have a greater need. Yes, strength is found in truth and righteousness along with your faith. So let it become your love, in life, and go before all the world pursuing my peace, and leave all the consequences to me. Preach the truth and righteousness, destroy strong holds, and your life will become a light set on top of a city. See that your home is a meeting place of prayers and where people can revive the love they lost in years past. Don’t struggle with the world or its fire. Rest in truth. Stay in love and live in love. These are my words to you. When God spoke these words to me, I started to make changes in my thinking of the way I was to love people. That is why I wanted to write this book. It’s my testimony to a life-changing walk with God, also known as My Journey and Time Alone With God.

Chapter 2

A Challenge to Be Normal

(Please be true to yourself)

Walking around town and passing by the resting place of my parents in Enterprise, Alabama, I stopped and looked at their headstones. Pausing and feeling that separation between lives lived and now resting eternally in Heaven … well, a slight tear fell from my eyes. Then I proposed this question in my heart that day while looking at their resting place and reflecting back on the lives they’d lived on this earth, and thinking back about my life. I ask Father God this question, Lord why was my life made to be lived as a handicapped/challenged person, having to rely on someone throughout most of my life? Why was I created this way? Yes, I felt strange asking that question, but I knew I had to settle it in my heart. This was unfinished business … and I had to be true to myself.

When I began searching for the answer, I found that being back in Enterprise, Alabama was uncovering some of the hurts and pains of my life. So many times being physically challenged and having a slight learning disability has caused me to face some very difficult situations in my life. But God has moved mightily, and in so many ways, and He has allowed me to see His hand at work in my life and spiritually remove some problems that I was facing.

I will try to explain where I’m coming from. As far back as I can remember, I was put in a special education class, and I began to feel that something was just not right. Why couldn’t I learn as well as the highly functional kids around me? At least to me they seemed highly functional, though I know now, we all have some kind of handicap. However, in my case it seemed to be right-out-there-in-the-open. I can remember my Mother trying to protect me with less words about my condition, but I often caught her winking as she nodded toward me as if to say, Well, you know, you can see, there’s a problem here. Now my Dad, he just straight out introduced me as his handicapped son. I guess that’s a man’s way, right to the point. But it truly did make me want to put up a wall to hide behind. And I think that is when I began building mine. I felt ashamed, and I wanted to withdraw into a place of refuge.

As I got older, my safe place was where I went to seek after God for His Wisdom and Understanding. But this seemed to cause people to see only my handicapped side. They were fearful to reach out and embrace me with God’s unconditional love. I was able to build some lasting relationships within my walls of security, but truly I just wanted to be normal. Or what I thought was normal. I wanted to experience the laughter and the fellowship that I saw others take part in. I just wanted to get to know my friends better, and I wanted them