Walt's Journey

Today is the one year anniversary of my aortic dissection. The weekend has been an emotional one for me, and I spent a lot of time reflecting on this past year. I have been through many rough waters. There have been plenty of tears shed and questions and bonds formed. I have gained new friends, some who have stuck closely by my side consistently throughout this past year. I thank the Lord daily for these friendships. I want to thank those who have prayed for me diligently and those who sent me words of encouragement over the weekend. It was humbling that you remembered and took the time to lift me up through this difficult time.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be alone with Sarah for a couple of days, and be able to thank the Lord together for what He has done in both of our lives through this ordeal. Sarah has been a rock for me, and I thank the Lord daily for such an incredible person that He has placed into my life.

I have asked God on more than one occasion why he allowed this to happen to me. As I look back at the year behind me, I see three accomplishments that were nothing short of answers to prayer.

Room of Grace – The Room of Grace started in February of 2011. That night in February was a special evening. Plenty of prayer went into this ministry by many people. I was just sixteen weeks removed from my dissection when we started, and I know that God waited for this ministry to begin because He knew that I would need these men more than ever during this storm in my life. We started off strong with ten guys. The Room of Grace has grown to over sixteen guys, and the Holy Spirit has been moving powerfully in our midst. One thing that I have told the guys is that there is no gift more meaningful that I could give my wife than to surround myself with Godly men that she knows are praying for me and holding me accountable. Thank you Lord for opening the doors to this ministry, and for the amazing things that You are doing. Thank you to the guys who are involved. You have been nothing short than a miraculous blessing and encouragement to me through these hard times.

Heart Refined – In July of 2011 Heart Refined was released. Soon after I was home and recovering from my surgery, I began to pray how my situation could be used. There was a point where God told me to share my story. I was not sure how I was going to get my story out to more than a handful of people. While praying for this, the Spirit brought to me the idea of writing a book. I wrestled with Him for a while because I had no idea how a lowly person like me with no writing experience could possibly pull this off. I was reminded that God does not always use well-trained professionals to spread His Word. Sometimes He uses shepherds and people who cannot speak too well, so He could certainly use someone like me to write a book about what God has done in my life, and it did not have to be perfect and eloquent. Heart Refined has been out for about eleven weeks and God has already blessed me beyond what I could have ever thought. My desire is that anyone that could be encouraged by Heart Refined will be able to read it. While the book is being read, I want Christ to be consistently leaping from the pages. I am open for wherever God will take me with this project. I cannot end this section without thanking those that have read the book and have thrown humbling and encouraging words my way.

The final and most important thing that has come out of my near death experience is my closer relationship with Christ. Not only did He answer the prayers of many, and spare my life, but He has used this trial in my life to draw me into a closer more intimate relationship with Him. I know that God is not done with me yet, and I am excited to see how He is going to use my circumstance to bring glory and honor to Him.

Romans 5:3
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance. (NIV)