Author: James Walker
Located in: Boise, ID 83703
Submitted: November 30, 2006
Tell us a little about yourself. I was born in 1944 in Illinois. My family moved a lot and
eventually settled in Boise, Idaho. I graduated from Boise State
University in 1968 ( then Boise College) with a degree in
Advertising Design. Renée and I were married in 1965. I have
two daughters, Jamie and Jessica and a son Jon and three
grandsons, all living in Idaho.
I did not grow up in a Christian home, although there were some
brief influences from my grandfather. He taught me how to say
my prayers at night as a child and I am sure he prayed for me.
I became a Christian at the age of 20 and have grow steadily.
The birth and life of my youngest daughter Jessica has been a
test of my faith as well as a blessing and enrichment in my life
and the lives of my family members.
Writing this book has been an incredible experience and another
uplifting experience in what I like to call "Jessica-land."
What was your motivation behind this project? My only motivation in writing this book was to try to help others.
I wrote the book through a lot of tears. But I kept going in the
hope that if just one person was blessed and encouraged and
helped... it would be worth it!
Although this book is about a parents worst nightmare, it is not
a tragic story. It is a story of hope and faith and love... real
love... unselfish love, whose source is God... because only God
can turn a tragedy into a blessing. Jessica means 'blessed one'
and she has been that to us... and now to many, many others as
well. And yes, my hope has been fulfilled... again and again!
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? It is my sincere belief that anyone who reads this book will be
encouraged to trust God in their tragedies and triumphs. My family
is experiencing that daily as are many others who have read
"Growing Up with Jessica" and have been uplifted and blessed by it.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? In addition to God and the Bible, some of my great influences are
Dr. James Dobson and his many books and programs and the
works of Josh McDowell, the inspirational Christian author and
speaker.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Josh McDowell the world renown Christian author and speaker
who also contributes the foreword to "Growing Up with Jessica,"
has this to say about the book, "Whether you are a believer or
not, young or old, parent or not, I encourage you to read this
book because it will touch you, minister to you and my hope is
that you will conclude, as I did, that you will become a better
person and parent as the result of reading Growing Up with
Jessica."
The book also contains lots of pictures and a very informative
appendix with references.
