Experience and Expression by Joshua Adam Haltom

There was a time that I defined my husband as a person who communicate himself using extensive metaphoric expression.  Yes he was perfectly aware about it in fact in the lyrics of the song he wrote for me which entitled "Lady Bug" he said there, "words and feeling do not so much define my meaning."  

This is funny but true that  even the people he was talking with, sometimes had a drop-jaw experience whenever they talked with him because of the words he was using to communicate himself and even his ideas.  Amazed and stunned, they turned and looked at me saying, Josh is smart.  Different people, same comment.   

Before, the moment he opened his mouth he spoke ideas that totally out of this world.  The most concealed, something that came-out from pandora's box.  Ideas that enveloped with  courage and braveness and certainly someone that conformed to what is familiar will not say.  One of the oldest person that knew him well advised me to pull him back, back to earth. 

Here is another fact about us, we grew up in a different country, different culture and mostly different languages.  His primary language is English, and mine is Filipino (Tagalog).  Though I was thought to use the English language when I was in elementary (age 6) sometimes his southern accent was also a barrier for me to fully understood what he was saying.   So it was really a BIG effort on our part to established a good communication. 

Now that he is back in doing his online-home schooling again (he stopped and give way his college to helped me rearing Abigail) I am thankful that he is becoming more fluent in expressing himself using words in a layman's term.   In which of course a great helped on my part because I don't need to grab Mr. Webster just to find what words he used (I am just kidding on the latter part).  One thing that I also noticed is he is becoming more open to express himself far from being intellectual but with a "soul" what I mean is straight from his heart.  

With the permission of my husband, I am sharing the article that he wrote for his class called "Experience and Expression."  As part of their task they were instructed to write an essay of a brief introduction of themselves using a brief examples of  their life. 

Our Family

My prayer is that every word that is written here will bridge the message of hope that comes from the love of God to each of us.   That the life experience of Joshua will expressed the hope he found in Jesus Christ and being transformed because of God's grace and mercy that bestowed upon him.   Be blessed.  

John 15:27 ESV 

And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning

Author: Joshua Haltom

Course: Experience and Expression

Narration/Description Essay

My family was truly engraved by the fullest desire of my soul.  I believe that, of course, everyone reaps exactly what they sow.  So, this essay is about the divine forming of my still blooming family.  My submission to the unity consciousness is a walk still becoming everyday more and more well directed by this creative nature I call bestowal.  It began when I was 13 years old, and having been a regular guest at the local Baptist congregation, I listened attentively to the message of Jesus saying, “Ask whatsoever you will in my Name, and you shall have it.”  And, so, almost on a lark, I made my way alone down to the Alter  (word he used to describe Altar). 

As a teenager, I could not fully comprehend how such a promise could be possible, but it made sense to my budding metaphysical understandings, which I cannot expound upon so fully here.  So, I forced a few tears to come from my eyes as I considered the implications of the Creator of the universe coming in human form, suffering, being pierced, dying and being resurrected in order to advance the correction of the world.  This truth was, and still is, certainly inspirational.

There I was, ready to make what I now know was a conditional commitment for my service.  I asked God the Father, “if” what I have heard here is really for me, “then” I ask you for a sign.  In prayer, I uttered silently my heart’s desire, which was to merit being with my true soul mate forever.  And so, I started to imagine who she could be.  There was then a song by a rapper Ludacris that was popular, and the line that stood out to me was “we want a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed.”  Maybe it was my teenage hormones thinking about such things, so as an alternative, I requested “if” it is not the sovereign will of the Creator, “then,” I would like to be a famous musician and die at age 27. 

I thought, as long as I can receive whatever I ask for, I might as well lay it all out here, just in case. 

Now, I can see that God is the producer of this movie called life, and the producer is charge over the director, not the other way around.  Not long after this, I continued to live for myself only, and just so happened to be involved in a tragic auto accident wherein I almost lost my life.  Then, for about a decade after having woken up from a coma, I was wandering in a hazy state, and experimenting with various drugs.  I did try my hand in music with only minimal success.  Since, after trying a few times to be an employee, I applied for and began receiving Social Security Disability Income due to the traumatic brain injury, I stayed at home a lot.  Most of my time was spent on the world-wide web in Yahoo! Christian chat-rooms discussing what was still so very sacred to me.  

After about 7 or 8 years of doing this daily, finally, at age 27, I met a lady whose name happens to be Lady.  We met after she was praising God, someone ridiculed her, I defended her, and she messaged me in private to say thank you.  We talked most everyday afterwards and we each found love.  After a lot much paperwork for the government and much waiting, I flew to the Philippines to meet her and her family.  About a year later, she flew to Tennessee, and we were married on March 19, 2013.  I had made my way to the Alter again, but this time I was not alone.  It was a beautiful wedding.

In conclusion, the difference my wife has made in my life is all the better.  We have a newly born, wonderful little bundle of joy, our daughter Abigail Exodus.  Abigail is by definition, “father’s joy,’’ and Exodus means out of exile.  The Alter is not a strange place for me anymore, nor is it foreign to any of us.  We lead the worship ministry in a church that is just beginning to grow.  Our daughter is truly anointed by the Lord, and we are acting together to make the world ever more suitable for her to express her undeniable joy.