JD Walker
National Religious Broadcasters Convention 2024
Transcription completed by AI software, please excuse any misspellings or typos present.
Leray Heyne 0:23
Hello, I'm Leray Heyne. And I want to introduce you to the first Christian television network consecrated to tell the world what Jesus is doing the business. You may be thinking to yourself, What in the world are you talking about? Jesus is not involved in business. Business is one of the greatest problems this world has. And I get how that might be your Christian worldview. But for those of us who love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and who had been called and gifted and sent by Holy Spirit to oversee companies in the public squares of business, we have a different Christian worldview. On Jesus Christ’s CEOs TV, you will hear from Jesus's perspective what He is doing in business. You will hear from the perspective of Christian CEOs what Jesus is doing in business. You will learn how Holy Spirit is manifesting Christ in the mortal flesh of the Body of Christ in business. And for you CEOs, you will be equipped on how to operate an authentic Kingdom company consecrated through Jesus Christ through you and your team's participation with God Holy Spirit's governance. Welcome to Jesus Christ’s CEOs TV, the first Christian television network consecrated and raised up by God Holy Spirit to tell the world what Jesus is doing and business.
Leray Heyne 1:42
Well, welcome back to Jesus Christ's CEOs TV. We are here at NRB National Religious Broadcasters in Nashville, Tennessee, and we are been talking about what Jesus is doing in business. And I have JD Walker with me. He is what Jesus is doing the business buckle up because you are going to be encouraged, you are going to be exhorted, you may even be offended in Jesus name. JD, thank you for sitting down with me.
JD Walker 2:18
Thank you for having me.
Leray Heyne 2:19
Yeah. So tell everybody a little bit about you. I just met you. I didn't know who you were. So I'm sure there's one or two other people that might not know who you are.
JD Walker 2:28
So I'm JD Walker. I'm a Christian music artist. After getting realizing, and I didn't want to give into the labels of the record labels and the mainstream media, I decided to branch my business out and I started a music distribution. And I branched off and started my own label.
Leray Heyne 2:48
Wow.
JD Walker 2:48
So I, we ended up putting out my album, it took me four years to record it. And we dropped it last August. And so yeah, it's been it's been a slow roll. But, you know, some scrutiny and backlash because I'm pretty bold in my faith. And I'm not scared to speak again, speak about it.
Leray Heyne 3:09
Yeah.
JD Walker 3:09
So. But, you know, Lord's, I've been obedient to the Lord what he's wanted me to do. And, um, you know, he, we did we come in off January 7, the album went number one on iTunes.
Leray Heyne 3:21
Congratulations.
JD Walker 3:22
Thank you. And, you know, I tell people that we did that when no streaming. Just get a word of mouth on the work of the Lord. And when my pastor got behind it, it he announcer from the platform just within the church, and it just took off. And so it's been, yeah, it's, you know, he gets all the credit for it.
Leray Heyne 3:42
Right, amen. So let's talk a little bit about kind of the business side of things, right, you know, musicians, maybe you don't get it what you have done and how you have done it. Probably not the normal for your industry. And so this is really a business to you, right?
JD Walker 3:56
It is.
Leray Heyne 3:57
Yes. So, so talk a little bit about the structure and, and what that looks like, is it just you on your label? Is it gonna be other people on your label?
JD Walker 4:05
It's just me for now, I am going to be signing some other people that label once we get a little bit more success. And the money starts rolling in from the album sales. I am going to add some other people to the label. But right now, it's just a, it's just me on it. Alright. Me and my manager at the publicists. We're a three person team. So we have so the way we run it right now.
Leray Heyne 4:27
Yeah. So I asked JD to sit down with me. And I said, I want to approach this, because we're speaking to business owners. And I want you to hear how JD has lived out his faith, boldly, unapologetically, as a business owner, and things that could, without a doubt affect his business or the growth of this business. So share with us some examples that you were sharing with us yesterday of of some stance that you have taken?
JD Walker 4:56
Well, last year I took on the gospel music association.
Leray Heyne 5:02
That's not too smart when you're trying to grow a business.
JD Walker 5:04
It's not especially when you're a Christian artist yet. It wasn't, it wasn't just the one. It was, it was them as a as a as a whole, right? They had the power to stop. We had a drag queen infiltrate Christian music last year. And that's just some place it don't belong. You want to take it take it over to pop it don't belong in Christian music.
Leray Heyne 5:27
Right.
JD Walker 5:28
So I spoke out against some other artists spoke out against it, but I took it a little bit further. So when I found out that this drag queen was going to attend the Dove Awards, I spoke out against it. I reached out to the Dove Awards. They refused to stop.
Leray Heyne 5:42
Wow.
JD Walker 5:42
So I took them on.
Leray Heyne 5:44
And what does that mean?
JD Walker 5:45
Well, I mean, I sent him an email, I basically I just wanted them to say, okay, hey, you bought a ticket, you can come as yourself, but you're not going to show up and drag and turn this into a LGBTQ celebration in our Rosalie's section on our Christian award show.
Leray Heyne 6:02
Right.
JD Walker 6:03
And they didn't stop it. They refused to address it. So they sent me back a four page or a four sentence email. And I sent them back four paragraphs. And I basically told the vice president of the GMAs I said, I just asked the question, I said, How would you feel? What do you think Jesus is going to? How would Jesus feel if he knew you had the power to stop this? And you didn't know? And you didn't?
Leray Heyne 6:29
Right.
JD Walker 6:30
Can you answer for that? Because you're gonna have to, they didn't respond. And I told them, I said, I'm gonna give you 24 hours to respond before I share your email with the world.
Leray Heyne 6:39
Right.
JD Walker 6:40
Well, I figured they thought I was small. And I wouldn't do it. I did it.
Leray Heyne 6:44
Right.
JD Walker 6:44
And I got a lot of scurvy and backlash for taking them on.
Leray Heyne 6:47
Right.
JD Walker 6:48
Oh, and then, you know, I was speak, I wasn't speaking out against this one person in the LGBTQ community, it was the whole group as a conglomerate. So that really kind of hurt my business, I face scrutiny, I faced backlash of death threats, right, telling me you know, you need to stop. You can't say all this. I'm like, what are y'all gonna do? Not invite me to an award show?
Leray Heyne 7:12
Right.
JD Walker 7:13
So I just like, you know, what, I just feel nobody's bold in their faith anymore. They're to that or everybody's too worried about losing money in business.
Leray Heyne 7:22
Right.
JD Walker 7:22
And, you know, I'm just here to say that, you know, I am the I was a resilient and being resilient and bold in my faith, the Lord is starting to bless me with that.
Leray Heyne 7:33
Right.
JD Walker 7:33
So, you know, it's it's don't don't be scared. You know, if your faith calls you to stand up and say something, then stand up and say something, you know, the days of lukewarm Christianity are over. Jesus is coming back.
Leray Heyne 7:45
Yeah.
JD Walker 7:46
And he's coming back for a spotless bride to have a in, and you better know where you're standing. Yeah, it does. You're gonna get left behind if you're not.
Leray Heyne 7:55
Amen. And so no regrets?
JD Walker 7:57
No, no.
Leray Heyne 7:58
Okay. What are some of the other things that you've had to do that aren't typically good for business?
JD Walker 8:05
Well, we've, you know, it's a, it's been hard getting media and media is not wanting to touch me. And they, I got called the Donald Trump of Christian music, he, basically, because I pretty much let them know I can't be bought,
Leray Heyne 8:22
Right.
JD Walker 8:22
You're not going to buy me you're not going to shut me up. I'm not going away. I'm here.
Leray Heyne 8:26
And is that something that happens in Christian music?
JD Walker 8:28
You know, I'll be honest, I was in, I was in and out of country music for about 20 years.
Leray Heyne 8:35
Right.
JD Walker 8:35
And that in and behind the scenes, and I never seen the level of corruption in country music that I have seen within the Christian music genre. And that's sad.
Leray Heyne 8:45
Wow.
JD Walker 8:46
A lot of these mainstream artists are they want to talk, they want to ride the fence.
Leray Heyne 8:51
Okay.
JD Walker 8:52
They want to, you know, and you can't do that.
Leray Heyne 8:54
Yeah.
JD Walker 8:55
If the Lord give, you know, when I called out a lot of these artists for not standing up for God's kingdom, that hurt me, um, you know, I had an opportunity to open up for several of these mainstream artists, and they shot me in the foot.
Leray Heyne 9:09
Right.
JD Walker 9:10
But you know, it's one of those things. It's like, the Lord gave you gave them that platform.
Leray Heyne 9:15
Right.
JD Walker 9:16
For him and his glory for you. And you sell millions of records, you sell out arenas, but you're not standing up.
Leray Heyne 9:21
Right.
JD Walker 9:22
So where do you draw the line? And that's the thing, they're not standing up.
Leray Heyne 9:27
Right.
JD Walker 9:27
You know, and I'm just not going to be one of those people. And if that's if that shoots me in the foot me not getting open up for them. Guess what? Eventually, Lord, make it to where I don't need them.
Leray Heyne 9:36
Right. Right.
JD Walker 9:37
So that's where we're at with it.
Leray Heyne 9:39
Well good. So give give people an idea. I want people to have a sense of, you know, you're passionate, you're bold. You're intense, like I am what I do, and sometimes we can be misunderstood.
JD Walker 9:50
Very.
Leray Heyne 9:51
Yeah. Yeah. And so give our audience where your perspective is biblically on the stance that you took so that they can see that it wasn't just you trying to, you know, stop something, but you were doing something according to your own conviction and faith and God's word.
JD Walker 10:11
Well, you know, and he Ephesians 5:11, it says, you know, expose them for for so darkness don't have anything to do with them. So, you know, light and darkness can't fellowship together.
Leray Heyne 10:20
Right.
JD Walker 10:21
And, and, and that's just the jest of it. And I say, you know, if the Bible calls it a sin, our opinions don't matter.
Leray Heyne 10:28
Right. Amen.
JD Walker 10:29
And, you know, it would say that that took off. So Well, I mean, we put it on a t shirt, you know, and they, they start calling it bold for Jesus. We started doing these bold for Jesus messages.
Leray Heyne 10:41
And funny, it's funny, you know, now, you know, whatever God's word says. It's now bold, or it's extreme now, right? It's just, it's always been God's word.
JD Walker 10:50
Right? Exactly. It's like, I tell them, I'm like, you know, all you got to do is pick up the Bible and read it.
Leray Heyne 10:56
Yeah.
JD Walker 10:56
And you know, it's my I've heard my pastor say this several times, my dad used to say it. That's the only book in history that's done a year while you're reading, it's gonna read you.
Leray Heyne 11:04
Yeah. Amen. Well, you know, so far, you've been telling us what, you know, you are what Jesus is doing in business, right? According to your faith and your belief and your conviction. So, way to stay true to that. What's your vision for the business that God has given you? And this, this, you really had just even laid out a company culture? A company, you know, your, your core values? Right. What does God given you a vision for this other than just, you know, what's it look like?
JD Walker 11:04
No, I mean, uh, you know, we're gonna, I'm gonna grow the label. I'm gonna keep doing this until he tells me not to do it.
Leray Heyne 11:25
Right.
JD Walker 11:26
We're, you know, we're in talks with a publisher about doing a book deal.
Leray Heyne 11:42
Right.
JD Walker 11:43
Um, so that's in the works. I got a six songs off of this new album are going into a movie next year.
Leray Heyne 11:50
Wow. So you know, you're not you're not missing any meals.
JD Walker 11:54
No, no, I mean, I don't look like it either. You know, so, I mean, matter of fact, I need to lose some. But, but, but no, I mean, you know, I've been very blessed. And he's continuing to bless me, you know, and it's all in his timing. I wish you know, it would happen then. But now I look back. And it was something my pastor said to me a while back, he said, you know, you weren't ready. They you're ready now? And I didn't get the jest of that.
Leray Heyne 12:19
Yeah.
JD Walker 12:19
And it was, the jest of it was as he was molding me
Leray Heyne 12:24
Yes.
JD Walker 12:24
To where I needed to be, you know, and keep me humble.
Leray Heyne 12:27
Yeah.
JD Walker 12:27
So it's, uh, but you know, I, I see this thing, just launching and doors are just a miraculously open or no gap. You know, I, you know, we commanded and prayed all the heavenly doors open and all of the demonic doors close. And so that's exactly what's happening.
Leray Heyne 12:27
So I want to ask you a couple more questions, um. You just kind of touched on being shaped and molded. And one of the things that we teach in our Bible Institute is how the Lord uses our business, to reveal himself, transform us perfect us add to our faith, so on and so on. All in the fullness of the image of Christ. How has God used your your giftings your talents, your business, your music, to transform you into a greater fullness of Christ.
JD Walker 13:12
Oh, man. I mean, you know, I have an amazing backstory. I mean, I've faced tragedy. I've seen tragedy, trauma and turmoil from the time I was 19 till my 30s. You know, a little bit what I shared with you yesterday, you know, just quick, my best friend was shot killed in 19. Several years later, I met my wife, we was together, just under five years, got married a month and a half after we got married, we found out she had cancer. I lost her nine months after that. And 10 months later, my brother committed suicide I spent spent seven years running from the Lord, you know, and I mean, it wasn't fully running. I mean, I still loved him. I was mad at him. You know, I didn't understand what why he was taking me why he was taking so much from me. But you know, and when I decided, well, I want to do country music. He was like, Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. But you know what you're and he kept saying, you know what you're supposed to be doing you got to powerful testimony. I didn't take you this far. Just to keep your mouth shut. Right You know, so now it's telling my testimony, do my music sing the songs build build the label build a brand and and who wouldn't do what he wants me to do?
Leray Heyne 14:20
Wow, well, thanks for not giving up.
JD Walker 14:22
No, no. And I'm not giving up you know, the the mainstream and everything else they can shun me and they can you know, they can try to shut me up and the mainstream media can try to shut me up but I'm not going away and I'm not going to they're not going to shut me up so they better just get used to it. They've had to read or write about it or set you know, like I said, you standing on the tracks the train is coming through and I'm gonna run you over so you better you can do that with the Lord's help. So just get out of the way.
Leray Heyne 14:52
Well, as we were talking off set, I was just sharing with you how you're talking to business owners, and you know you your testimony and they said that they may just say, you know what, that's, that's okay for JD, that's just that's not okay for me don't get my business, right, but you are just living out of your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and Ambassador of the kingdom of God. How would you exhort business owners to be bolder in their faith, regardless of their circumstances?
JD Walker 15:21
Oh, I would say, you know what, if the Lord moves you in that direction, don't be scared, because you know, you might lose some business, but he's going to, he's going to replace it. You know, for whatever the the devil might take away, the Lord is going to multiply. So I say, don't be scared. Just follow your heart. Follow what the Lord wants you to do. And if he calls you to be bolder, your faith and then do it. Don't be scared to lose business over.
Leray Heyne 15:46
Amen. Well, thanks for your sharing with your busy schedule. I really appreciate it.
JD Walker 15:51
Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Leray Heyne 15:52
Yeah. Great to get to know you. God bless you.
JD Walker 15:55
Yeah. Thank you.
Leray Heyne 15:56
Oh, wait a second. How do they find you?
JD Walker 15:59
Okay, so, all on all social media platforms. It's @ JD Walker Music. And then my album, they can download it on iTunes under JD Walker Music, or buy it on my website at JDWalkerMusic.com.
Leray Heyne 16:13
Awesome. God bless you.
JD Walker 16:15
God bless you. Thank you.
