Dean Alford

Why I Started Writing:

I began writing out of a season of profound personal transformation. For many years, I was known as a successful community leader, entrepreneur, and educator. My life included decades of leadership in business, education, and public service, and from the outside, it appeared that I had achieved many of the things people strive for.

Yet my journey took an unexpected and humbling turn when I was convicted of a white-collar crime and sentenced to eight years in prison. By God’s grace, I was granted early release after serving a little more than four years in the Georgia Department of Corrections. During that time of incarceration, I was forced to confront the pride and rebellion that had quietly shaped much of my life. In that place of brokenness, I turned to God with genuine repentance and began to experience His forgiveness and restoring grace in a deeply personal way.

While serving my sentence at Coweta County Prison, God opened the door for something extraordinary. Along with three fellow inmates, I helped establish the Coweta Church, a faith community within the prison walls. What began as a small gathering of men seeking God soon grew into a vibrant ministry of healing and spiritual renewal. In the church’s first four years, 159 men were baptized as lives were changed through faith and fellowship.

Out of that ministry came a simple but powerful practice. A few of us began meeting at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays for prayer, Scripture, and encouragement before the day began. That gathering became known as “See U @ 7.” What started as a small circle of men seeking God’s presence each morning grew into a movement of hope that continues to touch lives.

My first book, the devotional See U @ 7, was born out of those early morning gatherings, and my other writings flow from my desire to share the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. I began writing as a way to share the lessons God was teaching us—about humility, repentance, grace, and new beginnings. My desire is that my writings will encourage readers to seek God daily, especially during difficult seasons, and to discover that His light can reach any heart, in any place, even behind prison walls.

 

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

Throughout my life and spiritual journey, several Christian authors and teachers have had a profound influence on both my faith and my writing. Their ability to communicate biblical truth with clarity, conviction, and authenticity has helped shape the way I approach devotional writing.

Dr. Charles Stanley was one of the most influential voices in my life. His unwavering commitment to the authority of Scripture and his clear teaching on obedience, faith, and God’s faithfulness deeply impacted me. Dr. Stanley had a unique ability to make complex spiritual truths understandable and personal. His teaching consistently reminded believers that no matter the circumstances of life, God remains faithful to guide, forgive, and restore those who seek Him.

Dr. David Jeremiah has also greatly influenced my understanding of Scripture and its relevance to everyday life. Through his thoughtful teaching and careful exposition of the Bible, he has helped many believers see how God’s Word speaks directly to the challenges of our modern world. His messages encourage Christians to live with courage, conviction, and hope.

Rick Warren’s writing has shaped my understanding of purpose and spiritual growth. His emphasis on living a purpose-driven life and helping believers discover God’s design for their lives has encouraged countless people to see their personal story as part of God’s greater plan. His practical approach to discipleship and spiritual development has had a meaningful influence on my own ministry and writing.

Rick Burgess has also been an important voice in my spiritual development. Through his testimony and teaching, particularly about authentic Christian living and the role of men as spiritual leaders in their homes and communities, he has encouraged believers to pursue a deeper, more committed walk with Christ. His honest and transparent approach to faith has been especially impactful.

Finally, Og Mandino, though known primarily for inspirational writing, has had a lasting influence on me as well. His works emphasize perseverance, personal transformation, and the power of hope. His message that a person’s life can be changed through renewed thinking, discipline, and faith resonates deeply with my own journey.

Each of these authors has shaped the way I think about faith, leadership, and personal transformation. Their influence can be seen in my desire to write devotionals that are rooted in Scripture, grounded in real-life experience, and focused on encouraging others to seek God daily and discover His restoring grace.

 

Books I Have Written:

My devotional book, See U @ 7, is my first full-length published work. The book grew out of a daily prayer and devotional gathering that began during my time of incarceration and continues to encourage people to seek God at the start of each day.

During my time in prison, however, I actively wrote and shared messages of faith, hope, and spiritual growth. Many of the sermons and poems I wrote during that season were compiled into small booklets that circulated among inmates and their families. I was deeply encouraged that several of these booklets were reproduced and shared beyond the prison walls, often being sent to the homes and churches of incarcerated men.

Among those writings were booklets titled Sometimes God Whispers, Sometimes God Shouts and Sometimes God Uses a 2x4, Chain Gang Christians in the Bible, and Radical Gratitude: A New Way of Living, Even in Prison. Each of these writings reflected lessons God was teaching me during that difficult but transformative season of my life.

While See U @ 7 represents my first complete book, these earlier writings were an important part of my journey as a writer and communicator. They allowed me to share biblical insights, personal reflections, and messages of encouragement with others seeking hope and spiritual renewal amid challenging circumstances.

 

What I'm Working On Now:

I am currently working on a book that reflects on ten life-changing lessons God taught me during my time in prison. That season of my life became a place of deep spiritual transformation, where many of the assumptions I once held about success, control, and faith were stripped away and replaced with a clearer understanding of God’s grace and sovereignty.

The book explores key spiritual truths that emerged during that time. Among those lessons are the realization that brokenness and repentance are often the true beginning of victory in a person’s life, and that God—not us—is ultimately in control of our circumstances. I also write about discovering radical gratitude as a pathway to genuine contentment, even in the most difficult environments.

Another theme is how God provides comfort, protection, and presence in the hardest places and seasons of life. Some of the most meaningful spiritual moments I experienced occurred in circumstances that many would see only as hopeless. Through those experiences, I also came to understand more deeply Christ’s teaching about “the least of these,” realizing that in many ways, I was one of them.

This book is both a personal testimony and a collection of spiritual lessons learned in an unlikely classroom. My hope is that these reflections will encourage readers to see that God can transform even the most difficult seasons of life into opportunities for humility, growth, and renewed purpose.