Chuck Johnson believes people need God in their lives.

So much that he’s been willing to carry a cross to prove his point.

Johnson, who’s become known as Cross-Carrier Chuck, says he has walked across the country carrying a large cross seven times. He started in 1986 and has been walking for 17 years. He walked along Highway 13 on the west side of Albert Lea Tuesday morning.

&uot;I had $55 when I began and it took $53 to build the cross,&uot; Johnson recalled. &uot;God said, ‘Take nothing with you,’ and that’s pretty much what I’ve done.&uot;

He lives off whatever the Lord provides in a day. &uot;Donations help me get by,&uot; he said.

&uot;I carry the cross, and God does all the work.&uot;

Sometimes people will give Johnson a ride to the next town, and they’ll share fellowship that way, he said, adding he does not hitchhike. But mostly people stop and ask him what he’s doing. He doesn’t have an average number of miles to travel in a day, since he meets different people each day.

&uot;I get up the next morning and ask God to prepare me for the day,&uot; Johnson said.

Johnson began this particular trek across the country in Tijuana, Mexico, four years ago. He plans to go to Detroit Lakes, then turn around. He added he tries to keep his walks in the northern part of the country to the spring and summer months, and stays in the Southern states for the fall and winter.

&uot;I’ll probably do this about five more years,&uot; he said, adding he’s now 41.

Johnson also said he plans to write a book about his experiences, titled &uot;I Carry the Cross, and God Does All the Work.&uot;