Sometimes God whispers. Sometimes He speaks loud and clear. And sometimes we don’t want to hear what He has to say. But when we listen and are obedient, amazing things happen.
Kim M. Clark is a perfect example of this test of faith. Here’s an edited transcript of our recent interview:
Jacquelyn Lynn: How did you come to write your book, Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze?
Kim M. Clark
Kim M. Clark: As our family walked through a trial, the Lord told me to write a book of the sweet words of comfort He spoke to me. Writing was the last thing I wanted to do. I’ve been a college marketing instructor, public speaker, and business owner. I’m not gifted at writing—my husband is. I even have him proofread my emails. I’m gifted at teaching. I told God, “You’ve called the wrong woman.” I pouted and behaved like a child, telling God what he was asking me to do was like having a duck climb a tree. God made squirrels to climb trees, not ducks. Toward the end of my tantrum, I prayed.
The Lord then showed me a picture of a palm tree growing perpendicular to the ground with a duck waddling up the trunk. And I heard Him say, “See, I can even make trees grow crooked to accomplish my will.”
Yet, unsure of how to be God’s scribe, I refused to move forward. And to make matters worse, God also impressed upon my heart to start running. I’m an awful runner. I couldn’t even run a mile when I started. And I looked ridiculous. My husband told me during our first run, “Babe, it’s like running with Rocky. Your form is so bad, you’re flailing.” We didn’t run together after that.
I started running on my own. During one of my early solo runs, I had worked my way up to five miles. The Lord spoke to me and said, “I want you to add a mile to your run today.” I told God, “That’s unbelievable. I can’t do that.” Then I reasoned, either one of two things is going to happen. I’m either going to die and go to Heaven or since God made this body, he’ll help me run the full six miles. Amazingly, I easily ran the distance. Afterward, in complete awe, I praised Him for giving me the strength to run the full six miles—a 10K, since I’ve never been a runner before.
Then as clear as day, I heard Him respond, “You’ve never written a book before, either.”
JL: That got your attention.
KMC: Yup. And miraculously, to date, I have run two full marathons with respectable times. It was then I started writing. I attended every Christian conference I could find, figured out how to write, and honed my craft. For five years, I wrote and rewrote my first book. Then I started a publishing company to publish my first book. I became an Amazon bestselling author, won several awards, and now the book is used as a trauma healing curriculum throughout the prison system.
JL: Did you have a plan for this book that God changed?
KMC: Absolutely. Since I have a Master of Science in Marketing from Johns Hopkins and taught 400 level college marketing courses, I wrote a 40-page marketing plan. When God told me to write the book, create a publishing company, and go on a promotional tour, I obeyed.
The year after my first book came out, in early 2019, I laid my hands on my book and said, “God, this is Your book. These are Your words. This is Your publishing company. What do You want me to do next?”
The Lord said, “I want you to take your message of hope into the prison system.”
I responded with a solemn, “Do what?” I said, “That wasn’t on my 40-page plan. Are you sure?”
Then, as I was seated at my desk, my computer came alive. Even though I didn’t have YouTube open, a video popped up. It was Zach Williams playing “Chain Breaker,” the very song I listened to over and over as I wrote the book. But in this music video, Zach performed in front of a live audience—to inmates, inside Harding Prison in Tennessee.
JL: That told you where you needed to go.
KMC: Yes. I realized I had to start a nonprofit to fund this. I called a friend of mine who worked in the nonprofit arena. She informed me, “You can start your own nonprofit. Or you can do it through my foundation and I can get you set up in all 50 states in a week, but you need $1,000 in seed money.”
At that time, our businesses were down. We didn’t have the funds. I prayed. “God, I can start the nonprofit myself for $250 in just one state, but I don’t want to do all that work. And I don’t have the funds to pay my friend to do it for me.”
The Lord woke me up in the middle of the night and said, “If money wasn’t an object, which would you choose?”
I said, “I would totally go with my friend. She knows people and she knows what she’s doing. But I don’t have the $1,000.”
God said, “Money is not an object.”
So the next day, I emailed my paperwork in and called them. I informed them I didn’t have the initial $1,000 start-up fee.
They said, “No problem. You’ll raise it. Here’s your EIN number.” Bam! Lift Your Gaze was created. Within a week, I had raised the funds for the initial investment plus extra. Since then, tens of thousands of my books have poured into correctional facilities across the United States.
JL: That’s awesome. When God is speaking to you, how do you know it’s God?
KMC: He’s usually telling me to do stuff I don’t want to do, like run a marathon, write another book, start a publishing company and a nonprofit, and share my message of hope in prisons and jails, including in maximum security and solitary confinement wings. And whatever He’s asking me to do, it is always Biblical. Also, it’s usually hard—each action requires faith.
JL: So pre-COVID, you were going into prisons. How often?
KMC: Twice a week at Orange County [FL] Jail. I taught a chapter out of my first book to a group of women in the intake and maximum security dorms every week (even on my birthday). Then once a quarter, I would speak to the entire inmate population as well as the guards.
After being featured an article in Victorious Living Magazine, which distributes 40,000 magazines to correctional facilities across the United States, I received a huge influx of book and speaking requests from chaplains and inmates. There’s one chaplain in Florida who, every time an inmate asks for a Bible, also gives them a copy of my second book, my supporting 30-day devotional.
JL: So you give the books to the prisons for free and raise money through the non-profit to pay for it. Do you get any money out of the nonprofit?
KMC: No, I don’t take a salary from the nonprofit. The funds I raise provide for the printing, shipping, and operating and administrative costs. I don’t receive any personal funds from Lift Your Gaze.
JL: And your book is still selling through traditional channels to the general public?
KMC: Yes. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. A lot of churches and women’s groups use it as a Bible or book study. Especially during the pandemic, so many people needed hope. Even now as things are changing and we’re starting to come out of our shells, people still have fear.
Change causes trauma and anxiety. Since my book deals with trials, including the nature of, the reason for, our response to, and our greatest need during trials, it’s a very popular and hope-filled resource. Each chapter includes a personal anecdote, a Biblical story, a prophetic word of encouragement, my prayer for the reader, and specific application questions as well as a prayer journal.
JL: So what’s next? What has God told you to do?
KMC: I’m writing two books at once, which is insane. I’m creating an accompanying prayer book, Deep Waters: Lift Your Gaze Prayer Book. And I felt led to dust off a fictional manuscript I wrote 20 years ago, which I’m now rewriting with a redemptive thread throughout. It’s a suspense thriller for the general market.
JL: This has been great, Kim. Thanks for sharing your story—and for being obedient to God, even when you don’t want to do what He’s telling you.
For more information about Kim M. Clark, her books, and her nonprofit:
KimMClark.com for information about Kim, her publishing company, her marketing services, and to book her as a speaker.
Liftyourgaze.org for more information about her nonprofit and to make a tax-deductible donation that will help spread a life-changing message of hope and redemption to inmates across the country.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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