Frequently Asked Questions

(Kim and Troy were married in 1981) “Work hard. Pray harder. Trust God. Honestly, the tipping point in our relationship came when I stopped trying to be my husband’s “Holy Spirit” and started pursuing my own daily relationship with God. I needed to stop trying to ‘make’ things happen in his heart, this only pushed him further from the truth . . . and that was my sin. It was the quiet, life-long example that allowed him to discover all the things that I was earlier trying to force into his heart. Forcing anything into any heart is never God’s plan. Jesus’ mightiest weapon of war . . . is His relentless love.”

“No, it’s a gift. Apart from God, Troy is my best friend. I cherish every minute that we get to be together and count working side by side with him as one of the greatest blessings of my life.”

When asked about having kids, Kim laughs and says, “Yes, I’m married to one! Troy has such a boyish heart and I love it so much. The truth is, when that season came in our lives we knew we could do one or the other, but not both because each would need 100% of our hearts. So, we asked Jesus to give us clarity for HIS best plan and the ranch was His answer for us.

My birthday is August 19th, 1961.

No, I’m not six feet tall—I only sound like it. My dad was 6’4” and my young aspiration was to be 6’ . . . but I only made it to 5’9”. Often when I speak I wear tall shoes just because it makes me laugh inside. I mostly weigh 165 lbs, unless it’s blueberry season . . . then I weigh 465 lbs (at least that’s what my jeans say!)

C’mon! Asking a rancher that is like asking a fish if it likes water. I eat everything that others have worked hard to provide for me. If I can chew it up and toss it back . . . it’s gone. If I have a choice, probably blueberries, fruits, vegetables, blueberries, meat, Thai, sushi and blueberries.

Hmmm . . . that’s a tough one because I speak a great deal from the ranch through our clinics, visiting groups, radio and written word. With the balance of work at the ranch, Judy (my beloved friend and assistant) and I travel to as many speaking engagements as we can fit in. We usually speak multiple times in each location.

We have two female Blue Heelers. Troy’s girl is named “Zip” and Kim’s pup is named “Havie.”

Not really. My heart is stayed on the hope of my God. When scary or hard things happen, I know there’s a purpose that’s greater than my understanding. What I do understand is that HIS grace is always sufficient . . . and it’s in His infinite grace that my confidence rests.

Kim laughs and replies, “I have a sidearm that I’m skilled and licensed to carry, but I never do. I think about Genesis 15:1 where God says, “Don’t be afraid. I AM your shield, your very great reward.” I could never protect myself better than my Father already is.”

Olive green

Campfire smoke

As I understand God's Word, at salvation, every Believer is gifted with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14). Yet, our choice to follow His leadership is as personal and unique as each Believer. Look at the Christians in Acts 19, they had already accepted Jesus as their Savior, but they didn't yet understand the filling of His Holy Spirit within them. Once they acknowledged His existence by choosing to receive and rely on HIM, His Presence filled each of them with everything that He is. We can be a Christian, but not be led by the Holy Spirit. I 'knew' about the Holy Spirit early in my walk with Jesus. But I didn't start asking HIM to lead me until I was in my 40's. Indeed, there's a BIG difference between knowing about the Holy Spirit . . . and choosing to rely on Him for your every decision, step, breath. I started to follow the Spirit of the Living God when I could no longer deny His beautiful, powerful, loving Presence pouring through those around me who had already chosen to trust in His leadership. When I chose to rely on His leadership over my own-my life has never been the same. As a dear friend of mine always says, "I didn't know what I didn't know." When you've lived your whole life swimming in a bathtub, you simply cannot fathom what swimming in the ocean is like! I once heard a beloved pastor named Surprise say, "The Holy Spirit is like a great, mighty river. You do NOT tell the river where to flow. Don't! Instead, you jump in . . . and you go where HE takes you." When it comes to being Spirit filled, we each must choose to trust HIM more than our self and leap into His presence. I thought my life in Christ before being Spirit filled was amazing . . . I had no idea it could be THIS amazing!

Learning how to listen to the Holy Spirit's voice is the same as learning how to decipher any voice. We do it through practice. In John 10 Jesus teaches that His sheep know His voice and they will not be deceived to follow imposters. How did the sheep discern their shepherds voice? They did it by spending time with Him. Likewise, we spend time with our Shepherd when we immerse ourselves in His word, worship and prayer. Just as we learn to recognize human utterance, the more we relegate His voice as something else, the more we dull our ability to pick it out in the crowd. But, the more we listen to-and obey-His voice, the stronger and clearer it becomes. I recently had the joy of training a puppy. In the first moments of calling her newly given name, when she turned to look at me, I gave her praise and assurance. The more she moved toward me, the greater the affirmation. When she chose to turn away from me, the less she heard. When she left my presence all together, she heard nothing at all. But even a single 'look-back' heralded a joyful, "Here I am! Come! Come this way." (Matt. 11:28). In her journey of learning to know my voice, she quickly realized that it was in my presence that she was protected, safe, covered, loved and embraced. Now, even in the noisy chaos of life, she hears me clearly . . . and comes running. I desire to respond to the One who shelters my heart with the same devotion, enthusiasm and love. Within the clamor of our daily lives, His voice only pierces through the clutter when we've practiced listening to the peaceful and powerful call of our King.