Jim Newsom spent the first eight years of his Christian life in a Florida prison.
While in prison he began to read the Bible and apply the lessons he was learning in a difficult environment. It was there he first read Psalm 103:7: "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." Jim determined then and there that he didn't only want to see God work in his life and surroundings, he wanted to understand God's ways so he could cooperate with God's plan in every situation. From that desire came Jim's passion to teach others what he had learned.
In his first book, Treasure Hidden in Darkness: When The Acts Of God Produce the Ways of God, Jim shares many stories of his prison life as well as his work and ministry after his release that have taken him to many churches, but also back into many prisons where he regularly help inmates, who are where he was, recognize God's acts while also understanding God's ways. You will smile, laugh, and cry as you read Jim's stories of God's grace in his own life and the lives of those he touched. You will see that God is working even in dark places to bring His glorious light to everyone-even those behind prison doors.
About Jim Newsom
Jim Newsom is founder and executive director of Outward Focused International. Jim’s life includes being expelled from high school, drug abuse, and criminal activity ranging from purse-snatching to armed robbery. Having been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, Jim was ultimately charged and convicted of second-degree murder. On July 26, 1972, Jim surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. The next morning, he turned himself into the local authorities, confessed to his crime and pled guilty to his charge. While in prison, he was instrumental in starting a prison church that is still in existence today. Having served eight years of a 30-year sentence, Jim was released in 1980. Since then, he has planted two churches and helped plant three more. He has also served as a youth minister, associate pastor and senior pastor in several churches.
