Although he does not consider himself a writer, Tom Clarke is about to publish his second book. The first was “Joshua's Spiritual Warfare” referring to the Biblical hero of the Old Testament. The newest book, which is in the hands of the publisher now, presents a new look at the Book of Proverbs, also from the Old Testament of the Bible.
The Citizen file photoTom Clarke, author of “Joshua's Spiritual Warfare,” will soon have a second book published. The new book, which is in the hands of the publisher now, presents a new look at the Book of Proverbs, also from the Old Testament of the Bible.
As a mathematician, he did not like the way the book was laid out.
“I'm an organized thinker,” Clarke said. “There are topics presented one after the other in Proverbs. Sometimes several in a single verse.”
Clarke thought other readers might share his frustration with the book, so he spent most of his free time throughout the course of a year to “re-organize” the book.
Another level of difficulty Clarke encountered as he sought publication was the copyrights of the various translations of the Bible. He finally found a version called The New English Translation Bible, which did not force him to pay royalties he would not have been able to afford. Then he sent a letter and a sample chapter to the publisher.
Most writers face this step with every manuscript they send out. Sometimes the answer is a rejection letter, sometimes there is no reply at all.
Clarke was lucky.
“I received a call from the manager of the company,” he said, noting that they in fact did want to publish his book. “I felt honored they wanted to do business with me.”
Clarke's venture into the world of publishing came about as a result of a tragedy in his life.
“The Lord prompted me to write my book about Joshua after my dad died in 2006,” he said. “I was feeling a lot of grief, and I started writing to fill the void. I'm not as smart as the person who really wrote the book. The Lord just started speaking to me.”
The book also developed out of one of foundations of Clarke's personal life, studying the Bible and sharing his knowledge with others. He had been a member of the Faith Chapel in Syracuse, and since there were several members from Auburn, they thought having a sister church in Auburn might be a good idea. Jay Sheridan was appointed as the pastor of the new Auburn church, and Clarke worked closely with Sheridan.
“Jay is a tremendous man,” Clarke said. “He invited me to lead a Bible study. I was planning to do the Gospel of John, but I felt God wanted me to study Joshua instead. We covered a lot of topics, but I knew there was even more to the book, particularly about spiritual warfare.”
Clarke and some of the other members of the Faith Chapel community have been praying that God would help them fight the spiritual battle that they believe is taking place in Auburn.
“I feel there is a demonic influence over parts of Auburn. When we see so much opposition to Jesus, there has to be a force behind it, and that is the devil,” Clarke believes. “The breakup of the family has been a major tool of the enemy to try to destroy what's good in Auburn.”
Clarke knows about the breakup first hand, because his first marriage ended in divorce.
He was depressed for a long time afterwards, but is now happily remarried to a woman named Nance, who is a fellow soldier with Tom as they wage a spiritual warfare to make Auburn a better place.
“I'm an organized thinker,” Clarke said. “There are topics presented one after the other in Proverbs. Sometimes several in a single verse.”
Clarke thought other readers might share his frustration with the book, so he spent most of his free time throughout the course of a year to “re-organize” the book.
Another level of difficulty Clarke encountered as he sought publication was the copyrights of the various translations of the Bible. He finally found a version called The New English Translation Bible, which did not force him to pay royalties he would not have been able to afford. Then he sent a letter and a sample chapter to the publisher.
Most writers face this step with every manuscript they send out. Sometimes the answer is a rejection letter, sometimes there is no reply at all.
Clarke was lucky.
“I received a call from the manager of the company,” he said, noting that they in fact did want to publish his book. “I felt honored they wanted to do business with me.”
Clarke's venture into the world of publishing came about as a result of a tragedy in his life.
“The Lord prompted me to write my book about Joshua after my dad died in 2006,” he said. “I was feeling a lot of grief, and I started writing to fill the void. I'm not as smart as the person who really wrote the book. The Lord just started speaking to me.”
The book also developed out of one of foundations of Clarke's personal life, studying the Bible and sharing his knowledge with others. He had been a member of the Faith Chapel in Syracuse, and since there were several members from Auburn, they thought having a sister church in Auburn might be a good idea. Jay Sheridan was appointed as the pastor of the new Auburn church, and Clarke worked closely with Sheridan.
“Jay is a tremendous man,” Clarke said. “He invited me to lead a Bible study. I was planning to do the Gospel of John, but I felt God wanted me to study Joshua instead. We covered a lot of topics, but I knew there was even more to the book, particularly about spiritual warfare.”
Clarke and some of the other members of the Faith Chapel community have been praying that God would help them fight the spiritual battle that they believe is taking place in Auburn.
“I feel there is a demonic influence over parts of Auburn. When we see so much opposition to Jesus, there has to be a force behind it, and that is the devil,” Clarke believes. “The breakup of the family has been a major tool of the enemy to try to destroy what's good in Auburn.”
Clarke knows about the breakup first hand, because his first marriage ended in divorce.
He was depressed for a long time afterwards, but is now happily remarried to a woman named Nance, who is a fellow soldier with Tom as they wage a spiritual warfare to make Auburn a better place.
