Prophetic Photography
Kimberly Fletcher’s art brings to life the characters of the Bible, compelling people to relate to them. Her pieces pave the way for ministering, prayer, and enlightening conversations about the Gospel.
Kimberly grew up attending church with her family but her personal journey with God didn’t begin until she was 13. Kimberly attended a Christian youth camp where she watched another camper endure bullying and mistreatment. When it was this young lady’s turn to get in front of everyone and share, she embodied contentment and testified to God’s goodness. She had nothing bad to say about the kids who’d mistreated her. This young lady inspired Kimberly to feel the Holy Spirit stir inside of her for the first time. The weight of the world was lifted from Kimberly’s shoulders and she experienced true freedom. Kimberly felt as though she could run swiftly with no effort.
Kimberly met and married her husband at a young age and their first child was born shortly after. One of the tenets of their marriage was to work hard to provide for themselves without the help of government assistance. They worked diligently and learned to conserve their resources, but there were still times when they struggled to feed their family and pay bills. Looking back, it’s easy for Kimberly to see how God always provided. One evening she opened the freezer and found only a package of four hot dogs. She broke down in tears because it was almost dinnertime and there wasn’t enough food for her family and no more money until payday.
Just then her husband pulled into the driveway and hollered, “Kim, come check this out!!” Kimberly met him in the driveway expecting more bad news like an unexpected bill or needed car repair. What she saw when she aligned her gaze with her husband’s was something else entirely. A deer had been hit by a car and was limping up their driveway. God provided dinner for that night and many more! Kimberly understood how Elijah felt when he was fed by ravens. Kimberly thanks God for always providing, even when she wasn’t serving him.
Kimberly endured some serious complications during the birth of her second child. She almost died during her emergency C-section. As she felt her soul leaving Earth, Kimberly was overcome with the knowledge that she was descending to Hell, not ascending to God’s presence. She had a desperate conversation with God and vowed that she would serve him for the rest of her life if he let her stay with her family. Kimberly has followed through with that commitment and does her best to use every opportunity and relationship to share the Gospel or encourage people on their journey with God. Colossians 3:17 says, “Everything you do, do unto the Lord,” and Kimberly wholeheartedly applies that concept to every aspect of her life. Her favorite prayer to God is, “I’m a coin in your pocket, spend me anyway you want.” Kimberly’s deepest desire is to be profoundly molded and utilized by God. She has worked as a school bus driver for many years and loves telling stories about the ways God has worked through her to lead many children to Jesus in a variety of ways.
Kimberly’s journey with God includes struggling with anger and a critical spirit. She’s been hurt and betrayed by members of her church. These wounds kept her from being the best role model of abiding faith for her children. One day she saw her children leaving school with a crowd of kids that were well known for making bad decisions. Kimberly prayed and asked God to keep her children’s paths with him straight. God responded to her prayer and informed her that he intended to reach her children through her fully submitted life. He would guide her children by straightening her paths and equipping her to walk closer with him. God’s plan was to give Kimberly’s children a role model that takes God seriously.
Making time to create art has always been important to Kimberly. She loves painting but grappled to make the canvas resemble her vision. Photography has allowed her to bring to fruition what she sees in her mind’s eye. In 2008, Kimberly participated in a photography class at a community college. Kimberly’s plan was to learn how to use her camera in conjunction with technology but God’s plans were more sophisticated. As a middle-aged Christian mom from a rural area she immediately felt out of place among her 18-to-20-year-old classmates from the inner city that self-identified as “Goth” and agnostic. Kimberly preferred to photograph flowers cloaked in sunshine and cute cuddly animals. Her classmates preferred to photograph dead possums and other dark things that reflected their interest in witchcraft.
Kimberly remembers the kids in her class being intentionally cruel. On one occasion she asked a young lady to help with an unfamiliar software program. The classmate told Kimberly to select “Option D” and laughed when all of Kimberly’s work was deleted. The feedback from her classmates and even her instructor indicated that they found her art to be boring and uninteresting. The instructor challenged Kimberly to get out of her box and try something new. Kimberly accepted this challenge and issued one of her own. Her classmates wanted her to photograph something dark with blood. She agreed to give it a shot if they would do something lighter and more uplifting.
Kimberly’s mind raced as she worked out how to incorporate their suggestions while honoring her faith and hopefully sharing the gospel. It was close to Easter and God whispered into her ear that she could do this and make it count. She collected some artificial blood leftover from Halloween, a crown of thorns, and some spikes from a local railroad company. She arranged these objects in a compelling manner and backlit them with a flashlight. Her first piece of prophetic photography art was born.
Her classmates were intrigued by that photograph and Kimberly found a new way to engage people with the Gospel. The photograph provided a segue for some important conversations about what was accomplished at the cross and Jesus’s saving grace. Kimberly learned important lessons about how to influence people in spite of differences. Before the conclusion of the class, Kimberly was able to share a self-portrait where she posed as her favorite Bible character, Mary Magdalene. Her classmates were mesmerized by this image and mistook it for a classy perfume advertisement. This gave Kimberly an opportunity to share her appreciation for Mary’s humility and the story about how Mary Magdalene poured out priceless oil on Jesus’s feet. Kimberly has found that lots of people relate to Mary Magdalene because they struggle with not feeling worthy of God’s love and she prays that the seeds she planted in that class will someday bear fruit.
Kimberly has gained confidence in her ability to share the gospel through her art. Her process typically starts in her living room alone with God. She puts intentional effort into studying her Bible and working on devotions and this is when God usually communicates with her. He gives her visions in the form of word pictures that evolve into prophetic photography. She sketches out the vision in her journal and then begins the search for the ideal model. Kimberly usually sources models from her friends, family, and students that ride her bus. She is currently in search of the perfect model to help her recreate the scene in the book of John where Jesus heals the blind man in Bethsaida.
Kimberly’s prophetic art is on display at Gilead Healing Center in Lansing, Michigan. She traveled to her first art show in Tennessee a couple years ago and is looking forward to attending many more art shows in the future. She sells prints in various sizes and formats and also works as a photographer for weddings and other special events. Click here to check out Kimberly’s website. Kimberly can be reached by email at: btphoto921@gmail.com.
~written by Erica Munchbach
