An interview with Kate Williams, author of 'When God Buts In'

Interview with Kate Williams – author of When God ‘Buts’ In

We all face a situation that looks impossible at some point in our lives. Many biblical characters faced huge obstacles too, until God brought a ‘but’ into the situation that changed their circumstances in a powerful way.

In her new book, Kate Williams explains that when God ‘buts’ in he isn’t meddling or interfering, he is divinely intervening in the situation. Whether that results in a miraculous turnaround in circumstances or grace to sustain you through a trial, God wants to ‘but’ in and be actively involved in your life.

Interweaving personal experience of challenge with biblical truth, When God ‘Buts’ In will help stir your faith and trust God that he knows the intervention you most need.

Kate, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I live in Yorkshire with my husband Rod who is a magician - and before you ask - no he doesn’t saw me in half and no he can’t make me disappear (I genuinely get asked these questions ALL THE TIME!!!). We have a sassy six-year-old daughter called Chloe who has Down Syndrome and is an incredible blessing to our lives. My lovely stepdaughter Annaliese is also currently living with us, so the girls are well and truly ruling the roost at the minute!

I have a passion for sign language and I’m currently learning level 6 of BSL which I hope to pass soon as it’s been a very enjoyable but also a very long and challenging course! I have a job at a local college as a communication support worker where I support deaf students in their lectures - I love what I get paid to do!

Why did you decide to write When God ‘Buts’ In?

I was experiencing a challenging situation with a process we were going through to become foster carers. I naturally felt very helpless, and the situation did not look favourable at all, humanly speaking. But I felt my faith kick in, in a way I’ve not experienced before. I felt prompted to look at biblical examples of situations that looked hopeless, and to remind myself of what God did to turn around those bleak looking scenarios.

I found the word ‘but’ was often in these Scriptures – so where there was undoubtedly a testing situation, then followed a ‘but’ which meant with God’s involvement, the bleakest of times could be transformed and filled with hope and victory. I felt challenged to activate my faith and believe for a turnaround and for God to ‘but in’ while I waited for the outcome of our situation. I sent some of the things I’d written to some close family and friends, and they encouraged me to make it into a book.

Who have you written this book for?

It’s written for Christians who find themselves in a challenging time and who want to hold onto God in faith and believe for him to intervene in their situation.

What makes this book different from other devotions?

People who have read it have told me it encouraged and inspired them, but it also made them laugh, which makes me happy! I think humour is an undervalued thing and think it has power to help, encourage and bring a lightness to our spirits even during testing times. I personally find quite a lot of faith related books are a bit dry and dull, and I hope I have brought God’s truth in a way that challenges, encourages, uplifts and makes people smile at times too.

Your writing style is unique. How would you describe it, and what do you think it adds to the book?

I think my style is relatable and accessible. I really believe that in whatever you do, you must be your unique self, and so I try to write in a way that reflects my personality - hence the sometimes terrible jokes and puns! I passionately believe that vulnerability is a key factor in connecting with people and I often see a real lack of that in church life and in Christian literature, although it does seem more recently things are changing on this front which is great to see. I try to write in a way that shares the honesty, struggle and rawness of what I’m feeling, but always balancing this with what our amazing God can do, and bringing a perspective of hope and belief for his intervention.

You are very honest about your own personal situation throughout this book. Why was it important for you to include this? And why was it so important to you to write from the ‘messy middle’ as it were?

I think sharing a personal story and the struggle involved with that is a good way of connecting with people. Being honest about the battles we face in life is helpful to others - it helps them see that other people’s lives are not perfect and that we really all do face many different challenges in life, regardless of the picture we paint on Instagram!

I really did write most of this book in the ‘messy middle,’ which I hope brings an authenticity to what I have written. I didn’t write from the point of view of victory, but from the perspective of being in the middle of something very challenging and hanging on in faith for God to ‘but in.’ All of our lives are lived in the messy middle really, so it’s important to talk openly about the mess, but also about God’s truth in the middle of it and how he can help us get through.

You choose a different Bible story for each devotion. Is there a particular story that really resonates with you?

I think for me it’d be the passage about Abraham from Romans 4 as it’s been one I’ve loved for years but do struggle to put into practice. I find it really difficult to have hope when things naturally look impossible, so when the Bible says that ‘against all hope, Abraham in hope believed’ - that’s a real kick up the butt for me when I’m in my natural, negative, unbelieving mindset!

What was the most challenging element of writing the book?

I didn’t find I had any writers block, it really flowed, and I absolutely loved writing this book! It helped me massively in my personal situation, and I really pray it helps others too! The biggest challenge has been more about the promotion side of it. I’ve definitely had to wrestle with imposter syndrome - questions like, who do I think I am to write a book and then to try to promote and sell it to people? What if people hate it and only my grandma buys it? What if my grandma doesn’t even want to buy it? What if Grandma buys it, hates it and wants a refund? And so on! It’s been quite a barrier in honesty, but it’s one I’m overcoming gradually!

There’s a writer/speaker called Jon Acuff who says “Fear will give you a free pass right to the grave if you decide to rock vanilla your whole life. The minute you start to set some goals, fear will get loud…Don’t believe it.” I love this advice, and this is really helping me to step out and just go for it with getting this book out there. Vanilla is boring and I want to resist living safe and boring, I want to take risks and give things a shot (but not a shot of vanilla obvs!) so that’s what I’m going to do! I’ll give a copy to my grandma for Christmas which sorts some of those overthinking imposter thoughts out anyway!

And what was the most rewarding element of writing this book?

It’s honestly been an enjoyable process - writing it helped me to process what I was learning in the middle of a tough time, and I was so delighted when Authentic gave me the green light to go for it and for it to be published. I’ve had really great feedback from people who are endorsing it, the most rewarding thing will be if it genuinely helps people going through difficult times once it is released.

Have you learnt anything new/ been reminded afresh about your own personal journey with God while writing this book?

I think I’ve been reminded of how easy it is to go through life weighed down and defeated by natural circumstances and to forget about God’s power to intervene. My natural inclination is to feel defeated and to feel negative when I experience challenging times. I recently failed an important exam and felt so disappointed and then subsequently very negative about my ability to ever succeed and pass the course I’m doing. I was reminded of the last line of the book where I remind readers that ‘all things are possible with God.’ So, I’ve given my head a wobble and I’m persevering, and doing my best to do so positively, believing that God will help me to accomplish this goal, which naturally speaking feels beyond my ability.

What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book?

Hope in the middle of difficult times, and encouragement to activate their faith to believe for God to ‘but in’ to their situation. Reassurance that God is on their side and that they are not alone, and belief that God can turn situations round and do things that humanly are impossible.

In one sentence, how would you describe When God ‘Buts’ In?

A 30-day devotional which includes a real, honest account of a personal challenge, which will help others to activate their faith in God who can ‘but in’ and turn around the most impossible of situations.

Is there anything we can pray for you?

I think my biggest prayer request would be in relation to the organisation of book launches and speaking engagements etc to promote the book. I really want this devotional to bless, help and encourage others who are facing difficult times, so please pray that God highlights it to those who really need it. Thank you!

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