It just doesn’t feel or sound right to say, “I’ll miss Tom Horn.” His powerful presence seems thoroughly melded within my very being, so I can’t imagine him not being a part of my life.
Tom and I were knit together by Holy Spirit orchestration in warm, brotherly friendship that transcended mere occasional contact. We rarely were afforded the opportunity to have one-on-one meetings. We were too immersed in our work, which prevented frequent casual conversation. We labored in the same Heaven-directed way that was solitary and yet symbiotic.
That isn’t to say that we were in any way at the same level in our labor for the Lord. Tom’s brilliance—his dynamic drive and accomplishments—far exceeded my own. But he considered me an equal in our work, and graciously expressed his elevated opinion of my abilities often and without pretentious flattery.
Tom was a truly God-gifted man of immense stature, and he excelled in every undertaking he engaged in, from my perspective. And my perspective has its genesis at the moment he, his wife, Nita, and I met many years ago in Denver at a private publisher meeting. My impression then was that I was in the presence of an exceptionally creative individual with a vision for establishing new ventures in Christian communications.
Boy, is that an understatement! Tom, from that meeting forward, began building a God-centered media…I want to call it “empire,” but Tom wouldn’t like that terminology. He would want me to say that he worked to do media in ways not previously undertaken, in directions not ordinarily gone. Something like that…
Our friendship grew from that meeting, and I was privileged to be among his first published authors once Defender Publishing was established in Crane, Missouri. And I was blessed to be invited to do what I recall being the first TV program taping when he had established SkyWatch TV. Gary Stearman, as I recall, interviewed me for that broadcast.
Tom and I have done many books and TV programs together over the succeeding years, and all of his and Nita’s personal family and others at their ministry are family to me. So Tom’s passing into Glory is only a very temporary parting. We will one day pick up where we left off around that Great Supper of the Lamb get-together our Heavenly Father has prepared for the Lord Jesus and His Bride, the Church.
Knowing I will be again with Tom and our many fellow laborers in God’s work is yet another reason I keep looking up with great anticipation, as commanded by our Lord:
“And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
My perspective of Tom Horn as a champion of faith and a creative innovator of Christian media is far overshadowed by the beautiful picture drawn in words by Tom’s children. I won’t share that here with you but offer that if you get a chance to read that tribute, the words of love for their father will clutch wonderfully at your deepest sense of the dad-child relationship God meant for humanity when He created the family.
I present here a few details of Tom’s life his family generously allowed me to share.
*****
Tom Horn
February 28, 1957–October 20, 2023
Tom Horn entered his eternal reward and the arms of Jesus after a lifetime of ministry and service. Thomas Ray Horn was born on February 28, 1957, in El Mirage, Arizona, to Clarence Edward Horn and Virginia Lee (McLaughlin) Horn.
In the late 1980s, Tom’s focus shifted to writing books in which he courageously tackled many challenging and somewhat controversial questions relating to theological views on topics such as extraterrestrial activity, the implications of Genesis 6, biblical prophecy, and multiple other subjects that many ministries are not in a position to take on.
Tom’s life was spent working while he used his “off hours” to accomplish other things. True to this form, during the early season of Tom’s authorship career, he served at a large camp and conference ministry in Oregon while writing on the side. It was during this chapter that Tom and Nita were able to work, for the first time, with a ministry known as Royal Family Kids’ Camp—a foundation that ministers to children in the foster care system and those rescued from multiple forms of trafficking and abuse by exposing them to a fun-filled week of summer camp, where they are able to experience personal growth and empowerment while being introduced to the concept of a God who cares about them. Immediately, this population of marginalized souls captured the hearts of both Tom and Nita, who looked particularly forward to this group’s return each year for their time at this avenue of service.
When Tom “retired” from working at the camp and conference ministry, he continued writing—an endeavor that, by now, had become nearly full-time involvement in Christian media. He and Nita launched Survivor Mall, an online store that financially supplemented Tom’s ability to write full time, and they relocated to Missouri with plans of buying some property and a few horses, and taking a slower approach to life as they enjoyed their senior years. Around this same time, Defender Publishing was established, followed several years later by SkyWatch TV.
Through a series of unexpected life twists, Tom and Nita, together, realized that their retirement chapter on a quiet ranch in Missouri would be better utilized as a summer camp facility dedicated full time to ministering to the same marginalized populace of children who had so captured their hearts before: Royal Family Kids’ Camp and sister ministry Teen Reach. From this, Whispering Ponies Ranch was built, which to this day carries Tom’s legacy, his passion, and his continuing mission to make the world a better place by helping abused children heal and find God’s love.
Over the years, Tom penned many best-selling books, including Forbidden Gates, The Wormwood Prophecy, Exo-Vaticana, Zeitgeist 2025, Shadowland, Abaddon Ascending, and, most recently, Before Genesis with Donna Howell and his upcoming release, We Are Legion.
Tom is survived by his wife, Juanita F. Horn, and his three children and their families. These include daughter Althia Anderson, son Joe Horn with wife Katherine Horn, and daughter Donna Howell with husband James Howell. Tom is survived by eight grandchildren: John Anderson, Kathryn Anderson, Kate Horn, Nita Horn, Joe Howell, Althia Howell, Rebecca Horn, and name-sake grandson, Thomas Horn.