Author: Kevin Spear

I am a content creator and storyteller based in Florida, where I work for OneHope. I love digital and content marketing, writing, and the occasional doodle.

Categories
motivation

What is the Strangest Secret?

man wearing black blazer
Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com

In 1955, Earl Nightingale recorded a spoken word album that became a bestseller called The Strangest Secret. He asked and answered the question, “What is the strangest secret in the world?”

I heard parts of the recording many years ago. In August 2022, Dan Miller on the 48 Days podcast issued a challenge to listen to the recording for thirty days. I decided to take the challenge. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me!

Here is a link to the original recording:

“The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale

This last month has turned out to be one of change for my wife and me. She has been offered an amazing opportunity. As a result, we will be moving soon and starting a new chapter in our lives.

The challenge also involved writing how the recording affected me. The following is my response to The Strangest Secret Challenge. I took the challenge. My answers are below.

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Categories
children's ministry

Why atmosphere is important in the classroom

Cartoon of a couple looking in a restaurant

I read this blog post from the Washington Post this morning entitled Smart design + school = health. It described beautifully why atmosphere is important in the classroom. The final quote stood out to me:

“We really focused on what kids need. What I see in that space are kids gravitating to that atmosphere because they know it’s for them, about them. Everything is tailored to their needs.”

Dina Sorensen, project designer, VMDO Architects
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Categories
"365 Days: Drawing Challenge" Adobe Illustrator children cartoons Warner Press

Illustration Friday: Unfold

These boys are enjoying a couple of marshmallows around a campfire. Will there be scary stories? Will a coyote or owl disrupt their outing? Who knows what will unfold next?

Two boys roast marshmallows around a campfire. Will there be stories? Loud critters? Who knows what will unfold next?

This was part of a clip art assignment for Warner Press. I drew this back in 2009 to test an online clip-art service.

Over the years, I drew and submitted several assignments for an Illustration Friday competition. Too bad the competition appears to be a thing of the past. You just never know what will unfold next.

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Categories
motivation

The best way to cheer yourself up…

Illustration of a male cheerleader in front of a pastor at a church

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try and cheer somebody else up.”

Mark Twain

We can get so inward-focused, can’t we? If we’re not feeling right, if we get caught up in the world’s drama, we can get find ourselves in a downward spiral of doom and gloom. How do we get out of a deep funk? Cheer someone else up!

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Categories
CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters

Why are Church Refrigerators so Yucky?

A few months ago, my wife asked me to check for an item in the church refrigerator. It was a harrowing experience. Just why are church refrigerators so yucky, anyway?

Cartoon of a woman with a mayonnaise jar. She says, "I took an inventory. The church fridge consists of only seven jars of expired mayonnaise."

When it comes to refrigerators and churches, it can be a mixed back. Frequently, you’ll hear stories of gross church refrigerators. Let’s face it; if no one is in charge of the church kitchen, some interesting artifacts will show up. It can be scary!

But fear not! As usual, someone on the Internet has advice on how to stock a church kitchen. The bottom line is when there is a budget, and someone is in charge, it is less likely the church refrigerator won’t be filled with only expired condiments.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.