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Christmas church cartoons holiday

Where can pastors find sermon inspiration this year?

Cartoon of a pastor staring at an Elf on the Shelf. He says, "Don't just sit there. I need a sermon illustration!"

This has been a challenging season for everyone. No matter how you slice it, inspiration has been hard to come by. It has been especially so for pastors. Where can pastors find sermon inspiration during COVID-19? There are so many questions they have to deal with.

  • How do you inspire and minister to others when you are forced to pivot to all video services?
  • Who can you call on when you and half your congregation needs tech support in order to view a church service?
  • What happens when you are dealing with the virus in your own family?
  • How can you administer pastoral care when you can’t visit a parishioner in the hospital?
  • What do you do when the two biggest holidays in the church calendar are threatened by this virus? (Looks like Easter and Christmas services will be virtual at my church)
  • Do you address the whole vaccine controversy?

I thought about all these things when I had the idea for this cartoon. It’s must be a challenging time to come up with some sermon inspiration that would bring on a chuckle, yet address some hard issues we’ve all faced this year.

We had such high hopes at the beginning of this year. I was thinking about risk and reward earlier this year. Who knew the risks for 2020 would be so much more prominent than whatever reward we envisioned?

Here’s to next year! May there be some relief for everyone, including the men and women that have had to deal with their own stuff while ministering to others! In the meantime, I do hope all the pastors find some sermon inspiration during COVID-19. Maybe the elf on the shelf could offer some mirth. After all, he shows up in the most curious places.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of a pastor staring at an Elf on the Shelf. He says, "Don't just sit there. I need a sermon illustration!"
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Business Encouragement motivation pet cartoons

Why do compliments make me uncomfortable?

person wearing pink cap
Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

This article from Inc. Magazine had me thinking about compliments.

We all like to think we’re doing a good job, so why do we downplay them? Like this previous post I wrote suggests, we like to think giving compliments is a sign of generosity and can even boost our likeability and popularity a bit… that is if they’re seen as genuine. Besides, who wouldn’t want a can of tuna?

Cartoon of a girl with a can of tuna. She is surrounded by cats. The girl says, "Popularity is easy. All you need is a can of tuna."

Compliments can make us uncomfortable for the following reasons:

  • It makes us feel we didn’t earn something when someone claims you have.
  • They may not sound genuine. As the Inc. Magazine article states, sincere compliments are key.
  • We may have been taught to be humble.
  • A complement may challenge us to an even greater standard.

If a compliment sounds genuine, and it resonates with me, I say accept it. Don’t try to belittle it by playing it down. Let’s all be generous with giving sincere compliments and receiving them.

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Christianity

Article: Barryton, MI Church Changing the Story

little girl helping her brother with homework
Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing a pastor and his wife about a Michigan church that helped their school during COVID and how churches make a difference.

Barryton Church of God in Michigan changes the story by helping their local elementary school during the COVID-19 crisis

Here is a link to a PDF of the article.

Michigan Church Changing the StoryDownload

The church is making a difference by working with what they have and where they are at. Gerald Rosely is the pastor at the church. His wife, Veronica, noticed there were some teachers and school administrators that attended the church.

Before COVID-19 affected the community, Veronica had begun a ministry with the Barryton, Michigan elementary school. When everything changed in 2020, she realized the church needed even more help and sprung into action.

I love how this church is reaching out and making a difference instead of turning inward. It is a great example of how we can all make a positive impact if we open our eyes and see what needs are in our own communities.

Churches really do make a difference!

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CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters

How can you virtually deliver a sermon?

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries

Churches have enough challenges these days. One of the many obstacles has been how to virtually deliver a sermon to congregants who are staying home. COVID-19 has made life and ministry quite interesting!

Pastors and churches have found some incredible, creative ways to get their sermons out. Some have made use of Facebook Live while others have used YouTube. Others have polished up their web sites and made them more user-friendly. One great thing about these challenges is it has brought about innovation. We have all learned to use technology in ways we never would have dreamed of this time last year.

One of my goals for the coming year is to help pastors and Christian leaders use the Internet and social media more effectively. This continues to be the way many people get their information. Google has become the oracle many turn to. After all, when we have a question, how many of us type that question into Google to see what the results bring?

When it comes to public speaking and sermons, pastors are great communicators. However, it’s a totally different communication method to distill a sermon into a tweet, Facebook post, or blog. But since search engines depend on text, it is a vital part of today’s effective communication.

I feel for the church as it faces more challenges in the coming weeks. COVID-19 cases continue to climb as we get ready for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. November 2020 is beginning to feel a lot like March 2020. What will Christmas look like this year? Are all of the events canceled? Should they be?

We can still give thanks even when the event doesn’t look like it normally does. We can still celebrate and commemorate Christmas even though the annual choir extravaganza has been canceled. The holidays are about more than events.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2020 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries
Categories
motivation

Just Start, End, Restart

Cartoon of a grandfather and grandson on a roller coaster.

We’re all scared to start something. The fear of starting is often more terrifying than the action we dread. We spend too much time fretting whether we can do it right than actually doing the work.

We’ve all been there. To tell you the truth, I’ve been shell shocked since my wife stepped away from ministry this year. Apparently, he wanted to get her out before COVID-19 hit. Who would have thought this year would be such an upside-down, topsy-turvy roller coaster ride? I hope no one was eating before the middle of March 2020. We’ve all had motion sickness since then.

Cartoon of a grandfather and grandson on a roller coaster.

I took a leap of faith five years ago. We made a journey of two thousand miles when she had a job offer and returned after a year. And then we took a leap of faith when she ended her employment in December 2019. We are still determining what’s next.


It’s been difficult to think about restarting. But the alternative is to find a nice little corner, get in the fetal position and decide which thumb to suck (since I’m left-handed, I prefer that right thumb, so I can draw at the same time). Hey! Who hasn’t done that this year? This was a lousy year to stop the thumb-sucking habit.

So today, we restart again. It is better to say a little something than to keep quiet and never start. It’s time to joke again, laugh again, and to be unashamed of shedding a tear or two. After all, living happens between the star, restart, and finish. It’s a shame to never start, and as a result, never live.