Tag: American Football

Categories
CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters Sport Cartoons

Good old Sports Illustrations!

Cartoon of a man praying at a pulpit. He says, "And we give thanks for a football season that supplies ample sports illustrations."

Over the years, I’ve heard plenty of sermon sports illustrations. You can always tell when a pastor loves a particular sport. And what’s not to love about a story that illustrates courage, determination, and a little of the unexpected?

But like anything else, they can move into the realm of the cliché. Cartoonists aren’t immune to this either. There used to be tons of cartoons based on a desert island theme. But think what good came of it? If that never happened, we wouldn’t have had Gilligan’s Island!

Stories are important in any sermon. Jesus taught in parables for a good reason. They illustrate truths in a way that engages the audience and made them see differently. And when we have creative teachers bring a story to life, amazing things happen!

When an illustration is used effectively, it can make a powerful point. But if the audience can’t relate to your story, it can fall flat. The old proverb, know your audience, can be very important. That’s partly why sports illustrations have always stood out to me. While I love history, I’ve never been much of a sports guy.

Yet, I like sports illustrations for the following reasons:

  • They frequently illustrate perseverance
  • Many demonstrate how to overcome adversity through preparation and patience
  • They can show the value of teamwork

So let us be thankful for a new round of sports illustrations. While I’m at it, I’m thankful for autumn, cooler temperatures, and a little pumpkin spice latte.

Cartoon of a man praying at a pulpit. He says, "And we give thanks for a football season that supplies ample sports illustrations."

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

Categories
motivation

Why it Never Makes Sense to Give Up

Soccer stadium

American football tackleWe turned off the TV at the half. We would have loved to watch it until the end, but we had church tomorrow and the boss needs to be in the children’s area bright and early.

Ohio State hadn’t scored until the the final minutes of the first half. Then Wisconsin scored again. It was 7-21 in favor of the Wisconsin Badgers when we shut off the TV. It looked like the Buckeye’s fate was sealed.

But when we woke up this morning, we discovered that wasn’t the case. The Buckeyes came back and won 34-21. They didn’t let the Badgers score in the second half and the offense made a major push.

Ohio State could have given up at halftime.

  • They could have said this was a bad day and accept fate
  • They could have convinced themselves Wisconsin was the better team last night
  • They could have let the score determine their outcome. After all, Ohio State was shutout. They couldn’t score in the first half until the final minutes.

But the coaches and team must have had other ideas. They regrouped and played a totally different game in the second half. That is the mark of true winners.

It may appear to make sense to give up.

  • Things are stacked against us
  • We can’t seem to score, let alone win
  • That business seems destined to fail
  • It may appear your health will never improve so why bother?
  • It may seem you can never make enough to pay your bills.

But it never makes sense to give up! As long as you are in the game, you can readjust, you can plan for the future. You can thank God for what you have, where you are and where you are going.

  • Always strive
  • Always persevere
  • Always keep in the game
  • Never give up!
Categories
Sport Cartoons

That Old Football Injury

Cartoon of two guys. One has a football shaped bump on his arm. He says, "That? Oh, it's an old football injury."I’ve heard so many guys complain of football injuries, I’m starting to question if they really played football in high school. I don’t remember every single guy but me being on the football team. Come to think of it, high school is really big in my hometown. Maybe I was the only guy who didn’t play football in my town after all.

Does backyard football count? I suppose it does if you have an injury to go with it.

Categories
Sport Cartoons

Cartoon: That Had to Hurt

Cartoon of two guys. The older one has a strange shape on his back. He says, “That?  Oh, it’s an old football injury.”

One nice thing about football is you have heroic injuries to show for it. It’s not nearly as awesome when I say I got a reed injury from playing the clarinet in marching band.