Tag: children’s ministry cartoons

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When You Just Can’t Work Remotely

Cartoon of a man observing a woman with s smartphone. She says, "Frank texted me. He's supposed to be in the K-1 class, but he's out of town. He offered to watch the class if we Skype him in."
Originally published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine."

As the novel coronavirus concerns ramped up, there was a big emphasis on working from home. But we soon heard, “What happens when you just can’t work remotely?”

For many office jobs, we found it was a possibility. As a graphic designer, that can be a preferred mode of working. After all, you just need a laptop and a speedy Internet connection, and you are in business. However, after two years, we’ve found there are aspects of remote work that just don’t work.

Also, there are many jobs where that just isn’t possible. Manufacturing requires workers to be at the machines and be productive. As a Graphics Manager at such a facility, I soon found I was needed at the plant. While we had some office workers off-site as a precaution, we still needed office workers there to keep the jobs moving.

While some schoolwork can be done remotely, someone has to be there to guide a child and keep him out of trouble. Someone has to be home to feed her. Sure, The parent can do that… while they are working remotely… and having their web conference with that important client… and keeping the dog quiet. What could go wrong?

We soon found out! Remote learning has been very hard for students. I feel for them. While remote employment has worked, remote learning has been very hard for kids.

Continue reading “When You Just Can’t Work Remotely”
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children's ministry cartoons webcomic

10 Myths About a Church Nursery

Nurseries are magical places. grandmotherly types get to rock babies and workers get to dole out Cheerios® and Goldfish® Crackers by the truckload. Yet, new volunteers still get intimidated by the church nursery. Fear not! For Behold! I give you 10 myths about a church nursery.

Cartoon of two babies. One says, "It's not so bad here, kid. The snacks are great, they have decent background music and the rattles are to die for."
I drew this in the early days of my cartooning career.

I first wrote this humorous list in a time before COVID. Since the pandemic, volunteering in nurseries has dropped off dramatically in churches across the United States. Yes, churches are still waiting for volunteers to come back.

Continue reading “10 Myths About a Church Nursery”
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children cartoons children's ministry cartoons Parenting Cartoons

Jacob and Esau

The other day, I was in a Sunday school class when two boys began wrestling. One of the boys was in the school wrestling program and wanted to show the moves he learned on the other. I watched closely since it would be bad for a fight to break out in Sunday school. As I made sure it didn’t get out of hand, it reminded me of the Bible story of Jacob and Esau. Voilà! I had my cartoon idea for January!

Cartoon of two adults watching two boys fighting. The dad says, "It's okay. They're just a little rambunctious. Hey, Jacob! Esau! Come meet your new Sunday school Teacher!
Published in the January 2022 CHOGnews

The Jacob and Esau Bible story usually perks the ears of young boys. Since I am the firstborn son in my family, it certainly got my attention. Of course, I had not heard anything until the story of Moses and Passover made me cringe. Hey! Why were things so hard on the firstborn kids? I thought we got all the goods, not a death sentence!

As a child, part of the story made sense because Esau was prone to make rash, unwise decisions. Still, that Jacob was a deceiver. His name in Hebrew suggests that. Later, it made me uncomfortable to learn Esau’s name meant “hairy.” The poor kids didn’t have a chance. How would you like to be introduced as Hairy and Deceiver?

Their father’s name was Isaac. That means “Laughter.” It makes me wonder if he was laughing while his two sons were squabbling. In fact, for this cartoon, I shall hereby name the dad in this cartoon Isaac. It seems appropriate enough.

One of the many lessons of this story is to be careful what you name your kids. It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy!

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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children's ministry cartoons church cartoons education

David, Goliath, and Flying Objects

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

When a lesson makes an impact, we tend to act it out. Whether we realize it or not, kids continually act out something they’ve learned through watching television, peers, or their families.

When a young child finishes watching a TV show, take some time to observe how it affects their play. Does it affect their imagination? Does it affect their actions and speech? Most times it does!

I remember getting into my dad’s pickup truck with my brother. We loved watching Star Trek. Somehow, we were able to convert that old jalopy into the bridge of the US Enterprise. Dad wasn’t too happy when he would get into his truck and discover that our play resulted in the pickup’s engine flooding. How else are you going to go Warp Factor Three without using the gas pedal?

As adults, we like to think we’re beyond that. But after you watch a news story about angry people, do you feel yourself getting a little angry? Does your work culture affect how you act at home? How about an effective sermon that inspires you to make a change or make worship a bigger priority?

We’re all affected by what we learn. Let’s be sure we’re learning the right lessons and not end up throwing things around the house!

It was good revisiting this cartoon. I drew it before but polished it up for this month.

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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children's ministry cartoons K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine

The Things We Do For Kids

Injured man on a hover board says, "A hoverboard and a fractured ulna are a small price to pay for connecting with kids."
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine"

Yes, I’ve been on a hoverboard before. But for some reason, I escaped unscathed. Still, it was enough of a harrowing experience to create a cartoon about it.

Parents and teachers do a lot of things to relate to kids. The other day, my sister sent a video of her dancing with her daughter. She was doing what she needed to do to keep her kindergartner entertained. There has been a lot of that activity going on while we have been cooped up in our houses and apartments for the last two weeks with a COVID-19 quarantine.

I’m willing to bet it will be worth it when you share the memories in a few years. It may seem things are dire at the moment, but kids will probably remember this time as a fun break that allowed them to connect with their parents in a way they never would have been able to do otherwise.

So embrace today and find another new way to connect with your son or daughter. Just be careful of those hoverboards. You don’t need a broken ulna right now!

Injured man on a hover board says, "A hoverboard and a fractured ulna are a small price to pay for connecting with kids."
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine”