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children's ministry children's ministry cartoons K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine motivation work

When You Just Can’t Work Remotely

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.

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children's ministry cartoons

Cartoon: Volunteer Donuts

I have heard some lamenting over the past year when it comes to workers in the church. This cartoon I drew about volunteers and donuts in 2013 reminds me that volunteering has changed dramatically since the pandemic.

Cartoon of a man tossing a donut to a teenager. The man says, "The youth have been great volunteers. Plus, they word for donuts!"

While some teenagers may still be as enthusiastic as the guy in the cartoon, it has been a challenge to recruit volunteers. This article from Christianity Today illustrates the challenges many churches are facing.

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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.

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children's ministry cartoons K! Magazine love Magazine

Loving your Neighbors the right way

Alas, if you get slapped with a restraining order, you probably aren’t loving your neighbors the right way! What does it look like to help those around us when society has become very suspicious of anyone offering help?

Cartoon of a boy and a teacher. The boy says, "Every time I try to love my neighbor, I get hit with a restraining order!"
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children cartoons children's ministry holiday

To the Children’s Ministry Workers Enduring Daylight Saving Time, We Salute You!

I agree if you think springing forward is hard. This morning, I witnessed the sun coming up one hour later. Everything was dark until 8:00 AM. This shouldn’t happen on a Sunday! It’s hard enough for children’s ministry workers to make it out the door on a regular day, let alone one that has had an hour stolen from it. Daylight Savings Time and children’s ministry do not mix well.

Cartoon of a bank teller and a boy. The teller says, "I'm sorry. You can't make withdrawals on your Daylight Savings Time account."