Once upon a time, electronic communication meant phoning a friend. Now we don’t use phones to make phone calls—we text! Considering this, should your church use text messaging?
While the pastor in my cartoon may have the right idea, he probably needs a different phone number! It may sway some parishioners to text some less-than-positive feedback. Still, isn’t it amazing we can use technology to such a degree today?
One of my fond memories of my mom is when she would sing, Getting to Know You, from The King and I. As an introvert, it gave me a sense of the positive possibilities when I am friendly and reach out to people. It’s one way to learn to love our neighbors as The Good Book directs us to.
However, it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? We’ve been taught to be reserved, keep to ourselves, and even be a little suspicious of our neighbors. That tension inspired me to write and draw this cartoon.
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:
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.
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
My it’s been a hard time for huggers if they venture out into the world! COVID has made hugging a threatening gesture in some circles. This will become more awkward as people get vaccinated and feel they’re good to go. I thought about that when I drew this cartoon.
It can get even more unpredictable when you’re dealing with kids. Spontaneous hugs go with the territory. How are you going to tell a four-year old to refrain from a hug?
I am thankful for the huggers in my life. But I’ve never been one of them. Hugging was already a challenging activity before the last year hit. Elbow bumps and air-high-fives have been the greeting of choice for an introvert like me for some time. I feel for the huggers. It’s a tough time for them!
I drew this cartoon for the January 2021 CHOGNews.
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.
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.
