My cartoon this morning called “Victim Impact Statement”, along with the 5 steps to writing an impact statement, was a serious attempt to address what I think is an important issue for people hurt by the church. There is something we should understand. Yes, you might consider yourself weak and let someone walk all over you. You might not be very aware of your boundaries and you allowed them to be crossed. You might be overly respectful of authority and... Read more
Maybe it’s time you wrote yours: Here are 5 steps to writing a victim impact statement. Some of you might find it helpful to go through this exercise. I want to be clear: There have been many situations when I could’ve written this. However, with the last church I left I hold no offense. Quell the rumors, you know. So, here are five steps to writing a statement: Write a short paragraph about the offense that has been committed against... Read more
The bible says that no one has seen God and lived. So if you’re reading this, you haven’t seen God. And, as the Buddhists say, if you meet God, kill him. The point being that that’s not God. Obviously. It is painful to say goodbye to our older versions of God. Like it was hard to say goodbye to Santa. And it will be painful again in the future. We miss the older versions. You know, like the one that... Read more
I call this “SLIVER”. This was done with pen and ink (Pilot G-Tec-C4) on Arches 300lb hotpress acid-free cotton rag paper, 2.5″x3.5″. I’m calling her Sophia. Another image of our young woman taking the risk of discovering and exercising her own freedom. It is night. With the sparseness of light. It is her courage and innate wisdom that guide her. Even if she doesn’t find that for which she searches, there is immeasurable joy in the seeking. It will have... Read more
Congratulations go out to Allyson McQuinn for winning yesterday’s Freebie Friday contest… an original miniature watercolor. I entered all the names in an online numbers generator and her name came up. She is a Doctor of Medical Heilkunst and the co-owner of Arcanum Wholistic Clinic, as well as an author. Check out her website here. She’s looking forward to hanging the little gem in her home. Read more
Today I’m giving away something very special: a miniature original watercolor painting called “Evergreen Moon”. The image measures 2″x2″ (5cm x 5cm), as is done with ink and watercolor on Arches 300lb coldpress acid-free cotton rag paper. It is a little jewel. I don’t give originals away very often. But hey! It’s the season. All you have to do to enter the contest is: Join my free newsletter. Comment on this blog post. The contest ends midnight tonight Atlantic Time.... Read more
I drew this tonight. It’s in the same theme of the young woman on her adventure, this time tightrope walking over a black stream under the light of the moon. It is done with pen and ink and graphite pencil on Arches 300lb hotpress acid-free watercolor paper, measuring 2.5″x3.5″ (ACEO). It delights me. I’m calling her Sophia. Read more
I’ve never understood why, when I say that a church should have no vision, some people leap to the conclusion that this means, as someone once said to me, that “You just sit by the phone all day waiting for God to call.” Why do people assume that if you “be” that this excludes “do”? Have they ever read about John the Baptist, our Old Testament hero spilling into the New, who lived in the austere desert his entire life... Read more
Now this is just plain silly. Made me giggle though. Have a happy day if at all possible. Order my new cartoon book, nakedpastor101, for more silliness! Read more
I have always argued that churches are best to not be goal-oriented, that they should be free of vision. In my opinion, this is the healthiest church. If a church has vision and is goal-oriented, then it has deviated from its healthiest self and will impose burdens on its members. It will have become something else… like a lobbying group, an activist group, a missional group, or something other than just a church. It can still call itself a church.... Read more
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