Christopher Graphics update

It's a coffee table book - for your GI Joe.

I've collected almost 50 color sketches and put them in what I think is a really pretty little book. It's only 2.5" tall and guaranteed to make you squee!

I'll be selling these along with my brand new mini-comic, "Bully Bait" at the Zine Fest in Houston TOMORROW, Oct. 6th. If you can't make it but you want a copy, I'll figure out how to make them available online or whatever.

Seriously, check out Zine Fest if you get the chance.

Also, I've recently updated my website to be more mobile-friendly. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Spontaneous Lego Dance!

Anyone who lives in a house with kids knows exactly how this dance goes.

'nuff said?

Temptresses in Green

Temptations come in many forms. The righteous must always be on their guard. Vixens in green and brown, the "scouts" of the evil one mysteriously appear at my door when I am at my most vulnerable (just before suppertime) with their "innocent" smiles and beseeching gaze.

"Get behind me Satan!" my soul cries out but my mind is weak and gives in to the pleasures of the flesh. In minutes, depleted of the funds I earned through honest toil at the grindstone, I have been reduced to my basest desires. My lust for the forbidden fruit of caramel and coconut have undone me again. A "thin" mint, so innocent on its own, sickens me as an entire box disappears before my eyes...

You know what I mean?

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A Pastoral Visit

Elders from our church used to join the Pastor in calling on people who had visited our church that same morning. I always thought it a little awkward showing up unannounced but handled properly, it could be a nice, if somewhat "salesy" gesture.

I went on several of these visits and I always expected the worst. Like we'd interrupt someone mid-murder or exercising to their favorite pole-dancing-for-bears DVD. Luckily, it turns out that people are just as boring at home as I am. 9 times out of 10 they'd be watching golf or reruns of The Brady Bunch. If you've had a crazy door-knocking experience, I'd love to hear about it!

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Church camp can be demanding.

To all my camper and leader friends out there: Have a fun and safe Summer!

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Vacation Bible School

It's that time when the church in your neighborhood is planning their VBS. Need a place to drop your kids while shopping? Keep an eye out, if you're clever you can time all the churches just right and have your Summer to yourself! But beware! You run the risk of your child becoming a BaptiPresbyLutherMethodist!

Seriously, I work with Vacation Bible School every year and many of the kids, even the older ones, really look forward to it. So we must be doing something right. Besides, what parent doesn't want another bird feeder made out of a Coke bottle. So chic!

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Turn the other cheek

Young love ... sigh.

The transition from girl-hater to girl-lover was a tough one for me. I suppose it is for most kids, really. Truth be told, I always liked girls. The problem was just that my peers all acted like they didn't, so I pretended to dislike them too. Every crush I ever had is engraved in my mind and I can remember the smallest of events like they were yesterday. Like when Stephanie giggled at my joke in (4th?) grade. When Patricia chased me around the 5th grade classroom and I pretended to be afraid of getting caught by her. Or when, in 7th grade, I spent the weekend at a family camp where Karen and I were the only teens and we collected maple sap, played "horse" and (swoon) square danced. Of course, I can't forget my 6th grade crush, Christine, who went on to be my 9th grade girlfriend and much later my wife (dawww!)

Reluctantly, back to the present. Parents, it's tempting to tease your sons and daughters about their little "romances" but try to remember the all the conflicting, confusing, confounding emotions that you went through and give your kids a break once in a while.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Honor Thy Father and Mother.

Seriously. THIS is one of the Big 10? Oh, how my Sunday School teachers loved to preach on this one and why not? There's no interpretation, no symbolism to correlate. Straight from God's mouth to your ears, right above "Thou shalt not kill". Talk about black and white.

Us poor kids never had a chance. If we questioned a parent's decision, we'd hear "because I told you so." If the more aggressive of us asked "well, who made you the boss?" a parent could simply site the 5th commandment and be done with it. End of story, God said it. No higher court. Humph!

Obviously, I'm being dramatic and now that I'm older, I appreciate the wisdom. So yeah, honor your parents, 'cause they are your little gods on earth.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

WWJD?

If there is any discernible theme that you'll find in my comics it's hypocrisy. It's an easy target for humor, a lesson that Christians need to keep going back to, and something non-Christians can appreciate. Before I go any further, I want to point out that I'm no better than anyone else and I hope that I would have a friend that can point out when I'm not practicing what I preach.

I was on a mission project years ago where a church-goer brought her friend, Natalie, who was a non-believer. Let me tell you, she saw through the insincerity of her peers immediately. Her "introduction" to a Christian experience was a huge youth group where the cliques were worse than High School. Kids who "party" and talk about partying, yet know just the right things to say at bible study time. Guys on the make, girls spreading rumors - it's all there, make no mistake. I'm keenly aware of this issue and I'm continually on the lookout for Christians making a bad impressions. And BTW, adults are not immune - we all have to watch it.

Anyway, this comic has been a popular one so I must be on to something.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Didn't you get my out of office reply?

When I get an auto-reply from someone, I sometimes wonder if they're really there but just not "taking my call" so to speak. I love the opportunity to draw silly situations that exaggerate the truth. And, in fact, that usually makes for a pretty good gag that people can connect with. I've noticed that a really funny story is hard to put into a comic, while a simple situation like an email reply can give birth to something funny.

So, if anything completely normal and mundane has happened to you lately, drop me a line. It could be my next good gag.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

The End is Near for the Printed Word!

Oh, I do hope you're reading this comic on your Kindle!

I am fully immersed in the whole electronic media world and I sometimes wish I weren't. I just love books. If I go somewhere that has a bookshelf, I'm immediately drawn to it. Seeing all those spines lined up together just makes me happy. I'm uncontrollably intrigued about what titles I'll find. I know this sentiment has been beaten to death by old guys like me but there are great reasons to keep print alive such as:
• Giving someone an e-book is a sterile gesture compared to one that you can physically wrap with paper and a bow.
• e-books can't be personalized by the author.
• A bookshelf is a physical profile of your interests.
• Printed books are much more likely to be a good read. Anyone and everyone can create an e-book without the filter of a publisher/editor giving credibility.
... and so on.

I'm glad you like this comic, electronic or printed. For those who have purchased my book, I do appreciate the chance for my work to sit in your bookshelf. I'd be interested to know what it's sitting next to.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Where do you come up with those jokes?

Not being on a daily schedule, I have the luxury to let jokes come to me during the course of my pretty mundane day. Within a week, I can usually find a situation that just needs a little exaggeration to make it into a joke. But some weeks, I just come up dry. I know this comic was written very literally. I probably said that exact phrase to my blank piece of paper and luckily I was open enough to recognize the action as a joke in itself.

I bet some sermons are like that. The pastor has a point to make, but try as he might, the illustrations are as elusive as ...
as hard to come up with as ...
... er, you get the idea. Anyway, there's my process for all of you who asked*.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

* well, really the only person who asked was the janitor at the bus station and I think he only wanted to break the ice before asking me to lift my feet so he could mop.

Wedding vows for the texting age.

LOLz! I love grammar. I also find the various degradations amusing and sad at the same time. This comic has been popular for obvious reasons. I hope this comic finds you ROFL. :D

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Pastor Jon Burnham: A Journey to the Temple of Apple (and more) in Houston

Check out his great narrative of a pastor's personal pilgrimage to the temple of Apple. Very funny!
Pastor Jon Burnham: A Journey to the Temple of Apple (and more) in Houston

More Committees Than Members

Church "work" is a tricky thing to manage. I've seen more active members of churches suddenly drop off the roles because there are simply so many things that they are asked to do that they just decide to chuck it. It's easier to stop going to church than it is to tell some committee chair that they don't really want to participate in their new program. So do yourself a favor, please don't pressure members to accept responsibilities that they aren't really jazzed about. Don't eye new members as fresh blood for your committee. Make it clear to people that you'd like them on your team but you understand they might be busy with other things and, please, take no for an answer!

Recently I've heard rumblings from other people bringing up this very issue, so I'm not alone in this. Churches are seeing declines pretty much across the board and ours is no exception. But just be aware that adding a program to bring in new members could be counter productive if you burn out the ones you have. By the way, I belong to the Presbyterian Church and while it's very democratic in its process, I think we are the committee champions. We have committees that nominate people for committees including the members that will be on next year's committee-nominating committee.

Well, after all that, at least I've learned how to spell committee. ;)

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

Lenten sacrifice

Lent. I know lot's of people who give up one thing or another for Lent. Usually it's something that they really like: sugar, chocolate, Cokes. Sometimes it's more traditional like meat or it's an activity like watching TV or video games. Whatever. Going without is healthy for the body and mind but to get the full effect, replace the void with a dialog with God. If you're fasting, use that hunger to help you focus on your relationship with Christ. Consider all the people who HAVE to go without and use your want to better understand their plight and remember them in your prayers.

Yeesh! Not a very funny commentary. I hope you like the cartoon anyway. Peace to you this Lenten Season.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

The unspoken assigned seating of congregations

If you go to church, you know how it works. Everybody has their preferred seating. I often wonder if visitors sense that when they come in for the first time. Do more stubborn members shoo people out of their place? Does it drive them crazy to see a different rear where theirs should be? Anyway, if you don't regularly go to church, try it and let me know what happens.

BTW, I sit in the choir, so my seat is truly assigned.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim

The party's over, now get back to work.

It's a fact of life. As we get older, birthdays become less and less important. After about 20, other people only make a real effort at the decade mark and then it ends up some sort of morbid roast to the "nearly departed". Black balloons, images of the grim reaper ... Until you hit 70 - then it's too close to the mark and people go back to celebrating your long life. Finally, after hitting 90, every year becomes a milestone again.

Oh well, when you're a teenager, life is just a series of reality-checks. This comic depicts just one of the many. Happy birthday.

If you are a fan of Finding Elim, let me know by sending me an email, or joining the fan club at http://www.facebook.com/FindingElim