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.

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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.