amokarts

Friday April 21, 2009 Another New Creature.
I did this this morning, it's next week's New Creature from NewCreaturez.com
A new online friend wrote me asking about her call. She's had some questions about how to use her gift to serve the Lord. Some folks were questioning her motives. It led her to the point of wondering if using her gift was all about her. Here's what I said:

If you look at my blog you'll see what I'm starting to discover. It's all serving the Lord in a sense. To me my family is my first mission field so anything I do to support them, (so long as it does not involve sin) is serving the Lord, especially if it shows off the talent that the Lord gave me and I give Him glory for it. The things I do to serve others (like the tshirt I did for the billiard team is serving the Lord, because I used my gift to serve someone else. The piece that I did for my friend's ministry was a donation to his ministry of course that serves the Lord, I am using my gift to serve him. By the way more on that gifts talents thing in a minute. Lastly of course the stuff I do to share the Gospel is serving the Lord.

Is it about me? As hard as I try, yes sometimes it is about me, but you know what? The apostle Paul once wrote about a bunch of preachers who were preaching the Gospel for the sole purpose of making things bad for him and his response was basically so what no matter what is on their hearts, the Gospel goes forth. You know, I learned something a long time ago that I want to share with you because I hope it will bring you the liberty it brought me. People have been trying to snuff out Christianity for over to thousand years, evil people have launched attacks on it and did evil things in it's name and not one of them has been able to crush it and it continues to grow. No if very powerful, very evil people have been unable to stop it what makes me think a guy like me who loves Jesus and wants to do the right thing but occasionally messes up will be able to do damage to the Kingdom.

Thursday, August 20 Presentation graphics
These are for my friend and mentor Bob's upcoming presentation. Taking a few minutes at lunch to post these. Eventually these may become a video or else powerpoint slides. By the way for those reading this, I did want to announce that I can do these types of things for your ministry as well. Things like that will help to support AMOKArts.

Also I am considering beginning to market the videos on DVDs basically it will work like this you go to my web channel, pick out the videos you want on the DVD and I will send them to you. Basically it's just ways to support my ministry and keep it afloat. I'll keep doing it regardless, but I would like to devote more time to it. Do you think that's a good idea readers?

Wednesday August 19 More Toons

I woke up early this morning and completed a few more training cartoons. I am having so much fun with these and I feel like they are doing some good. If the folks at my client take the topics of these cartoons to heart, it will really make life easier for a lot of people.








Also I wanted to let you all know I finally got my message for Sunday to Post. It's the second part of a Tale of Two Women and goes with the video I posted a few days ago. If you want to see how the whole things falls together go to runningamok.mypodcast.com and listen to it. By this evening I want to post the remaining Activity page and coloring page for this week to NewCreaturez.com as well. I'm a little behind on that.

I'd also like to ask you for prayer. I am being considered to lead an arts ministry. The experience could be very good, but there are some economic concerns involved. Also pray for my son. He has an audition coming up for a show he's wanted to do for a very long time there are not many roles available and I would love to see him get one.

Tuesday August 18, creations and a "rejection."

Today's creations were more cartoons for a client for some employee training materials and publication. Again I can only show a portion because it's unpublished. I am having a great time doing these and they are really stretching me creatively which is always a good thing. I was also in the running for a comic strip but lost it when I mentioned I was a minister. The writer thought I would have some struggles with his content because Jesus would be a recurring character and it seems that he may not be reflected in a positive light. He was right. I can't do things that would portray the One who brought me out of so many things and through so many things in a negative light. He is my Lord and Savior, and for some strange reason, known only to Him some days, my friend. I wished the writer well and shared a little of what Jesus did for me with him. Sometimes I think people who struggle with Jesus don't really have a problem with Jesus so much as with his high and mighty "followers." I do my best not to be one of those.

There would have been a time in my life where I would have questioned should I still do this strip, maybe it would open doors, maybe it would provide income for me to do some good in the world, and a whole bunch of stuff like that. I don't feel that way anymore. There as also a time where I would have felt persecuted for being passed over for this reason, I don't feel that way either. Instead, I look at this as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with a person who may not see Him as He is and that brings Him glory and I can't do a piece that may put Him down even in humor because that would also not bring Him glory. Trust Him, follow Him and glorify Him and He will make a way.

Monday, August 17
Beginning a project on Swine flu prevention. Since it's obviously unpublished here's a small clip of the cover. Over the next few weeks I will be scripting this project and illustrating it but I really can't say too much about it.

In other news, I am planning a mission trip the first week of September and I ask for your prayers. I will be going, Lord willing, to Chalmette, Louisiana to do some work in an area that was devastated by Katrina several years ago. During that week , I will not be blogging, though I do hope to be sketching and creating if I have any spare time. My main "creations" that week will be doing whatever I am asked to do. Our evenings will be devoted to some ministry training as well. I ask you all for your prayers. As you know that will be right in the midst of Hurricane season and my prayer is that the region will be spared any further damage.

Sunday August 16
Sunday was mainly a day of rest for me after church, but I did finish up this piece for NewCreaturez.com. It will most likely be posted to the site tomorrow after I have had time to create the coloring and activity pages.

Saturday, August 15 continued
As promised here is the video.

I made an error in uploading my message for the week, but it will be loaded tomorrow.