amokarts

Thursday, October 22, 2009, New New Creaturez
Well I tried to do NewCreaturez.com as a weekly cartoon/coloring page/activity page and it didn't work very well due to my busy schedule so this morning I retooled it. From now on I will create a booklet based on a memory verse that people can print out, copy two-sided and fold into a four page booklet. Students can read and learn the memory verse, color the pages and then unfold the paper and do an activity page on the other side. The first piece is up now, try it at http://www.newcreaturez.com or go to http://www.newcreaturez.com/newcreaturesmatthew5-14-17.pdf Let me know how you like it.

Wednesday October 21, 2009 Writing
My creative project yesterday was that I finally got a chance to work on my upcoming book, Beyond the Big Three: Ministry for People Who Don't Preach, Play or Sing. Long way to go on it but I'm starting to see it come together. I may need to rework a few thoughts because I thought of a new element that I wasn't considering.

Monday October 19 and Tuesday October 20, 2009 A logo and a caricature
Over the last two days I have done a proposed logo for a ministry called Live Right Brand and a caricature for my good friend Bishop James "I Feel God" Brown. Bishop Brown always explains that when you tell anyone your name is James Brown, the first thing they say is "I Feel Good" and so the "I Feel God" moniker is sort of his response to that as a way to give God glory. I have to tell you, I love this guy and his ministry. He's a former computer engineer who became a pastor and now a bishop. He uses his love and gifting in technology to help other people minister using the internet. He does a weekly BlogTalk Radio call in show where he teaches internet ministry techniques (Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. eastern) as well as several web sites, blogs and his own internet hosting company. He's an outside the box thinker who is really trying to help churches use this media to the glory of God in new and fresh ways. I have learned a tremendous amount from this man over the last year that has helped my ministry and he has become a supportive friend as well. He's truly one of the good guys anointed to help people in this area. He's also a really good preacher. I sat in on a conference call of his last night here he gave a message of encouragement and support and it as great. Check out his ministry here.

Vote for my shirts

I want to fund a few projects and things by getting this company Threadless to print my designs. You can help me get my design printed by going to Threadless and scoring it. If my design is printed, Threadless will pay me $2,500 in cash and prizes for it! Please help spread the word and go to the pages to vote for my designs.

Friday October 15 through Sunday October 17, 2009 Sketching on retreat.

Well the challenge marches on. I made a promise to myself that I was not going to obsess about creating while on retreat and I kept that promise. I did some sketches for an upcoming presentation by my friend and mentor Bob Disalvio from Amwell Church of the Brethren. I don't want to go into too many details about it because it won't be presented for several months, but I will share one graphic from it here in it's completed form. I did four sketches in all and I was pretty happy with them. The rain kept us indoors for most of the retreat so there was lots of reading, praying and some sketching with my wife Dawn and son Chris. All in all it was just what we needed.

The place we went to was called Faith Mountain in Rosedale, WV. This is a ministry that is near and dear to my heart. It's way up in the hills, no TV, no internet and my cell doesn't work there. To me that's paradise. The founders of the ministry, Herb and Kathy Miller built it as a place to minister to ministers. I've been there four times now and each time God has repaired something in me and rejuvenated me for ministry. Herb and Kathy are leaving Faith Mountain soon to follow the call of the Lord and devote their time to another ministry they started called Mountain Re-Source Center, a ministry that connects overstocked building materials manufacturers with under resourced people, to supply the materials to build and repair the homes of the less fortunate. It's an awesome ministry and I wish them well. The other illustration was Sunday's project I created as an idea for a project of theirs. It's a first draft. I may change some things and it may go nowhere, but it was fun and inspired by two people who really inspire me.

It was funny, I sat by the lake they dug in a valley in the mountain looking at the autumn leaves reflecting off the water and I thought about my friends and leaving all this behind to follow the Lord and I wondered if I put that much work and love into something, could I leave it behind? That thought showed me something about the condition of my heart. Everything I have belongs to God and sometimes the real test is can I give it up. With God's help, like my friends, when that day comes I hope I make the same choice.

By the way this is not the end of Faith Mountain. When they first founded this ministry Herb and Kathy had a vision, some of it got completed and some did not. A new family is coming in to run Faith Mountain, the Young's. When they sat down with the Millers to discuss the possibility of taking over Faith Mountain, the Young's shared a vision of what they saw as the next phase. It was nearly verbatim of the Miller's original vision. Because of their willingness to follow the Lord, the Mountain Re-Source Centers ministry will help a lot more people and the original vision will draw closer to fruition. God is good. It reminds me of a favorite verse of mine. "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 God may move us along to other things. He may let us start something for someone else to finish, but God always finishes what He starts. Trust Him! I pray God's richest blessing on the Miller's, the Young's and on YOU! Be faithful and follow!