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Alain Auderset's Posts (10)

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The 5th branch

After sending my last email newsletter, (don’t go looking for it, I only sent it in French)

I was seized by a terrible fear

-" arrgh! What happens if no-one gets the irony ?

They’ll think that I’ve gone off the straight and narrow, that I’m getting a fat head... or worse still, that I read Sonic the Hedgehog comics in secret!

Everyone will give up on me...! "

(I get like this sometimes)

 

 I went off into the deepest part of the forest

- " ...what would it be like if I lost my reputation as a good Christian... "

Silence...

- "...Ok Lord... you can have that reputation... as long as I can stay friends with you ".

 

The fragile branches that I cling to

My ministry, my children, my wife, my possessions, my health, my reputation, (the list isn’t in order of importance, by the way)

These are all branches that form my tree

If one day, the divine gardener were to lop one of them off:

It’s true, I’d suffer (no kidding),

but I wouldn’t die either!

Because the main trunk of my life are in my relationship with Jesus.

 

There, far from the hustle and bustle of the city,

I felt a great peace come over me,

It was Jesus, reassuring me...

 

What about you, how are you doing?

Have you lost an important branch of your life...(?)

Take courage, Jesus will never let you go, only He is invincible!

life, together with all the good things it’s got in store, will return, you can be sure of that...

Beware of one thing, however:

Make sure that Jesus is not just one branch amongst others in your life…..

 

If the axis upon which your life turns isn’t solid,

When it’s cut down...

(well...kabang! finito, kaput, sayonara...)

 

 

Mohamed

I was moving house and had loads of stuff.

- "Lord, could you send me some help, please? "

 

In the morning, I found a tall North African teenager (on vacation in the area) standing in the doorway :

- "Can I help you?! "

He asked, in a pleasant tone. I couldn’t believe it.

After we’d finished working, I told him about my prayer...

He froze, and told me:

- "I...I heard a voice that told me to go and help you, that’s why I came’’

 

How amazing is that? He’s from a non-practicing Muslim family...

but he still heard God’s voice

What about you? Are you careful to listen for God’s voice?

 

In his country, it’s a time of revolution, soldiers are firing live ammunition in the streets...

He recently wrote to my son, saying: "Ask your father to pray for me...

Yes, when I return to Switzerland I’d like to find out more about the faith of your father... "

 

 

 

Alain

www.auderset.com
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Play with him

A few years ago,

At the end of a talk I was giving in France,

A man came along and asked me a question:

-         ‘my son doesn’t want to come to church with me,

he spends all his time with his #*@#! computer games.

I’ve tried reasoning with him again and again: it’s like talking to a brick wall!

What should I do?!’

 

I looked into his soul and replied:

-         ‘play with him!’

 

As he was left open-mouthed by my comment, I went on:

-         ‘how do you expect him to be interested in you (and your church),

If you don’t take an interest in what he does?’

 

Pensive (and a little disappointed) he went on his way.

I expect he would have preferred it had I exorcised an evil spirit from his son's computer games …

 

Your sons will return

Another time, at the end of a talk,

(everyone will think that I only do the ends of talks!)

I was giving an elderly man a lift back to his house.

When I switched the engine on, the CD player came on automatically too.

 

It was the passage where Jacob, now very old, talks to his son Joseph, whom he’d given up for dead for so many years:

(no, Joseph hadn’t recorded a CD, it’s just an audio bible)

-         ‘I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too!’ (Gen 48:11)

Without stopping to think, I said to him:

-         ‘this is a message for you…’

And I don’t really know why,

but the Lord  prompted me to tell him the anecdote I told at the start of this email.

 

Lost in thought, the old man said:

-         ‘My kids and I used to make dens in their bedrooms with sheets and things. We made up this whole new world, full of adventures… ‘

-         ‘That’s great! I replied, you must have had loads of fun together… ‘

-         No, he said, bitterly, because instead of playing with them, I told them off and told them to tidy their bedroom…(pause)… You know, my children no longer want anything to do with our faith…

All was quiet for a while…

then I broke the silence:

-         ‘it’s not too late to tell them you’re sorry…’

 

I would have liked to have finished with ‘and they lived happily ever after’ (well…something along those lines)

But I don’t know if they did…

All I know is: that I’m going to go and play with my kid…

Bye!

 

Alain

www.auderset.com

 

 

PS: Big news!

It is now easy to buy one of my comic book in English in the US (or elsewhere),

you can simply go on this website:

http://www.christianpublishers.net/?page_id=628

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I've grown

Marching orders…

Being in an inquisitive frame of mind,

I sent off an email to ‘my’ personal prayer team, saying:

 

- “I feel that God is asking me to do stand-up in the non-church sector,

But I don’t know how to go about it…”

 

the sentence was barely written,

not even sent yet, when:

Driiiing!

I get an invitation to a comedy festival in the south of France

in two months’ time.

 

After the show:

Jesus’ garden

we don’t go into the forest much these days because my leg’s broken

(but I don’t hold that against it)

 

Surrounded by a thousand smells and birdsong, I’m sitting in the garden with Jesus. We listen to the plants growing, while the sunrays that he made for this little corner of the universe flood all we can see with a light that’s both cool and welcomingly warm at the same time.

(Wow, this dialogue is awesome!)

 

That day, I was talking to him about a show that

had had a real impact on the town’s teenagers,

but at the same time had disappointed some Christians,

who were expecting something better.

 

Discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, disdited (I know, that doesn’t make sense, but it rhymes )I just wanted to give up.  

Bang! a sudden thought came to me:

 

- “If I asked you to do this, it’s because I believe you’re capable of doing it…”

- “Tenthousandthunderingblunderingtyphoons! But of course!”

 

I got up, I revised it, I said ‘come on, shake a leg’(shake a leg, geddit?)

 

- “I can do it, I have to!”

The show was a complete success.

 

That day, in the garden,

I grew in maturity.

 

Alain

www.auderset.com
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Robi in English

towards the US
Philippe, from the Auderset workshop,
is in St-Louis, MO this weekend to present the comics 'Robi' in
English in a book festival.
A big step of faith for us
(but also for thousands of souls)

He needs that we think about him
no appointment, nobody's answering...
(Shoot, are they all caught in oil, or what?!)


Alain
www.auderset.com
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Jesus' telephone

For the past while, I’ve
exchanged the snowy plains by the woods
for walks with my pencil across huge expanses of white paper.
It’s early morning and I draw, talk and listen to God (bible on my MP3) all
at the same time
(I wonder if God’s presence will work its way into the drawing?!?)
As I’m working on a panel, round the corner of the drawing, I find myself face
to face with Jesus.
Silence.
- ‘Lord, I feel like you don’t listen to me.’
(Oh boy! I talk like a woman!!!)
And here are a few of the ‘funny little things’ that happened afterwards.
(I’m not putting them all down, there wouldn’t be enough room on the
computer)

A buddy
Driiing!
Who knew nothing about another question that I’d asked Jesus,
He’s really driving the answer home!
(ok Lord, I get it, pleeease, time-out!!!)
A thought
That evening, I had to pick up my son Benjamin from another town when bang!
a thought struck me:
- ‘Alain, wait until 6’
me:
- Well, ok then.
5.59:
Driiing!
- ‘Hey dad, you don’t need to pick me up, I’m going to sleep over’
(he was at a friend’s house, not in some seedy bar)
Marching orders.
Somewhat pensive, I wrote an e-mail to ‘my’ close support prayer team saying:
- ‘I feel that God is asking me to do comedy sketches in a non-church environment,
but I don’t know where to start?.’
I’d hardly finished writing and hadn’t yet sent the email off when:
Driiiing!
I receive an invitation to a comedy festival in the
South of France in March!!!
(a non-Christian thing!)
A festival where people pay for laughs! Arggh!!
This is serious
stuff!
Arrghh! Now I’m a little scared...
Lord, give me the strength and inspiration I need.
I’ve got until yesterday to find a title for my show!!!!!!!!

Quebec city
This time, it’s an invitation to a comic book festival (phew, that’s not so scary)
A Christian who really wants me to evangelize this part of the country has paid for my plane ticket, but the hotel room still has to be paid for and they’re horrendously
expensive!!!
We’re organizing a show- testimony by getting the media involved
(set the town alight, you know, that sort of thing.)
Does anyone have any good contacts in the French or English speaking media in this area, so that I could
give my testimony?

In your prayers, try to really aim to meet with Jesus.
And there, face to face with Him,
during this moment suspended in time,
think hard before you speak.
Alain
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The Fragile Leaf

Something not very important happened to me a while back! (amazing, isn’t ?!)As I was out walking and praying, right there in the middle of the path was a leaf of a tree, suspended in space just before me – it was kind of strange.I stared at it for some time and it didn’t fall or even shift an inch. (?!?)I went on my way:- ‘It must just be hanging on to an invisible thread, surely.’A few minutes later and although I’d moved forward, I realized that my thoughts remained focused on this leaf.- ‘maybe it’s a miracle ?’Intrigued, I retraced my steps, determined to resolve this enigma,if nothing else, so as to be able to turn my mind to other things.I took a really close look and... indeedthere was a thread of gossamer that was keeping the leaf hanging in the air like that,(kind of disappointing, isn’t it?)I walked on, still lost in my thoughts, when I came across two passers-by with their dogs.I said:- ‘Say, I’ve seen something really weird. There’s a leaf that’s….’- ‘Yeah! Us too, we’ve seen it!’ they cut in (I’m talking about cutting into the conversation here, they weren’t a couple of serial killers!)I kept on walking.This leaf is really amazing! It seems to stir something in the soul of each person who notices it,At the same time, it’s completely insignificant!But you can be sure that there’ll be some hefty runner who’s so wrapped up inlosing a few pounds,that they’ll ruin the magic of it all without even realizing it.Fragile – like everything we possess.More than one year later, I was out walking in the morning with the Lordin the very same woods -I was thinking about certain events over the last few weeks, which are like so many waves, threatening to sink my boat.I find myself so fragile.Human beings don’t really grow, they just puff themselves up with pride, if they fast for 3 days, then they’refinished, completely without strengthA cold wind comes along, and they catch a cold, one TV program and bang! - the whole country thinks it has come down with swine flu.All that we have, our life and even our ‘ministry’,all this can vanish in one instant of carelessness.We need to put everything into God’s hands.Aren’t we only temporary managers of this world, after all?Jars of clay (even though these jars may contain incredible riches)Fragile - like I am with Jesus.I seek the Lord every day and I often have the impression thatour relationship is only a fraction of what it could be, (although this ‘fraction’ is sometimes vast)It’s as if this relationship hangs by a thread.I’ve met a lot of (former) Christians whose fire has gone out. Their lack ofhunger has emptied them of the richesthat they had within them.If I lost my relationship with Jesus, my link to Him, the same thing would happen to me.On the other hand,the insignificant thread that I saw in the woods wasamazingly robust,for isn’t it still here, in my memory?Alainwww.auderset.com
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The Black Wave

Keep Going…

Monday, with my little lady, we planned an outing (to take a break, to de-stress)Just wandering the streets of Lausanne (a big city in Switzerland) for no reason (not even passing out tracts)We were talking about all these battles to hold on to my comic books,When suddenly, at a street corner filled with tourists, we saw a Christian bookstore (?!)We had just gotten our feet inside and then: BAM!What a surprise to see my comic books, my posters, and –in full view- my DVD… everywhereI couldn't believe it… (I almost wanted to cry)It's a bit like I suddenly realized thatwhat I’m doing is a great encouragement for all my Christian brothers and sisters.Each of these comic books in the window represented a time of battle when I was putting my family and, at times, my health at risk.it had been worth it… the church (the Bride of Christ) is blessed by this…

The black wave

We survived the first wave of notices for unpaid bills (glory to the Lord! that's awesome)To have momentarily been able to hold our heads above water is amazing in itself… the Lord is faithful!And I… ahh! The shadow of a second wave – much bigger – is already upon us! It's about to crash.. blub, blub, splish, splash!Alainwww.auderset.com
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Sunday Pirate

Did I want to go to church this morning?I had been up drawing until 4 am in the morning,I deserved to sleep in, right!?Well, I'm up now... It can only do me good to go...I'll catch up on some sleep during the sermon...(a little trick: say "amen" from time to time so it looks like you're praying)Seated cozily in my favorite place as usual, I wasn't expecting anything special from this service.I'd already come up with a highly spiritual thought for my neighbor:- "the worship isn't very enthusiastic this morning, don't you think?":(perfect! Something to send us to sleep before the sermon!)What's that! Ah, shoot! It's the local misfit, coming to sit down beside me!He looks like a pirate who's seen better days, with his wooden leg (really), and an eye that flickers from the smoke from his cheap cigarillo.He smells of beer and mumbles in his beard (loudly, but nobody understands him)...During the sermon, he tells me his life story (no chance for a nap, then!)Like scouts from the Army of justice and decorum, the listeners in the row in front have noticed us.They're already throwing glances at us from over their shoulder, threatening to confront us with anundeserved "shhh" to add to my embarrassment.Then there was a worship song about God's tenderness towards us...Suddenly, everything stopped in my head,I was moved... I saw a tear running from the pirate's eye, he'd been moved by this song.That evening, at the sleepset of my little Océane-Aimée,I was reading a story from the Bible (chosen at random):Luke 7.36: (to make it short, I'll write my own version, ok?)It's the story of Simon the Pharisee (a pillar of the Church) who had invited Jesus to dinner.What's that! Ah, shoot! A prostitute, who looks like something the cat's dragged in, has wrecked the atmosphere, throwing herself at Jesus' feet,dampening his feet with tears, drying them with her hair, pouring out someChanel-type scent on him and covering his feet with a thousand kissesHOW DISGRACEFUL! The Pharisees are outraged, how could Jesus let somethinglike this happen? Good grief! ...Jesus said:"Simon, you didn't give me water for my feet(in those times they drank using their feet. At least I think they did)you didn't kiss me, and you didn't even pour perfume upon my head(this could be a custom we could start up at work for whenever our colleagues' have body odor issues)but she did...She did this because I gave her forgiveness for her many sins and she istremendouslygrateful,but as for you, I don't mean anything to you, that's why you're not gratefultowards me"WHAM!This morning, who was I more like, Simon or the repentant prostitute?Forgive me Lord... I've been going to church for years...But I pray that from now on, every single time,I will be truly grateful towards you and worship you with real sincerity...Alainwww.auderset.com
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Alain Auderset's story

A simple guyI was just a simple guy, one of those you see everyday in the street … Nothing really special… I’ve done stupid things, nothing terrible though, and not more often than anyone else, a pretty normal guy in the end … (I haven’t led a gang or killed anybody, sorry!)My parents held a small drinks shop (coke, beer, wine…) and I sometimes worked there after school. I probably could have taken it over and had a settled life, as ordinary as it gets…But I was lacking something deeper, something that I could feel in my guts; something that would taste true …Discovering an incredible treasure!One day, at school, I was involved in an old paper collection. I went into this particular house that had some kind of Greek columns in the entrance. What I wasn’t aware of was that the family that lived there, (and that I didn’t even know) had been praying for me regularly. When I walked into that house, I couldn’t believe it: someone was crazy enough to be throwing away a whacking great pile of comics!Those comics were called “Tournesol” (Sunflower). I started to read them and something hit me pretty fast: “they’re talking about God!”God …? I knew it was something people talked about in those houses with a steeple on top and that are always closed, some thing for religious people or for a sect, but I couldn’t understand why on earth someone would be talking about God in a comic book (!?!)Then I felt a soft voice, tinged with peace, in my thoughts, telling me, ”Read on, it’s for your own good”.Day after day I literally devoured those comics that spoke of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ’s tremendous and incredible love for me.God himself was there in my room (he’s everywhere, actually) … and I told him: “I give you my life … I know it’s not much … but I’m giving it to you.”Ever since that day, my life has never been the same …New dimensions, a parallel world …I bought myself a small Bible and started discovering God as a friend. I would spend hours seeking him … and discovering new dimensions and experiencing incredible stuff! So that’s how in 1989, my existence took a turn for the better, I discovered a deeper sense of life; I was 15. That was the beginning of a life of adventure, (I’m not exaggerating!) that I can’t even start to describe now. Maybe next time …Alain gets started with comics …Alone, with nothing…On day, as I was attending a youth meeting, the speaker called out: “We all have talents - ….who wants to serve God with theirs? If you do, stand up!”I was at the back of the room, thinking. I honestly didn’t believe I had any particular talent, except maybe a collection of bad marks at school … I had no training and no job…That night, I was one of the only ones that stood up and I told God: “Lord, I can’t do a thing … I have nothing, but I give it to you … you do something with it…”At the end of the meeting, the speaker (he had spotted me earlier) asked me:“So, what’s your talent?- I don’t know, I have nothing special … I draw a little in my maths notebooks… maybe I could get into comics …- So that’s your gift? Ok, let’s pray!- Huh? Umm, er, sure, ok!”I didn’t want to spoil his evening.FireI wanted to share with everyone what I had discovered, what had filled my life. I wanted to spread happiness and hope in other people’s lives.So I started drawing like a madman, every evening, sometimes even all night long.I got into Arts School (that was really hard for me, I wasn’t really gifted). And I graduated 5 years and a half later with a graphic designer degree.Straight down from heaven!My wife and I then decided it was time I dedicated myself to fulltime drawing. At first, I started with working for several newspapers…But the more I drew, the lower the bank account went. Nevertheless, we knew we owed something to people. What I was doing was important and would meet a true need, because nothing similar to this had ever existed… We both agreed not to talk about our financial issues with our friends and family, but only with God.Alone before an empty fridgeOne morning, I opened the fridge and found it nearly empty, and I suddenly became afraid: “Am I nuts? … Can God really intervene and feed us?”I spent the whole day worrying. Fortunately, that evening, I ran into this verse in the Bible:Matthew 6:31-33: “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)So I asked God to forgive me for worrying, and I thanked him for the food that would be provided for the following day. And I fell asleep peacefully. The next morning, an old man was at the door, his arms filled with supplies. For the seven years that followed, God literally fed us! I could give you so many more examples but … let’s carry on with our story.Discouragement …I was two months away from finishing my first comic book and suddenly, I just wanted to give it all up. True, we’d never lacked food, but with my worn-out shoes, my torn trousers and my army coat, (it did keep me nice and warm!) I probably looked like a tramp. I felt the weight on my shoulders of “what others must think”. People around us were going on holidays, owned one or even two cars, had a TV, bought whatever they wanted….whereas, I went back to the shop to return empty bottles hoping to collect a few coins. And as if that wasn’t enough, Eliane and I were going through a rough time in our marriage. Even though I kept on going to church on a regular basis, I just didn’t feel like praying anymore.Mister the devil …One day as I was wandering in the forest, “mister the devil” who felt “concerned” by my situation started to make me think: “Let go of all that, leave your wife, your drawings, your God. You’re a lousy Christian anyway." (As if letting go of God was going to solve anything!) I could have let it all go indeed, but not Jesus. Through the years, our friendship had become what I treasure the most. So I said to myself: “#*@ !! That’s enough! This has GOT to change in my head! I will pray till I find my inner peace again. »God came the very moment I made that resolution. I felt his peace in me once again. At the same period, three or four people I barely knew came to see me and told me they felt called with a mission to pray for five people in the country, and that I was one of them (???!!!) It sounded like a joke…The phone callAround the same time, the phone rang, and somebody I didn’t know started to tell me this strange story:- Sir, you don’t know me, but I’ve had a vision of you speaking to thousands of young people … what can I do for you?I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and stammered:- Well, ummm, I don’t know … what’s your job?- I manage an American firm- Hah! Well if that’s the case … could you lend me US $ 16 500 so I can print my new book?- I’ll get back to you in a few days …He called back a few days later, and said ok.My first book, “Idées reçues” (Conventional Wisdom) was self-edited and quickly became a success. It was followed by “Marcel”, “Robi” and “Conventional Wisdom 2” and “Willy Grunch” in 2008 (this last one won three awards in a Christian contest in the US).I received twice the first prize at the International Christian Comic Book Festival, in Angoulême, France. (The biggest festival of its kind in Europe)Some books have been published in China, the USA and several other countries that I could never have even dreamt of… however, I know fine well there are artists much more talented than I am.I receive numerous messages from people who were deeply moved and born again testimonies - and that touches me strongly.I’m just a simple guy, nothing special, but my Friend is great …Alainwww.auderset.com
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Underground with Dad

Mission impossibleRight under my comic-writing workshopis a cellar filled with soil (in some places it reaches the ceiling)I'm digging in there with all my might with a pickaxe, shovel and wheelbarrow.The plan is to make a music room.This makes me think of the huge scale of the task I set myselfwhen I want to reach "Mr Everyman" with the gospel through my comic books(or to give my testimony on CNN, or become friend with the Chinese emperor, or harder still, to convince my wife what's the point of football)Everyday faithfulnessTo be honest, 'm not making much progress,but I keep digging for 1 or 2 hours without fail every day - I'll get there in the end!Strangely enough, I even look forward to sweating it out during these moments of hard work,because I can listen to the Bible on my mp3-player,these are special moments of intimacy with my heavenly Father*.(*by "father" I mean God, because my "earthly" father doesn't know how to fly yet)The little workmanThe other day, my little Benjamin -he's just turned 8-decided he was going to help me - he was really determined about it.This little fellow is really pleased to be able to work alongside me and chat.We have wheelbarrow races (he always wins!)Benjamin, he means pure happiness to me.Too small…Just one shovelful from Dad makes his small wooden wheelbarrow overflow!He stopped for a moment and noticed that I put a lot more into my wheelbarrow than he did in his.He tried to impress me by wheeling my barrow.After a massive effort, all he managed to do was to knock it over.My little man was disappointed:- "Oh Dad! it's no use, I'm not helping - my wheelbarrow is so small that we'll never finish"I stopped, knelt down and looked at him with love:- "Benjamin, what matters to me is not to finish the work as quickly as possible…but just to do it with you."What Dad loves,is to be with you…Alainwww.auderset.com
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