I sit here tonight, a bit unsettled in my spirit, listening to the voice of God playing just beyond the realm of hearing. I've felt this before, many times, and each time it's led me to another level in my life. Some people mistake conviction for depression, or the inward groanings of the Holy Spirit for indigestion. Well, I know it's not depression tonight, and I know it's not indigestion, which means that God's trying to tell me something.Let me backtrack and explain how this came to pass.A while back on MYCCM I entered a contest to win a Christian Movie called MIDNIGHT CLEAR. I didn't know anything about it except that Stephen Baldwin was in it and it was based on a story by Jerry B. Jenkins. I've put off watching because well, there were too many other movies that "needed" to be watched, yet as I put it in my DVD player I slowly closed out of all instant messaging conversations, put down my art board and my pencil, and began to really listen to the message of the movie.As I watched it I became more and more unsettled. I began to really feel a burden in my heart again for those in my area that matched what I was seeing in the actors and actresses on the screen. One person, an old lady, was ready to committ suicide. Her son Lefty was also ready to committ suicide. No hope was left for them. Everything seemed to be self-destructing around them.I've been there, I've felt that, and I see it every day as I walk down the streets here on KI Sawyer. I see it in my neighbors face, I see it in my friends friends faces. I hear it when people talk to me, and I just groan inwardly at the plight that I see around me. It's almost like there's a blanket of hopelessness and loss over this area. Oppression lies over this area like a blanket, smothering hope in even those who are supposed to bring it. Apathy reigns supreme, nobody cares other than to live their life day to day, to wake up in the morning and go "Nope, not dead yet."I know that in every area there's a place like this. A neighborhood. A friend that you know. A city you live in. And I know that if you don't act on what God is leading you to do, you end up callousing yourself against it until God reveals it once again to you, as He did to me, tonight.Not even a couple months ago I sent out a huge e-mail to everyone I know about this area and the ministry that God has called me to. Again I feel the call, the working of the Holy Spirit deep within me. I know what I need to do.I need to fulfill the Great Commission.And so do you.
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The past 24 hours have been more than interesting to me. Lots of different things ended up happening, some good, some bad, all working out to God's greater glory in the end. Time for a story eh?There was once a person who shall remain nameless, we'll call him Jim. Jim had a project that was near and dear to his heart. He solicited help from many people to get this project done and completed, and the project which was originally a one-shot became a 3 issue series. Jim contacted me to do some pages, and well.....I volunteered to do the whole second book if certain conditions were met, free of charge.My conditions? #1) I needed at least 10 pages worth of script by June 30th. #2) I'm a professional, so treat me as one. Simple isn't it?I told Jim about three weeks ago to make sure I'd have at least 10 pages worth of script to begin work by June 30th. This past week I reminded him because I hadn't heard anything positive about the result of this condition. He responded to me saying that I'd have the ENTIRE script by June 30th.Okay, no problem there. The problem arose when, whether he was joking or not, he called me a whiner for making sure that the conditions were met. He crossed the line between friendship joking and straight out professionality. I don't care if I'm working for free, I'm still a professional. You don't call a professional a whiner when they're working for you for free. Specifically you don't call a professional a whiner when he wants to make sure that he'll be able to start on the project at a specified time, agreed upon nearly a month before.So I asked for an apology. The apology I received was, and joking or not you don't do this: "You're right, you don't whine as much as gripe and b**ch." That right there wasn't an apology, and added insult to injury damaging not only our professional arrangement, but our friendship as well.I went through and was ready to take it to the extreme: I quit the projects I was working on with him.I talked with another friend last night, Pastor Howard Kent whom I am publishing a series for. We discussed this individual and the resulting mess that remains. Howard agreed with me completely on my actions, and many others have as well.Was I justified in quitting the projects? Yes I was. Whether I am working for free, or working for a pay check I am a professional. I was willing to do Jim a service by drawing his book pro bono. Which, if I were paid even just $20 a page would rack up a $400+ bill for anyone else. I was also designing his website. I had to leave both projects.The moral of this part of the story is this: No matter what, you treat people you are working with professionally. You don't joke about them being whiner's when they're just checking on the status of the project and reminding you of conditions that were mutually agreed upon earlier. And you most certainly DO NOT add insult to injury when you are confronted on it.Jims final words to me were: "I think someone needs to grow up and he LIVES IN MICHIGAN."Business and friendship are two separate things. You can work with friends, as long as you keep taht part of the relationship professional. Howard, Tina Cheek, Kurt Lewis, and many others that I have worked with or will be working with in the future all understand this and we're able to keep the separation alive. With people like Jim, I have to quit to make a point.Okay. Other news.On the last page of artwork for my book LEGACY. This book has been a bear to get ready to go. I've dealt with more injuries and sickness during the production of this book than any other before. Massive headaches for two weeks dragged production to a standstill. My back going out in early may also put the kibosh on this book for a while. The flu was in there somewhere also. Just amazing what happens when you're trying to do such a book for the Lord.THE OVERCOMERS is nearly finished. That's the book by Pastor Howard Kent and Tina Cheek. A group of heroes who are normal except for powers........This'll be interesting. A long time ago I thought that Christian Super Heroes would never work. Now I think they will, but I'm willing to sit back and let Howard and Tina do the experimentation on their characters. Look out for a character named STEPHEN in the book, apparently he and I are a bit too much alike for comfort.Kurt Lewis has given me several updates on BARNSY. This children's graphic novel is coming along nicely, even in the midst of some family turmoil that Kurt and his wife are going through. Our prayers are with them, and as I said to Kurt before, we'll be here to publish it whenever it's finished.Liturgy, the book which you followed the development of on this very blog is now sidelined. I have to concentrate on Legacy for now, the six issue series of which the Lord has laid upon my heart. I'm working with Shatter the Darkness ministries on Legacy. I have access to several of their teachings, plus talk with Pastor Russ on a semi-regular basis through e-mail and phone in order to check certain facts as I finish Legacy's first issue. It's been an exciting and long ride, but oh so worth it.Well, I'll be back soon with more updates.
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Well my back is still very sore. I see the doctor tomorrow. I haven't been able to get much done in the past week due to this health issue. Prayers needed.I'll write more after I talk with my doc. I'm able to begin to live with the pain now, which is a good thing. I'm hoping to get back to work on stuff limitedly this weekend, and be back into full swing after my trip down to Chicago from the 7th of April to the 24th.
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Well, I just took a moment to look around this awesome place for us to fellowship and grow together! 237+ members, does that get anyone else right in the heart?Not too many updates. Keep in prayer for Brother Howard Kent and whatever's going on with his heart right now, a mass I believe. I added three images to the photos section, just wanted to put up a teaser for what projects I'm working on right now. Also launched a deviant art page today at http://newgrace.deviantart.com.I'm on Chapter Four of the novel I'm writing entitled TWILIGHT: LITURGY, which is a Supernatural thriller in the vein of Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. That should be ready for self-publication by August, when everything else launches. I'll be adding illustrations to it also as I go, so it'll be a prose novel with at least one spot illustration per chapter. It's a massive undertaking, but apparently the Lord's in it because as I write and pray the story just keeps coming to me in massive amounts.Uhm......not much else to say today. God Bless!
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A lot of people have asked me what my history with Christian Comic Books was and is, so I thought I'd start telling the story here on CCAS.I've been wanting to work in comics since I was 12 years old. That's about the same time I found out my cousin Norm Breyfogle worked on the Batman comics. I began to teach myself how to draw and write, wanting to make it big in the industry. Well, God had different plans cause I never made it big in ANY industry, Praise the Lord!My first encounter with Christian Comics came when I met Pete King through e-mail and Instant Message. I wrote several spec scripts for him that were never used, along with several pinups that suffered the same fate. Each story I began to work on I either canceled or he did. I guess maybe I'm the only one who worked with him that he doesn't owe any money to. (JOKE!)I was a huge fan of ARCHANGELS: THE SAGA and still have all 8 issues poly bagged in my closet. I read practically anything I could get my hands on that either had a Christian working on it, or had Christian material published in it. I kept writing and drawing even after Norm gave me a scathing critique that had me in tears.A lot was going on in my life back then as well. I wasn't a Christian, I only playacted the part back then. I was pagan, occultic, through and through. Hal Jones and Jerry Welch had a huge part to do with me starting to realize what I was doing to myself and others. I still remain on very good terms with both of these men to this day. They both planted seeds that the Holy Spirit watered. Others that helped the seeds grow were Ralph Miley (who sent me Proverbs and Parables), George Macas Jr. (whom I will be assissting as he recovers from surgery in April), Hal Jones, Pete King (He wasn't all bad guys, just gets a bum rap half the time.), Kneon Transitt (aka Tom Pratt), Alec Stevens, Bud Rogers, Ben Avery..........Mike Miller.........if I forgot your name, I haven't forgotten the prayer and support you've given me.After I came to know Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour, and was delivered from the Occult, everyone received me with open arms. I began working on books and scripts and drawings but never once finished a project. I'd cancel deals, muck around with funds, and be a general idiot with the way I ran things. I was so immature back then, I shudder to think about it. Yet I kept on wanting to be in COMICS more than anything. It became my idol. Something I put before God.So God removed me from comics after BloodStained Productions, my failed secular publishing house folded. I don't know how long I was in the wilderness. I forget what happened. I only remember that the biggest part of my life in Christ hadn't started yet. I was married to Stephanie, my awesome and supportive wife, we had a son named Judah, yet there was still so much garbage in my life I never really gave it all to God.Until April of 2007. I crashed hard. Attempted suicide and nearly succeeded. Some of you know the whole story, some of you don't. I survived, and gave my ENTIRE life to Christ finally. I entered the ministry. From mid June to late July I was in maryland getting trained. Then I returned home and New Grace Ministries started up thanks to the Lord's leading.Flash forward to this year, God opened the flood gates and provided me everything I need to do Christian Comics as a ministry. I'm working with great people world wide, helping out Kingdom Comics with their anthologies as I'm able to, and will be publishing a few books and graphic novels this year!Well, that's my history in a nutshell. I dunno, maybe it'll help someone out. I just had some time to burn and the Lord put it on my heart to post this.Our ministry's website address is: http://newgrace.wordpress.comRead more…
Hey all! Just a quick note this time about our new Articles up at the ministry website as well as a PUBLICATIONS page where we talk about the Christian Comics and Novels we have coming out in the next year!http://newgrace.wordpress.com/publications/Read more…
Well, I'm back very early from my trip.There's a lot that went on, a lot that I still have to digest and pray about. What happened on that trip is something that I don't wish on ANY Christian EVER.When I went to the first Ministry that I was thinking on joining, I saw the Love of Christ but their theology was way off. This was back in June/July.Now when I visited this Ministry that I was thinking on joining or at least associating with I saw strong theology and doctrine but not the love of Christ. Their leader was esteemed above anyone else, instead of being a head of equals, he was a head. This bothered me, and made the entire leadership unapproachable.I feel like, even now, that I went ten rounds with Muhammad Ali in his prime, and then got KO'd in the last seconds. I hurt inside and out, but I know that God is in control.Needless to say I won't be performing this Friday, as I'm already back home in Gwinn, Michigan.I hate to say it, but Christianity's probably the only religious army int he world that will shoot their members, then shoot the wounded member again.Hurts.BUt God loves us, and God sent someone last night to make sure I knew I wasn't forgotten. It rocked.Okay, gotta go get my day started. God Bless all.
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