Gender

Male

Location

Ogden, UT

Birthday:

June 28

Which Category best describes you?

Independent/Self Publisher

Website:

https://www.zephaniahcomics.com

Location:

Male

Area(s) of Interest or Expertise:

Writing / Digital Art / Freehand Illustration

My Testimony: (We encourage members to share briefly about how their faith in Christ has impacted their lives.)

Desert Storm was the starting point for my faith journey. In September or October of 1990, I remember being shocked when our Gunnery Sergeant spoke about Vietnam. It was the first time I had seen a "hard-charging" Marine get teary eyed. That scared me. I consoled myself with thoughts that at 22 I had accomplished more than some people do with there entire lives. There were times when I could clearly see my face in an open casket. I receive my call to duty and left in February 1991 (after a melancholic Valentine's Day dinner with a friend in a West African restaurant in Harlem just the block from my Columbia dorm) and promptly went to Camp Lejeune, N.C. where I waited. Yes we trained and got physically and mentally fit but mostly it was waiting and wondering. Then the ground war started and we promptly went to Norway for a NATO operation called Battle Griffin. The plan was that we would leave the freezing cold to fight a ground war in the desert. Anyhow the ground war ended while we were in Norway. However this side trip was life changing for me. It was the first and only time (so far) that I have crossed the Atlantic. The first night in Onslow, a Marine died from meningitis. Fire watch, although vitally important in any locale, became life-saving important there. After running the daily operations, we would gather in the tents, watching and protecting the fire, and talk. One night we talked about real life experiences with ghosts and the supernatural. After scaring each other for a while we went to sleep. The next night our conversation turned to God. Joe, my best man from my wedding, was the only Christian at the time and although he interjected on occasion he mostly listened. That was the night when I became curious to see who God was and what He could mean in my life. I didn't take immediate action but I started casually listening and watching. Like I said earlier, the ground war ended while we were in Norway so we returned back to Camp Lejeune. While there, they sent another group over to Saudi. Once again, I was not selected. So I spent a lot of time reading and shopping for books and video games. Finally in June, I returned home. Well at least my body did. My friend was like "Whew, glad that's over. You had me worried." I was never a deeply connecting person emotionally but the months of waiting, wanting but never going to war took my disconnectedness to an entirely new level. I had already made my peace and was confused as to why I was still alive. I had always loved singing so I rejoined the Barnard Columbia Gospel Choir and started visiting the Saint Mary Church of Christ (My choir sang their once while I was waiting for activation) I was still observing these Christians and thought what better place than to watch them in their "natural" environment. They were kind of strange. I saw life and laughter. I saw men crying and people not making fun of them. All of that was alien to me. So I continue to return and watch. I have a strong voice and so eventually found myself on their choir. Christian to me means Christ-Follower. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I try to live my life that people may see Him through me. That is not so much in the things I don't do but in how I handle life's challenges and how I present myself to those I meet. I accepted Christ on my 24th birthday and continued my study of who He is by reading the Bible. People in my old church were deep into "Churchese" spouting terms like "Sanctified Hand", "Ram in the Bush", "Do It Like David Did" and so on. I had no clue what any of those meant. So I studied. Starting with Genesis I learned who Abraham, David, Hezekiah and the whole crew where and I slowly began to decipher the whole "Churchese" thing. More importantly I began to see who God is through his interactions with his followers through the Bible. Jesus is present in the Old Testament but He goes by different names. For example, He is the Captain of the Lord's Host or the Angel of the Lord (Abraham and Gideon are examples. When reading to distinguish between Christ and an angel - observe if they receive worship or direct it to God. An angel points toward God whereas Christ will receive) It's about relationship with Him first and secondly with everyone I meet. I am a strong man and the lion-share of that comes from my relationship with Christ. He has walked with me through the darkest times in my life. My tagline - Transformation, Regeneration and Relationship - reflects my walk with Him.

Dream Job: (If you could have your dream job in the comics industry, what would it be?)

Zephaniah Comics - exclusively comics and books.

Favorite Comic Creators:

George Perez, Scott McCloud