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CCAS friends, please go vote for 'Raegan and RJ in Space!' at the CSPA ballot link and help 4 CCAS members win a Christian Small Publisher Association (CSPA) award!  Two of our R&RJiS graphic novels are up for 2014 CSPA Awards this year!!!  Here is the CSPA award link: http://www.christianpublishers.net/14votes/  R&RJiS is a story we wrote and illustrated for Christian kids that is about the first Christians in space, is family friendly, and has no aliens or guns.  The CSPA competition is like no other.  There are no judges.  It is about 'marketing' and 'buzz' only.  The one book with the most votes in each of the 12 categories wins!  We really appreciate your support if you can go vote for us.  I am hoping if we win this award a mainline Christian publisher like Thomas Nelson will pick up our graphic novel series.  The instructions are below.  Thanks and God Bless.  Rich / DL / Dony / Jennifer!

The Christian Comic Arts Society is looking for someone to help build and possibly maintain a website for the Alpha Omega Con.  The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the Redeemer Church in La Mirada, California.  If you are interested and you want more information, contact Holly Knevelbaard, Convention Director, at alphaomegacon20@gmail.com.  

Dear Christian Comic Arts Society Members,

Calvin and Carol Conkey

Well What was intended to be a Sketch of a monster type for my comic became a full drawing instead. I would have to say that I love when you intend to just make a quick sketch to pull an idea out of your head and then it mutates. All of a sudden inspiration hits and BAM a piece of art comes out.

I didn't get a scan of the pencils I just kept going.

Shadow Creeper Ink and Color:

This is a character design for a villain named Glooma.  Glooma is the main villain for an idea I am working on titled O-Boy.  She was once a being of light called Gloria but she fell into darkness.  I was inspired by C.S. Lewis White Witch.  I think good villains are important for a super hero type story.  Batman has the Joker, Penguin, Ras al Ghul (I hope I spelled it right), Bane, etc.  Spider man has Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Electro, the Lizard, Sandman, Venom etc.  And I could go on with the likes of Lex Luthor, Dr. Doom, the Red Skull, and many others you know.  Villains make heroism shine.  In the same way what the devil means for evil God works to good showing how worthy He is.  Though Satan rages it only makes God's glory shine brighter. 

There are some proportion issues in my drawing but overall I like the design.  would love any feedback.  God bless.

Just adding a Blog post.  My first on CCAS.  Glad to be a part of this community and thankful for some of the great people I have already met.  Can't wait to explore some more and see what folks are up to.  In the meantime, God bless you all as you bring glory to your creator by being creative!

Local art gallery in my area is doing a sampling of Drawing. I entered some of my comic pages and this little strip. I wanted to see if I could draw a working QR code. GOT IT ON THE FIRST TRY!! Any tech savvy art lover will be taken away to my website. Mwahahahahahaaaa!!

Hi everyone. "Real life" has been keeping me away from online participation for awhile, but I wanted to pass this along for a friend.

As some of you may already have heard: Don Ensign, the founder of the Christian Comic Arts Society, is in the hospital due to complications from prostate cancer.

Our mutual friend, Ralph Miley, is planning to possibly travel to visit Don later in February, and had an idea for a gift that might encourage him. We're trying to create a sketchbook collection of Don's original character, "The Golden Protector". A scan from Don's original art for the character is included here as reference if any CCAS artists feel inspired to help out with the project. Please email any Golden Protector sketches to Ralph at ralphellismiley@verizon.net, and he'll print them out to bring to Don as a "get well" gift when we see him.

Whether or not you feel led to participate in this little art project, thank you for reading, and please keep Don in your prayers. Thanks, and God bless!

"The Golden Protector", as created and drawn by Don Ensign

AN ACT OF FAITH #7 is now on sale at iVerse Media. This is the third and final part to "The Return of the Green Knight" storyline. (Next issue, ish #8, begins "The Ark" storyline.) There's even more preview pages of this issue at iVerse Media.

Here's the solicitation for AN ACT OF FAITH #7: "Nemish-Man and Crusader Girl go to Hell!"

http://digital.comicsplusapp.com/series_comic_details.php?product_id=com.iversecomics.messianic.comics.an.act.of.faith.seven.english.01132014

AN ACT OF FAITH #7 is scheduled to go on sale next week, Wednesday, January 15th through iVerse Media.

I posted some preview pages:

http://albert.nickerson.tripod.com/anactoffaith07preview.html

Here's the solicitation for AN ACT OF FAITH #7: "Nemish-Man and Crusader Girl go to Hell!"

AN ACT OF FAITH #7 has been sent off to iVerse Media. This issue should be on sale in January.

Here's the solicitation for AN ACT OF FAITH #7: "Nemish-Man and Crusader Girl go to Hell!"

http://albert.nickerson.tripod.com/anactoffaithcover7.jpg

“...And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Even in such a digital world, many of us still send, and many of us still receive Christmas greetings via the good old-fashioned mailbox. If that applies to you, then you probably know that at least some of these cards contain a letter. I think we could call this kind of note an “update letter”; a way of letting you and me know what we missed over the course of the past year in regard to the 'happenings' of the letter sender or senders.

As I sat reading through several of these letters the other day, a question came to me: “If I sent out a letter like this, what would I write about my own life over the course of the past year?” Then another question followed quickly on the heels of the first: “And what if I wrote this letter with the focus on my being, rather than my doing; not in light of what has happened to me, or around me, but within me?”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with hearing about a friend's career highlights, how a co-worker spent her summer vacation, or about a nephew's Little League victory. These are wonderful parts of our lives “under the sun”. But we all know that a full accounting of the past year would also include so many things we would never want to highlight. But what if I did? Would anyone really be interested in hearing about my weaknesses, doubts, cynicism, pride, and impatience? About my gnawing fears, destructive desires, and ugly indifference? And in terms of the spillover, would it really be appropriate for me to send out a summary of my year that spoke of all the times I blew up at my children, or got defensive with my wife, or was callous in regard to those in need, or was tepid in my spiritual disciplines and desires?

I have no doubt that some would find such a letter strange and out of step with the 'holiday spirit', with our modern emphasis on family, fun, and scrapbook-suited memories. But from the perspective of Scripture, wouldn't such an accounting be perfectly in step with the miracle of Christmas? You see, the real miracle of Christmas is not that a virgin had a baby. If God made a man from dirt, He had no problem filling Mary's womb with life. No, the real miracle of Christmas is that God came to save me from, not sentence me for my sins; that there was Incarnation and not incarceration. The real miracle of Christmas was that Eternity was born in time, so that the time of my eternal death would be cancelled.

Speaking of 'full accountings', remember the whole story. The lowly wood of Jesus' manger must point us to the lowly wood of His cross. The light of His birth star must always be bound with the darkness of His dying breath. But unlike my being and doing, His were unstained. Thus, only He can “save his people from their sins”. And wonderfully there's more! Even Christmas and Easter are intertwined. On both days Jesus was brought forth in new life; once from the womb, then from the tomb. Have you embraced these things, as God's gift to the neediest person you know: you?

Maybe, just maybe, such a letter would reassure someone that he or she is not alone in their struggles, failures, and jumbled desires. Maybe at least one reader would be able to relate to such an update. And maybe these would come to understand the joy of Christmas in a whole new light, as truly the “dawn of redeeming grace”.

Because of Jesus, I can and should rehearse a year of failure and disobedience. Why? Because it reminds me (and hopefully others) of why I (we) so desperately need the saving grace Jesus died to give me. Even more so, because it reminds me that now, my victories and obedience are born of the One born at Christmas. I know what is of me, and I know what is of Him.

Friend, rejoice! Christ has come. The world may not be new, but you can be. Merry Christmas.

It's been a while. I've written this alternative Christmas Carol to celebrate the holiday. Take a look at www.doggdayafternoon.com

http://joechiappetta.blogspot.com/2013/11/mighty-messianic-prophecy-book.html

As you may be aware, the CCAS is exploring the possibility of hosting a Christian Theme/faith based pop culture convention.  However, a name for the con has not been selected, so the CCAS is holding a contest to choose the convention name.  The winner will receive free convention registration and a grab bag of comic book and graphic novel titles.  Post your entry on the convention discussion group on the CCAS site.

For those into end times tales, grab up a copy of Dead Sea Souls, the graphic novel adaptation of Christian author Doug K. Pearson's gripping novel. Adapted to GN format by yours truly, with gut wrenching graphics by artist extraordinaire Fernando Peniche.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  John 15:15  

Isn't that an amazing thought?  It spurs one on to create beautiful things in His name.  In a world where beauty is fleeting we can create something that will impact eternally. 

You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.  John 15:18-27

Since we are not of this world but of the Kingdom of God, its necessary to make every effort to set ourselves apart.  Setting a higher standard for our portrayals of the human form and the human soul.  As men and women of the Lord our body is his, our soul, is his, our spirit is his.  This should be enough to help us remember to treat the human figure as having been made by God.  Though marred by sin and sin's effects on the planet, we are not the less given the Holy Spirit to guide us in all that we do and all that we are. The Word of God is very clear about respecting that which bears the image of God stamped upon it.  We are able to reach hearts and minds for Christ if we adhere to the simple principle in Micah 6:8.   Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.  HCSB