LWH18 Psalm 114
02/11/11 18:10
From the Long Walk Home blog:
Life has been pretty hard around these parts recently, hope has been something to be fought for, clung to and I’ve had to remind myself not to despair or give in. That’s not an easy thing to do when you are just clenching your teeth grimly wish hoping that things will be ok. Thankfully that’s not the kind of hope I’ve been clinging to. Psalm 114 points us in a very simple way to the bigness of the God who defines Hope and whose character we Hope in.
Falling Into Their Own Nets
27/10/11 10:15
Psalm 141: “ But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.”
Commissioned by Scripture Union for the Wordlive site.
Evil days
27/10/11 10:09
God Provides
27/10/11 09:57
War & Peace
27/10/11 09:29
Commissioned by Scripture Union for the Wordlive site.Psalm 120v6-7: “Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”
Putting God to the test...
27/10/11 08:59
Psalm 78v40-41: “How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.”
Commissioned by Scripture Union for the Wordlive site.
LWH17 Psalm 113
27/10/11 08:57
From the Long Walk Home blog:
“This is one of those Psalms that takes us from our tiny little where we are today life, grabs us by the hand and keeps on pulling us out and out and out to see the big picture. “
LWH16 Psalm 112
27/10/11 08:51
From the Long Walk Home blog:
“There is big lovely truth to be gleaned from this Psalm. Read it through again. This Psalm tells us what a good life really is- it’s life as it’s meant to be lived, a life that starts with fearing God, delighting in his commands. Life with God should lead us to this kind of life. It might be worth looking at what that life looks like. It’s a life of compassion, graciousness, generosity, a life of righteousness and justice.…The weird thing about all this is that we read this Psalm and almost write it off as unattainable or fanciful that we could live in such ways. However, we follow a man who did walk such ways here on earth, and we walk in his footsteps. I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to suddenly become like this overnight but I am sure that these are the kind of characteristics I want to ooze out of me as I live this life. I want to live this kind of good life.”
LWH15: Psalm 111
30/05/11 08:26
From the Long Walk Home blog:
"I am caught up in His eternal purposes. I can know wisdom as I once more stand in awe of the King of kings, as I fear Him. I might not be able to claim any of the credit but I can take my place as the daughter of the King. It’s a bit like my Dad and his tunnel, a great work, a work that I can take no credit for, done by someone else, I have no part in it, and yet I do, because I am his daughter, I know the one responsible, and I am known by him."
LWH12 my truth or His Truth
26/02/11 09:08
From the Long Walk Home blog:
"I’m very guilty of buying into the worldview that says there is very little right and wrong, that it’s all subjective, all based on what each individual thinks. That leads to a apathetic state of not really caring about things that are really wrong in this world. It becomes all too easy to turn a blind eye to real injustice if justice is a relative concept. My heart doesn’t burn with pain at people who are acting in horrendous ways towards others. My heart doesn’t ache with David’s and cry out to God for justice to be done."
LWH11 - Psalm 108 and Contentment
01/02/11 23:34
For the Long Walk Home blog.
Been crazy busy with my day job (and will continue to be for the next week or so) so had to really squeeze these ones in.
In order: a first image related to a discussion on contentment, followed by two mooring/anchoring images that came to mind.
Been crazy busy with my day job (and will continue to be for the next week or so) so had to really squeeze these ones in.
In order: a first image related to a discussion on contentment, followed by two mooring/anchoring images that came to mind.
LWH10 - Psalm 107
17/01/11 20:21
From the Long Walk Home blog:
"Are we prepared to put our pride to one side, look up and cry for help? Are we prepared to admit we are wrong, put our stubbornness to one side and accept the wonder of a God who wants to help us?"
LWH9 - Psalm 106/New Year
04/01/11 20:56
From the Long Walk Home blog:
"Deep down I know that I am the same person as a few days ago and any number of fresh starts won’t produce in me the faithfulness I long for."
Without God we have nothing.
02/01/11 14:42
The Bible brings Fruitfulness.
02/01/11 13:47
The Bible is a Guide.
02/01/11 13:39
The Bible is a Shield.
02/01/11 13:26
LWH7 - Psalm 105
21/11/10 23:01
From the Long Walk Home blog:
"I’m not sure how you felt about History at school, most people I know seem to see it a bit like marmite..."
"I’m not sure how you felt about History at school, most people I know seem to see it a bit like marmite..."
LWH6 - Psalm 104
13/11/10 22:26
LWH5 - Psalm 103
08/11/10 16:51
From the Long Walk Home blog:
Kath: "I wonder how many of us secretly live with the reverse of this God, a God who is uncaring, who is mean, who remembers all our wrong doing, who is quick to anger, quick to be disappointed us, who treats us as we deserve, who holds onto our sin, who hates his children and expects the world from them. Sometimes I am ashamed to admit that is the mean nasty god I avoid worshipping. I have lost the wonder, the wow, the reality that God is really good."
For the sharp-eyed among you, yes I redid them. Much better now.
Kath: "I wonder how many of us secretly live with the reverse of this God, a God who is uncaring, who is mean, who remembers all our wrong doing, who is quick to anger, quick to be disappointed us, who treats us as we deserve, who holds onto our sin, who hates his children and expects the world from them. Sometimes I am ashamed to admit that is the mean nasty god I avoid worshipping. I have lost the wonder, the wow, the reality that God is really good."
For the sharp-eyed among you, yes I redid them. Much better now.
LWH4 - Psalm 102
28/10/10 11:19
Latest images for the Long Walk Home blog.
Kath: "Think for a moment about all the things that are really long lasting in your life. Think about the things of permanence, things that do not rust, decay, spoil or fade. Think about how long even the most long lasting of those things is. In a world which cynically designs products so they won’t last, in a world of updates every year, in a world that throws away, consumes and has an increasing thirst for more God steps in like an ancient anachronism. "
Kath: "Think for a moment about all the things that are really long lasting in your life. Think about the things of permanence, things that do not rust, decay, spoil or fade. Think about how long even the most long lasting of those things is. In a world which cynically designs products so they won’t last, in a world of updates every year, in a world that throws away, consumes and has an increasing thirst for more God steps in like an ancient anachronism. "
LWH3 - Psalm 101
10/10/10 16:39
Here are a couple of images for the LWH blog piece on Psalm 101.
Kath: "This type of Psalm has a habit of making me squirm."
Kath: "This type of Psalm has a habit of making me squirm."
LWH2- Psalm 100
03/10/10 13:01
Here is the latest batch of images for The Long Walk Home blog. This one is a rather dark reflection on Psalm 100.
LWH1 - How Big Is Your God?
27/09/10 16:49
My mate Kath is kicking off her new blog this week! It is called The Long Walk Home and is starting with a meditation on Psalm 99 entitled "How Big Is Your God?". Here is the linked cartoon. It is about idolatry.
Notes:
Yes, it is a revamp of this cartoon.
Update:
I changed it from the version posted yesterday - this one works much better.
Notes:
Yes, it is a revamp of this cartoon.
Update:
I changed it from the version posted yesterday - this one works much better.
EN81 Grazing/Mining
07/07/10 20:06
Psalm 36:8,9, Romans 11:33 and 1Peter 2:2.
There is a ton of stuff you can digest online - much of it is pretty interesting. You can explore what experts in a variety of fields are thinking and doing minute by minute. The trouble for this Christian was that he ended up listening more to what editors,writers and other artists were saying and less to what his Saviour has said.
In the end, enough is enough. You have to acknowledge that while grazing the surface has some value, the treasures that God has freely given us should be mined regularly - there are abundant riches that will surprise, astonish and ultimately nurture/nourish.
Thanks for the textual assistance: JT, DF, RL, TW.
EN80 Heart Spill
02/06/10 14:39
The recent Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is reportedly the worst eco-disaster in US history. The powerful image of this stuff leaking endlessly into an unsuspecting environment is disturbing to say the least. This is the kind of image that Jesus evokes in Matthew 15 when he talks about the natural condition of the human heart. Though wonderfully made in God's image, we are also capable - and regularly achieve - the most polluting of choices.
And by this, I am not necessarily talking about being some kind of Hitler figure. We often recognise that we let ourselves down in ways that seem surprising. When a person looks honestly at their life they often see that life took some darker turns because of deep-rooted selfishness that they were often powerless to prevent.
The Bible is wonderfully clear on the solution to this issue - there is a theme that develops throughout the Old Testament timeline of people being made 'new' in some special way. This culminates in Jesus Christ, who make the explicit promise to not only 'top kill' the rusty pipe of sin, but also replace the flow with something altogether different - something linked to source and giver of life: God Himself.
EN76 Heart Realities
31/01/10 21:49
Showing some interest in God is often confused with actually being accepted by Him. Fortunately, He is kind enough to fill us in on the heart realities.
EN75 The Son has Risen: let nightmares cease!
07/01/10 07:40
Based heavily on some recent personal experiences, I have been reflecting on how a parent might bring comfort to a child who is having nightmares. From this I began to move further outwards and think what basis is there for any of us being comforted in the face of the ultimate nightmare of mortality and suffering.
Cutting Him out
07/11/09 20:21
Satisfaction and True Peace
07/06/09 20:46
EN56 The 1967 Aborton Act
22/06/08 13:54
The Bible epilogue text can be found here.
It is easy to take up extreme positions when it comes to something like Abortion. Shouting matches don't seem to be the right way forward for true gospel people, so I was interested in hearing the testimony of a woman who I featured in the top part of the strip. I didn't want to rubbish people who choose termination but to reflect the relative gravity of each situation.
EN52 Cutting out God
22/01/08 13:54
The Bible epilogue text can be found here.
This strip uses a quote from one of my regular RE lessons. We were looking at the ten commandments and I was aiming at trying to get the kids to understand what the original meaning for Israel was. It was as if I had started a war or something!
The strip summarises my thoughts on the wisdom of the thinking.
Roughs
EN46 Our days in His hands
01/07/07 13:53
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Apologies for no extra text. I have just fractured my elbow and typing is not as easy as it was.
EN37 Secular Sunday School
01/10/06 13:52
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
One of the regular things I am interested in exploring is the shift from a predominantly pre-war christian worldview to an overwhelmingly modern secular one. This strip pokes fun at the age-old joke among christians that the answer to every sunday school question is 'Jesus'. In a secular age God gets replaced with something else, and Google seems to be doing just that.
Just before doing this strip I had been slightly disturbed by the way in which Google had really achieved a fundamental role in the way I was operating on the web. I began to reflect on the link between the parallels between my online dependencies and greater worldview ones.
I just went for something really simple here with the carpet suggesting the worldview shift. I like dots.
The Zechariah bible text is something I had stumbled on in the early 90s when I had just started at university and was reading this magnificent old testament book. The images keep on reflecting something of God's omniscience and power for a people who were feeling the pinch.
EN34 Three Yellow Cards
01/08/06 13:52
The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Poor old Graham Poll. He was the inspiration for this philosophical debate based on the governing principles of a football match and what happens when you change things at the foundation level. There is a lame literal gag about shifting the goal posts that I just had to stick in there... the big idea here is that if you ditch the absolutes of God you are making a very serious step into relativism.
This was wrongly produced in colour... I thought we'd moved to a regular colour print but was put right soon after by John Benton.
Thanks to Radcliffe and Mike Tindall for their helpful comments online about this. I think I dedicated it to John and Demelza because they had both just moved on from previous ministry positions. Great people, much missed.
EN33 Fooling the Speed Camera
01/06/06 13:52
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
I have been obsessed with these things for ages, and this was a great chance to do something about it. A friend had been asking why it was that we slow down for speed cameras and then speed up after. I reflected on this and made this sequence where a person feels like they have fooled the law. The psalm 10 text makes the point that when it comes to God there is no fooling...
I love this one stylistically. One detail you may not notice is that the circles on the back of the box are actually shut eyelids. The box snoozes while being fooled.
This is based on the speed camera heading towards the marina seafront direction in Brighton. I want to make a film based on this one day.
EN31 Planet Earth: did they plan it?
01/05/06 13:52
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
I really don't know if this point is that obvious, but I will try to explain it...
The Planet Earth series was hugely popular with lavish filming techniques and equipment being used to capture amazing things around the world. The ironic problem (as I saw it) was that while we were being expected to accept evolutionary assumptions about how the world is randomly gorgeous, the end 'making of' section undermines this idea. How can we accept hat the world is the way it is through chance, when that is the last thing that is being used to make the program. It is incredible how purposeful and creative the process is for the filmmakers - sometime spending weeks in a small room with a camera trying to capture a bird or some such creature. After watching the program you are amazed at how deliberate and personal every edit is, but are still expected to see nothing of the creator in the world at large.
I don't know if this is very clear, but at least I tried...
The parallel text and image layout is okay, but I think it actually confuses things. You have to really work hard at spotting the difference. Not happy.
Those are screengrabs from the episode where the elephants are swimming and some guy is chasing something in a helicopter.
EN19 Secular School Dinners
01/04/05 13:50
The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).
Who wasn't moved by Jamie's School Dinners? I loved the way he made the link between dietary intake and the kind of children we are creating. It only follows that in a secular educational system obsessed with grades and levels you produce a form of spiritual blindness.
