Faith is not quite the leap into the dark that many people assume.

It is usually about making a reasonable jump based on trustworthy information. Buying a car or house, meeting up with some new friends from work, following a direction using satnav - all of these are expressions of faith where the ‘believer’ has listened to something and then acted on it.

A student recently asked me about proof and I answered with a diagram which eventually became this cartoon. You can only finally have proof when you have taken the step of faith. You can only be sure of your purchase once you have it in your hands, you know that you believed your friends correctly when they arrived at the place that they had promised.

Similarly, when Jesus promises new life, forgiveness, joy, hope… that he will take up residence in your life with a fresh vibrancy - all of this remains uncertain unless you 1. take in the information (which means mainly absorbing the content of the Bible) and then 2. make faith steps based on it.

My personal experience is that when we listen and then respond to the call that Jesus makes on our lives - THEN he brings proof in His own time in His own way. While I am very happy (and willing) to discuss the trustworthiness of the Bible documents I cannot prove the reality of a living God. That is an experience that is open for you to find out for yourself.

This challenge is both scary and exciting.

Thanks to Mike Tindall for suggesting the text.

Tags: Faith, Evangelism, Father, Grace, Jesus, Joy, Listening, Prayer, Redemption, Repentance, Crisis, Thankyou

From the Long Walk Home blog:I’m continuing to realise again and again that the one thing I really crave is recognition in this life. … I get anxious when this doesn’t happen, I think my life has stopped being meaningful or helpful because no-one has told me that I’ve made a difference, said something useful or specifically pointed out how much they like having me around… I crave the adoration of those around me way too much. I can tell this because when I don’t get it my insecurities threaten to engulf me in a tide of dark thoughts about how useless I am and how no-one will like me.

Tags: Crisis, Joy, Father, Isolation, thelongwalkhomeblog

Lamentations 3v19-24: I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Tags: Crisis, Storms, Repentance, Sin, Devil, Discipleship, Faith, Father, Holiness, Isolation, Friendship, Law, Listening, Prayer, Redemption, Truth/Lies, idols

Originally from Psalm 104.
Commissioned by Scripture Union for the Wordlive site.

Tags: Grace, Scripture Union, Joy, Father

Another short moving image version of illustrations I produced last year.

“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
1Peter 1v24-25

Tags: Crisis, Death, Evangelism, Father, Sin, Wisdom, Youth/Age, thelongwalkhomeblog

So here we go - another experi-mental cartoon using my iPhone apps (for more see this site).

This one is more considered and probably(!) clearer. I wanted to convey the sense of someone who has been redeemed by Jesus and who is now on their way through the door to the other side. It is very simple but in my own mind extremely profound.

Interested in commissioning a similar styled piece? Get in touch.

Tags: Heaven, 3D, Jesus, Faith, Father, Grace, Holiness, Joy, Redemption

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..."

Tags: Father, thelongwalkhomeblog

From the Long Walk Home blog:

"Does technology rule the world? Can it give us what we long for?"

Tags: Father, Technology, thelongwalkhomeblog

Okay so I cheated a little and borrowed from my work on Kath's blog. I did have this other idea which I may yet use but in the end when the time pressure got too much I just did the necessary thing. I really like this one.

Here is 1 Peter 1.

Tags: Faith, Truth/Lies, Crisis, Patience, Father, Death

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.

Tags: Faith, Truth/Lies, Crisis, Patience, Father, Death, thelongwalkhomeblog

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. "

Tags: Faith, Truth/Lies, Crisis, Patience, Father, Death, thelongwalkhomeblog

Here is the latest batch of images for The Long Walk Home blog. This one is a rather dark reflection on Psalm 100.

Tags: Crisis, Faith, Prayer, Jesus, Father, thelongwalkhomeblog

Here are a handful of images for a series of talks on John 17. It was a pleasure to be asked and a pleasure to do it.

Tags: Jesus, Father, Sin, Grace

A wonderful project I have been working on for the last few weeks with AWM is a retelling of the story of Adam and Eve
for Arabic-speakers.



iOS apps...
The story has been designed to be read on the iPhone/iTouch/iPad platform. If you have one of those devices you can download a slightly adapted english translation now! The Arabic version is still awaiting approval from Apple but looks potentially very exciting as a means for communicating the message of grace and hope to seekers in predominantly Islamic culture. Please pray for it's effective use and helpfulness.



Powerpoint for all
A lovely result of this project is that I am free to release a powerpoint version of the english translation to churches/clubs/youthwork groups etc as a tool for communication. Here are the panels:



Please download and use the slideshow if it seems useful to your situation. If you want to print it please get in touch first and if you think it is really useful then please consider a paypal donation. Details are contained on the first and last slide of the presentation.

The download contains both Keynote (Mac) and Powerpoint formats for those who are so inclined.

Tags: thejesuscomic, Judge, Grace, Law, Father, Jesus, Death, Devil

The Bible text is found here.

I was thinking about how Social Networking devices like Laptops and Phones can get in the way of important relationships - especially God.

Tags: Consumerism, Father, Listening, Mobile Phones, Prayer, Sin, Truth/Lies, Twitter

Deuteronomy 33v27: The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (HT: JT)

Once again a parent-inspired cartoon.

Tags: Father, Faith, Jesus

I changed my mind on submitting this for this months' EN. Partly I was really pushed for time and I did most of it in the dark with absurbly minimal amounts of sleep, and partly I did it because I really like this style of work and want to continue pushing it in future work if at all possible.

Anyways - this is a meditation on how I want my hands to be like His hands.

Tags: Jesus, Crisis, Faith, Father, Repentance, Sin

Two illustrations to come out of a message preached by Andy Hickford earlier today on Psalm 27.

Tags: Jesus, Consumerism, Crisis, Faith, Father, Holiness, Prayer, Truth/Lies, Wisdom

The Bible epilogue text can be found here and here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).

Anti Social Behaviour Orders might well be an effective measure for preventing crime, but if you look further back in each persons history, where are the Dad's who provide a loving context for discipline and nurture? The strip points toward God as the ultimate father who can repair the damage.

I like the 'pof' frame as the missile is launched from the Bible.

It is interesting that I got a complaint from one gentleman for the language being used in the title. He felt that it was inappropriate to use sacred references in this way. I had to respectfully disagree - I think that once you get into 'sacred' forms of language you are heading into the direction of holy places, a view that I think the Bible refutes quite heavily in the new testament.

Tags: ASBO, Father, Youth/Age, Wisdom, Sin, Redemption, Adoption, Law

The Bible epilogue text can be found here (you may have to scroll down a bit to find the exact part...).

The story in Luke is known as the 'Prodigal' or lost son. It is about family reunion after some difficult times. This is a slightly different take on that story about something which happened to me. The most helpful thing to say here is that part of the key for me to find reconciliation in the particular situation required letting go of past baggage - hence the bin.

This has very little text for good reason. I think it works well as it is.

Tags: Father, Youth/Age, Redemption, Repentance, Friendship, Crisis, Adoption