Contemplative Comics day 14

One post-COVID return to normalcy I am not looking forward to.

Contemplative Comics day 13

I miss Church in the Garden. I have never felt more comfortable teaching the scriptures. I have also never felt more vulnerable. If ever there was a crowd of people who could see right through you, it was there.

I love that.

I remember preparing a message one time, hoping it would bring some kind of peace and comfort, and simultaneously feeling like I was totally full of crap. That is a thrilling place to be.

The lives of the displaced and distressed are full of chaos and boredom and stress. Constantly navigating the bureaucracy of welfare, Social Security, the court systems, the various requirements of non-profits, and finding a place to go to the bathroom without getting arrested. All under the public eye of scrutiny and judgment.

The idea of serving people stuck in these conditions is noble and romantic. The reality, less so. I used to clean up needles on the other end of the church building before Sundays so the kids wouldn’t stumble across them. Once at the church I was working at, the pastor and I walked out of the building and a guy had his pants down and was dropping a deuce right there in our courtyard in the middle of town. A guy we had a relationship with. This guy liked us!

But where is he supposed to go to the bathroom? (well, the more heavily wooded area on the other side of the building would’ve been better, but you get the idea).

For a time, the self-sufficient and wealthy members of churches will tolerate these folks and enjoy the novelty of their presence—even in the face of some of the challenges they present. But there always comes a time when the growth of the church becomes a serious concern. It seems like welcoming street folks is usually the first thing to go when that happens.

It’s one of the wonderful things about Church in the Garden. The welcome never really wears out.

-Dease

Contemplative Comics day 9

One of the best forms of spiritual contemplation is menial tasks. Mowing the grass. Digging a hole. Filling in a hole. Placing bricks. Washing dishes. Folding laundry.

Reading Brother Lawrence really transformed those acts for me. So much of my day is filled with intellectual work, which is really hard to turn off. Labor creates space for my mind to be free. To simply BE.

Drawing actually is the same way to a degree. Once a comic is written and the layout is complete, the drawing simply happens the way a carpenter drives a nail.

Contemplative Comics day 8

Things have been rough with this little girl lately, but my goodness I love her so much.

Contemplative Comics day 7

I was pulled aside by several people and told that this was the best message I had given.

But at this point, I was mostly unable to accept that I was doing anything well.

Contemplative Comics Day 5

The world needs more Great British Baking Show right now.

Contemplative Comics Day 4

Since I made this comic, this reflection “Every Life Is A Sacred Space” has been a regular part of my prayers. Especially in dealing with difficult people and students. I would raise myself up above those who haven’t figured things out as well as I have, just as I lower myself under those who I think have figured out things better that I have.

Sorting people by their achievements and their mental or spiritual health is a ridiculous and destructive way to live.

Sorting people at all is counter to the Gospel.

All is grace.

However, I must say that I don’t mean Every Life Is A Sacred Space in the same way that some people say All Lives Matter (which is strangely used as a rebuttal when folks have to remind those of us in places of power, safety, and privilege that Black Lives Matter).

I am making a theological statement that every person we would cast aside as irrelevant, unimportant, or unholy was made in the image of God, to be in community with God, for the glory of God. As such, we dishonor the image of the Living God when we dishonor our enemies and neighbors. People such as Fr. Greg Boyle and his work with Homeboy Industries, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, Dr. James Cone, Bishop Richard Allen, and so many others (a surprising number of Catholics now that I think of it) have helped to teach me this.

Every Life Is A Sacred Space.

Black Lives Matter.

-joshua.

Contemplative Comics Day 3

Since I posted this we would go on to see abuse stories pouring out across the spectrum of Christian churches and denominations.

This is one of my attempts at capturing what its like to wrestle with tragedy happening in the world while living a life far removed from the suffering that is still full of monotonous responsibilities. Weirder still, being happy with friends and family while knowing that so many are suffering. I always feel so silly with my guitar and microphone singing repetitive little songs about God’s love after something like Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico or witnessing someone murdered by a car plowing into protesters in my news feed.

It is wrestling with these realities that caused me to make these comics in an attempt at living a life of contemplation + action.

Contemplative Comics

CONTEMPLATION + ACTION

From August 2018 through January 1st, 2019 I began a practice of making daily comics as an act of contemplation.

Celebrations of moments. Remembering things to be grateful for later. Meditating on scripture. Wrestling through difficult events and pain. Learning the art of contemplative prayer.

I took crude pictures and posted some of these, but I have never edited them and presented them in their entirety. So from now until January 1st, please enjoy these contemplative comics.