Updated 07/08/04

"Pledge" came from a lesson learned the hard way. I'll never forget the fund drive that taught me the difference between reaching a pledge goal and reaching a budget goal. Oh, well, I got a cartoon out of it. Use it to motivate pledgers to follow through after a finance campaign. Or use it to accompany an article during a "catch up" drive when gifts are lagging under budget

Doug says: "Wonder" was inspired by an actual Budget Committee meeting, when we got all excited because the total showed a reasonable figure after many hours of adjustments. Then we discovered we had left off the utilities. Use it to announce the beginning of the budget process, or to announce a seminar on Christian stewardship (families can pull the same boner!)

Doug says: "Older" is a takeoff on one of my PulpiTEARS, when a woman actually said to her pastor, "You know, I believe every sermon you preach is better than the next one." But you've got to be quick to catch that, so I changed the setting. Use it to congratulate a pastor on a birthday or anniversary, or to accompany any promotion of a Senior Adult event.

Doug says: "Remote" came to mind as I listened to my pastor, Dr. Brian Harbour, First Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas, while his outline was projected on a giant screen behind him. Use it to announce a special sermon series or the insertion of a special feature during a sermon, such as a dramatic skit or video.

Doug says: I got this idea one Sunday when I started doodling on the church bulletin, circling every announcement that called for money -- deposits on a singles ski trip, final payment due on a youth camp, ticket sales for a banquet, etc., etc., etc. Use it to illustrate a church paper article about a special project or event that requires deposits or payment. Use it as part of a letter asking for funds for a special project.

Doug says: Not every beautiful voice comes wrapped in a beautiful package. The gender, names and circumstances are changed because it may tend to incriminate me. The event that inspired this one was not the beauty or lack of it, but the awkward facial contortions of a soloist. The solo was fantastic, but it was a lot better after I bowed my head and shut my eyes. This first appeared in a small promotional booklet, "Brother Blotz on the Air," used as a giveaway at a Southern Baptist Convention exhibit of the Radio and Television Commission. Try it as a spot cartoon in your program folder for a choir banquet. Best to use this one with insiders who are secure enough to laugh at themselves.Use it in a light-hearted choir enlistment poster or handbill to emphasize that "You don't have to look like a Hollywood star to be in our choir! It's your voice, your heart, and your faithful attendance that we want!"

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Doug says: This came out of a personal experience when I rounded a corner at our church one day and slammed the brakes just in time. A teenager in a snazzy sports utility vehicle whizzed by the spot I almost was! Illustrate a bulletin item about your parking: Do you need volunteer parking attendants? Do you need members to park at a remote lot on high attendance Sunday? Are you introducing new parking rules? Have you repainted the stripes on the lot? Are do your church members, like mine, need to observe common sense and courtesy? This cartoon can soften the otherwise harsh sounding tone of your announcement. Print it on the cover of a Thank You note to your parking committee. Most office supply stores carry computer forms for note folders that you can print on your own computer.

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Doug says: I drew this for an overhead cell used in a workshop on motivation, but that cell has come in handy for talks on personal public relations, leadership and on how to lead a conference. Think about producing overheads for all your Brother Blotz cartoons. They come in handy to spice up a talk when you are pushed for preparation time. And don't just use them for spot illustrations in your bulletins. Add a brief comment to make a point. For example: Introduce a "Thank You" in your bulletin: "Brother Blotz knows that people can sense sincerity in spite of the slick words and manner of the super salesman. And you know we are sincere when we say..." Promote a Bible study about character or inner beauty: Lead into a pulpit announcement, a poster or a boxed ad about the study with: "Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart. Sincerely, you can learn how to build from the inside out at our study on ..." Print it on the cover of a Thank You note. Most office supply stores carry computer forms for note folders that you can print on your own computer. Begin the message inside with "Sincerely -- no faking -- I want to thank you for the excellent job you did on ..."

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Doug says: This cartoon caption came right out of the mouth of a deacon at the church where I was a minister of education when I began drawing "Brother Blotz." I hung the first copy on the wall of my office at the church. Later, after I used this in a filmstrip collection, I framed the color cell and still have it hanging in my home. Use it to introduce the point that stewardship has two sides. Giving we understand. What we forget about is that we should be stewards of what we keep. An important part of stewardship is management of what God gives.