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GoodBye Blogger

2007-12-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hey all...not sure if anyone comes here...but I'm now running everything through my new website at robwoodrum.com . Click the page above to go there! See yer'!

John 8

2007-12-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

I really love the story told in John chapter eight. I may do something with this.

Ahhhh, the Memories

2007-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Back in my day, Madden was spelled M-A-T-T-E-L.

The Problem of the Fall

2007-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is a quick illustration I did for one of my slide presentations for Sunday mornings. It was a visual representation of what happened to our sense of self-worth after the fall, and how it effects our relationships. I did the thing with Poser and Photoshop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Practicing in Photoshop

2007-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Here's something I did whilst practicing with different brush techniques

new art-typical surfing stuff

2007-10-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

Geez...it's been so long since I've posted anything.

Rabbi Encounters continues with the same chapter...check it out.

Here is a painting I did in Photoshop recently...based on some new things I've learned.

The Latest Rabbi Updates

2007-08-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

I've completed chapter 5 (Surf)...if you haven't seen it lately, you can check it out here.

Now I've just posted the first page of chapter 6 (Needy)...and as usual, I'm really stoked about the different ways I can handle this story. The Story that I'm adapting these vignettes from is so amazing to me...how easily it can be morphed into present day possibilities...which I think is wonderful.

The Story transcends all generational and cultural boundaries...it always applies.

I Remember Fireball XL-5

2007-07-25T10:26:00.001-07:00

I'm too young to remember when this show aired on NBC...but I remember it in syndication. My brother was crazy for it. I do remember fondly the toys we had which were inspired by it. Fireball XL-5 was a Gerry Anderson "supermarionation" puppet show (like Thunderbirds) chock full of rockets, robots and rayguns.

I happened on an episode that had been uploaded to Youtube, and started doodling as I watched. How cool would it be to have a comic based on Fireball XL-5, retaining all the goofy, innocent tech stuff (like viewing things through the "space-ma-scope") but infusing it with a more modern edge?

Anyway...here's what I did.

Psalm 124

2007-07-23T07:33:00.001-07:00

I drew this after reading Ps 124 one morning...and this is what was pictured in my head. I believe it's a good practice to have...visualizing and using your imagination when reading the Scriptures.

I also put this up at "The Illustrated Bible" illustration blog. Check it out when you get some time...there's some really good work by ArtistXero and Tim Barron there as well.

A Few Paintings I've Done Recently

2007-07-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

My poor neglected blog. I wont bore anyone with excuses for not posting more regularly...it's all been said before. Here are a couple of paintings I've been muddling with the last two weeks. I don't get to surf much anymore....but that doesn't diminish my enthusiasm for the sport....hence, these paintings.

This one is called "Azure Drop"...speed painting, done in acrylics on Masonite.

This one was inspired from a photo on Mr. Surf's site...it's of the Jetties during Wilma, I think. Same process, except done on an old piece of plywood found in the garage.

Here's a detail of that same painting...this is probably my favorite section of said painting...although many people seem drawn to the clouds for some reason.

Sky Sharks

2007-06-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is something I did for one of the many sketch groups I've dabbled with....
I just thought I needed something to change the color around here.

Hungry

2007-06-16T11:53:00.001-07:00

*Transcribed from my Moleskine:
day one - Solidarity Fast
Shoeless. That was a bright idea I had at the last minute. Being shoeless is sort of a universal indicator of poverty, isn't it?
I mowed my lawn because my neighbors aren't doing a fast...and they shouldn't have to endure looking at my mangy and unkempt yard. Can't use the fast as an excuse....so I mowed it.
Barefoot.
I had no idea how many sand-spurs are thriving in my yard...it looked so green. As I picked through the little barbs lacing the soles of my feet, all romantic notions of what this will be like have dissipated.
The food issue hasn't really gotten to me yet. I ate a plain piece of bread in the morning, and my portion of the "white glop" (our three day mixture of rice and beans) at lunchtime. It was bland...and didn't fill me up, which I thought was strange. In fact...I was hungry within about an hour and a half after eating it. I would've thought the rice would stick to me more?
The real pain so far comes from my heavy caffeine addiction No coffee...no buzz...no energy...all replaced with a vicious headache.
If I break, it will be over that! What I wanted to achieve is already happening. All day long, my thoughts have been on the poor. All day long I've prayed for them....grieved for them.
I feel no guilt - which is good. The plight of the poor is not my fault, and I'm not to blame for where I was born....but I am one step closer to weeping with the weeping.

my stomach just growled. ugh.
---

Rocky gets out of the boat

2007-05-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Been so busy lately...

I've uploaded another page in Rabbi Encounters, as the detail above shows. I've also been busy working on the details of The Solidarity Fast...which I hope some of you will join me in.

I've been on a quest toward simplicity. Its something only Jesus can do for me...I can't even find the edges of this large blanket of my life, much less fold the thing smaller. I'm trusting Him to lead the way...but I believe I will touch the Divine nature the smaller I can become.

Come O Good King,

teach me intentional humility.

Lead me in the way of small things,

where I might know your greatness.

- St. Robin of Lyonia

Found some old work

2007-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

I dug these up the other day...it was a graphic short story I was working on as a submission to a youth oriented literary publication. I wrote the whole story out, and drew out only two of the pages. I sort of like it still.

I did this back before I knew how to use my computer for most of that stuff...so the washes are done in ink and the lettering was printed off the computer and pasted (with glue stick) to the original art. It's amazing how primitive things were to me then.

'nother update

2007-04-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Another Rabbi Update. So much fun! I also just found out that The Walking Dead, vol 6 has been released....which means I must go fire up my debit card right now. Whoopee!

THIS IS SPARTA!!

2007-04-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

What a fun "art month" it's been. Above is a detail from the latest "It's definitely a calling" comic strip I do for Group Magazine. That was the most fun I've had doing a strip since the Hobbit parody several years ago.

Also...I uploaded a new page to Rabbi Encounters tonight (page 45....on my way to the magic 100 baby!). Chapter five is by far the most fun I've had drawing/writing something in....well....in a loooooong time. Diggin' it! God is so good to me, letting me have such a wonderful life.

Oh yeah...and I have a ComicSpace page now! I'm beginning to be like Dustin...web pages everywhere! (By the way...he's got a great photo uploaded right now...looking for an appropriate caption!)

The Rabbi Gets Wet

2007-04-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

I added another page to Rabbi Encounters (but if you haven't been reading it, you have to start at the beginning of the chapter, so that's the only link I'm posting). So far, this is my favorite chapter. It's interesting to me that this event in the Rabbi's life changes very little when brought into a modern setting. Its absurd no matter when it happens. Its wonderful how unexpected it is.

A lot of artists through the years have illustrated this event...its shown up in a lot of the movies made about His story...but as I think about it....I don't think I've ever seen any depiction of this event where the Rabbi is actually having fun.

I would have had fun. How could you NOT have fun in a situation like this?

I think the Rabbi had a blast. but that's just me.

Brad's new video

2007-04-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

You have to go check out my son's latest video...he makes me laugh!
It's here.

Bradley's Story

2007-03-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

My son Brad is writing a delightful story called "Scone the Rat", which he either intends on illustrating, or turing into a graphic novel. I collaborated with him on one of the sketches...what do you think?

Surf

2007-03-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I've started chapter five over at Rabbi Encounters . This splash page took me a lot longer than I usually try to take on this...but I couldn't help myself. Chapter four, while carrying (what I thought was) an important message, wasn't all that challenging (or interesting) to draw. This chapter, however, is just the opposite. I'm stoked!

I'm also stoked that in the process of trying to drop some poundage, I've been working out my quads...which means my left quad is finally being built back up, and for the first time in two years (since my surgery) I'm not hurting with every step I take! I'm expecting to be able to surf this summer! Now I'm just a little embarrassed that the pain could have been gone a long time ago if I'd have just pushed through and exercised. At least I learned some empathy along the way.

Back From Sabbatical-land

2007-03-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ever since Google took over Blogger in it's conquest of the entire world...logging onto Blogger has become a very difficult challenge for me. I can never seem to remember my gmail account's name...and the password has become case sensetive, and I'm always getting booted.

I feel like an idiot even complaining about it though. Some people had nothing to eat tonight...but I had to try several times to log into my blogging account. *sigh* The things we Americans complain about.

Anyway...I've put up several pages of Rabbi Encounters, and have finally brought chapter 4 to a close. Whew. I'm really excited about starting chapter 5....WOOO HOOO! It's something I've seen in my head for years and years...and it suddenly dawned on me that I could do a Rabbi Encounter strip about it! Fun, fun!

Rabbi update

2007-02-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

I've posted another few pages on Rabbi Encounters. I'm really so stoked at all the good feedback I've been getting on this project. I don't think I've ever had so much fun doing something like this before.

A fun Illustration I got to do...

2007-02-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

Bill Dahl asked for this over at Porpoise Diving Life...and I must say, it was a blast to do! I sure have been enjoying my time off...I just can't even begin to explain how refreshing this has been. I'm not even sure I realized how much I needed this break. God is good!

SuperBowl 41 Puppet Theater

2007-02-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

A tribute to the most conflicted SuperBowl ever:

New Rabbi Encounters page...and a video

2007-01-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

So I shot a video that sort of shows how I go about producing a page for Rabbi Encounters...this page to be exact. Anyway...here it is:

Another page of Rabbi Encounters

2007-01-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Stayed up waaaaaaay too late tonight...but did get something done that's been nagging me.

Page 28 of Rabbi Encounters is up.

My Son's Blog

2007-01-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone who reads this should go and visit my son's blog and leave him an encouraging comment.
http://www.homebodyabroad.blogspot.com/

The movie is entertaining....but it does have some potty humor, so be warned.

From the Archives

2007-01-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

This was an image I did for one of the slideshows I do for my teachings. This was about devouring widow's houses.

Some Stuff of Late

2007-01-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing I did for Bill Dahl who has the Porpoise Diving Life website. He's a really nice guy to talk to on the phone...and he sure has been saying nice things about my art...and even my book.
I also had a nice surprise today when I found that Dean Rankine (a guy whose work in word and art is so moving to me...I love it!) had posted a link to Rabbi Encounters at the Christian Comics forum. Here's a link to what was posted. One post compared my art to Will Eisner's. What a compliment! I need to stick my head in the dryer to shrink it back down!

I hope to have an update done soon for Rabbi Encounters...but with Patty C. in the hospital, a pastor's conference looming and a final for my Group comic due by the 22nd....I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. By the by...please pray for Patty C's healing...and pray it comes SOON!

I've Been Elfed

2006-12-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Go ahead...click the picture....you know you want to.....

Santa's Comin'

2006-12-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a post I did on Sugarfrostedgoodness...the subject was Santa.

Also...my bud Dustin continues his trek:

Be sure to check out Invisiblechildren.com for more info on Dustin's cause

Rabbi Encounters Updated

2006-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well...I updated Rabbi Encounters today...so Zack is one step closer to meeting the Rabbi.

Had a great weekend in J-Ville...but it was awfully sad to see my Colts get spanked so badly.

In other news, Dusty continues his quest for peace in Africa through pumping his legs.

Hope is Rampant

2006-12-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

check this out and help Dustin do good in the world.

Here's another explaination:

Back in 1979

2006-12-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

Back in 1979 I was working in a Spencer Gift store in a mall on the north side of Columbus Ohio. I had been on the shift where I handed out candy canes to passers by, and I had no sense of holiday spirit. I was young, angry and broke. It started snowing that evening when I got off work. Huge, fat flakes that swarmed my '67 Falcon as I plodded through the traffic back to my apartment.
My "stereo" system was an 8-track player with two small speakers "installed" (read, lying there) in the space between the back seat and the rear window. The 8-track player had quit, but the radio still worked. That night, I turned it on and heard a Christmas song like none I'd ever heard before. It was by The Kinks, a cousin band to The Who which came out of the Mod movement in London.
After hearing that song, I went home to my dingy apartment, and rounded up all the colorful junk I could find scattered around the floor, and taped it to the plastic palm tree my roommate had brought home back in the summer. I then walked down to the convenience store and low and behold, they sold Christmas lights in small packs, of which I bought two.
That evening, I sat on the couch squinting my eyes at the lights and garbage I had taped to the plastic palm tree, and hummed the new Christmas song I'd heard as best I could remember it.

So....here it is, The Kinks singing "Father Christmas":

Sketches

2006-12-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

I've rediscovered the practice of sketching. I used to do this all the time, but fell out of the habit many years ago. Last Christmas, Dustin gave me a Moleskine and I've finally started putting it to use. These are the sketches I did whilst watching a really good docu/drama on Discovery called "The Battle for Rome".

Frumptious Pirate

2006-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

If Frumptious my cat were to have her own way, I'm convinced she would surely be a pirate. She just that has way about her.

Heh Heh Heh

2006-12-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

So...I don't normally like to let people know when I'm going to be gone...but next week I'll be in Jacksonville on Sunday, watching the Colts play the Jags. We did this last year and had a blast. Robbie happened to do a random Google search for one of our kids...and an amazing article showed up that none of us had been aware of....

You can read it HERE.

Yet Another Dark Knight

2006-11-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

I did another doodle of Batman for Sugarfrostedgoodness....so I thought I should throw it on this site too. Sorry if you're suffering from Batman overload.

ok...a little more time...

2006-11-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

Here's an entry for a weekly drawing thing I submitted to Sugarfrostedgoodness. The theme was Batman...and, well...how could I resist?

I also updated another page on Rabbi Encounters....for those of you who keep track.

peace!

Busy Busy Busy

2006-11-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

Hey...I'm behind the eightball in all the things that have to get accomplished before the Holiday...so don't expect any more updates this week...I'll try to put up a little "how i do it" thing about my comic for Group next week.

Later

The Rabbi Meets a Short Man

2006-11-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

I've just updated another installment of Rabbi Encounters...hope everyone likes it. This one is a lot of fun...making the modern equivalent and finding another aspect to the radical Rabbi.

orange

2006-11-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

I'm a contributor to an illustration blog called SugarFrostedGoodness....and they issued a challenge this week to do something "orange" themed. This is my fairly literalist interpretation of said challenge.

End of Chapter Three

2006-11-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

I've just updated Rabbi Encounters, and brought "Soap" to it's conclusion. Guess who meets the Rabbi next!

The Wanderer for Wonderwhat on Next Wave!

2006-11-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

Charlie Wear is the publisher of the online magazine Next Wave. Late last night, we found an e-mail from him that informed us that he was going to run an excerpt from The Wanderer For Wonderwhat! How totally cool! You can see it here.
Man....is that ever exciting....it makes me feel almost grown up!

Boy oh Boy Did Those Boys Lose Weight!!

2006-10-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

Heh....the Lardoff goes on. And on. And on.

Hey!

2006-10-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

The ad for my book is up on Next Wave! That's pretty exciting to me.

The Rabbi Updated

2006-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well...the Rabbi is still doing laundry, and getting at the messes of life. What I mean is...I've updated Rabbi Encounters. Just lettin' you know.

The Lardoff...Week Seven

2006-10-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Y'know...I just went back and reviewed...and Luke started at 259, not 258....so keep in mind that he is still down in his weight. Dustin started at 230 even, not 231. Me and numbers don't get along.

New Cover Art for Rabbi Encounters

2006-10-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I just redesigned the cover art for Rabbi Encounters. I hope it doesn't throw anyone that it is full color, while the main body of the strip is done with just two or three colors. I had a lot of influence from N.C. Wyeth on the sky in the background. Maybe I'll put up a walk through on how I did it if anyone is interested.

Honor and Ashes

2006-10-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

For a while now I've been mulling over an idea for a WWII webcomic called "Honor and Ashes". It would be a fictional account of one man's journey through the ETO, from Normandy to the end of the war.
Anyway...here are some old sketches I did on that theme.

Lardoff Number Six

2006-10-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well...things didn't go exactly as planned this week. We had to improvise a bit...but being the troopers we are, committed to fitness all the way...we found a way to declare our collective weights.

2006-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

I went to Jacksonville over the weekend. A much needed break! My son is on the "crew" team at JU, and they had a regatta on Saturday morning. What is the crew team? It's that bunch of ivy league types who row those low to the water boats competitively.

They blocked off a road down from the university, and all the spectators could watch the race from the vantage point of a bridge.

It was a beatiful day...and I snapped a photo with my phone that didn't do the day justice...so I did a photoshop painting of it to try and gain the feel of the moment. This is my son Bradley's boat, cutting through the water, gliding past us under a bridge and into the morning mists.

We also went to the JU football game, which was awesome. JU won it in a last minute heroic effort made by the defense. WOOT! This is my beautiful wife and two of my georgeous children.

Old Watercolors

2006-10-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

I remember living in Indiana, and the way the fall felt then. Something about the crisp, cool air and tumbling leaves in the wake of a car. I really loved dabbling in watercolors back then...haven't picked them back up for years...but I think I will. I found this old watercolor drawing of a road we used to drive on.

The Rabbi Expounds on Soap

2006-10-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

I uploaded another page of Rabbi Encounters today. I wish I had more time to spend on this project...I really love every aspect of doing it.

Sooo huuuuungry......

2006-10-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Haven't updated for a while...my computer's video card gunked out on me, so I'm on a loner. Anyway...the Lardoff proceeds...

Stations of the Cross

2006-10-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

A while ago I was working on a project about the stations of the cross...I started doing it as a sort of "protestant" version, leaving out the completely extra-Biblical stations, and adding one for the resurrection. Anyway...here are the first three of them. I believe art like this is vital for us as Christians to meditate on the wonder of what Christ did for us.

Jesus is condemned to die

Jesus carries His cross

Jesus falls under the cross

Crud. Lardoff, week four

2006-10-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

I did terribly this last weekend. I'm going to have to get a grip on my pasta issues. *sigh*

More Urlacherism

2006-10-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

Heh heh...obsesive, aren't we?

Monsters of the Midway

2006-10-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well...yesterday was a great day for me when it comes to football! Both my favorite NFL teams are now 4-0. I was really surprised by the performance of the Bears...wow. So..in honor of the mighty Bears BIG D...I did a Photoshop drawing of Urlacher the Barbarian.

Rabbi Encounters

2006-09-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

I just put up a new page to chapter three of Rabbi Encounters . Rabbi Encounters is a project I have so much passion for...I just wish I had more time for producing it. I love taking the stories of Jesus and re-thinking them into a modern context...it's a lot like what I do when I teach. Somehow...seeing the woman at the well as a "goth" chick...and the well as a Laundromat...I don't know...for me, it's breathing new life into the story itself. Not that God's word needs new life...that's not what I mean....maybe I mean breathing new life into me as I see this from a new perspective.
It's fun trying to imagine how an encounter with the Rabbi Christ went down.

subliminal message....

2006-09-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Lardimus Maximus

2006-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

So...the saga continues. Sigh.

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

2006-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Does anyone really care? So I'm reading an album review about the Yeah Yeah Yeah's latest in Paste magazine. (Not that I'm cool enough to read Paste on my own, my daughter Jessica brought it home to me from a Sufjan Stevens concert)
Anyway...the reviewer says that the Yeah Yeah Yeah's are his favorite group to come out of the "aughties". He just writes it like that, as though I'm supposed to understand...which at first I thought it was a typo...then I put it together.

THIS is the aughties. We're livin' in it! The Urban Dictionary proves it, by quoting a USA Today article which uses this term in describing our present decade.

Think of it. Four years from now, VH1 will be doing shows called "I love the Aughties"!

Honestly, I'm really glad to know this, as is my wife. When I informed Robbie that we were living in the aughties, her countenance brightened, and she said "Good, I always wondered what we were supposed to call this...I knew it wasn't 'the thousands' because that sounds weird."

I'm going to call the next decade "the Deca's".....just a little heads up.

Surf Art

2006-09-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

About two years ago I went through a phase where for a week straight I just started painting these small, 11x14 or so, paintings of surf. I really enjoyed that...and I keep promising myself that I will carve out some time to do that again soon.

The Great Lard Off...week 2

2006-09-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this is getting brutal. I'm still not sure those scales are accurate.

Cleaning House

2006-09-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

So...Robbie and I went to work cleaning up my office/studio today...and three hours later, we completed our mission. During the purge, we went through a pile of old pieces of artwork I'd done back in the mid-80's. So....I may post some of them now and anon.
Here's a pen and ink drawing of a loon from a time I was convinced I wanted to be a wildlife artist. (as always, click on the image to see a larger version)

And then there was the time I was sure I wanted to be an illustrator who specialized in airbrush art.

Some of the stuff I found from back then made me quite nostalgic. It's nice to have a record of where you've been...somehow it makes today so much more meaningful.

work-a-day world

2006-09-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

So...even though I do exactly what I really want to do in life, draw and teach...sometimes it still gets frustrating seeing the same view all the time, as I'm here in my work space. No matter what, we humans are prone to weary of our environment...never seem to be quite settled. I think there's a reason for that.
Anyway...this is my mess o' desk:

Evangelost

2006-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

I read the book F.A.Q. (Frequently Avoided Questions) by Chuck Smith Jr., and chapter 4, "Do I Have To Sell God?", really struck a chord with me...and I drew this cartoon, which I posted on a few other message boards, but hadn't done so here.
Behold:
You see...that has always been a sticking point with me, ever since I left the church as I'd known it. Why do we treat something as important as the gospel like a salesman trying to get commission on unloading a timeshare? We've lost the basic meaning of the gospel...which is relational from beginning to end (relationship with God restored, relationship with mankind empowered). We've seen the message of Christ as something we need to get people to buy into, instead of doing what the gospel says, and loving people as a demonstration of the gospel's reality, and allowing that to be the introduction of our faith.
I'm not saying there is no place for sharing through words the truths we believe in, but I AM saying that there are natural ways in which those truths come to light, where we as Christians aren't under the unnatural pressure to formulate the right come-back or question to clinch the deal!
Clearly, I have a strong opinion about this. It's my blog....I'm allowed.

Lard Off

2006-09-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

So...we had our staff meeting today. Staff meeting, you say? Yes...believe it or not, we actually get together and try to figure out what we're doing. Today, we also implemented something else...the great Eastgate Ministerial Lard-Off.
Behold:

Five Years Ago

2006-09-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning watching the memorials which were televised, and also watching MSNBC's re-broadcast in real time of that fateful morning. Along with everyone else who was awake, I have a crystalline memory of that morning. Not just of the events as they unfolded on my TV, but also the emotions which battered me like getting caught in the impact zone of an overhead wave and tumbled. Thoughts of my kids at school, were they safe? Wondering what this meant. I remember that stunned silence when the second tower fell, and in that moment which seemed to teeter on the abyss of a loss of reason, Peter Jennings quietly breathing "My God."
I remember what flashed through my mind....the Scripture that just popped up....
and its interesting that with a few minimalist brushstrokes, I can convey an image of that which everyone would recognize. Something which would have just looked like an odd abstract on Sept 10th, 2001.
I also remember that even in that day of despair, there were glimpses of good that echoed back to God. The startling images of people running in terror away from that scene of devastation...but also the images of another group of men, grim with determination, who were walking TOWARD that storm. Heroes who, for that glorious moment, reflected the heart of The Hero, and reminded us that there WAS and IS hope. I remember seeing angels.

Five years later. May God grant peace on earth.

Pollock!

2006-09-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

There's this wonderful site I like to visit when I need to clear my mind...called Jacksonpollock.org . Sometimes I have to be careful that I don't spend too much time there, because for me, it's downright addicting.
Here's something I did there (after cropping and embelishing slightly in Photoshop)

Toys on my shelf

2006-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have this Batman action figure that sits on the shelf opposite my desk...and the lighting was just right the other day...so I drew this from it (pen and ink-photoshop colors). I'm sorry, I like Batman.

Zombies are tricky

2006-09-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

The thing about zombies is...when using them for an allegory for the Gospel, it's important not to get too obvious. Zombies are not subtle by nature, and working with them tends to elicit the urge to move toward obvious conclusions. As I'm pondering the storyline (I probably won't write it out first, but let it develop page by page), I think I need to reign in the allusions a bit.

I started toying with the idea of doing the story in rhyme...like a children's book. Not sure I'm up to that time-wise though.

Anyway...here's another sketch, done in pen and ink. (click on it to see large version)

Zombie Island

2006-08-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ok....so I haven't posted in a while. Things were a bit emotional last week, having dropped the Jelly Bean off in Jacksonville. We've been talking every day on the phone, and that helps...and Robbie and I seem to be doing fine with the house to ourselves...especially since the other two kids have been hanging with us regularly. It's a good, smooth transition.

There's this group of Christian comic artists who are going to put together an anthology of comic work called "Parable" , and I'm planning on submitting a project of my own. I was going to do another chapter for "Rabbi Encounters"....but upon further thought, I came up with another idea. It's going to be called "I Was Born on Zombie Island"...and will be a pretty straightforward allegory.

Here's a sketch I did in Photoshop of the main character (click on it to see a larger version):

College is exciting

2006-08-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

College is an exciting event...if you're a student. Not so much if you're a parent, waving goodbye to the light green Honda, which carries your son, as it disappears around the corner of your street. Then college is a monster who steals babies.

Bradley left for Jacksonville this morning. Janelle leaves Wednesday.

After that, Robbie and I get the house to ourselves. No more messes trailing down the hallway...no more toothpaste on the main bathroom's mirror. No more shouting matches and loud music late at night. No more wild stories of adventures lived throughout the day.

Just peace, and quiet, and tidiness.

Don't get me wrong. Robbie and I had Jessica 9 months after we were married. From that moment on, our great focus was on child-rearing. Not that we didn't take time for ourselves, we did, and our relationship is close and deep. It's just that this is going to be new. Apart from those first nine months (where Robbie was puking or sleeping, and I was working 12 hour days)...we haven't had the house to ourselves. It's just a mystery ahead of us...an adventure.

Anyway...here's what I drew:

Abraham and the stars

2006-08-18T11:52:00.002-07:00

I'm uploading TWO drawings today...because I was working on my multi-media presentation for Sunday, and I needed a drawing of Abraham...so I did this.

No Flesh Shall Survive

2006-08-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about some video game that was released in the 90's about a king who looked like Rasputin, who returned to his homeland and overthrew the usurpers who took his throne...and I was thinking about how much that parallelled the Christ story, at least the eschatological parts of it...and I was thinking about the tag-line for the game's ads which said "No Flesh Shall Survive"....and how that's really what the spiritual war is all about right now, the death to self, the eradication of "flesh's" control.....
and I sketched this in Photo shop, (with a little help from Poser):

....and I think it would make a great album cover for a Hardcore band.

it's early

2006-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Morning comes too early sometimes.

Speaking of Billy

2006-08-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm not doing a drawing a day, I have more time to do drawings. Here's one of Billy Graham I did in 15 minutes.

Aiming lower

2006-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ok....so my daughter thinks that a drawing a day is over-reaching on my part, because I rarely follow through with those kinds of things. She's right. I quit. But I still have a drawing (or rather a cartoon) that I did yesterday in response to a thread on The Ooze that links to an article on Billy Graham. He's mellowed a lot in old age, and has questioned some things lately that has made him the target of at least one blogger who calls himself an "anti-cult discernment ministry".....and that description got me thinking...

Nothing happens like I want it to

2006-08-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

So...I had these great plans for cutting up my Ireland trip into instalments and Youtubing them weekly for your enjoyment....but then my camera quits working, so I can't capture the stupid footage. Feh.

Group magazine is going to start running a bio of me, including a picture, on the page I do my strip. That's pretty exciting...to me at least.

I was looking at another artist's blog-site, and he is posting a drawing a day...and I think I may do that too, in a blatant act of idea theft. But it's a good exercise really...and I need to exercise, because I'm overweight. heh.

Ok....so here's my drawing for today! Daniel was looking over my shoulder and I asked what I should draw...and he said "a funny bananna." He also instructed me that funny banannas do not have noses....ever. They also have arms only...that makes them funny.

Finally Getting Around to the Ireland Trip

2006-07-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

So...a few months ago, Kirby C. and Scott M. took Riley and me to Ireland, and it was a blast. Here is the first installment of the video I shot whilst there .

Adventures in an alien world

2006-07-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

I went to a catholic church Sunday morning. In all of my experiences with church et al, this is the first time in my life that I’ve experienced the Catholic Mass. I went with an open mind and a more open heart, in search of Christ in the midst of these people whose religion is my own, but whose traditions are as foreign to me as an alien world.

All in all…I must confess I was rather disappointed. For the first time in a long time, I experienced a complete disconnect. Not only were the rituals intimidating, but the total lack of explanation left me in the dark. I watched…and watched is the operative word…with great fascination the procedures and liturgies, which I know extend way back through history, but they didn’t do it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to make an overall assessment about the Catholic Church. I looked around and watched the faces I sat among, and I have no doubt there are people who genuinely find meaning and substance, a touching of Christ in the mass.

Maybe it has to do with my upbringing, my Evangelical/Charismatic background, but I think my heart is the heart of a reformer. Not theologically…not at all….but practically. I crave more than anything else a simplifying of our faith, a stripping down to raw essentials this trust in an invisible Hero. That isn’t to say that I find all liturgy offensive. Fact is, I went to a Methodist church the Sunday before, and it wasn’t too different from the Catholic experience, just minus the statues. But there was a certain thrill I experienced in the congregational recitation of the Apostle’s Creed. So I’m not against liturgy in general…but it has to connect somewhere to my heart.

Anyway, I guess I’m just rambling about my experiences. What I came away with was a renewed determination to not only continue my quest for simplicity…but to be cautious to explain, and explain again all the procedures we do ascribe to, so it never becomes too familiar, and doesn’t exclude the inquirer who happens to be among us.

Simplify, clarify and include.

Road Trip

2006-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Took a road trip with my brother (Riley) yesterday. We went up to Defuniak Springs to visit my mom's old property and my mom and dad's graves. It was good to reminisce like that with him. As touching our immediate family, he and I are all that is left. My mom and dad are gone...and there was just the four of us to begin with. I was thinking about all the stuff my dad accomplished while he lived. It's an odd thought that right now, the only tangible connection he has with this earth is what he left behind. He himself is no longer here...but there is a residue of his presense, in our memories of him, in the lives he touched while here, in the thoughts he recorded on tape and on paper.

It makes me really wonder about what residue I'm building up to leave behind when I depart. I want to make a difference.

Perchance to Dream...

2006-05-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, does God speak to us in dreams?

I don’t know. Or maybe I should say, I don’t know if He speaks to ME in dreams. I want Him to. I want to believe that He has directed me at crucial times in my life, and given me wisdom and direction to the point that a whole community of believers has gathered as a result of that wisdom.

I have had several…not many, but several dreams that I have carried around with me through my life.

One was a dream I recounted in the story “The Wanderer for Wonderwhat”…it was a dream about a religious machine.

I had a dream that helped me to understand my calling…if it was from God, that is. It was exciting, with man-eating wolves and a crooked staff that became straight…and all kinds of stuff like that, but it’s sort of private to me, so I won’t go into that one.

I dreamed about my mother’s death, six months before it happened, and the imagery of that dream foretold the circumstances and result of her passing, and it helped me through that pain in huge ways. I really hope that one was from God.

I dream every night.

Only a few dreams through the years have haunted me with that lingering sense of awe, where I wake up sort of like Jacob, wondering if there was a ladder to heaven nearby while I slept.

About a year and a half ago, I had this really strange dream. It still haunts me, especially in light of the recent trembling in the movement I’m associated with.
How do you retell a dream and capture the esoteric nature of all the feelings it produced?
I don’t know.

How about this? How about an addendum to Wanderer’s story?

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chapel

The Wanderer was sitting in a small, unadorned and crudely built chapel. Around him on the rough wooden benches sat crowds of people, all of whom he was familiar with, but a few of which were close friends. They sat, captivated by the sound of a choir made up of children who were singing a melody that thrilled the soul, and at the same time pushed tears from the edges of the eyes.

When their song was complete, the Wanderer stood up, as though getting ready to address the people present, but he was interrupted by a group of men wearing suits, one of which carried a briefcase. Marching to the front of the chapel, they announced,
“We have some things to straighten out. You may not like this, but it’s for the good of everyone involved.” With that, the man with the briefcase came to the front and with a flourish, set it on the floor and opened it. From inside, he pulled a wooden mask, carved with the face of a devil, with two long goat-horns protruding from the top.

The Wanderer shifted uncomfortably in his chair. This was very curious behavior, he thought.

The man with the mask held it before his face and announced, “This is the Devil, and this is what he’s trying to do here!” With that, still holding the mask before his face, he began to dance in front of the children who had been singing, making frightening noises and mimicking an attack on them.

The hair stood up on the Wanderer’s neck, and a rage at this intrusion and foolishness filled his stomach. He began to rise to his feet, but in the next instant, he was sitting again, and several rows to the rear of where he had been. The Wanderer turned to the person next to him and asked what had happened.

“You don’t remember? Are you serious?”

“Yes, very serious. How did I get back here?”

“You’re saying you don’t know what you just did?”

The Wanderer’s blood turned to ice. “No…what did I do?”

“While we were being warned about the Devil, you stood up and grabbed that mask from the man, broke the horns off and shouted to the children ‘This is not the devil, this is a show put on by men trying to control you!’ With that, they ordered you to sit down and remain quiet, and threatened to throw you out of this chapel. So you walked back here and sat down. You really don’t remember this?”

“No…” The Wanderer’s voice trailed off. The men in the front had pulled a stack of folders from the briefcase, and began to read off the points of a legal document, outlining what it meant to be a church, but that isn’t what had caught The Wanderer’s eye. He saw something that caused a chill to run up his spine and erupt in a gasp.

It was the children.

They were leaving. Forming a line, a procession, walking with their right hand on the shoulder of the one in front of them, they began to slowly march from the front of the chapel to the rear, exiting through the door.

As they went, they sang ever so softly, “All I want to do is trust Him, All I want to do is love Him.”

The Wanderer broke. He doubled over in a deep weeping. The person next to him tried to quiet him, patting him on the back, whispering “Shhh, what’s the matter with you?”

The Wanderer looked up at him in amazement. “Don’t you see?” he said, gesturing toward the procession of children.

“See what?” The person said, looking in the direction The Wanderer had pointed. The Wanderer searched the person’s eyes, trying to understand if he really couldn’t see what was happening.

“What are you seeing?” the person said, a look of concern crossing his face.

The Wanderer sat up and grabbed the person by the shoulders, his eyes a torrent of rushing tears and through clenched teeth announced:

“We are losing our innocence.”

The Wanderer awoke with a start, his face moist, his nose running. He stared at the ceiling fan, wondering what had just happened. With the back of his hand he wiped his eyes, rolled over to look out the window at the moon, and began to pray.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Dreams are weird things. Burritos and onions are often the seeds from which they sprout.

I wish I knew for sure that God speaks through dreams to me. It would be awfully nice to know.

Ah, I remember me

2006-05-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

Of all places, I ran into him again at the train station in Dublin. I thought I had been catching glimpses of him, hiding behind trees and fences, ducking behind a parked bus here and there, but this time he came out in full view.
I stepped off the train in Heuston Station and took a full breath of that strange, train station air, and he stepped right up to greet me.

“Hello again.”

“Hello. Been a long time. Where’ve you been?”

“You’re not an easy man to reach. Routine and responsibility…you have a secretary that keeps you on schedule you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So….where ya’ staying tonight?”

I looked around the unfamiliar station, taking in the sights of crowds of strangers moving through the filtered light coming from the skylights overhead. I listened to the soft murmur of conversation and the echoing hiss which ebbed and flowed through that cavern of concrete and brick. My eyes swept over the signs which read in English and in Gaelic, and tried to figure out which direction to go to find the front entrance of the station.

Outside that station was an unfamiliar city. My friends and I had a minimalist plan. Find a place to stay, find a place to eat, get some sleep then find the airport and a flight out to Scotland.

We had no advanced bookings in this city, no reservations, not even a map or a tourist guide. Just the thrill of the adventure and the hunt. Just the wonder of discovery along the way, with the results left to unfold on their own, not dictated and predetermined.

“Don’t know where we’re staying,” I looked at him and winked, “aint it cool?”

“It’s about time.” He said, his face lit with a smile that stretched his face. He put out his hand for me to take. I reached out, but paused as I looked back at him.

“I’ve missed you, I really have.” I said, and took The Wanderer’s hand as we went off in search of the front door.

Yeah. It was a good trip, all in all.

Off to the land of Blarney

2006-05-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this morning, Scott M., Riley, Kirby K. and I are jumping on a plane and heading out to Ireland. We'll arrive in Dublin @1 am our time, which is 7am their time. Yeesh.

I won't lie, I'm not a good traveler. I'm already homesick, and I'm still home waiting for the guys to pick me up. I know this will be a great trip and I'm really appreciative that they are taking me with them, so now I just have to convince my stomach of that.

I'll keep my eyes open for what the Lord can show me on this trip (besides the obvious, longing for home analogy...c'mon.). I was hoping I'd find some Oozers who hailed from Ireland...but my inquiry along those lines yielded no results. In fact...my search for anything Irish and emergent brought very little information my way. Maybe I should consider being a missionary to Ireland.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ho ho ho heh heh heh ha ha ha.
Heh. *sniff* Heh.

That was rich.

Anyway...pray for us if you happen to read this. My plans are to upload a few vids to youtube whilst there...but you know how that goes, the best laid plans, ect.

So...explaining stuff, webcomic, stuff along those lines will be on hiatus for the next ten days.

Sees ya' (which sounds like "seizure" when said correctly)

Rob

Explainations about explaining stuff

2006-04-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

OK...I'm really late in trying to update anything here. I've had a wedding, counseling stuff...plus I'm jamming to get ahead of things before I leave for Jacksonville this weekend, and Ireland next week. Yeesh.
I'll take my vid cam and try to do some vlogging from over there...but it probably won't be answering any of the really great questions that have been posted. I will get to those by the by.

On another note...Copper just updated. It always makes my day to read a new instalment of Copper. As a cartoonist, there are things that really grab me and inspire me and slap the back of my brain in that strip.
One such moment, as I was reading this latest instalment, was this:

Those two panels are brilliant. No...beyond brilliant. Maybe you have to be cartoonist to see it, but I hope not.

It's possible that Kazu Kibuishi will sue me for posting this...but that's another thing I'm hoping against.

You should read Copper, and eagerly await it's updates like I do. Then we could sit around and chat about some of the subtler meanings of his strips, and appreciate the fact that Kazu must be a surfer to be able to capture the feel of waiting in the line up like he did.

Anyway, you should also read my web-comic if you don't already. I may end up taking some flak for the latest chapter....but I hope not.
It may be on hiatus whilst I'm away...but it will return.

The British Reading Guy

2006-04-12T13:29:00.002-07:00

As promised....more stuff is explained.

Web Presence Update

2006-04-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've just recently realized (read: Robbie just rolled her eyes and told me) that I have several different web-oriented projects going, and I need a place to park the links to them.
Hence,robwoodrum.com has been launched.
There are links from there to my online comic strip "Rabbi Encounters", as well as a link to this blog....
oh yeah...and there's a link to the book "The Wanderer for Wonderwhat". I self-published it through Lulu (I should say Robbie self-published it). It's the same story that appeared here on my blog, but now it's concise and has illustrations that accompany it. It also has the Didache paraphrase that appeared here as well.

Anyway...that's just an update. Back to work for me.

Creativity

2006-04-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

here is the second of my video-blogs

Rob Woodrum Explains Stuff-video

2006-04-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I've started vloging. (video-blog). click the play button in the thumbnail to watch. (hint: once you click play, hit pause and let the video load, it saves having to watch the thing hang during playback)

The Untouchable

2006-03-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

click the image to see it bigger.

Another Project

2006-02-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

I’m working on a graphic novelette…a telling of "the passion" in comic book form. I’m calling it Deus Fortis, and right now, I’m thinking of doing it with no word balloons at all, no real dialogue or narration…just the pictures telling the story. (Though there is at least one panel where I think I’ll be putting the direct quote from the gospels in the background of the scene…so there may be some stuff like that).
Anyway…here’s page one, black and white. (click on it to see it bigger)I may color this before its all over.
Whaddya’ think?

2006-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

"Faith is the mother of us all; with Hope following in her train, and Love of God and Christ and neighbor leading the way. Let a man's mind be wholly bent on these, and he has fulfilled all the demands of holiness; for to possess Love is to be beyond the reach of sin." - Polycarp

When tax day rolls around this April, it will mark the 11th year that's passed since I agreed to take on the responsibility of being a pastor among the people of Eastgate.
In all those years, I think I'm safe in saying I've never been accused of being harsh or legalistic in my approach to leadership. At least...It's never happened to my face, no one has ever tried to correct this in my life. I can only hope it's really true. I can only hope that I haven't done more harm than good, which has been my biggest fear and concern for 11 years now.

What I have been accused of, quite regularly and as recently as last Sunday, is of being unbalanced when it comes to grace. I can't even remember how many times very well meaning people have come to correct me about teaching on grace and God's love too much. I usually point out that I preach through the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. If there is an over-emphasis on grace, I don't think that's my fault, I think we need to take that up with the Author.

You know what else is interesting? I've never heard anyone say "I'm worried I'll just walk away from Jesus if you keep talking about how He loves me." No. It's usually being worried about other people that brings out their complaint. "I'm just worried that people will think they can live however they want if you keep emphasizing grace so much."

"But what about you? Does it make you want to go wild in sinful behavior when you hear that Jesus loved you so much He gave up everything for you, to rescue you?"

"No, but I know what my responsibilities in life are, I'm worried about those who think they can live any way they please because they're saved by grace and not works."

"Have you met these people? Is there someone specifically you're worried about?"

"NO, I'm just thinking of weaker Christians."

"The little people, who don't know any better, whom the Holy Spirit doesn't lead without our interference?"

"Don't get sarcastic...there's no need for that. You don't think we have a responsibility to watch out for each other...or for a leader to point the way?"

"I do, very much so. But I firmly believe if you teach a Christian who he is, the life will take care of itself. Of all the lifestyle choices you're concerned about, do you think the restraint is important, or the motive for restraint?"

"I don't understand what you're saying?"

"If you gave a Valentine's card to your spouse that said 'Because we're married, and it's my duty, I haven't slept with anyone else. Here's the card it's my responsibility to provide.' How well would that go over? How would that promote a deeper relationship?"

"So, you think it's ok for someone to just keep on in sin, say fornication, until they desire to stop?"

"Ok? You're talking as though I stand up and say 'Go out and sin it up!' every week. My teachings are all recorded, they're online...I'm up for a challenge. Can you find any time when I've ever said 'It doesn't matter how you live' or 'Do whatever you feel like, God doesn't care.'?! I have said, and will continue to say that God loves us despite our sin, and doesn't love us less because of sin, but if we choose sin how can we really be loving Him? But if a love for Christ is not what constrains us, then it really doesn't matter either way. If we modify our behavior just for the sake of religious duty, it's just as far from righteous as the overt act of sin. Both overt sin and religious behavior dismisses a love for God...but the danger is that one of those is acceptable to men and assumes a position of righteousness. I say LOVE GOD like He loves YOU, and behavior will take care of itself."

"................so, are you saying you don't think fornication is a sin?"

"sigh."

And there are times when, for all the joy and wonder of being in an honest community, I still want to just curl up in a ball and go to sleep. Or hand the keys to someone else and just sit on the beach and not talk.

"... for to possess Love is to be beyond the reach of sin."

something's coming

2006-02-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

and it's very close...

Check this out!

2006-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Have you been to Dustin's blog lately? He's got a great video interview posted there. It's classic...really gets you thinking!
You can find it here

what I've been workin' on

2006-02-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

Here's an illustration that will be in my self-published book "The Wanderer for Wonderwhat"

it's a pretty poor rez copy...but you can get the idea

a true story

2006-01-12T13:24:00.001-08:00