Preaching Winter 1994

ARTICLE TOOLS

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We knew it would be risky-inviting our cartoonists to convene in the a LEADERSHIP offices. For years we have laughed each time a batch of their work arrives in the mail, but what would they be like in person? Would they look like their characters? Even more scary, would they look at us and start doodling? It's intimidating to think you might be the inspiration for a cartoon!

But when sixteen people gathered at our offices last June, we found they were remarkably normal. They had families, ministries, and (occasionally) real jobs. And while the convention was filled with laughter, for them their art is by no means a joke. As you read about these pen-sive personalities, you'll see that humor is both a creative outlet and a ministry to those who live with the tension and stress of church life.

Dubbed by his peers as "the dean of LEADERSHIP cartoonists," Rob Portlock began drawing while earning a living as a milkman. Encouraged when his political cartoons were accepted for a local newspaper, Rob wondered if his brand of humor would fit church politics, too. It did--and his zany characters have added spice to LEADERSHIP since its first issue in 1980.

Rob claims it was early morning TV visits with Captain Kangaroo and Saturday morning cartoons that shaped his humor. "Throw in a few trips to the theater to see the Disney classics," he says, "and another 'twisted' cartoonist was born."

Rob lives with his wife, Elaine, and two children in Lake Wildwood, California, in the Sierra Foothills. He is now a full-time artist and has illustrated four children's books. When he's not drawing, Rob enjoys golf and "charging short vacations to my ballooning VISA."

Mary and her husband, Tim, a pastor in a small, southwest Missouri ...

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