Hi John!

Hi Everyone!

Things are so busy with NakedPastor.

I can’t believe things are growing the way they are.

It’s a lot of work.

But… is it work? I’m having so much fun doing what I love.

It took me a long time, lots of courage, and lots of risks, and a lot of struggle.

In other words, I’ve gone through a lot of sh*t to get here.

We’ll talk about that in a minute.

DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK

Gardners say manure is great for tomatoes.

But I think it ruins the sandwich.

CARTOON OF THE WEEK

“The Compost of Your Life” resonated with so many people this week.

I talked about how manure enriches the soil.

Compost is a mixture of manure and other degradable products that makes the soil more fertile.

I compare that to our lives.

We like to eliminate the bad.

But actually the bad mixes together with the good to make something better.

This is the rich composted soil out of which our lives grow.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE POST AND COMMENTS

POST OF THE WEEK

“Using Nakedpastor Cartoons to Announce Your Deconstruction”.

The responses to this cartoon and post were really sweet.

What a great community!

I gave people permission to use my cartoons to announce that their beliefs are changing.

The fact is many people can’t like or share my cartoons for fear of what their family and friends would think.

So reading the comments are a delight.

WANT TO READ THE POST AND COMMENTS? CLICK HERE!

PAINTING OF THE WEEK

I usually paint watercolors but sometimes I do canvases too if I feel I need to express myself in a different way. This was one of those times.

This is my new "I Shall Not Contain Myself" Original Acrylic and Ink on canvas.

It’s 10”x20” and ready to hang.

This piece, though beautiful, is an assertion. You see this tree rising up out of the darkness that's trying to conceal it in its shadows? The tree refuses to rest in the dark always. It reaches up to the light. Like you. This is you emerging out of the shadows into the light where you can be totally seen.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF IT

Money BAD!

I’m always nervous when I tell people about my book, “Money is Spiritual”.

The truth is, I had such a bad attitude about money BECAUSE OF CHRISTIANITY.

At least my style of Christianity.

A huge part of my deconstruction was curing myself of this sick mentality around money, business, success, and selling.

Etcetera.

I was ready for some negative comments that I’ve received before.

Things like, “Oh here we go! I knew that eventually you’d get to money just like all pastors do!”

But no. It was good. So many people identified with it and recognize they need healing too.

And some even ordered the book.

READ SOME OF IT HERE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

This one’s long. But it’s so important. I just finished Sinéad O’Connor’s book, “Rememberings”. Talk about someone who’s been through a lot of sh*t! I related so much to it and maybe you will too!

Here it is:

"Total stunned silence in the audience. And when I walk backstage, literally not a human being is in sight. All doors have closed. Everyone has vanished. Including my own manager, who locks himself in his room for three days and unplugs his phone.

"Everyone wants a pop star, see? But I am a protest singer. I just had to get stuff off my chest. I had no desire for fame. In fact, that's why I chose the first song. 'Success' was making a failure of my life. Because everyone was already calling me crazy for not acting like a pop star. For not worshipping fame. And I understand I've torn up the dreams of those around me. But those aren't my dreams. No one ever asked me what my dreams were; they just got mad at me for not being who they wanted me to be. My own dream is only to keep the contract I made with God before I ever made one with the music business. And that's a better fight than murder. I gotta get to the other side of life."

Later...

"I wasn't comfortable with what other people called success because it meant I had to be as others wanted me to be. After SNL I could just be me. Do what I love. Be imperfect. Be mad, even. Anything. I don't define success as having a good name or being wealthy. I define success by whether I keep the contract I made with the Holy Spirit before I made one with the music business. I never signed anything that said I would be a good girl."

This is what I try to do.