| Pastor puts passion for faith and art on paper |
|
|
| Thursday, 08 October 2009 | ||
|
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Staff writer His passions for faith and family, art and writing were conceived in early childhood, and grew and developed in fits and starts with episodes in Detroit, Chicago and “Sin City.” Now, Steve Thomason – husband, father, author, artist and teacher – cradles a newborn product of the early harvest of his life’s passions.
The author/illustrator originally produced the cartoons and commentary as a teaching tool for a community of house churches he was facilitating in Las Vegas, Nev., back in 2004. Each week the house church members would spend five days studying the designated scripture passage and then share with each other what they had learned. Thomason created the cartoon illustrations to accompany each lesson and “teach the scripture lesson through the picture first,” he said. “As I was preparing each week’s lesson, I thought, ‘Look at this... I preach through my fingertips,’” Thomason said, describing the latest evolutionary step on his faith journey. That journey has led Thomason from caricature artist to Bible scholar to pastor to freelance writer and illustrator to Vibble Books publisher. Thomason grew up in a Christian home (his dad, Rev. Jim Thomason, was longtime pastor at Meadow Creek Christian Church) and was active in the church youth group. Midway through high school, he had an opportunity to live and work with artists doing caricatures at Chicago’s Six Flags Great America. While in Chicago, Thomason’s life view expanded and his passions grew. Upon returning home, Thomason graduated with the Coon Rapids High School class of 1986, then enrolled in Moody Bible Institute before transferring to Wheaton College where he double-majored in biblical studies and art. Soon after, Thomason accepted an invitation to work his caricature artistry at Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas. While in “Sin City,” Thomason and his wife and newborn child became actively involved in Central Christian Church, a real mega-church. While there Thomason worked with the youth group and taught adult Sunday school classes. In 1994, Thomason enrolled in Bethel Seminary’s In-Ministry Program and began studying to receive a master’s of divinity degree. After working with Central Christian Church as director of adult education and of adult ministries, Thomason felt a calling to minister and teach in a home church setting. “I literally went from a mega-church to a micro-church overnight,” Thomason said. Thomason used the home church study guides he had created as the foundation for creating Vibble Books (Visual Interactive Bible Based Learning Experience). “The Life of Jesus” is the first of a series of Vibble Books Thomason printed and published. Vibble Books are also available via cyberspace. Online Bible studies include: • The Bible Bookshelf • Through the Bible in One Year • The Life of Jesus • Acts • Paul’s Letters • Hebrews • James To see more about Vibble Books, visit www.vibblespace.com . Thomason has also published “The Overflow Principle” and plans to publish hard-copy Vibble Books for the study of the Acts of the Apostles and the apostle Paul’s letters. “The Overflow Principle” is an introductory small group Bible study that explores how to “grow in the love of God and overflow God’s love to the world,” Thomason said. The intentions of that Vibble Book reflect Thomason’s two passions in life: • Teaching people about God and how to grow in a relationship with the Creator. • Art – specifically cartooning and animation. Throughout his life, Thomason has sought to blend his two passions in order to create visually-interesting lessons that draw people closer to God. It seems with the publication of “The Life of Jesus,” “The Overflow Principle,” and two books in progress Thomason has achieved that ambition. In fact, Thomason is hoping to publish the “Nectar Trilogy,” a series of fictional tales he’s writing to further introduce God and promote deeper relationships between God and man. To read the opening chapter of the first book in the “Nectar” series, visit www.spot-studios.net/pages/writing.htm. As he continues stepping out in faith while traveling life’s adventuresome journey, Thomason said he hopes to “do more online, interactive things, do retreat workshops, work as speaker, writer, guest teacher. Wherever he leads me, I’ll follow,” he said. Thomason welcomes calls (763-227-7936) and visits (www.spot-studios.net , www.vibblespace.com , www.stevethomason.com ) and eagerly awaits God’s next direction as he travels along faith’s highway. Sue Austreng is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|