50 Issues Later: What Doodles of Devotion Has Taught Me

When I started Doodles of Devotion, I thought I was illustrating a devotional for families. Fifty issues later, I've realized I was learning just as much as I hoped others would.

Creating a new issue every week while working full-time and attending seminary has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've ever done. Every Gospel has invited me to ask not only, "What is this text saying?" but also, "How do I help families experience it together?"

Along the way, I've learned a few things.

I've learned that art is a tool that's often underestimated.

Many see it simply as a framed picture on a wall, shaped by personal taste and accessibility. However, I've realized that art can serve as a means to unite people, where the experience and connection matter more than the finished piece.

Before the first issue, I drew with my mom, and I realized the picture wasn't the important part. The drawing created space for conversation. It helped us slow down, listen, laugh, share worries, and simply be together. That's what I wanted Doodles of Devotion to become.

I've learned that faith grows through conversation.

The reflection questions have become just as important to me as the illustrations. I don't want families to memorize the "right" answers. I want them to wonder together, ask questions, disagree respectfully, learn about each other, and discover that God is present in those conversations.

I've learned that accessibility is an act of hospitality.

Every week I ask myself: Can this be printed in black and white? Will it make sense in English and Spanish? Could a child enjoy it? Could a senior enjoy it? Could someone who learns differently find themselves here? Hospitality isn't just about opening a church door. It's also about creating resources that say, "You belong here."

I've learned that simplicity is surprisingly difficult.

Every Gospel contains centuries of history, culture, theology, and scholarship. My job isn't to fit all of that onto one page. My job is to prayerfully ask, "What invitation might God be extending through this story today?" Sometimes saying less makes more room for the Holy Spirit.

I've learned that consistency matters more than perfection.

Not every issue came easily. Some weeks I knew exactly what to draw. Other weeks I wrestled with the text until the last minute. But every week reminded me that ministry isn't about getting everything right. It's about faithfully showing up.

Most importantly, I've learned that God really does call us exactly as we are.

Years ago, I wondered how an introverted illustrator could possibly become a pastor. I thought I would eventually have to choose between my art and my ministry.

Instead, God wove them together.

Doodles of Devotion has become a place where Scripture, conversation, art, and community meet. It has reminded me that ministry doesn't always begin in a pulpit. Sometimes it begins around a kitchen table with crayons, colored pencils, a Bible, and people who are willing to wonder together.

As I celebrate 50 issues, my deepest gratitude is for you.

Thank you for downloading these pages, printing them for your churches, sharing them with your families, bringing them into Sunday school classrooms, translating God's welcome into your own communities, and encouraging me when the work felt overwhelming.

You have reminded me, week after week, that this ministry doesn't belong to me.

It belongs to all of us.

Here's to the next conversation, the next drawing, and the next opportunity to discover God's love together.