I Can't Blame This on Anyone

So, I was all set to submit today's gag to the New Era when my wife stumbled upon the following quote from President Faust in the January, 2010 issue of said magazine:

"We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, 'The devil made me do it.' I do not really think the devil can make us do anything" ("To the Point," New Era, Jan. 2010, 30-31).

And with that, I moved today's gag from my New Era folder to my blog folder.

Touchdown!

A missionary puts up with a whole lot of hardship and pain, but it's all worth it for even a handful of moments where you connect with the people you teach in a meaningful way.

My Neverending Quest to Get the New Era to Publish a Pinewood Derby Gag

As I mentioned during the first couple of weeks of this blog, one of my unfulfilled items on my cartooning bucket list is to see the New Era publish a pinewood derby gag submitted by me.

Here's one of the half dozen or so gags that I submitted to the New Era that they didn't purchase. It made it into my book Mormon Life, but that didn't deaden my dream. Right now I am preparing a series of gags to submit to the New Era and I'm sending in another pinewood derby one. I'll keep you posted...

Resurrection Diet

Somehow I doubt I could pitch this weight-loss plan successfully on late-night television, even with its 100 percent guarantee rate.

This Month in the New Era

The April issue of the New Era is all about dating. Everything, all the way down to "Extra Smile" page, is about it. That being said, here is my contribution to the special issue.

I've mentioned before on this blog that I like to slip a little something (a framed photo of the temple, a BYU pennant, etc.) into my gags that aren't LDS-specific. Obviously, those types of things are hard to include in a picture of a high school hallway. But that guy walking down the hall is totally wearing a CTR ring.

Loveseats: The Bane of a Missionary's Existence

I'm probably overselling this, but I never cared much for loveseats as a missionary.

An Inappropriate Way To Start a Talk

Here's the latest in a growing series of things not to say over the pulpit (click here and here for previous installments). Sadly, these almost write themselves.

April 2010 General Conference Recap

As promised, here is a handy four-page recap of last weekend's General Conference. (Click on each page before printing.) As always, you're welcome to share this packet with friends and family.

UPDATE: For a printable pdf version of the packet, click over to sugardoodle.net.

Meanwhile, Back Home

After all the counsel to parents given during this past weekend's General Conference, it seemed only appropriate that today's strip should focus on Elder Van Dyke's parents back home.

And speaking of Conference, I'll be posting another General Conference recap in the next couple of days.

Elders Quorum Lesson

I love the fact that the Church trusts its Elders Quorum presidencies, Relief Society presidencies, and High Priest group leaderships enough to give them one Sunday a month to decide on their own a lesson topic. I, for one, enjoy the unstructured nature of a first Sunday lesson in addition to the homogeneous curriculum otherwise presented in the 2nd and 3rd hours of Church.

Of course, I've never had a lesson quite like this...