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caricature of man and woman

Beauty and ugliness

Philip Janisch

Caricatures can distort a single feature of a beautiful person resulting in a picture that is, well, downright ugly. But sometimes a caricature can provide an opportunity for a spiritual conversation about beauty and ugliness. That is what happened when my wife, Margaret, and I visited San Antonio, Texas, last year.

While we were there, we had our caricature drawn by an artist on the Riverwalk. It was a fun experience that we had never tried before. The artist sketched Margaret first. As she posed, she and the artist struck up a conversation. It started with typical small talk. The artist asked about our family, what brought us to San Antonio, and what we did for a living. When it was her turn, Margaret inquired about the artist’s hobbies and passions. He revealed that his interests went beyond art to literature. He enjoyed writing horror fiction and was currently working on a novel about zombies in space.

As I listened to their conversation, I realized that I could present the gospel to this man with the themes of beauty and ugliness. And then Margaret set me up perfectly; she asked if he knew where he was going when he died. He said he was not sure because he was an agnostic.
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Check out these articles from the February issue:

My Christian life: Raising a child with special needs

Nathan Oldenburg with his parents and family
Thirty-six years ago, Diane Oldenburg, member at Faith, Fond du Lac, Wis., says she really wanted a daughter. At the time, she and her husband, Dave, already had three sons. "I prayed and prayed and prayed," she remembers. "I finally got pregnant, and we . . .

Psalm 32: When you need forgiveness

Bible study trees with all seasons Feb 2023
What kind of sinner are you? Do you consider yourself mildly sinful, at least not as bad as others? Or do you realize how serious each sin is and what punishment it deserves? Like the street after the parade has gone by, do you see each day littered with the debris of . . .

Friends through life and death

Group of widows and widowers from Faith, Fond du Lac, Wis., eating lunch together at Culver's
“Be a friend. Bring a friend.” That’s the motto of a new fellowship group for widows and widowers at Faith, Fond du Lac, Wis. Dave Seibel, a member at Faith, helped start the group after his wife passed away in October 2021. Now 25 widows and widowers . . .

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