James Lawson was a seminary instructor with three master’s degrees, but God had other plans for him. Moving from Seattle to Hamilton County, Lawson has remarried and preaches one Lord, one faith and one true Church at his home church in Sheridan. Drawing from the Bible, Lawson has released a collection of Christian comic strips in his debut book, “Therapeutic Insanity!: Yakov BenTorah and His Dog, Mattix!”
“My cartoon strip is important to me only because it is an extension of my greatest joy, to ‘earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3),” said Lawson. “If it weren’t for that, I would have no motivation to draw anything. It’s that simple! I don’t own myself, God does. I must do what he has called me to do.”
In “Therapeutic Insanity!,” Yakov BenTorah (Lawson’s name in Hebrew) finds himself dealing with a host of dilemmas and issues that confront the Church daily. Each strip also includes a Bible verse reference about the strip’s topic. Lawson said the reference is to “motivate people to get back to their Bible.”
“The Bible has the answers. You might not always like the answer, but it’s there,” he said. “I want people to read it for themselves and ask God to show them.”
Lawson said the comic strip addresses day-to-day issues he has addressed personally, or in his role with the Church.
“Each cartoon actually happened in real life – the topic came up and had to be dealt with,” he said.
Lawson finished the book in November, after working on it for the past eight to 10 years.
“I give the credit to the Lord. It’s a fun hobby,” he said.
“Therapeutic Insanity!” is available for purchase online at Westbowpress.com. A digital copy is available for $3.99 and the soft cover is $16.95.
“Cartooning is so much fun I can hardly stand it,” said Lawson. “I’m so glad the Lord has allowed me to do this … I draw and write for the glory of God and for your (the readers’) benefit.”
Book signing
James Lawson will be signing copies of “Therapeutic Insanity!: Yakov BenTorah and His Dog, Mattix!” from 1 to 3 p.m. May 12 at Living Truth Bookstore, 17665 Cumberland Rd., Noblesville.
By Robert Herrington
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