End of an era

Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas to all!

Looking ahead

Nephi should have made a giant Advent calendar.

Nephite TV

Great expectations

Your tired, your poor, your aching

I think we've all felt this at one time or another...

A time to relax

Our Thanksgiving was pretty busy this year; we had guests from all over the world. We spent a lot of time and energy planning and shopping, preparing and cooking, serving, and cleaning up (there's still a little bit of that left to do!).

The punchline for this cartoon is based on a gag written and drawn by my friend and fellow Mormon cartoonist Arie Van De Graaff. This is sort of a reimagining of his original. I give him full writing credit -- whether he wants it or not!

A blessing from heaven

This seems appropriate for this time of year when relatives often seem to (ahem) drop in unannounced!

It's all in the context

How does your family choose FHE lessons?

Listen to your mother

Too many of these are drawn from real life experiences!

Gadianton vegetables

But don't hold your breath!

We get enough election ads as it is -- I suppose I should count myself lucky that I don't live in one of the swing states where they're getting hammered with political propaganda!

For the beauty of the earth

Sometimes it's best just to let nature be -- especially when chores are involved!

Prep time

How do you prepare for General Conference? The Church offers a few ideas here.

Trouble: Special edition

I guess officially it's the General Relief Society Meeting...

It's that time of year

OK, so sometimes they're better in my head than they are on paper...

Making history

Keep it in remembrance, isn't that what they always said?

We're back!

Zarahemla Times is back with new strips, plus a few other changes and improvements. We're going in color now, and we're back to publishing on Fridays. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy Zarahemla Times!

Update

Well, it's time for the season of reruns to come to an end. Starting Friday, we'll have a new Zarahemla Times. Please come back then to learn more! Thanks!

Non-Labor Day

Time for a change

Sometimes you just know that vacation time is over.

Sweet -- and fresh -- is the work

I've known a few missionaries who struggled with the whole washing/personal hygiene thing!

Binding ties

It's fun to watch someone from a non-hugging family meet a bunch of huggers!

Long day at the office

The way the judge's roles are described in the Book of Mormon, not every case they took on was big and fancy. I'm sure there were times when they got stuck doing things like this!

The cat in the driveway

What else would her hotshot brother have?

Something to follow

This is one of my favorite Zarahemla Times cartoons.

Warning

If you recall, they were very careful who they let in to Jershon (Alma 43).

Choose your words wisely

Ahh, the joys of family vacations!

Brotherly kindness. Kinda.

I'm reminded of an old Peanuts cartoon where Lucy says that she and Linus will probably be very close when they grow up. Linus then explains that "by close, she means that we may both live on the same continent!"

Vacation time!

Sometimes deciding where to go is one of the hardest things to do in planning a vacation.

That's what families are for

There's always something to keep you busy. I guess that's why Elder Oaks felt compelled to give his, "Good, Better, Best" talk.

Family values

Your temple gold card: don't leave home without it!

Spiritual siblings

Good question.

Clean up!

That's why you've gotta be careful with your words. You can't take 'em back, but they often come back at you.

Put your shoulder to the Mom

That's one of the hardest things to do as a parent, to stand by while your kids go through their own trials. There are times when about the only thing you can do is offer them a shoulder to cry on.

Finding an example to follow

That's the natural tendency, to go all Cap'n Moroni all over somebody who's messed with you or your loved ones.

Gettin' cheeky with it

I sometimes wonder if when the Savior said to forgive unto seventy times seven, it meant that we should be forgiving, yes, but there is a point when enough is enough.

Like unto them?

It's interesting to read First Nephi with the idea of Laman and Lemuel being bullies. Kinda puts a whole new light on things.

Can it wash away?

Everyone puts up with a little teasing now and then, but there are times when in crosses the line from fun to hurtful and malicious. Sometimes those feelings never go away. Perhaps that's why the scriptures say, "love one another." It's nicer that way!

Protecting our own

It's one thing to pick on a sibling; it's something completely different if someone else does it!

Morning surprise

The topic of bullying has been in the news a lot recently. Although it's not really a fun topic, I thought it needed to be addressed.

Fill 'er up!

The girls always come back with more from camp. Not just the crafts and stuff they make. They come back with stories and stronger testimonies, too.

Some to remember, some to forget

Young Womens' camp is awesome. It's fun to go up and help with some of the activities and work with the girls. My favorite memory is when we did the Mentos and Coke fountain a few years ago as after dinner entertainment. We only got complaints from one person for having Coke in YW camp. It came from one of the leaders...who preferred Pepsi with lime.

The first step is the hardest

This one may be a little unfair. Fourth Years are usually pretty awesome.

A woman's place

Girls' Camp can be rough on everyone. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Packed up and ready to roll

It's all about the skills

Boy Scouts just shoot things and blow stuff up. It doesn't have to look pretty.

YM v YW

Yeah, there's a difference in how the two groups approach camp.

Beware the epistles

A few years ago, I had to help prepare for scout camp at the same time my wife was preparing for girls camp.

Laundry day

Hungry souls

A lot of stories from the scriptures can be inspiring. Praying all day could be inspiring, if you're the one doing the praying. If you're in the congregation waiting to say "amen," however, it's a completely different story.