Little Jimmy and the Spoiled Rotten Banana: Proverbial Kids(c)

Karen has a Master of Arts degree in Communication from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ft. Worth, TX) and undergraduate degrees in theatre and journalism. She ministered for eight years in Christian repertory theatre and served as a staff artist at Southwestern. She is an accomplished writer, with 20 years of experience in writing dramatic scripts for performance, and Bible and missions curriculum, published by the National Woman's Missionary Union and LifeWay Christian Resources. Karen served on the national WMU staff as editor of Accent magazine for teen girls for several years before marrying and starting a family. For the past six years, she served as the Children's Minister at Pole Creek Baptist Church in Candler, NC, where she discovered a love for communicating God's Word to children. She shares, "I was drawn to the book of Proverbs for this children's series because of its practical content and its rich fodder for story-telling and teaching biblical principles, which are desperately needed by today's family. Giving and receiving instruction, establishing and adhering to boundaries, work and money ethic, relationship issues, guarding the tongue--bits of wisdom for kids which, if digested, lead to sound decisions as adults. The stories are for the entire family, to fortify their homes through the elementary years into adulthood." "Proverbs is filled with wisdom for parenting. I enjoy drawing stories to communicate these practical truths. Kids love stories. Jesus taught with stories. Truth slides into the heart sideways using a story, where it may never get past the ears in more direct communication. And children have terrific body language. I giggle at the characters sometimes as I'm drawing them." Of her simple, cartoonlike illustrations, Karen says, "These line drawings are easy for children to understand. Each illustration lends itself to multiple levels of understanding, with a dash of humor. Because kids are funny." Karen enjoys cooking, gardening, camping, reading, Bible study, speaking, mission trips, and spending time with family and friends. She grew up on a farm in Barnesville, Georgia, with her parents and two sisters. She and her husband Bron have two teenaged sons and live in Canton, North Carolina.