This Etoonin’ showcases some cartoons about Washington DC, heartfelt toons, and some funny ones starring the DCE (does anyone know what a DCE is?). You will enjoy it. I encourage you to Toon in’!

Click here for Etoonin' 185!

And the recommended listening music is below:

CAIN (Spotify)

CAIN (YouTube)

Just so you know, I am trying to publish at least one Etoonin’ per month. I am your resident cartoonist and I want to give you a predictable supply of cartoons. As I grow my business and become less reliant on actual jobs, the amount of cartoons per month will also grow.

May God bless you!

Love, Jim Bures
V.P. of Communications
All for the Lord

Dear Family + Friends,

My favorite way to read Etoonin’ is in landscape mode on my iPhone. What is yours?

This issue generates excitement for our great nation and July 4th, the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America declaring independence. This issue was written on Juneteenth, celebrating the end of slavery and freedom for all. I hope you will celebrate the 250th Independence Day in style! You can learn about local events at America250.org!

I’ll be spending July 4th on the National Mall in Washington DC! To learn more about my trip, visit: The Mighty July 4th Vacation.

And without further ado, here is the latest Etoonin’:

Click here for Etoonin' 184!

May God bless you, and May God bless the United States of America!

Love, Jim Bures, V.P. All for the Lord

P.S. Please share this email / post and let me know what you think!

Life is good. With God, there is joy and help. God helps us every day to do the things we struggle to do. In our weaknesses, He proves Himself strong. He is truly there for us, through all our suffering. He is also there for our blessings: He is a good Father, He gives so much. Suffering is part of experiencing Christ. Often suffering helps us find wisdom, and teaches us, and improves our character. Never fun to go through though.

The latest issue of Etoonin’ is below. This is a more light-hearted issue: well draw comics and fun. I drew all the cartoons in three days: it’s been a prolific week. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

As I grow my business, I ask that you partner with me. What does that mean? My biggest ask is that you share Etoonin’ with others. The more readers, the better. I confess, I have no idea how to market. If you enjoy my cartoons, share them with others. You can forward the email, or you can direct them to: www.toonin.com. I would be forever grateful. If you are receiving this email from someone else, please subscribe! I am really trying to entertain you, and share things I’ve learned.

My favorite way to read Etoonin’ is on my iPhone in landscape mode. What is yours?

Without further ado, here is Etoonin’ 183:

Click here for Etoonin' 183!

Music to go with the issue…

As you know, I create Etoonin’ while listening to music. I’d like to share the two songs I listened to as I composed this Etoonin’:

Spotify: Such a Fire

Spotify: Huarache Lights

May God bless you until next time, and remember to toon in’…

Love, Jim Bures

As usual, I’ll get right to it, here is the latest Etoonin’:

Etoonin' 182 (click here)

And here is the music I recommend to listen to along with it (this is a famous techno song from 1996, so be prepared):

Underworld - Born Slippy (Spotify)

Underworld - Born Slippy (YouTube)

Underworld - Born Slippy (Apple Music)

Now for a message from me:

Etoonin’, and in fact all I do until the end of my life, is part of a process. I used to enjoy having funny cartoons to look at that my hands had made. But now, it is all about the process. While I enjoy having completed cartoons, I am swept up in the process of knowing, loving, and serving God as best I am able. Drawing cartoons is just something I do, and it beats a lot of other things I do. I wish I’d make music too, but I don’t have the courage right now to do so with just what I remember from the classes you all supported.

I am trying to build up my subscriber base. This is the single most effective way to ensure my cartoons reach the most people. Up until now, I have always hovered around the 60 person subscriber mark. Last issue got a LOT of compliments: thank you! I am always trying to up my game and draw more creative cartoons. If you have found these cartoons amusing or insightful, I ask that you please, please, please share this email with those you love and encourage them to subscribe too. While I would also love paid subscribers, just building up my free subscriber base is even more important. And, though I don’t know for sure, I think I will always keep Etoonin’ exactly the way it is for free subscribers too. Signing up for a paid subscription is something you can do if you’d like to invest in my business, All for the Lord.

This issue starts with a little tribute to my Dad, and goes on from there. I am very grateful for all of you reading my cartoons. I had an issue with work four weeks ago and I am kind of discouraged about it. It made me wonder what running my own business might be like: would I lash out to you, my subscribers? I hope not.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this Etoonnin’, and, as always, let me know what you think. I love feedback. If someone forwarded this email to you, you can subscribe at: www.etoonin.com or through the link below (I think). I’m not entirely sure how Substack works.

Thanks! Love, Jim Bures, V.P. of Communication, All for the Lord.

Today is Good Friday, known as good for how Jesus paid for all our sin with his death upon the cross. In His execution, He suffered the wrath of God that we deserve. And, if we put our faith in Him, He will raise us on the last day to live with Him forever!

I am excited. Easter celebrates Jesus’s resurrection and it is amazing. Jesus reigns over death. Though we die, we will live again because of Him. I encourage you to put your faith in Jesus today!

Easter is a royal celebration. I encourage you to attend Church this Sunday. You are welcome with open arms! Two Churches I recommend are the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Presbyterian Church in America. I am sure there are many other good Churches, but these are two I have experience with and can wholeheartedly recommend.

LCMS Church Locator

PCA Church Locator

I am unable to complete my current Etoonin’ before Easter, but I have an older edition about Easter that I encourage you to read below, also available at Etoonin.com.

Easter Etoonin'

May God bless you this Easter, and Eternally! Life is so good because of God.

Love, Jim Bures, V.P. and Editor, All for the Lord

P.S. God loves you. God loves you just the way you are.

The Bible

I don’t know what Substack did, but I got an email begging me to subscribe for 20% off. I did not authorize, nor send this email, it was something Substack did without my approval. I apologize for that. Substack is nice in that it lets me charge a subscription, but it leaves a lot to be desired in other ways, as I am finding out.

Please ignore that subscription request and I hope you keep reading!

Take care, Jim Bures, V.P. of Nothing, All for the Lord

I am not sure how much of my fan base likes electronic music, but I’ve been listening to DJ 10-80p’s mixes recently and wanted to share some of them with you. They are usually over an hour long, so I’ll present them in the way I think you’ll get the most out of them. They are listed in the way I’d recommend them. However, all of them are good. You can access them on SoundCloud, an electronic music production website. It is better if you get the app, but they should work on a regular web browser too. They are free. You do not need a log in either, though it will try to get you to sign up. Just dismiss that screen.

Here we go:

1. eoatme my part. - extremely good electronic mix. Similar to trance / EDM.
   

2. DFC - very jazzy: lots of piano and brass. A little like Acid Jazz.
   

3. Subsonic Tranquility Inner Part - hypnotic music.
   

4. Mixclub Feb 2024 - Deepspaceradio - the mix I’m going to listen to next: produced for an online DJ show somewhere on the interwebs.

DJ tenEightyP is a DJ I made friends with on the X app while it was still Twitter. I don’t remember much beyond that, LOL, but I’ve been listening to him since 2024, when he created his monthly Up Under & Next To sets.

May God bless you as you listen to his music! He spins his mixes for our mental health.

Jim Bures, Resident Musician, All for the Lord

Etoonin' 181 (click here)

Bolero: background music (click here)

This Etoonin’ tells a personal story about ruminations: satan’s design for us. But God has so much better planned in the long term. However, the main focus of this Etoonin’ are the cartoons. God has been blessing me with MUCH better artwork, and better stories. So, if you are used to me just talking to the Sun, try these: they are much better than that. They kind of focus on the government a little bit, but not in a political way. Read them to see! There is also a cartoon of my friends that celebrated my birthday. That was a fun cartoon to draw because I used my art drawing skills as opposed to my cartoon drawing skills.

As always, I love feedback, so please let me know what you think of this issue. I also encourage you to give me advice about the problem I wrote about, if you feel you have some wisdom I could benefit from. I am open.

May God bless you, and stay tooned in!

Jim Bures, V.P. of Communications, All for the Lord.

P.S. One way you could really help me increase readership is to forward this email to others! Thanks.

Etoonin' 180 : click here!

And the music that goes with this episode:

The Martyr (Spotify)

May God bless you, and let me know what you think!

Jim Bures

as adapted from the recipe of his mother,
given to him during Study Abroad in England in 1994

Ingredients:

For sauce

1 lb. hamburger meat
1 can of tomato puree, tomato sauce or ground tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 table spoon Oregano
1 table spoon Basil
5 cloves Garlic

For other layers

32 oz. container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
16 oz. block of mozzarella cheese
2 packages (6 oz or so) of shredded parmesan cheese
1 package (8 oz or so) of shredded mozzarella cheese
No boil Lasagna noodles – or gluten free boiled noodles

Instructions:

Lasagna is made in 4 parts: noodles, ricotta mix, sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Start by making the sauce: put tomato puree, tomato paste, and spices into a big pot. Fry the hamburger meat on medium high and cut with spatula until in small pieces. Peel, cut and mince garlic, add to sauce pot. Drain hamburger of juice and add meat to sauce pot. Bring pot to boil and simmer for about 45 minutes to allow spices to saturate mix, stirring every 5 minutes.

Mix two eggs with all the ricotta cheese, adding basil and half a package of shredded parmesan cheese. Cut Mozzarella block into many slices. Take a lasagna pan and spray no-stick oil onto it. [note: for best success, buy a tin foil lasagna pan, the kind with extra tall sides.] Put a very little sauce onto the bottom of the tray, then lay the no-boil lasagna strips on. Pour ½ the ricotta mix and spread all over. Pour ½ the sauce mix and spread over the ricotta. Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded parmesan cheese and then the shredded mozzarella all over.

Repeat by laying down more lasagna strips, ricotta mix, sauce, parmesan cheese and top with the cut up mozzarella block. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Can be stored a day or so.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cook lasagna for 40 minutes, remove foil, cook for 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy with a robust Merlot or Syrah.

This is THE lasagna. The ingredients for this are expensive, but if you want high quality go with the best. At the time of writing (2026) the ingredients (assuming you own spices) cost around $50. This recipe can also be modified in many various ways if you feel like experimenting.

Etoonin' 179 (click here)

And here is the recommended music for reading this Etoonin’ (put it on repeat :-)

Andrew Ripp: I'd Do It Again (Spotify)

Andrew Ripp: I'd Do It Again (Apple)

Andrew Ripp: I'd Do It Again (YouTube)

And, if someone forwarded you this email, this is how YOU can subscribe:

I hope to publish, for the time being, one Etoonin’ per month.

Now for the fun part (for me), the personal writing. The Etoonin’ does not contain this.

My desire, for Etoonin’, is to enjoy creating them, but also glorify God. It is a work in progress. As many of you know, I’ve had many jobs (56 in fact). I’m a creative. I contend that creatives enjoy their craft more than work. The creatives I know rarely talk about work, though everyone has to do it. I am looking for meaning to my life, not a paycheck. I guess the paycheck helps, but I continue to create no matter what job or vocation I am doing. The meaning seems to have almost nothing to do with my actual job. In fact, meaning seems to be something that transcends actual life events. The best songs and art are those that connect us to something eternal. While many songs have specifics in them, the best connect us with something timeless.

I enjoy logotherapy, made popular by Viktor E. Frankl:

Viktor Frankl: Man's Search for Meaning

He suffered through the Holocaust, and what kept him going was finding meaning in his life despite the extreme suffering. He also determined to control how he reacted to things done against him, things he could not control. He popularized the notion that people can cause us damage, but cannot control how we react. We always have that.

A lot of you know Etoonin’. It is simultaneously about me and about God. I do think personal stories help others connect with God, but as time goes on, I am trying to make Etoonin’ more about God and less about me. I realize what matters.

However, here are some facts about me. I am always trying to learn new wisdom, new ways of being. In the past year, here are some changes that Wisdom led me to:

1. I stopped drinking soda regularly.

2. I stopped eating candy bars too.

3. I started eating fruit (once a day).

4. I started to exercise (15 minutes at time).

5. I deleted all my social media accounts.

6. I started reading books.

7. I remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.

These changes have been great, but they all occurred by my prayer, “Lord God, please lead me and guide me.” And one like it, “Please give me wisdom.” God is very patient, and it has taken a while to come to positive behavioral change. I don’t know if it will last, but change is here for the moment.

I know you have many things you can be doing with your time, so I thank you for your support and reading my Etoonin’s. I hope you are blessed by them, and I thank you for your financial gifts. These mean the most to me. So many people have given me so much money so I can just enjoy my life. I declared bankruptcy in 2025 and I am, more than ever, trying to live within my means. I still fall in temptation to buying things, but I recognize that possessions and experiences do not bring me lasting fulfilling. I am trying to discover what does. Maybe, as God leads me to further wisdom, I will learn to find my hypomanic meaning in creating art, music, and cartoons. I had that in the year 2000, but it has since slipped away.

I realize that all things are fleeting. I am now involved in the process. It is not I who live, but Christ in me. I do continue to have my opinions, and things I want to do, but I recognize that what gives my life meaning is God. I must wait on Him, and find from Him what is important. But, for me, it is all a process at this point. I don’t have any possessions I will keep, the music I consume always fades into the past eventually, and even the productive output of my creativity gets left behind. It is the process that matters. The process of creating, but also the process of loving. The process of relationships. I enjoy relationships and I have plenty of them. I am enjoying how God always gives me enough friends in my life through every season of my life. I am so fortunate in this way. “No man is poor who has friends” - Clarence the Angel in It’s a Wonderful Life.

Thank you for reading. May God bless you!

Love, Jim Bures

Read the Bible (click here)

Here is the latest installment of my newsletter:

Etoonin' 178 (click here)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Also, my podcast, The Joyful Stumble, is available on:

The Joyful Stumble - Spotify

The Joyful Stumble - Apple

May God bless you!

Jim Bures - All for the Lord

Welcome, Family + Friends!

This is Jim Bures, your friendly neighborhood cartoonist. Here’s Etoonin’ 177:

Click here for Etoonin' 177

Music to Accompany Your Reading

I am attempting to move Etoonin’ to Substack, because, using Substack, I can collect a monthly or yearly subscription. My mission in life is to do as much as possible while working as little as possible, and offering a paid subscription may help with that. I think there should be options to become a paid subscriber somewhere obvious (I hope). There are options to pay $7/month or $77/year, and I’ve offered an “Etoonin’ Enthusiast” rate of $144/year for those who really love me.

However, Etoonin’ will remain free to read and you’ll be able to read Etoonin’ for free every time I post one. The subscription price just goes to invest in my cartoons.

My goal is to get 1,000 paid subscribers, so if you enjoy Etoonin’, please forward these emails to others.

Without Further Ado…

Here is my first Substack published Etoonin’:

Click here: Etoonin' 177

This issue is about a pie in the sky kind of Jim Bures dream to fly to Oklahoma City for a night in November. I drew all these cartoons in one hypomanic night chillaxin’ to Sarah Reeves’s song, Years (Skytech Remix). See the music button above. I highly recommend listening to this song while reading Etoonin’. It will help make sense of the issue.

Please bear with me as I get used to Substack’s Content Management System.

You will also receive Etoonin’ via MailChimp.

Thank you so much for supporting Etoonin’ and All for the Lord! May God bless you.

Jim Bures