Ephesians 2:1-10

If you've got a minute, please read this whole passage. It's amazing.

I was dead. DEAD. And yet God gave me new life. This is such a big deal. Even in my sin, God loved me and showed me mercy. Jesus gave His very life to ransom me, a person dead in her sin. When I read this, the fact that I was dead in my trespasses, and the fact that we all are dead in our sin really hit me.

And it got me to thinking... no one is any more or less dead in sin than anyone else. It would sound totally illogical for someone to say "Oh, I was just 'sort of' dead in my sin, but those people, they are really dead." What? That seems so ignorant and ridiculous. Thinking like this just makes me want to show compassion towards people who don't yet know what I know about God and the gospel, not because I'm some nice compassionate person who does everything right, but because I was once dead, too. It's only by God's grace that I'm alive in Him today, and He offers that same grace to those who believe.

Isn't God's love and mercy in the cross so amazing? I love passages like Ephesians 2 that remind me of the gospel - because I can so often forget.

Five Random Statements

One: I like Ugmonk.

Two: The graphics for the Next conference are amazing.

Three: These are definitely the world's coolest skateboards.

Four: I really want to hear this new CD by Rebecca St. James.

Five: I like the H & M logo (and the store).

If you could make five random statements today, what would they be?

I Got a Tumblr

For posting verses & quotes & things I'm learning about the Lord. If you're interested, I'd love for you all to check it out. And if you have a Tumblr, leave a link in the comments and I'll visit yours! But so you know, this does not mean I am abandoning this blog. I will still be doing daily posts here. :)

To Sit at His Feet | My new Tumblr.

Feeling Letterheady?

letterheady –adjective
1. overcome by a strong emotion due to a letterhead design.

- Letterheady site

I ran across the site Letterheady through David Airey's blog, and it is so cool. It collects various famous people's letterheads as well as letterheads from businesses and just showcases them in blog format. There are so many great designs on there and I had lots of fun browsing through. I didn't get through all of it, but I want to soon. There are lots of neat things to be found on there, but if you look through it, make sure to look with caution because there are a couple questionable things I've run across as well.

I thought I'd post some of my favorite letterheads that I've run across, but bear in mind that, by posting these, I am simply saying I like the design of them and I'm not necessarily endorsing the famous folks who used them. :)

I think this one is so neat. The music staves are so perfect for a musician's letterhead!

I like how this typography goes along with the company's purpose. The dots look like perforation! This letterhead has a nice, vintage feel too.

This one is very classic looking. Again, it mirrors the style of Ansel Adams' photographs: clean, simple, sharp, and memorable. The logo is also well done. It looks cohesive and not too much like two random letters on top of each other. This design also has a good balance of colors.

 

I really like the simple type on this next one. It looks like the font Code Light to me - if it's not that, it's something very similar. It looks elegant even though it's very modern.

I like the rainbow lines on this one, and how the design doesn't look too busy even though there are many colors on it. The plain background really helps with that!

I like this one, too. It looks like custom type, which is really cool. I like the hand drawn, calligraphy type look this letterhead has even though it is still professional and confident looking.

I thought this letterhead was very interesting. Paul Rand is known as a very famous logo designer, so I thought the super-simplicity of this design was fascinating because of his graphic design background. It makes me wonder what his reasoning was behind this letterhead... did he purposely try not to "brand" himself with a logo because he wanted to give an image of catering to his clients' needs? Hmm...

But it's still a strong design. Great sans serif font - probably Helvetica.

This one is very interesting and reminds me so much of State of the Obvious. I find it unique that the designer's name is right on the letterhead. That was pretty bold self-advertising! I like the typography and the left hand text placement.

This is one of my favorites, I think. It's a newer one (from 2006 I think). The typography is great, as well as the way the red next lines up with "Sun + Moon." I love how the red ends/begins right with the words "sun" and "moon."

I like the logo on this last one, and the way the text at the bottom matches it.

What do you all think of these designs? Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear what you all think!

Who Jesus Is

I really like this article from Kevin DeYoung's blog. What a great reminder of the fact that Jesus "is not one of, but the one." Read the whole thing here, or an excerpt below:

Jesus is not one of; he is the One. Jesus is not a pointer like John, Elijah, or one of the prophets. He is the point. It sounds very lofty to call Jesus a prophet, or a popular teacher, or a wonder worker, or a good man, or a brilliant example, or part of a long line of enlightened figures. But all of these descriptions miss the point. Because in all of them you are saying Jesus is one of (see v. 28). And if you say Jesus is only one of and not the One, you haven’t understood him. You don’t see who He really is. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16)....

So away with all this nonsense that Jesus is like Mohammed or like the Buddha or like the Dali Lama or like Ghandi or like your saintly grandmother. He is not like anyone else. And so we will not pretend to be impressed when others call Jesus a good man or an enlightened figure or one of the prophets. He is not one of, He is the One.
- Kevin De Young

3 Friday Finds: Vintage Chairs + Couches

Three links to neat vintage chairs + couches (or art prints of them). Enjoy!

[LINK]

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Book Cover Design Inspiration

I'm looking forward to an upcoming for-fun book cover project, so in the meantime, I thought I'd mention some books that already have great cover designs. Here's some inspiration for my own upcoming book design project!

One.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
I haven't read this book, but I noticed the cover at a book sale recently and noticed that I like it a lot. The texture on this cover is fabulous, as well as the way white space is used without seeming "boring." Make sure you notice the faint image of a face...what a wonderful way to add depth to the design and create meaning.

Get book here.

Two.

Betsy-Tacy
This is not the newest version of this cover, but I just love the vintage charm to this design. It seems like it could have been the original cover. Since I've read this book, I know that the happy feeling of the design totally fits the subject matter and story of the book. That's definitely something that's essential in book cover design.

Get book (not with this cover) here.

Three.

Macbeth (and all the Folger Shakespeare volumes)
I love the abstract, modern looking pattern on this book, but also how the colors and pattern look passionate and full of drama, which is fitting for a play by Shakespeare. I also love the font - SO Shakespeare - and the way this book coordinates with the others, but also how each volume is different and unique.

Get book here.

Four.

Fahrenheit 451
I really like this book. I read it recently, and it is so interesting. I really like the somewhat vintage "original" type feel that this new cover has. The torn paper is a neat effect, and wonderfully symbolic to the story. The typography is also great. I like the bold font and the fact that the red is semi-transparent.

Get book here.

So those are foir book covers I like. What do you think of them? Do you have a favorite? What about these designs do YOU think makes them successful?