GospelGifs website is produced and maintained for the use of all
Christian believers. It is our desire to offer Christian
images that will encourage and bless the believer's heart, and
to also provide a positive witness to non-Christian people of
all ages who are still looking for truth and light. These
images are created and added as time permits. This
collection of original artwork grows larger just about every week.
I was 17 years old and living in a
shelter for troubled youth. I had not been a Christian very
long, when I decided to produce my first gospel message
publication, more commonly called a tract. The message was
simple and classic: Jesus is the Answer for Your Life. I don't
remember much about the actual words. But I have a vivid memory
of the overall look. It was pathetic.
I had no experience with printing, publishing, design, or
layout. But I wanted to share a message. I started cutting and
pasting. Not with a computer, since the PC didn't exist yet. I
used tape, scissors, existing images and words, and maybe added
some typing. What a mess. Fingerprints were clearly visible,
especially under the tape. And shadows from layered paper, tape,
and even the glue, were also very visible.
Even so, I used an office copier to print off 25 or 50. Then I
took them out and distributed them in the community. It's
probably a good thing that I didn't think to put my name on
them, or any other contact information. I probably would have
been arrested for vandalism or something. I can easily say that
it was one of the ugliest gospel presentations ever offered.
But who knows? Even with all the mess, the message was there.
And someone looking for an answer on that day may have been
helped. Stranger things happen every day.
As a result of this and other influences, the greater part of my adult
life has been
spent in printing and publishing in various forms. Mostly
commercial, although I actually started out with a missionary
organization that produces Scripture booklets. I've worked
in nearly all facets of pre-press production, from typesetting and
darkroom, to writing, designing, and layout for the last 30-plus
years. I've helped produce corporate newsletters, sales brochures,
coupon campaigns, catalogs, ads for national magazine and local
newspapers, websites, and more. I've even owned and operated my
own newspaper. And along the way, I've been happy to produce a number of
gospel-centered publications.
No matter what I'm working on, I always remember that very first
effort at producing a print publication. And I always determine
that this current piece will be just like that first one: the
very best that I can do with skills and materials available to
me. I also
want to be sure that I never again produce anything that is less
than professional.
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