New Logo

For several months I have been wanting a logo for this website and didn’t really know how to create one or where to go to purchase one. I wanted something that resonated with the theme of Pens and Wrenches, but also tied in with the mission and purpose of the site. Then I sat down and thought, what is the purpose of this site and what am I doing this for?

I needed a logo

PensAndWrenches.com was supposed to be a combination of my favorite loves: writing and repairing; a place to showcase my writing and handyman skills. Since the handyman portion of the site went away, I needed to focus on the writing and evangelism portions, but still maintain the name, Pens and Wrenches.

In the Bible, the evangelist does two things: proclaiming Christ to the lost, and equipping the saints for ministry.

Restoring Sinners

One thing that kept coming to mind was a tract that I started writing called, “The Restoration,” about a guy who wants his ’57 Chevy restored. But what the mechanic does instead of restoring it, is try to make it better. He takes off the tires and makes it into a hovercraft, adds turbines to propel it, cuts the top off, and in the end, it looks more like a pink Land Speeder from Star Wars. It was supposed to be a tract to give to Mormons and LDS that talked about what it really means to restore something. God doesn’t want to make us better humans, but restore us to a right relationship with Him. Restoring sinners means, “to bring back from a state of decay or ruin to their useful, intended, and designed purpose — a right relationship with God their Creator. To rescue those who have been taken captive by Satan to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

Equipping Saints

On the flipside as well, Evangelists are one of the few offices of the Christian Church to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:11-12 NKJV

Equip is an Ancient Greek word used to describe setting broken bones or mending nets. The other goal of my double-edged sword is to reproduce strong, mended, and mature disciples who glorify God, preach the gospel, make disciples, and edify the Church.

Every time I go out to share the gospel, I am doing those two things: restoring sinners, and equipping saints. I don’t count it a loss when I am encouraging a fellow believer to share Christ with those around him. In my mind, the more I help him to reach the lost, the more will be restored to the Father. In a way I am training a man to fish and therefore feed himself, not just catch fish for him.

The symbol

Originally, the quill was supposed to be part of a Spartan helmet. I liked the idea that I was going into battle and engaging in spiritual warfare; but every time I looked at it, something didn’t sit right with me. Maybe it had to do with doing things in my own strength and not the Lord? I then decided to forego the helmet and use the quill instead with the wrench on the inside. I really liked the symbol, and the more I looked at it, the better I felt about it. It looked sharp, like a precision instrument; and reminded me of the verse:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

But I wasn’t replacing the Bible, and it wasn’t a symbol for a Bible. Then it hit me, it wasn’t a sword, but the tip of a spear.

Tip of the spear

Tip of the spear is an interesting phrase and has several meanings.

First, it is a phrase used in military operations to mean the first soldiers to go into combat. Those on the front lines give the sudden and overwhelming use of combat force to pierce an enemy’s first line of defense. It is the first and most meaningful action in an offensive.

In civilian usage or business world, it can mean the first to venture into a new endeavor — a trailblazer.

Both of these uses can be equally terrifying and scary for most people. Others are counting on you, and there are a million ways of failing and fewer ways of succeeding. My friend Paul and I were the first ones to do open air preaching at the Des Moines Farmer’s Market before anyone else did. Not only that, but evangelism is confronting Satan where he is at, invading his turf and trying to win souls to Christ; not staying behind the doors of the church and inviting people to come. Going out and doing battle in a world that hates God is not easy. It is scary, painful, and also very rewarding. Soldiers are skillful and it is very rewarding when he or she overcomes fears, takes up challenges, and wins.

As an evangelist, I am to go first. I am not to give anyone an assignment I would not do myself. We are to be leaders and examples. We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; not invite the world into church.

The tip of the spear is a tool in the soldier’s hand. It is the first part of the weapon that collides head on into the enemy. They need to be sharpened, the soldier needs to know how to use it, and it can be his most valuable asset. If there is anything that I can do to help you sharpen your skills in sharing your faith, please let me know.

Black and white

I wanted the color to be black and white. Why? Not that I’m boring, but because the Bible is black and white. There are no “grey areas” in the Word of God. Sin is sin, God’s Word is true, there is only heaven and hell in eternity, etc. God’s Word cuts through all of fluff of the world.

Not perfect, but it’s mine and reflects me

As you can see in the logo, the writing is not completely aligned, there are minor details that are missing, and that is okay. I really wanted to add a cross somewhere in the logo, but we just couldn’t do it. It made it too busy, and there just wasn’t enough room. Just like this logo, I’m not perfect either, but I get the point across and people understand the message. God still works through all our imperfections to achieve what He designed for me to do. He loves me, and I love this logo.

Thank you, Jake

I want to give a shout-out to Jake Fees, my Pastor’s son, for helping me design the logo and having patience with me trying to figure out what wanted the website to reflect. A lot of thought went into it, and I couldn’t be happier with the design. I can’t wait to see this on my contact cards and t-shirts. Thanks again, Jake!

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