Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem
Names and Titles of God (The Word) John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
King James Version
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A Concrete Company wanted to change its image and logo, but, rather than hire an advertising agency and spend a lot of money, the owner contacted the Art College where I was pursuing my BA in Graphic Design. He was offering the miserable, paltry, sum of $500 to some "needy" student to do a $50,000 makeover.
Well, to me, at the time, $500 looked mighty good. The job was "on spec" (of course!), and I labored night and day to come up with a creative and eye catching logo for the concrete company. Now, think about concrete for a minute. It's gray, it's heavy, it's ugly, and it's boring. Monolithic slabs of unfinished concrete are the foundation, and the facade, of "Brutalist" Architecture. This was the style that Stalin adored, and was embodied in the scandalous NewBoston City Hall, where I was a Tour Guide. I confess that I was in the business of "gas-lighting" tourists touring the building, by extolling the magnificence and innovation present in the misshapen blob of concrete that had replaced the old city hall.
But, I digress!
So I stayed up all night working on that logo. How could I adapt my whimsical, wistful, psychedelic 60's poster style to CONCRETE? Work, work work. I put hours into it. My efforts were rejected. They were neither representative of the company, nor did the result represent ME.
My friend lives in the same town as that concrete company, fifty miles away, and whenever I drive to her home I see the sign on the side of the big tanks. The logo is the same one they had for a hundred years. They not only rejected my designs, they rejected everyone else's. They never did go to a professional agency, and hungry art students couldn't satisfy them. And so, they ended up with nothing.
Now what on earth has this got to do with Today's Name of God?
First, let's look at the assignment. The concrete company's owner wanted a new logo. The "logo" is more than the "Trademark" of a company. It embodies the company's Purpose, its Identity, it's Past, Present , and Future. Let's look at some logos through History and you will see what I mean.
1. The Bar & Shield: This is the Century-Old Logo of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company. It is recognizable all over the world. Harley Davidson treasures and protects this logo with a team of lawyers ready to pounce on any "pirate" who produces clothing or accessories with the Bar & Shield on them. Nevertheless, it doesn't prevent Bikers from getting the logo tattooed onto their skin.
2. Mouse Ears: OK, I admit it. I had a headband with Mouse Ears on it when I was a toddler. This, of course, was the logo of the Mickey Mouse Club, and, in fact all of Disney. The Corporation also uses Walt Disney's Signature as a logo (some will argue that there are three "sixes" in the script, but that's another story.) The logo in the link has both the Mouse Ears and the Signature, and means only one thing to the whole world. Seeing the logo either causes cringing or delight, but never a neutral reaction.
3. Buddhist Good Luck Symbol: YIKES! Is it OK to link to that? Well, yes, it's just a symbol of eternity in the Buddhist Religion. But, flip it over, and you have the most evil symbol in History. The symbol became the logo of the Nazi Party, which caused millions of deaths in the Mid-Twentieth Century. It has become so easy to label "anyone we don't like" as a "Nazi or a "Hitler". Just last week, we have seen what that kind of rhetoric can lead to. I feel bad for the Buddhists who had their logo stolen from them.
Now that we know that a "logo" is everything about an entity, past, present, and future, and how it epitomizes the essence, purpose, and existence of that entity, let's look at the origin of the word "logo". It's from the Greek, and it means Word. (λόγος) Strong's 3056.. This is not just a "word" that can be a noun describing a combination of sounds that have a meaning. This is much more than that. There is a Greek word for that kind of word, "rhema". The Bible Passage speaks of a Logos that transcends mere language, time, and space. This Word is Eternal, with God from the beginning, is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. The Word (Logos) is God.
This Declaration is so Powerful that people try to mess with the translations, deleting words, adding indefinite articles, and mis-translating, but The Word STANDS. In the Logos, we see the Image, Identity, Essence, and Glory of the Only Begotten of The father, Full of Grace and Truth.
And there's no way anybody can draw a picture of THAT.
Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. (Mark 4:22)
God Bless America.
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS