ABOUT
THE ARTIST
My love for calligraphy began in Junior High when a teacher asked me to do some lettering for her class. I was fascinated with the various letter forms and the way the chisel tip pen creates beautiful thick and thin strokes. My mother, Elizabeth Ann Neds, who was a commercial art major at Ohio State University, was my first teacher. She fueled my interest by providing me with tools and books and introduced me to other teachers. Although I graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in Music Education and worked in Information Systems for the Huntington Bank in Columbus, Ohio for almost nineteen years, I have lettered with varying levels of intensity since Junior High School, producing yearly family Christmas cards, lettering verses as inserts in church bulletins, doing calligraphy as gifts, and teaching classes at home and at Hobby Lobby stores. In addition to my mother, I have been taught by Roll McEndollar, Kathy Bell, Ann Woods, and Bill Lilly. I owe a debt of gratitude to each of my teachers.
CALLIGRAPHY BACKGROUND
TURNING TO CHRIST
In 1980 when I was 23, I came to a crisis in my life and seriously considered the option of suicide. By God's grace, I instead turned to the Bible where I found the truth about Jesus Christ that set me free from my sin and gave me purpose for living. Since that time, I have been passionate about lettering the Word of God and have seen many express gratitude for the manuscripts I have done. My heart echoes the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16. One of my major sins has been a pride in the abilities God has given me (I Corinthians 4:7). To acknowledge the means and purpose of my lettering, I sign each piece with the letters BGG FGG - By God's Grace, For God's Glory.
CALLIGRAPHY BACKGROUND
My love for calligraphy began in Junior High when a teacher asked me to do some lettering for her class. I was fascinated with the various letter forms and the way the chisel tip pen creates beautiful thick and thin strokes. My mother, Elizabeth Ann Neds, who was a commercial art major at Ohio State University, was my first teacher. She fueled my interest by providing me with tools and books and introduced me to other teachers. Although I graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in Music Education and worked in Information Systems for the Huntington Bank in Columbus, Ohio for almost nineteen years, I have lettered with varying levels of intensity since Junior High School, producing yearly family Christmas cards, lettering verses as inserts in church bulletins, doing calligraphy as gifts, and teaching classes at home and at Hobby Lobby stores. In addition to my mother, I have been taught by Roll McEndollar, Kathy Bell, Ann Woods, and Bill Lilly. I owe a debt of gratitude to each of my teachers.
The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Joy, and thirteen enthusiastic children - Benjamin, Rebekah, Hannah, Lydia, Seth, Esther, Rachel, Julia, Daniel, Faith, David, Joshua, and Karis. Wanting to be more involved in spreading the "Good News" of Jesus Christ, I took a part-time position as Assistant Pastor at Rockwall Bible Church in Rockwall, Texas. Our family moved from Ohio to Texas in February of 2004 where I serve in the areas of music, education, and outreach. Our first year at RBC, the senior pastor asked me to letter a verse each month for the bulletin cover. As a result, I have ministered more through calligraphy since being in Texas than I had in several previous years put together.
THE AUTHOR
FAMILY AND WORK
The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Joy, and thirteen enthusiastic children - Benjamin, Rebekah, Hannah, Lydia, Seth, Esther, Rachel, Julia, Daniel, Faith, David, Joshua, and Karis. Wanting to be more involved in spreading the "Good News" of Jesus Christ, I took a part-time position as Assistant Pastor at Rockwall Bible Church in Rockwall, Texas. Our family moved from Ohio to Texas in February of 2004 where I serve in the areas of music, education, and outreach. Our first year at RBC, the senior pastor asked me to letter a verse each month for the bulletin cover. As a result, I have ministered more through calligraphy since being in Texas than I had in several previous years put together.
Did you know that you can actually have a personal relationship with the author of the Bible? The following verses explain. This is the most important page on my website. Please take it to heart!
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Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
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Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
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Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
The Sinfulness of Every Human Being
The Sinfulness of Every Human Being
The Penalty of Eternal Separation from God
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Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin; and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.
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Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire
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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling aroma.
The Substitution of Christ
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Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and by His stripes, we are healed.
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John 11:50 Nor do you consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should perish.
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2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The Helplessness of the Sinner
The Sinfulness of Every Human Being
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Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
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Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
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Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
The Penalty of Eternal Separation from God
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Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin; and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.
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Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire
The Love of God
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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling aroma.
The Substitution of Christ
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Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and by His stripes, we are healed.
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John 11:50 Nor do you consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should perish.
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2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The Helplessness of the Sinner
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Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
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Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
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Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The Responsibility of the Sinner
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John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name:
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Acts 16:30 And he brought them out, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
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Acts 16:31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
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Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
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Is There Anything Keeping You from Trusting Christ Right now?
(All Scripture Quotations--NKJV)
THE MINISTRY
Welcome to Calligraphy for Christ! My name is Keith Neds. One of my primary objectives in life is helping folks know and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has blessed me with ability in calligraphy, so lettering His Word works well with this objective. Several years ago, I asked Esther, one of my daughters, if she had memorized her verse for Sunday school that week. She said that she already knew it. She pointed to our framed print of Isaiah 41:10 lettered by Jonathan Blocker, which was hanging on the wall in our family room. Just by seeing this verse day after day on the wall, she had memorized it. Certainly, those in advertising realize the power of what is displayed before our eyes. We should arrange our surroundings to help us fulfill Philippians 4:8 "Finally my brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
To help you accomplish that goal, I provide verses and God-honoring quotes in a variety of formats. You may purchase prints, matted prints, or framed prints of the verses I have lettered. If you would like me to letter a verse for you, or have other custom lettering for occasions such as graduations, birthdays, weddings, etc., click on the "Custom" option under "Shop".
Over the years I have become aware of other artists and sources that provide a beautiful rendering of the Scriptures. If you can't find what you want on my website, I encourage you to visit the other websites via the links at the bottom of the page. Wherever you get the Scripture, please do not put it off - get it and display it. Having God's Word before your eyes will be an enduring blessing and help to you!
Finally, please let me know (click here ) if you have any suggestions for making my website better. Thank you for visiting! May you "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16a).
THE WEBSITE MIGRATION
My son, Daniel, has been working hard on migrating from the version of CalligraphyforChrist.com that we have been using for the last six or seven years, to this new version on the WIX platform. Daniel has done a truly amazing job of putting this together. He took to WIX like a duck takes to water! Thank you, Daniel! You are a huge blessing!
This is a good time for us to take a breath, put up our feet for a short break, and review how the Lord has brought us to this point. So many people have helped and encouraged in a variety of ways. I don't have the space to acknowledge everyone, but I do need to acknowledge a few key players.
On April 28, 2007, we registered with the state of Texas for a Sales and Use Tax Permit, doing business as SDG Graphics (SDG stood for "Soli Deo Gloria" - a Latin phrase used by J. S. Bach which means, "To God Alone be the Glory"). The Thomas Skelton family from Colorado has cheered for us and helped us all along the way. The same year we officially began this ministry, their daughter, Eleanor, volunteered to make a video presentation for us. I have included this video below. Thank you Eleanor, and the Skelton family!
The Woody Proffitt family has played a major role in Calligraphy for Christ. Pastor Woody asked me to letter regularly for the bulletin, they ordered custom pieces on a semi-regular basis, and their son, Jared, volunteered to build two custom websites for me. The first was under the name sdggraphics.com and the second was CalligraphyforChrist.com. He was a computer science major in college and his progress from the first to the second was amazing! We have used his coding since 2007. Thank you, Jared, and the Proffitt family!
The Dr. Jobe Martin family is a huge fan of displaying God's Word, as a trip to their home will quickly reveal. They have invited us to several conferences with them to display our prints, have purchased a lot of calligraphy, and have even let us carry one of their prints, "I Die Daily", on our website . This was a custom piece they had another calligrapher letter years ago. Thank you, Martin family!
Last year on August 8, we were incorporated with the State of Texas as a not-for-profit corporation. And then just this past January 8, 2018, we received our 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. These steps seemed impossible to me. The Lord put it on Patty Consadine's heart to use her accounting skills to serve Him by serving us at Calligraphy for Christ, not only in the steps just mentioned, but also in doing our taxes on a regular basis. Thank you, Patty!
Finally, Joy, my primary support and help, and our whole family and extended family have assisted in this ministry. They have helped cut cardboard, stuffed the prints and the cardboard into the sleeves, loaded and unloaded our van and trailer repeatedly, helped at various conferences and at the First Monday flea market in Canton, set up and maintained our presence on Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest, designed our business cards, and even done some calligraphy for the ministry (I look forward to more of this!). Benjamin kicked off our 2017 step-of-faith year in this ministry by getting a conference call together with various family members from other locations, and then totally surprising me by having Pastor Vogel join the call and lead in a prayer of God's blessing on this endeavor! What a privilege to serve with each of you. Thank you!
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 136:1
To God be the glory, great things He hath done!