After I first came across Jim LePage’s Word series online, I couldn’t stop thinking about the stunning, poster-style images he created for each book of the Bible. Jim is a graphic designer from St. Paul, Minnesota, who, in addition to doing freelance design work, serves as Design Manager at Woodland Hills Church, where Greg Boyd is a pastor. What I love most about the Word series is that it manages to capture some of the most beautiful, compelling, bizarre, troubling, violent, and redemptive images from the Bible in a way that, as we talked about on Monday, honors the Bible for what it is, not simply what we want it to be.

I caught up with Jim and asked him a few questions about this fascinating project.

Rachel: What inspired you to take on the Word project?

Jim: I've always thought the Bible was a powerful book and contained an amazing story of God's pursuit of humanity. But in all honesty, whenever I tried to read it, I got bored really quickly. I'd make all types of different efforts to read the Bible more, but inevitably I'd always give up, because it seemed boring and I'd rather watch TV. It's a frustrating feeling to know that this book shares such an incredible story that I just couldn't seem to tap into.

Eventually, I decided to try combining something that felt boring – Bible reading – with something that I was passionate about – design. You can find out more about how the project began on my site.