Tools of the Trade

Written: Tuesday, 16 June 2026

UNEXPECTED COMMENTS

“I love your t-shirt!” “Yes He does!” “Praise the Lord!” are all things I’ve had said to me by absolute strangers simply because of the t-shirts I’m wearing. I believe my personal job in life requires me to remind others of Jesus and wearing Jesus t-shirts in public helps me to do this.

COMMON SENSE BEGINNING

My Jesus t-shirt journey started with common sense. Around the year 2020 after a few years of learning about God, if I saw a person wearing a Jesus t-shirt while I was out in public, I saw it as a sign and motivation to stay on the path I was currently on.

That particular path can be an easy path to slow down or stop on and even fall off so I appreciated the help from those t-shirts and the people who wore them. I realised that I could help others in the same way if I also became one of those people who went out in public wearing Jesus t-shirts.

A CHEAP START

My first Jesus t-shirts weren’t perfect but they worked! In 2020, my first Jesus t-shirts were self-made using cheap iron on transfer paper, which is like a flimsy plastic coloured cardboard, and random spare t-shirts I found around the house. For the first t-shirt I simply drew letters on the paper, cut them out and ironed them on as straight as I could. Can you guess the single word I ironed on? It starts with “J”. Surely you guessed, “Jesus”.

Even though imperfect and cheap these were a good introduction to what life would be like living as a man who wore Jesus t-shirts out in public. They built up the bravery I needed to wear the t-shirts and gave a positive vibe to the whole venture because I felt proud not only wearing a Jesus t-shirt but wearing one that I had made cheaply with recycled clothing. They also taught me about design and cost and helped me explore what I wanted on the t-shirts.

THE EVOLUTION

In the beginning, my first t-shirts reminded people about Jesus with text only - no images - because I could easily cut out letters from iron on paper but images, no. However, I really wanted images! I considered purchasing a machine that could cut out fairly detailed images and letters from the same paper but I couldn’t justify the cost of those machines. 

Besides, there were machines we could use for free up town in a place called Blue Print, which was an arts and crafts type workshop run through the council that offered a lot of machines and materials for free or at a low cost. I didn’t personally use the machines but my friend did and he made some amazing looking t-shirts. They were much more refined than my hand drawn and scissor cut-out letter designs.

VISTAPRINT

After about a year of using iron on transfer paper, I switched to using online printing companies in particular, Vistaprint because the t-shirts they used were good quality and Vistaprint could print text and images! Detailed and colourful images! Vistaprint allowed me to expand my creativity because of the seemingly unlimited design options. Whatever I could think of I could make.

For several years now I have used Vistaprint because of the ease of design and production and fast delivery time, approximately 5 days. Online, the VistaPrint website allows me to design a t-shirt within minutes through their easy-to-use app. However, most of the times I design a t-shirt I take longer than a few minutes because I keep changing my mind about what exactly I want to have on the bloody thing! 

JESUS T-SHIRTS ONLY

I’m not here to represent Nike or another brand so nowadays, my wardrobe only contains t-shirts of the Jesus kind. My current Jesus t-shirt collection numbers 14 t-shirts in various states of wear due to my management of them.

All t-shirts in my collection go through phases of a life-cycle dependent on the state of the print on the t-shirt or the t-shirt itself. Basically, if they look good, I wear them out in public otherwise the worse they look the closer they get to the rubbish bin. On their way to the bin they’ll end up as home clothes like pyjamas or singlets once I cut the sleeves off!

Just a side story, one of my designs however I did give to the local Opportunity Shop and weeks later I saw a lady wearing it! I was super excited to see it and of course I was motivated to continue on the path with God.

WHERE WILL IT GO IN THE FUTURE

My t-shirt collection has various routes it can take in the near and distant future that ultimately depend on my decisions. For example, at anytime I could make a big push to sell the t-shirts so others can help me in my job to remind others of Jesus. I have put the feelers out for this course of action but I didn’t sense much use in going through with it.

Shortly after printing the t-shirts it was a no-brainer that I would have to start printing Jesus hoodies and jerseys because on cold days I would have to cover my t-shirt with something to keep me warm. Nike hoodies weren’t an option anymore! So now my wardrobe also includes a collection of two jerseys and two hoodies of the Jesus kind for the colder days when I need to cover the t-shirts. 

A GOOD START FOR A GOOD FUTURE

Right now, I have no doubt that Jesus t-shirts are a great tool in my work to remind others of Jesus because they’ve been a solid part of my life and clothes collection for several years and I still see them working well year after year. Just recently, somebody at my workplace said they like the t-shirts and I should continue to wear them. The question I put to you is, should I continue to wear them? We’ll see. We will definitely see!