. . . The sun does not shine upon this fair earth to meet frowning eyes, depend upon it.” –Charles Dickins

“The Lord God is a sun…” Psalm 84:11

“There are two kinds of glows: the one that illuminates and the glare that obscures.”  –James Thurber

“Cherubs Rose” by Yoram Raanan

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!” Proverbs 3:5-12 

The beauty of the morning and the radiancy of noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned out the light in order to shut out the tranquillity of the evening. –William Somerset Maugham

Cherubs by Yoram Raanan

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:5

“History is not burdensome but an illumination to the soul.” –John Emereich Edward Dalberg

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews13:8

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” -Helen Keller

Psalm 18:28
“You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

“Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.” –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Autumn in Bavaria, by Wassily Kandinsky

“Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.” James 1:17

“When you have come to the edge of all light that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly” –Patrick Overton

“Conversation” by Yoram Raanan

    ”Arise, shine; for your light has come,
         And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). 

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  – Albert Schweitzer

Menorah by Yoram Raanan

“You are the light of the world–like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” –Matthew 5:14-16

Tell All the Truth

By Emily Dickinson

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—
Success in Cirrcuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightening to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind—

“Jerusalem, Starry Night” by Yoram Raanan 

“His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

“He replied, ‘You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes-
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’”

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” –Mark 11:10-16

“Truth is so great a perfection, that if God would render himself visible to men, he would choose light for his body and truth for his soul.” –Pythogoras, Greek philosopher

“Large Waterfall” by Yoram Raanan

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ” I John 1:5

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ” John 14:6