“Jewels in the Dark”
Our latest project is a series of 30 pairs of spiritual poems and paintings in a Middle-Eastern style that will be contained in a book entitled “Jewels in the Dark”. The title has a few layers of meaning, one of which is a reference to Job 28:6-7 where the Sufferer, Job, likens wisdom to gems hidden deep within the earth. Each of the paintings is a little like a different kind of jewel. These stories have been arranged, approximately, in the order they occur. Together, they hopefully will help the reader’s/viewer’s heart become more fascinated with the Messiah, of whom it is written: “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3) The title also reminds of us of the many dear Middle-Eastern followers of Jesus who are living like God’s jewels in difficult dark circumstances.
Thank you to everyone who helped to turn this vision into a reality as we were thrilled to have the first copies published in Turkey in 2023. Please enjoy this digital copy and feel free to share it with anyone. Below you will find all of the individual paints created for this book.
On Painting the Faces of God’s Holy Prophets
In the Middle East, the painting of the faces of prophets has often been discouraged, or outright forbidden. Art, such as paintings or sculptures, have sometimes been defaced or destroyed by those who object to the illustration of people, and the holy prophets in particular. Allow me to respond to any potential objection to our art.
First, I commend anyone with such a concern, for to have such a concern one must have a heart that, we trust, seeks to please God and obey His commands as best as one knows how. How good the world would be if all men and women abstained from sin that displeases God and loved Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength!
Indeed, the hope of the artist and author is exactly that - that the hearts and minds of the viewers would believe in and obey the Lord with genuine hearts. Therefore, in hopes that God would use the skills that He has given us in a way that would bring glory to Himself, we began each painting or writing with prayer, asking God to guide us. We also prayed that each image would bring a deeper understanding of the meaning God had for the pictured event.
These paintings we have made represent the event pictured in the same way that a written word, such as “orange,” is a written symbol for a real piece of fruit. Our illustrations of people are depictions from our imagination, and do not look like the actual people did, unless by coincidence. We are wholeheartedly against the wrong ways an artist might potentially depict God’s prophets – namely, in a way that shows disrespect, or in a way promoting worship of them rather than of God.
“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 26:1 ESV
May these images and their corresponding sections of creative writing be used to point your heart and mind to the one true God, and to know Him and His salvation.
The Art of “Jewels in the Dark”
The Creation of the Universe – “I Hovered”
The Prophesy to Crush the Serpent’s Head – “He Crushes the Serpent’s Head”
The Entrance of the Animals onto Noah’s Ark – “Torrent of Tears”
The Reviving Stump – “The Scent of Rain”
Abraham’s Blessing – “Faces”
Abraham’s Sacrifice – “Heaven is Calling Your Name”
Across the Red Sea – “A Look at the Parting of the Red Sea”
Moses Lifts Up the Bronze Serpent – “The Chastened”
The Fall of Jericho – “Jericho”
Deborah, Mother to the People – “She Awoke”
The Midianites Turn on Themselves – “Gideon’s Poem”
The Prophet Elijah Being Fed by Ravens – “Grace in the Wilderness”
The Prophet Nehemiah Leads the Rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Walls – “Benediction for Ruined Walls”
Queen Esther Pleads for the King to Save Her People – “Esther’s Poem”
The 4th Man in the Furnace – “Fellowship in the Flames with Jesus”
The Prophet Daniel in the Lions’ Den - “When King Darius Calls to The Prophet Daniel in the Morning”
The Prophets and The King – “Carvings”
Voyage of the Magi - “We Have Seen His Star (Looking for the Signs of His Promise)”
The Miracle of the Feeding of the 5,000 – “Fresh Bread”
Able and Willing to Heal – “Because He Touched Me”
The Weary Find Rest – “The Rest”
Healed and Forgiven – “The Running Man’s Story”
Discovery of the Pearl of Great Price – “The Search”
Two Kings – “The Collision of the Two Kingdoms”
The Greatest Sacrifice – “The Good Shepherd”
Return to Life – “Spring”
The Day God’s Spirit Came – “Room of Wonder”
Believers Step Into Freedom – “The Burning”
The Apostles’ Care – “Gentle Nursing Mother”
The Battle Against the Two Lampstands – “Not Forsaken”
Heaven – “In the Garden of God”
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