Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, May 17, 2025

Every day after breakfast I walk around a mile-long loop. A couple of blocks from home I pass the above maple, which Shelley and I have taken to calling “the glory tree,” not only because of its magnificent symmetry but how it looks after its leaves turn gold in autumn.

Friday morning of this week as I passed beneath its branches I saw the scene below:

Only a few leaves had fallen on the sidewalk, but there were thousands of the boomerang-shaped seed pods at the top. I immediately thought of the “ABG Fallacy.”

This fallacy, “Anything But God,” is resolutely adopted by people who choose to go through life determined to deny the Creator any role in designing and manufacturing His planet. This means, of course, that the ABG-believers must somehow come up with other explanations for not only splendid, symmetrical maple trees, but for the fantastically fool-proof method by which sunlight and water cause them to grow, and for the elegantly designed propellers which carry their seeds on the wind.

Paul was no stranger to the ABG Fallacy. In Romans 1:28, he alludes to unbelievers who “did not like to retain God in their knowledge” [NKJV] and whose resistance to their Creator opened them up to all kinds of tragic consequences.

To ponder eight Bible verses about Creation, click the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/creation-and-evolution

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, May 16, 2025

A little over a week ago, as Shelley and I took our after-breakfast walk, I caught sight of this discarded bandaid on the sidewalk. As you can see, it’s fallen with the protective gauze pad facing up, and the pad looks pretty clean. So it seems as though whatever wound this may have covered was pretty well healed, so that this may have been a final precautionary application, maybe affixed by a loving and germ-phobic mom.

As you probably know, Jesus’ first ministry to people was most likely a healing one. Whole villages would hurry to Him, guiding or even carrying friends who were sick:

“Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.” (Matthew 15:30 NKJV)

In fact, if there would have been bandaids back then, Jesus’ healing touch would have instantly made bandages or other healing devices obsolete, as the formerly wounded stared in disbelief at their perfectly-restored skin.

When it comes to our health, we should make use of whatever remedies restore us, but we should never forget to get Jesus involved. Check out both the following links for some of what the Bible says about health.

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/health

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/healing

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, May 15, 2025

This trail is enchanting to me partly because I walked with my wife on it when we were dating. If you think about places that are enchanting to you, I’m sure several places will come to mind. They may be a bit mysterious like this one. How did those vine maple trees just happen to grow like that right over the trail? Did they just accidentally happen or did someone meticulously guide them in that pattern. In this case, maybe a little of both.

The Bible talks about a mystery.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27

In this verse it doesn’t seem like there is anything accidental about this mystery. It sounds like God carefully planned to fairly share the ability to accept Christ into our lives. Let’s take advantage of the opportunity and see what enchanting results happen.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, May 14, 2025

When you hear the word “barren,” what comes to mind? I’d wager it’s not images of thriving, abundant life—am I right? By definition, “barren” means unproductive, incapable of growth. So why would I connect this word with the concept of life? Let me explain.

A couple weeks ago, I visited the (somewhat) active volcano – Irazu, just outside of the town Cartago in Costa Rica. (in last weeks’ photo parable, I referenced this very mountain with an image of a Gray Fox). During the visit, I had a chance to walk around the crater of this volcano and it was interesting to see the landscape. In the image above you can see the dark surface, basically sand that you would find at the beach. This “sand” is from the ash of previous eruptions, and erosion of volcanic rocks. When I see this image, I think this is what barren looks like.

Take a look at this second image—what was once sand has transformed into rich soil, with tufts of grass beginning to grow. Life has emerged, just a few feet away from the barren, dark sand. But what makes the difference? Why does a short distance matter so much?

While I’m not a geologist or botanist, I’d guess that proximity to the crater’s edge plays a key role. At the center of the crater, conditions are harsh—only sunshine piercing the cloud cover, and the occasional stray seed finds its way into the sand. But moving a few feet toward the edge, we get closer to the hillside, where rain and soil wash down, creating fertile ground. Birds, insects, and seeds contribute to the cycle, and soon, grass begins to take root. Step a little farther, and shrubs, bushes, and trees appear. The closer we move toward the source of rain and runoff, the more life flourishes.

As I’ve said before, I’m not a geologist, botanist, nor am I a theologian. But I can’t help noticing the parallel to our spiritual journey. The closer we are to the True Source, the more abundant our life becomes. Let that sink in—literally.

As we navigate this imperfect world, we witness barren landscapes all around us—places untouched by the needed nourishment. Without moving toward the source of life-giving sustenance, that barrenness remains. But when we draw closer, we find the very nourishment our souls crave. That Source is the wellspring of life, offering each of us exactly what we need to grow and thrive. God is that source, and God is the One that provides life.

Thank you God! Allow us to draw closer to you, each and every day!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Pick up just about any introductory book on North American birds and you’re likely to find a section which shows a wide variety of bill types which different species employ to make a living. And almost without exception, an illustration of the beak of the Roseate Spoonbill will be included. And it’s easy to see why. Its unusual shape demands attention and its colorful plumage seals the deal.

Six species of spoonbills are found worldwide, but the Roseate is by far the most colorful. Its touch-sensitive spatulate bill is swung side to side in shallow waters and when fish, crustaceans, insects or other food is encountered, it snaps shut. Combine that with its long legs and the spoonbill seems ideally suited for the wetlands of tropical and subtropical America. Our largest member of the ibis family uses its God-given gift to maximize the opportunities where it is placed.

This same idea is beautifully expressed in 1 Peter 4:10. But it goes beyond the self-centered, self-serving mode to encompass others in its blessing and God will be given the glory. “Serve one another with the particular gifts God has given each of you, as faith dispensers of the magnificently varied grace of God.” (J.B. Phillips New Testament) The spoonbill is certainly beautiful, and unique, but it has nothing on the opportunity we have been given.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, May 12, 2025

In Matthew 8:26 NIV, we read: “Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”

In this photograph, the Gold Creek Valley and Alta Mountain are visible under a glowering sky. If God controls the weather, does an angry sky equate to an angry God?

As children, we learned that “God is Love.” As we grew, we also heard about “The Wrath of God.” John 3:16, contains the solution to reconcile these conflicting attributes.

In Gethsemane, we see Jesus strengthened by the Father’s Love. On the cross, Jesus bears the full weight of God’s justice. God, in Christ, demonstrates both His love and His wrath. Love: His willingness to risk eternal death and separation from God. Wrath: His unwillingness to allow eternal sin. Love and wrath: Justice full of mercy.

Look at the photo again. I do not see an angry sky; I sense a refreshing rain — I feel a loving God!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, May 11, 2025

On really rainy childhood days, when to go outside would mean getting too cold and drenched, I would often ask my mother if we could look in her cedar chest together. She always said Yes.

It was a big, beautiful polished wooden chest, ornately carved. The way I remember the story is that her first husband, who died after they’d been married only six years, had bought it for her in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

My mother was a keeper. She was not a hoarder, nor a minimalist. She kept things that were dear to her, and on those rainy afternoons as we lifted first one item and then another from the chest, she would tell me stories about them. I loved hearing her stories.

Treasures inside her cedar chest included her wedding dress and shoes, my father’s wedding vest, baby books for myself and my two sisters, our report cards (which seem to fall short of the “treasure” label, but she did the choosing, not me!), lots and lots of photo albums and single photos, newspaper clippings, letters and cards, poems I wrote for her, little gifts we made for her, and more.

Perhaps the most unusual item was a pair of spurs reportedly worn by a woman cattle-rustler. My father was from rural Nevada, and he was the one who tucked these spurs into the cedar chest. I remember taking them to school one day for “show and tell,” and regaling my class (third grade, I think) with the story of this cattle-rustling woman. No telling what my teacher thought about my treasure; I think she only said a faint “Thank you” when I completed my tale.

In the photos above you see a birthday card, cover and interior, I made for my mother when I was quite young. Although I think the artwork and printing are nicely done, if I do say so myself, I wonder if she kept this more for its unintended humor. It was probably the only birthday card she received that featured a colorful turkey. In my defense, her birthday was two weeks before Thanksgiving, and I’d probably been practicing turkey-drawing at school and thought it a splendid choice of illustration.

After my mother and father died, my oldest sister inherited the cedar chest. So one night, while we were still together after my father’s memorial service, the three of us daughters sat down on the living room carpet and emptied the chest, dividing up the treasures. Some were easy — we each took our own baby book and report cards – but we somehow managed to amiably choose how to distribute the rest of the chest.

My sisters pronounced me the most sentimental of our trio, so I ended up with many of my mother’s treasures. What she kept, I keep.

I keep them in a much less ornate cedar chest, to which I’ve added more recent treasures of my own.

Looking through these treasures, inherited and new, and thinking about all the stories they represent, I’ve come to one clear conclusion about my mother’s life: What she held most dear, what she kept the most, was her faith.

Her father died in a logging accident when she was 2½ years old, her childhood was difficult, her first husband died young, but she kept her faith in God.

She could echo Paul when he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV)

What she kept, I want to keep.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
You who save by your right hand
Those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
Hide me in the shadow of your wings . . .
(Psalm 17:6-8)

He who calls us to His side is faithful to hear us, to save us, to keep us, and to show us the wonders of His great love. He looks at each of us, and calls us keepers.