Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, April 26, 2024

A little over a week ago at our local library I noticed this hugely delightful book. It’s called Spine Poems: An Eclectic Collection of Found Verse for Book Lovers. It must have taken a vast amount of work, because it’s a thick book, and the contents range from hilarious to thoughtful.

The premise is simple—get a whole lot of books together and see if their spines’ titles can be stacked together in an order which means something. The above photo is my favorite of the pages I flipped through.

Even though I got a kick out of flipping through these pages, I know—and you probably do too—that this is not how to arrive at truth. And gathering a lot of miscellaneous Bible verses together isn’t the best way to arrive at God’s core wisdom.

How can we properly study the Bible? The link below gives seven principles, and goes into depth with each one. Check it out!

Understanding The Bible: How to Study It

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 25, 2024

In this scene overlooking the Columbia River at Astoria, ships are waiting for their next leg of travel up the river. We enjoyed watching pilot boats meeting with ships to transfer river pilots and bar pilots. When a ship is traveling on the river, they need a river pilot who knows the channels and safe routes. The way it works is a pilot boat, which looks a bit like a tugboat, carries a river pilot out to the ship. The ship lowers a ladder or small stairs down to the boat’s level. Then the pilot climbs the ladder to begin their work. It turns out to be a surprisingly coordinated process because there are two pilots. A bar pilot helps navigate the short but difficult mouth of the river, and a river pilot navigates the longer length of the river. So, there might be a transfer where one pilot boards the ship, and another pilot disembarks. There is also a little drama when the pilot transfers between boat to ladder because they are both moving.

A lot of goods are transported by ship. It reminds me again how connected we all are. In thinking about goods and our relationship to God, I like these verses.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18,19

This is another way we are all connected. We rely on Jesus and God for our redemption.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 24, 2024

I don’t know if you ever feel this way, but I’ll speak for myself when I say, there are days I need all the strength I can get. Maybe it is due to a lack of quality sleep, or worrying about challenges at work, or concerns of family issues — whatever it is, the morning comes and I need that strength.

It’s such a reassurance that God gives us that strength. We don’t have to be concerned or worried, He’s got our back. Let’s take a look at that promise, which we find in Isaiah 41:10.

So do not fear, I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous hand.

How about that?! Right there in that one verse, we have the promise of real strength, and real help from our Creator. Amazing.

No matter what you are facing – big or small, God has you covered. He will provide the strength that is needed. Praise God!

This image was taken, at sunrise, overlooking the Massai Mara, in Kenya. As the sun peeks over the hills, it reminds me God is with us, each and every day.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Much of life takes planning. We welcome those unusual times when elements of the equation seem to come together serendipitously, but we recognize we can make a difference how often those incidents occur. Let me suggest several components that may come into play. The first is awareness. The picture never would have happened if I hadn’t been conscious of the fact that Lazuli Buntings were in the area and singing their song. Recognition of the possibility of them landing in the wild roses that were growing in the area added to the composition idea.

Planning also plays a role. Once the possibility of such a picture is understood, it pays to think where one should be to capture the image. Consideration of lighting, background, and the habits of the bird come into play. If my thinking had been long term, I could have arranged to be there when the roses were in full bloom to take advantage of the color.

The last factor is action, actually doing something with the idea. If I had, after planning, left my camera in the car, or not pushed the shutter, then there would be no picture. Awareness and planning are necessary, but unless something is done, those steps are wasted and produce nothing. Shecaniah, a biblical name unfamiliar to most of us even though there are seven references to men of that name, gave the prophet Ezra good advice: “It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done.” (Ezra 10:4 GNT) Be aware, make plans, but by all means, do something.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, April 22, 2024

I was up in the Skagit Valley last week and headed out early in the day to see the Roozengaarde tulip fields before too many other tourists were up and about and trying to do the same thing. I had met up with some friends who were also visiting the area and we were glad we had made the effort to get up early to beat the crowds.

We found this great field of different colored tulips and there was even a shoulder on the road! We saw these people hard at work picking tulips and then throwing the bunches into the truck. I’m sure that these were the “field tulips” that were being sold in the little tulip stands at the Roozengaarde fields and in their garden.

Proverbs has some verses that have some good advice for those who are only thinking that they might need to work vs. those who are actually working:

Those who work hard make a profit, but those who only talk will be poor.
Proverbs 14:23 (NCV)

Sidewalk chalk creations are few and far between nowadays, so we pay courteous attention to each one that we encounter on our daily walks. The one you see in the above photo left me feeling a bit anxious.

In the lower left corner we could read the word, “Start!” and to the right we could see, “You can use it!” Then to the right of the rainbow’s top is the admonition, “DO NOT” followed by an indecipherable word. That’s what made me anxious. DO NOT what?
It felt like someone was shouting at us, and then their voice dropped to a mumble.

And yes, this made me think of God.

God does not mumble.

He carved the Ten Commandments into stone with His own finger; no pastel chalk talks that would wash away in the first rain shower. And they are not vague rambles about suggested human behavior. They are crisp and clear; each “Do not” is followed by words I understand. I need His power to obey them, but I do understand them!

Many, many years ago a man asked my pastor husband, “What are the basic minimum requirements for joining your church?” My immediate reaction would have been to blurt out, “That’s not the right question!” My husband was patient in his response, and some time later the man chose to be baptized, with an enlightened view of what was involved.

I think of the Old Testament answer that has been set to music:

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8 NKJV)

Jesus, Son of God, walking dusty roads on this planet, didn’t mumble, either.

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:34-40 NKJV)

And in the best-known verse in all of Scripture, Jesus plainly describes our path to heaven:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16 NKJV)

God loved; God gave. What can be clearer than the Cross?

To be clear, not everything God and Jesus say in the Bible is clear to me. I have sometimes asked God why He included some things in the Bible that seem to paint Him in an unfavorable light, or other things that are rather murky. I have much to learn.

But the essentials? What’s most important? Those are crystal clear!

And one of these days, when our days on earth are ended, we’ll have all the time in the world – no, no! We’ll have all of eternity, to learn more and more of God’s love and goodness. He will heal all the pain and trauma of this world and we’ll be able to use our brains and hearts to full capacity.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Revelation 22:1-2 NKJV)

Until then our earth adventure continues. Courage, pilgrims! We do not journey alone.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, April 20, 2024

A little over a week ago, in (I think it was) a Goodwill store, I paused beside these shelves of figurines. As you can see, the middle shelf contains an eclectic group, ranging from former Seattle Sonics player and coach Nate McMillan on the left, to an unidentified gray-haired man wearing earphones, to an unidentified woman carrying what looks like a bundle of wood, to Uncle Sam, to Jesus Christ, to Dwight from the TV series “The Office.” (And notice the boots and cape of Superman on the shelf above?)

I often wonder what Jesus, the originator of the “Thou shalt make no graven images” commandment, thinks about portraits and sculptures of Himself. And I wonder what He thinks of being positioned right next to Uncle Sam, knowing how brashly and often unthinkingly some conservatives would like to join the two at the hip.

The truth is that any image, whether bobbleheads like Nate McMillan, the gray-haired guy, or Dwight, can all become idols, and could even be worshipped. That’s if you define worship as what you devote your time and talent and treasure to.

Chillingly, idolatry is still very close to the hearts of even Christians these days, which is why it’s important to keep in mind God’s ruthless opposition to it. Check out the link below:

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