Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Not all owls live in the deep, dark woods behind Grandmother’s house. Instead, owls seem to have occupied every possible land habitat on the face of the earth ranging from the frigid tundra of the far north to the steamy jungles of the tropics. Some live their entire lives in an arid desert setting, while others specialize in fishing for prey in the shallows of small ponds and other bodies of water. And just like humans, there are those which prefer the ruggedness offered by a mountain setting while others bask in the freedom offered by open grasslands. The Short-eared Owl is one of those that favor this second kind of habitat, especially marshlands. There it will build its nest on the ground, one of the few owls that build a nest, and seldom roost in trees except when snow covers the ground. It is one of the most widely distributed owls and can be found on all of the continents except Antarctica and Australia.

When we assign names to things we run the risk of focusing on that which momentarily catches our attention. The politician who makes a Freudian slip while wanting to impress his constituents or the normally self-controlled individual who momentarily loses their temper may regrettably be remembered this way. The Short-eared Owl is one which suffers this same indignity. Not only are its short ear tufts seldom seen, but they really have nothing to do with their ears at all, only feather extensions whose placement reminded human observers of their own ears.

Although Christ had many derogatory names erroneously given to Him, He was the only individual whose life was one of consistency. The Great I AM is the same yesterday, today and forever. Unlike you or me who put on faces to meet varying circumstances, He was the same whether addressing a multitude or talking with an individual despised Samaritan woman or an exalted Jewish rabbi. Though He was called a glutton and winebibber (Luke 7:34) and even Beelzebub, (Matthew 10:25) Jesus’ life remained one of constant devotion to His Father. Maybe we shouldn’t get so upset when we are shortchanged. It doesn’t seem to bother the owl and it apparently didn’t distract our Lord.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, April 8, 2024

I’ve been privileged to go on a few whale watching trips in the Pacific Northwest. I love being out on the water even if we don’t actually get to see any whales. It’s really beautiful traveling around through the San Juan islands and seeing what all is out there. I’ve seen everything from gray whales to harbor seals, California sea lions, Stellar sea lions, porpoises, orcas (pictured), minke whales, humpback whales, great blue herons, eagles, cormorants and numerous other birds. It’s just amazing that we share this world with so many of God’s creatures.

When you see all that is out there, you can’t help but be grateful for it all. You also can’t help but believe that the natural world has to have had a Designer.

Psalm 148 in the New King James Version is headed: Praise to the Lord from Creation.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
. . .
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
Psalm 148:7 and 13 (NKJV)

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, April 7, 2024

You are looking at a photo of an underfoot blessing.

The bark in the foreground fills in an area that was previously a sprawling treacherous tangle of roots, ready to trip you up unless you very carefully picked your way through them. The stretch of large gravel beyond the bark covers a path that was prone to many muddy puddles.

This gravel path continues out of sight to the left for a total of 145 feet, as I paced it out. It links our neighborhood sidewalk with the Lake Youngs Trail, which loops around for a total of 9, 9.5, or 10 miles, depending on which website is describing it.

My husband and I tread this short connecting path to the trail almost every day, usually twice a day. The bark and gravel appeared several weeks ago, a lovely surprise on our post-breakfast walk.

I exclaimed over it, and wondered aloud who had so generously improved our path. To the left is a wetland that I think is county property, and to the right is a homeowner with a fenced back yard. Did county workers bring in the bark and the gravel, or did our HOA committee use part of our dues for this improvement? Or maybe the homeowner – although why would they want to encourage foot traffic which always excites their two dogs into a barking frenzy, whether they’re inside the house or in the back yard?

My husband listened to my speculations without choosing a likely answer, and continued to listen patiently as on subsequent days I continued to mull over who had seen the need and literally filled it.

And then this week as we walked the Lake Youngs Trail we came upon a neighbor walking her elderly dog and slowed our pace to match theirs. We chatted a bit about the weather and Easter celebrations and her dog’s health, and then as we approached the short path leading back into the neighborhood, asked if she wanted to take that turn.

She said she did, and I began my customary applause for the new bark and gravel. To our surprise, she said she was glad to hear our appreciation – she then shyly admitted to being the one who had decided to bring in the bark and haul in 20 bags of gravel to improve walking conditions. Her home is several blocks away, but she uses the trail often, as do so many of us. But only one of us thought to invest time and money and energy to make the path better for all of us!

As the four of us emerged back into the neighborhood and with one more round of thanks went our separate ways, I couldn’t keep from smiling. How satisfying it was to now know who to thank.

It reminded me of a quote that I had to track down to assure accuracy of both source and wording:

“The worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.”
–Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet and artist

I approach this quote cautiously, because depending how I use it, I can sound either smug or grateful. I would rather be grateful – grateful that I had a mother who took me to church each week and prayed over me and lived her life in such a way that I thought the God she faithfully worshipped was Someone worth knowing.

And I’m grateful that He considered me – and all of us – worthy of His sacrificial love, and was willing to come down to our small speck of a planet and walk a path that we will never have to travel.

We could say that He improved walking conditions on our path, so that we could avoid the tangled roots and muddy puddles of life, but I think this might not be true all the way through. Some of the last words Jesus said to His disciples before Gethsemane and the Cross were:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NKJV)

The bad news is that because we’re living in this world, we will experience trouble. The good news is that Jesus’ name is Emmanuel, God with us. Always with us, no matter how rough the road.

We will never travel a road as rough as the climb to Calvary.

I’m so glad I know Who to thank for that.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, April 6, 2024

This week I had the pleasure and privilege of doing a series of daily chapel talks, called a “week of prayer,” with the students of an Adventist school north of where I pastor. The kids were deeply respectful, and seemed immensely interested in the stories I had to tell. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

On the last day I was with them, I was waiting in the classroom for them to arrive, and noticed atop the whiteboard the poster you see above. As I studied this superbly sensible advice, my heart sank as I thought of all the grownups, who should know better, splattering thoughtless, “think”-less comments on social media, sometimes allowing hate to mutate into actual threats, and occasionally even fracturing families and friendships.

I made a mental note to memorize and follow these five criteria for communication.

For five Bible verses about thinking, click the link just below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, April 5, 2024

The other day, finding a St. Vincent De Paul thrift store in my path, I did my usual interior reconnaissance and discovered this set of bookends. As you see, two gold hands press against the covers of a couple of Bibles, and the farther apart you place the Bibles, the more books you can insert between them.

I’d never seen bookends like these before, and I like what they symbolize. I personally own lots and lots of books, but I like to think that all these volumes are kept in perspective by my love and knowledge of the Bible. If these bookends were on one of my shelves, they would quietly signal to the perceptive viewer: First comes the Bible. Every idea I read in the books between them needs to be filtered through how true the Bible considers it. And at the far end of the book-line is the Bible again, reminding me to once more measure what I’ve learned through its wisdom.

Want a quick review about what the Book of Books has to say about itself? Click the link just below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 4, 2024

Dusk can be a magical time when lights begin to sparkle, and their reflections appear on the water. This scene is from Pier 39 at Astoria, Oregon.

An interesting thing about the darkness is that it makes the light stand out all that much more. The light helps draw people to where things are happening and gives a warm cozy sense.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

When we think of God’s spiritual light, it has a similar effect. The darkness of the world amplifies the goodness of God that reflects through people. Not everyone chooses to be drawn to God’s light. But when people follow God’s principles, the light shares its warmth, comfort, and belonging.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 3, 2024

In our front yard, we have 3 flowering cherry blossom trees. When we first planted them (over 20 years ago), for some reason I thought they wouldn’t get more than 10 feet high. I was wrong. All three are in the 30 foot range and full of blooms as you can see from the image above.

As we know all too well, this planet we live on is filled with sin. It also has incredible beauty. We know God has a plan for each one of us. The timing of that plan may not be known (to us) but our time on this planet can still be pleasant given the gifts God has chosen to create. Take trees for example — whether they produce eye popping flowers, bear fruit to eat, or give us shade on a hot summer day. The process by which they provide oxygen to us allows us to breathe clean air, and their branches give resting spots for the birds of the sky. As we know, God created these living tall plants for us. He started that process in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:9 (NIV) “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Even the center of God’s plan for our free will was based on trees and the choices Adam and Eve provided. It is clear trees are special to our Creator. I, for one, won’t look at another tree the same way again. Thank you, God, for the creations you have given us, especially all the trees!