Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 3, 2026
Every night a week ago (June 22 – 26), Shelley and I spent over three hours helping with our congregation’s Vacation Bible School. This year the title was “Rainforest Falls,” and the program was filled with great scenery and many stories about animals and birds who inhabited a rainforest – and of course constant references to God the Creator and Helper and Redeemer.
I cautiously accepted the role of Flit Flutterby, PhD, the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest authority on butterflies.” Dr. Flutterby had come to the rainforest, armed with binoculars and a butterfly net, to hunt for a rare species which (it turned out) had sharp teeth and craved not only flower nectar but also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
Night after night Dr. Flutterby ranged to and fro, seeking his elusive prey, pausing to converse with a woman (played by my wife Shelley), who was leading the VBS kids on a “tour” through the forest. What you see in the photo above is my handprinted cue card for Thursday’s episode (Shelley’s cues are in green, mine in blue), wherein Dr. Flutterby has gone to the length of attaching a large pair of silken butterfly wings to himself, hopefully flapping them in the attempt to lure the butterfly close enough to capture it. “If the butterfly sees me,” I snarl in sinister anticipation, “maybe he’ll come to know me, and then WHAM! I’ve got him!”
Shelley gently points out that WHAM! doesn’t seem like the kind of behavior a new friend deserves. God wants to be our friend too, but He truly loves us, and will treat us graciously. I compliment her on how well she seems to know the Creator.
By the way, I’d like to express my appreciation to the many VBS staffers – who themselves understand and reflect the Creator’s love in such irresistible ways, and who spent their week giving the children large doses of God’s love. Thank you, friends, for acting out God’s friendship!
Have you reviewed recently what the Bible says about God and His love? Click the link below if it’s been awhile.
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/love