Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

It’s not a particularly elegant bird, patterned in shades of gray and white, but that doesn’t keep it from being a favorite of those who enjoy the company of birds. Perhaps that’s because of its willingness to spend time in close proximity to humans. For Eastern Phoebes have largely forsaken cliffs and banks as their preferred nesting locations and instead adopted manmade structures as the place to build their nests. Besides that, they winter farther north than most other flycatchers and are among the earliest of the migrants to return in spring. It’s almost like they are eager to return to our company. Of course, our friends in Central America would need to construct another account to explain their migration patterns that would match their thinking.

The Eastern Phoebe is a good example of a species which got its name from what we humans imagined its call to sound like. In truth, its call does come the closest of the three phoebe species found in North America to actually matching its name. And unlike most songbirds, this is not a learned song which they must hear in order to reproduce it themselves. Even young raised in isolation, without the benefit of hearing the song repeated, are able to render it perfectly.

Likewise, Solomon noted how God has placed within us a longing for closeness, an understanding of Him, that we didn’t have to learn in a class at church or school. He just made this an intrinsic part of us: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)

In 1967, Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen described the “burden” and “privilege” of being Jewish in America. As Christians, we too share in both responsibility and blessing of our choice to be a follower of Christ. And that makes us special.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, April 15, 2024

Do you remember learning the Ten Commandments as a kid (if you grew up in church)? “You shall not steal” is pretty straightforward! If something is not yours and nobody gave you permission to use it or borrow it, taking it is stealing!

You shall not steal. Exodus 20:15 (NKJV)

If this photo doesn’t seem to be very clear, it’s because I took it from a dock and this bike was underwater! I had to do some editing to even get it show up this well. I don’t know why it would have wound up in salt water, no less, off of a town dock in the San Juan Islands, but I can’t think of any good reason other than it was stolen. I would hope the owner wouldn’t have treated it this way. Was it for revenge or just pure mischief? I guess we’ll never know but whatever the reason, it seems to be quite a waste of what seems like a pretty nice bike and what was probably someone’s main source of getting around on an island where transportation options are limited.

I’m looking forward to a time when there is a new heaven and a new earth and when we won’t have to worry about such things anymore! As John wrote about his last vision:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and there was no sea anymore. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Now God’s presence is with people, and he will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain, because all the old ways are gone.” Revelation 21:1-4 NCV

“Sad, isn’t it,” she called out to us as she strode by, making it more a pronouncement than a question.

I stared after her as she and two companions continued their brisk walk down our neighborhood trail.

Sad? What did this stranger see as sad? And sad enough to call forth her comment?

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and my husband and I were gazing fondly, as is our wont, at a neighbor’s backyard tree we’ve dubbed The Hummingbird Tree. Other birds frequent it, but we most enjoy the big, raucous blue jays and the tiny, whirring hummingbirds. We had watched both cavort around the tree this day and were quite content.

So why this sad? My husband and I exchanged perplexed glances, and then he ventured a possible answer. “Maybe she was looking at the bareness of the tree . . .”

I considered this. True, the tree had not yet leafed out in lush greenery, but we thought of this as an advantage. It was much easier to spot the small birds when they were perched on bare branches.

And yet, the tree we enjoy visiting at least once a day must be what our passer-by called “sad.” “Bleak” must be in the eye of the beholder, as well as beauty.

And yes, this reminds me of Jesus. You, too?

Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

(Isaiah 53:1-7 NIV)

This prophetic passage about Jesus could be described as sad, but I believe stronger words are in order: desolate, heartbreaking, sacrificial.

As I read through the passage a second time, I decided to pull out single words about Jesus. Then, I realized, I must go on to a second, shorter list – a list about us.

He:
Despised
Rejected
Suffering
Pain
Punished
Stricken
Afflicted
Pierced
Crushed
Wounds
Oppressed
Slaughter
Lamb

We:
Sheep
Transgressions
Iniquities
Peace
Healed

Call it what it is: Love, isn’t it?

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, April 12 and 13, 2024

A few weeks back I decided to chronicle the growth of what’s planted in this front-yard flower garden, whose owners have devoted their entire front yard to floral growth.

What you see above is the original photo, taken March 8:

And here’s my latest photo, taken yesterday, April 11:

Dazzling, right? And there’s more to come in the weeks ahead. Do you see how leaves are now growing on the rosebushes? As the months go along, they will become the “stars” of the ensemble.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.
— Cecil Frances Anderson, from Hymns for Little Children, 1848

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 11, 2024

We were fortunate to view the Astoria Bridge on a clear day with a sunset. Visiting Astoria is always nostalgic for me because my dad grew up about five miles south of here on a farm. When I was little, we often visited my grandparents in my dad’s childhood home along Youngs River.

If I remember the story correctly, one day some Adventist members stopped at their house along the river and offered my great grandparents some free Bible studies. After several weeks of meeting for Bible studies, my great grandparents decided to join the Astoria Seventh-day Adventist church.

Sometimes I think about them in that little house studying the words of Jesus. Here is a text I like that speaks about Jesus.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3

Let’s focus on Jesus to see what God is really like so we can understand that radiance.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Living in the Pacific Northwest, you kind of get used to the weather and the fact that the weather isn’t always going to follow the ‘traditional’ seasons. There are times we can have 70-degree weather in March, as well as snowfall during the same time, another year. As we are now in the season of spring, we have a combination of sunshine, hailstorms, clouds, torrential downpours, blue skies and even the occasional snow flurry.

In some ways, it’s a bit like life. We don’t know exactly what to expect on any given day. We certainly hope for the calm breezes and a spot of sunshine, but then life can throw us a curveball and the clouds, and a thunderstorm rolls in. How are we supposed to prepare for anything? Glad you asked (well, technically you didn’t). Prayer. Wait, it’s that simple? To start with, yes. Daily (or more) prayer allows for the open communication from our Savior to our hearts and minds. So, how does praying to God prepare us for the day? The easy answer is, the act of prayer, independent of the content, gives God permission to intervene in our daily lives. We, may think we can prepare for any given circumstance but the truth is the exact opposite. HE knows what’s coming toward us and can either steer us around the storm, or provide the guidance and protection to weather the storms we are to face.

So, now I am back in the PNW, it’s April and hoping for a little sunshine, but everything is all wet. Talk about preparation, God has designed this patch of the world to prepare for all the beauty that is ahead of us (and already started). We have the cherry blossoms, the daffodils, and depending on the specific area, tulips (some come out in March). This is just the start of a gorgeous, colorful season. Each time I see another flower pop up from its ground slumber, I think of the preparation God has planned for us. May your day start with a prayer, opening the communication lines, and ask God to prepare you for anything you may encounter. Thank you, God, for caring for us!

This image of a field of tulips was captured in the Skagit Valley of Western Washington.

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.