Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Of the 87 species of kingfisher found in the world, only three find their way into the United States and two of them manage to just sneak over the border from Mexico. One of those two is the Green Kingfisher which can be found in southern Texas and Arizona. Like most in this family, it makes its living diving for fish, in this case small ones one or two inches long. To this, it supplements its diet with aquatic insects. While it is considered rare in these two states, it is quite common in Mexico and reaches all the way to northern Chile and Argentina.

Unlike the Belted Kingfisher commonly found across much of North America, it is the male that sports the rufous breast band while the female wears a single green band. Again, comparing it to the Belted, it is about 2/3 its size. Perhaps it is these smaller dimensions that allow it to inhabit extremely small streams which provide suitable nesting sites. In this setting it is often found perched on branches which hang low over the water. From this position it heads over the water in search of food but seldom hovers before plunging into the depths below.

We seem to have a passion for that which is rare, and its scarcity seems to increase its value in our mind’s eye. Consider examples of this in Scripture where articles are referred to as rare or scarce: perfume, jewels, lips that speak knowledge, the beauty of a woman, gold, a rare crop, rare woods and ivory, and the list goes on. Paul uses this same measure of worth to encourage us to see the value of Christ’s sacrifice for us: “In human experience it is a rare thing for one man to give his life for another, even if the latter be a good man, though there have been a few who have had the courage to do it. Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-9 J.B. Phillips New Testament) And in turn – this must have a lot to say about how much our Savior values each one of us.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, March 3, 2025

This picture of a male common whitetail dragonfly was taken several years ago at the edge of a pond in the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle. There were quite a number of different varieties of dragonflies and damselflies just in this one little pond.

I find dragonflies to be pretty amazing from their beautiful colors to their flight maneuvers.

The next time you are out by a small body of water, check out these tiny winged creatures with a good pair of binoculars and see how much variety you can see.

How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24 (The Message)

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, March 2, 2025

You’ve heard the expression, “wearing your heart on your sleeve”? This photo is an example of “wearing your heart on your sidewalk.”

The sidewalk is just outside the Lynnwood Convention Center in Lynnwood, Washington. I took the photo while we were paused at a stop light, giving me a bit of time to admire and focus.

According to lynnwoodtoday.com, “The City of Lynnwood marked Valentine’s Day 2022 by unveiling a new sign celebrating love and equity in the city.” The “I Love Lynnwood” sculpture was created by local Korean-American artist B.K. Choi.

And yes, this reminds me of Jesus. From all I’ve read about Him in Scripture, Jesus did not keep a guarded heart. It was out there on His sleeve, and on the sidewalk, for all to see. His true feelings were openly displayed.

If you’re reading this blog, you probably know at least a couple of Bible stories. You may have heard about Jesus since you were a toddler, or may have started exploring His life more recently – or are somewhere in between.

Whatever your Bible background, would you pause for just a moment, close your eyes, and think of any story you know about Jesus that shows Him wearing His heart on His sleeve?

Welcome back. What came first to mind?

I thought of the heart Jesus openly showed for children, as others pushed them aside:

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16 NIV)

And I thought of how His heart “went out” to a widow who was grieving her only son:

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out — the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:11-15)

I didn’t stop there – I kept remembering, and almost every Jesus story I remembered showed Him wearing His heart on His sleeve!

When I asked my husband what came to his mind, his most immediate thoughts, he gave two quick responses:

The first? Jesus in the temple:

In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:14-16)

Yes, I would agree that Jesus was not hiding His true emotions there!

My husband’s second response consisted of three words – “Father, forgive them.”

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:33—35a)

Yes, it was when Jesus had no sleeves to wear that we most clearly see Him wearing His heart on His sleeve. He prayed for forgiveness for those nailing Him to the cross, who had not expressed any remorse. His persecutors had stripped Him bare of clothing, but not of compassion, as He freely forgave the repentant criminal crucified next to Him.

His heart literally bled out for us, all of us sinners, to open the door to life forever for us.

As you walk out into this brand-new week, whenever you see a heart – or a sleeve! – remember Jesus, and His bold, brave love for you. How can we do anything less than wear our hearts on our sleeves for Him?

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, March 1, 2025

A few days ago as Shelley and I were walking along a trail near our neighborhood, we spotted this snake right in our path. I’m going to take a deep breath and boldly declare that it’s a garter snake, knowing full well that a Google Images search provides me with all sorts of garter snakes that look different from this one.

But this particular breed, or brand, was a familiar sight on the South Dakota prairie where I grew up. After the first startlement on seeing it, I myself would gaze at it with benign approval. I had learned at school that garter snakes help your garden by eating insects that want to consume it.

My mother, however, was horrified when she saw one. She had been a schoolteacher herself, and this garter-snakes-are-our-friends information was probably tucked away in some little-used file cabinet in her mind. But if she spotted a garter snake in our driveway, or even in our garden, she would snatch a hoe from its resting-place and slice-and-dice it into oblivion. I would try to reason with her, but it was no use. “I’m not going to let that thing get into the house,” she would snarl.

The poet Emily Dickinson, though not as militant as Mom, understood this feeling, and expressed it in her poem “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass.” It concludes this way:

Several of nature’s people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;

But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.

The Bible, of courses, speaks of Satan as “that old serpent.” It might be a good idea to refresh your memory about the devil’s deceptions and inevitable defeat. Ready? Take a breath, and click this link:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, February 28, 2025

On a walk through our neighborhood, halfway through January, I was surprised to notice what had happened to the white tree you see in the photo above. I’m no tree expert, so can’t tell you for sure its name, but I’m fascinated about that branch that had been jutting straight out to the left. Suddenly, it seems to have decided to stop growing that way and take nearly a 90-degree turn upward. (Maybe it saw the stop sign???)

What’s so spooky is that the upward-thrusting limb doesn’t seem to be merely an offshoot of the horizontal one. I’ve zoomed in on it with the original photo, and it’s like it just decided to change direction. The limb seems exactly as thick as the one it’s growing from.

Anyway, there’s probably an explanation for this, but I don’t know what it is.  I thought of grafting as a possibility, but can’t understand why someone would do this. Why not lop off the horizontal limb and save some trouble?

One of the most encouraging things about the Bible is that it, too, talks about miraculous spiritual direction-changes. For a non-nonsense, straight-from-the-shoulder Bible tutorial about this transformation, click the link just below.

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-must-i-do-be-saved

Photo ©2025 by Amber Jurgensen
Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, February 27, 2025

This winter scene from Snoqualmie Pass caught my attention because the snow is undisturbed almost like pillows. It seems rare to find something pure and natural.

Maybe that is why I like the following verse.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:9

Scientists sometimes wonder what produces our reality and sometimes ponder if it is real at all. One of the ways I feel we know that the world is real is because of the verse above. God sent his Son to Earth to live in our reality.

It is something for people in power to consider. The people under their influence and control are also real. As we look on activity in the world, we can only hope that people remember God’s incredible love and treat each other as children of God.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Those who consider all small brown birds to be sparrows are likely cut from the same cloth as those who believe all small brown shorebirds are the same species. And in truth, it’s not an unreasonable assumption since many of those “peeps” do look an awful lot alike. But if you look closer, differences will become apparent. But then those differences become confusing since each species’ appearance can change dramatically depending upon the age, sex, time of year, and feather ware. It is tempting to go back to believing that since there are so many differences, they must all be the same. Such convoluted thinking is certainly irrational, but it can be attractive, nevertheless.

One of those look-alike subjects is the Semipalmated Sandpiper, a common species in the East, but seen much less frequently in the West. Many reports of it being seen along our West Coast shores are likely created by wishful thinking, but there are enough reliable reports so as to confirm its presence. This one was taken in Nome, Alaska where they breed, so confusion is kept to a minimum. The bird it would most likely be confused with is the Western Sandpiper, the only two small peeps in North America to have partial webbing between their toes, hence the name Semipalmated. However, the Western’s bill is longer and tends to droop at the end. The problem with that is there are differences in individual birds so one field mark isn’t adequate for clear identification.

During migration, flocks of 350,000 Semipalmated Sandpipers may congregate in a single area. Some believe it is the most abundant shorebird in North America. While they may be abundant farther east, those of us interested in finding one must sift carefully through many look-alikes to find one that is the genuine article. The Apostle Paul uses this same language to encourage us to use due diligence in how we conduct our lives. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise…” (Ephesians 5:15 NIV) Good advice for a walk on the beach, as well as our daily walk.