Daily Photo Parable

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Sunday, March 23, 2026

Today’s photo is an example of looking back. In the winter of 2011, I captured this image
of my grandson Elliott. I look back on this day with joy. The Bible both encourages and cautions us about looking back.

Encouragement:

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your
father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you (Deuteronomy 32:7 ESV).

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23 NIV)

Caution:

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and 
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62 KJV)

Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32 KJV) See Genesis 19:26, where she looked back at Sodom and turned into a pillar of salt.

I hope that this photo causes you to look back with joy in God’s faithfulness and forward to His Kingdom, eternal joy.

Photo and Commentary (c)2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, March 22, 2026

What do you see when you look at this photo? This sight stopped me in my tracks as we set out on one of our neighborhood walks last week, and we’d only gotten as far as our next-door neighbors’ front yard!

I see a snow man, or, to be more precise, a snow face, looking left to the flowers. I see winter, looking at spring.

It was quite a surprise to have winter arrive mid-March, a one-day winter just long enough to mess up air travel and road travel and appointments and plans, and to give kids a day to stay home from school and build snowmen.

The snow face in my photo has his mouth slightly open, as if he’s saying something. What might that be?

Perhaps, “I’m leaving now; sorry for any disruptions.”
Or, “Hello, spring! I think they’re ready for you!”
Or, “See you next year, maybe a bit earlier than March.”

I used to think of seasons as times of the year that you could count on to reliably and predictably arrive and leave on time, each politely making way for the next. I would enjoy each season for its gifts, and endure its downsides, knowing they would pass.

But now? Seasons are scrambled all over our country. In my husband’s South Dakota hometown they had a blizzard last week, with minus degree temperatures. This week was still chilly, except for yesterday, when the thermostat rapidly climbed to 75 degrees, before plummeting to 33 degrees in the night.

But this was mild, compared to the unprecedented heat wave suffocating much of our nation, shattering records, with many places in Arizona and California reporting temps of 100+ degrees. Martinez Lake, Arizona reached 110 degrees last Thursday, the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.

Seasons no longer glide serenely along, with one exiting stage left while another enters stage right. It feels, instead, like climate craziness. We brace for whatever weather will happen next, not knowing what that will be.

This seems to mirror the chaos in our country and in our world. We wake up every morning, braced for whatever news has happened overnight, and what the day might bring.

In order to lower my shoulders and unclench my jaw, I open my Bible to hear from God, my true and faithful God.

The book of Psalms has been called the Bible’s songbook – 150 songs sung by our ancestors long, long ago. But they are not ancient, dusty lyrics far removed from our experiences today.

No matter how you are feeling, you can probably find a psalm that expresses that feeling, because these songs spill out all that our human hearts have known. They are not only songs; they are also prayers.

What is amazing to me is that over one-third of these psalms are laments – songs, or prayers, of pain, of grief, of sorrow, or confusion.

Just before the well-loved, peaceful 23rd Psalm, we read Psalm 22, a lament so dark that Jesus cried out its opening words as He hung, dying, on the cross” “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” There has never been a greater pain, a greater crisis than this.

And yet, in Luke 23:46, Jesus’s final words from the cross, He cries out words of trust from Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

When I am in a season of uncertainty and confusion, or at any time when I need to carry what’s on my heart to God, I find myself quoting verses 14 and 15a from that same Psalm:

But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands . . .”

As we step out into this brand new week, we can repeat this prayer of trust in our trustworthy God. And we can also encourage ourselves and others with David’s concluding words from Psalm 31:

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, 2026

With the recent winter weather I thought this snow gripping the top of a fence cap illustrated some unlikely things that we often take for granted.

The very existence of snow and water and atoms in general is a topic of much research and debate. When we consider scientific laws about the conservation of energy, we really should not exist at all. But since we do exist, we can count it as a wonderful impossibility.

Another impossibility from the Bible contrary to the concept of survival of the fittest, is that God promises to love us and strengthen us despite our weaknesses and individual situations. That is a wonderful thing which we can be grateful for. Perhaps it is even related to the previous impossible thing.

Let’s use our knowledge of God’s real love to share with others to lift them up.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

This past week, a somewhat unexpected late‑winter cold front moved through our area, bringing with it a few inches of snow. As a result, my morning view was different from most. I captured a photo through my window, looking out toward the garage roof and driveway. It wasn’t until after I snapped the picture that I noticed something striking—the windowpane itself clearly revealed the shape of a cross in my view.

That moment got me thinking about how we view life in general. What if we lived with a “cross view”? In other words, what if—when we are thinking, seeing, judging, or contemplating—we looked at everything not through our own lens, but through the lens of the cross, through Christ’s perspective?

So often, when we rely solely on our own view, our own understanding, and our own interpretations, things don’t unfold the way they should. Our perspective is limited.

Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight.

Having a cross view is like having a viewfinder—providing clear direction for where to look and how to see. It becomes a roadmap, guiding us along the right path and leading us to the destination we were meant to reach. My prayer is that we would all gain a better view, with the help of the Holy Spirit, drawing us into a closer walk with Jesus.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Have you ever wondered whether Jacob resented his given name?  Did he hold it against his parents for giving him such a derisive title and did it do anything to shape the decisions he made?  That’s something we have no way of knowing, but somehow or the other I expected a saucy bird like the Common Tody-Flyctcher to have a better storyline behind its name than it does.  This tiny bird with the big head is a common nester from the southern part of Mexico to northwestern Peru.  Found among scattered trees and scrub, this sociable bird flits among the foliage, often with its tail cocked jauntily over its back.

Frequently seen in pairs, even outside the nesting season, this brightly colored tyrant flycatcher can often be found near human dwellings so has become a favorite of many.  With such a vibrant personality, one might expect some, however remote, connection with an Irish pub and a hot toddy, but such is not the case.  Instead, the hyphenated name apparently has some connection to the Caribbean family of todies which this bird may vaguely resemble.  If one wishes to go back even further, the term comes from a Latin word used by the Roman playwright Plautus for a small bird—not exactly the stuff of headlines.

I’m reasonably certain this lack of luster behind its name has had no effect on this sprite, for it continues wagging its tail as it makes its way among the branches.  On the other hand, we find it much more difficult to ignore names or titles that seem to diminish the recognition we somehow feel we deserve.  Paul, writing to the church in Thessalonica, helped to put things in their proper order.  Instead of being so worried about their own reputation, he encouraged the believers to be more concerned with the Lord’s reputation.  “So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”   (2 Thessalonians 1:12 ESV)

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, March 16, 2026

Perfect blue sky, fluffy pure white snow. When I am teaching backcountry winter-safety, I call this the wedding cake environment. What about this environment, could possibly be dangerous? Snow on a hill probably refreshes our memories of sledding, a day off from school, fun and happy times, right? But each year more than 150 deaths occur worldwide due to avalanche accidents. In the U.S. five to seven people suffocate each year after falling into a snow-filled tree well.

The Bible warns about the deceptiveness of beauty:

• Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting (Proverbs 31:30 NIV).
•  Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (1Peter 3:3-4 NIV)

God created the world to be beautiful, but he also wants us to be full of wisdom. Be like Solomon and ask Him for a discerning heart. Like Satan, prowling about, seeking whom he may devour, an avalanche might be hidden in the beauty of the scene.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sunday, March 15, 2026

Late this past week – as anyone knows who lives in the Seattle area – we received an unexpected snow event, which gently but remorselessly dumped at least six inches of the sloppy white stuff on many neighborhoods. Fortunately, the temperature stayed above freezing, so we didn’t have to contend with icy roads afterward. And almost immediately the snow started melting.

But the real melting didn’t happen until the sun appeared. I saw it in action on this garage roof Sabbath afternoon. If this photo had audio, you’d hear the steady water-drip off the collapsing ridge of ice over the gutter and onto the driveway.

And as you see, the sun isn’t only melting – it’s empowering. Above the ice ridge, the solar panels are capturing the rays and turning them into a steady trickle of electricity.

In a powerful and poetic Bible verse, Jesus is portrayed as the sun, nourishing and healing.

But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves. (Malachi 4:2 NKJV)

To review some of Jesus’ bio, go to the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/jesus-christ