Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, February 27, 2026

Every week or so in our neighborhood, one or another enterprising businesses spread around a bit of advertising. Within the last couple of days, I discovered lots of plastic baggies containing the above offer to provide someone to “thatch, aerate and rejuvenate your lawn.”

What jolted me was what else one of these bags contained. Most of the bags contained one or two smaller pebbles, allowing the advertiser to be able to fling them from a car window and be projected by the ballast the stones provided.

However, in the case of the bag in my photo, can you imagine what would happen if the enclosed rock actually struck a potential client in the head? That would be “messaging” with a punch, resulting in a possible clinic visit!

Sadly, some Christians attempt to share their faith in such direct and abrupt ways that they do more damage than they need to. God is a God of love, and anyone who cares about Him and His message needs to reflect that love.

At the link below are a few Bible sentences about how to do this.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, February 26, 2026

A simple cedar log section can have many uses. It could be a home for a small animal. It could be cleaned and turned into a traditional drum by stretching some leather over it. It could be used briefly for a cozy fire on a winter evening. Or it could become a display in a children’s classroom, among other things.

This log reminds me of Bible verses that can be applied in nearly any situation.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ — Matthew 22:37-39

It is hard to define love, but fortunately we can use it all the time to make our own lives and others’ lives better.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, February 25, 2026

This past week, we were “lucky” enough to have a bit of snowfall that covered the trees, ground and rooftops for the better part of 3 days. The accumulation didn’t interfere with our daily activities but did provide a beautiful backdrop to our local area.

As you can see from the image, the trees were backlit from the gorgeous sun-filled blue sky. The scene gives a chilly feel, with the dark contrasts of the evergreen boughs, the stark blue sky and the white flakes clinging to the branches.

God is the creator of such a scene. It’s not painted or printed and hung on a wall. No, the canvas God uses is His very creations – air, sky, trees, light. A masterful example of the beauty He creates for our eyes to take in. What a welcome surprise, and sight to behold.

Life is filled with similar welcome surprises. This past week, in our Sabbath School class, we were studying the Trinity and specifically, the Holy Spirit. When it comes to the trinity, specifically the Holy Spirit is known as the Helper, the Comforter, Counselor, and Advocate. Of all those defined characteristics and titles, do we associate them with being negative? No, they are all positive definitions.

God is with us always. The Holy Spirit was sent to us to ensure we were close. We know for a fact we don’t always visually see God, but we can see His presence. We can see the beauty He creates and shares. We see His works in our lives. We feel His presence, as we look to be comforted. We hear His voice, as we ask for counsel. God can surprise us each and every day. I, for one, will welcome those surprises. Will you do the same?

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, February 24, 2026

If you’ve ever taken a psychological test to determine your personality type, you may have come away feeling like a Bananaquit.  Yes, you were friendly, outgoing, adaptable to new situations, and maybe even attractive, but you also seemed to fit into many of the other categories as well.  It was just hard to know where you really fit.  That’s where you might best identify with this Latin American bird.  Before we had the tools offered by 21^st century molecular genetics, this species was variously classified as a sparrow, or alternatively, grouped with the warblers.  Now it is recognized as a specialized tanager.  And within that species, 41 subspecies are recognized!

Fortunately for the Bananaquit, it doesn’t have to worry about classification and can continue enjoying life in the tropics.  It does have a specialized lifestyle, dangling upside down from flowers while searching for nectar or gleaning insects and spiders from the foliage.  It will also come to hummingbird feeders to feed on the sugar-water offered there.  Because it may become quite tame after repeated contact with humans, it has become a favorite with many and has been named the official bird of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Unlike this friendly bird, we humans are prone to compare ourselves with those around us to see how we measure up.  While there may be times when that is appropriate, it doesn’t have any place in assessing our spiritual growth according to the Apostle Paul: “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.  When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV)  And one last thing; there’s one other way we are like the Bananaquits; the collective term for a group of these birds is a “bunch”.  How appropriate!

Photo ©2010 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, February 23, 2026

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse near Newport, Oregon remains an active, fully automated aid to ships navigating the Pacific Ocean along the Oregon coast. It flashes a unique pattern: 2s on, 2s off, 2s on, 14s off. Navigators can use this pattern to confirm their location.

The unique pattern of the lighthouse is its voice, and people can know when it is speaking. In the same way, we can know His voice when God speaks to us:

John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”.
• Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”.
• Isaiah 30:21: “…your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

The more intently we listen for God’s voice, the more readily we will recognize it. The Lighthouse uses a unique pattern to ensure it is not mistaken for another voice. You can be sure that it is not God’s voice if it conflicts with what He has written in His Word.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, February 21 and 22, 2026

Almost exactly a month ago, on our post-breakfast walk, I noticed this almost unearthly object. I’ve seen dried leaves with this intricate lacy pattern, but this almost seemed round. Whatever it is, its framework takes my breath away.

The blue fur at the right is the right-hand glove of my wife Shelley, who obligingly held this plant while I snapped its photo. Shelley’s hand, within the glove, has its own framework, which she uses in many-talented ways, writing notes, preparing food, texting someone on her phone.

I wonder how many breathtaking experience you and I would have if we paused to consider the frameworks of what we see. The apples, grapes, and tangerines Shelley serves me for breakfast lie beautifully on my plate. The trees on our walk form perfect frames for juncos, Stellar jays and hummingbirds. And the structural miracles of these instinctive flyers, to me, are proofs of God’s creatorship.

I think it’s a good idea to remind ourselves that, in spite of the tragedy of sin, we were superbly created by a God of utter love. Check out the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/creation-and-evolution

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, February 20, 2026

Take a few seconds to gaze on the mournful photo above. This year, a distressing number of my neighborhood’s lawns are starting to look like this – and some much worse. According to homeowners’ grim comments I’ve heard, this devastation is being caused by raccoons, who during the night systematically rip up these lawns in search of grubs. In the daytime, crows work the second shift, pecking for the grubs the raccoons missed. And the other day I even saw a sedate robin assessing the damage, wondering if anything was left for him.

Aside from sitting up all night on the porch with a cocked BB gun, there seems to be nothing a householder can do about this. Although the other day I saw that someone had tried the intimidation route:

I’m about to offer a suggestion, which is based squarely on no knowledge whatever of racoons, and only minimal knowledge of lawn care. I have no empirical evidence, and haven’t even Googled “How to keep racoons from tearing up a lawn”, still, I have been studying lawns on my daily walks, and have come up with the following.

I believe that the lawns which raccoons can successfully destroy are the ones (like my own, which for some reason has so far escaped the carnage) which have been neglected. These lawns are patchy, with bare areas and a bit of moss. But the lawns whose owners have regularly seeded and fertilized, have escaped. I have yet to see a healthy lawn, like the one in the photo below, which has been ravaged.

The reason, I think, is that well-planted and cared-for grass is awesomely tough. I would imagine that raccoons won’t even bother trying to tear up strips of this kind of sod, because it’s too much work. Those grass-roots are anchored too deep, too close together.

Okay. If my statements are factual at all, there must be a parable in there somewhere, right? How about this: A life which is kept spiritually healthy is less likely to fall victim to the Devil’s ravages.

And the Bible backs me up on this. Click the link below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/spiritual-growth