Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, March 24, 2025

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1/3 of American adults report not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep can actually contribute to health conditions, cause trouble concentrating and can strain our relationships and general functionality.

We can become tired due to physical exertion and we can also become tired from mental fatigue. Some people have trouble sleeping because they keep thinking about all of the things that need to be done or worry about things that are beyond their control.

I found this bench in a quiet place in a park. There was a terrific view from there but you were out of the way of people passing by. It was a great place to just sit and relax.

I like the fact that a rest day was built into the creation week. It emphasizes the importance of taking a break from our everyday life. Jesus said:

“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives.
Matthew 11:28-29 (NCV)

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, March 23, 2025

I paid my modest entrance fee, walked through the doors, and was immediately overwhelmed. I also surprised myself by starting to cry. But it was, as they say, all good.

Only two days before I’d heard a brief mention on the radio about a quilt show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so Sunday afternoon found me in the midst of over 400 quilts.

I don’t consider myself a quilter; I did a bit of mild quilting a few decades ago, with considerable help. But I love fabric and color and design – and quite a few quilters.

I thought of my sister who died last June. I knew how she would approach this show. She would begin at the beginning and view every quilt, and read every accompanying description. I thought of my other sister, living across the continent from me, and how I wished she could be by my side this day. I thought of long-time cherished friends and expert quilters Carrol and Marilyn, and how they would have thoroughly enjoyed the show. I thought of my sweet mother-in-law who, after her husband’s death, found comfort in sewing quilt tops for each of her seven grandchildren.

Mourning the absence of family and friends while overwhelmed with the beauty surrounding me, I could understand why tears mingled with my smiles.

For over two hours I walked among the quilts, soaking in their beauty. The tears eventually trickled away, but my smile remained. I felt I was in God’s presence. I felt I was tasting heaven, and it was a feast. So much joy from a bunch of fabric? Why did it seem both happy and holy?

I don’t necessarily understand it all, but I do have a few ideas: I was immersed in a generous display of color, pattern, design, humor, patience, and creativity. Sounds like God to me!

And all the people I met that day were full of smiles and kindness. I talked with a quilt guild member who told me that many of their members were involved in community service projects, such as creating quilts for preemie babies, and people in hospice centers.

After I returned home I explored the guild’s website, quiltersanonymous.org, and discovered that last year members had delivered 793 quilts to premature babies in neonatal intensive care units in five local area hospitals, 241 quilts to nursing home residents, and 82 quilts to Evergreen Hospice patients, along with other charity projects.

Thinking of the time and resources and love invested in these quilt gifts, I sensed the heart at the core of this quilt show. It wasn’t about competition and awards, but sharing and service. One guild member encouraged me to become a member, but I told her I was “not really a quilter.” She said that didn’t matter. I felt welcomed, even though holding no credentials to prove my worth.

I wondered if I should join the guild, just to be part of something so full of heart and beauty. And then it hit me: that’s my picture of church. I’m a happy member of a denomination with churches, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions around the world. But it’s my joy to live and love locally, in a church that shares and serves, because we love and follow Jesus.

Who knows? Someday I might pick up needle and thread and try quilting again, or join a quilters’ guild – or be content serving in and through a church that tries to reflect the love of our Creator God, Maker of all that is beautiful, good, and true.

Careful to check in advance that it was OK to photograph the quilts, I blissfully took more than 100 photos last Sunday. A bit unsure of the ethics of sharing one of those photos here, I decided to do something even better: the photo you see at the beginning of this post is of a quilt I cherish because my sister made it for me.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, March 22, 2025

Back in mid-January Shelley and I were at a large craft store when I spotted these cases of knobs. From their size, it looks as though they’re designed for cabinet-doors, and they have one purpose – to give a set of approaching fingers something to grip while opening a door or drawer.

Notice – they’re not all one color or one shape. They may indeed be all “one-purpose” knobs – ways to open a cupboard or drawer – but they’re decorative. They’re created for people who have an eye for beauty, and who want to make function pleasurable.

Jesus never told parables describing people as knobs – though He was a carpenter and would naturally have the ability to combine functionality with beauty. But I’m sure He would insist that, while helping people, we show a caring and beautiful spirit.

Check out three Bible passages about caring, at the link below.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, March 21, 2025

A little after 8:30 one morning in late February, I stepped out on our front porch and immediately heard an incredibly loud metallic banging, like someone firing a machine gun.

Since machine guns are probably nonexistent in our neighborhood, I looked around for other sound-sources. I glanced up at the light pole across the street, noticed the bird atop it, and the banging began again. It was the bird – which our Tuesday blogger Robert Howson would probably identify as some kind of flicker – who was making the racket.

The noise was truly impressive. I’d seen flickers before, sometimes sitting atop stop signs and producing nervous, tinny rattles, sometimes industriously thwacking tiny holes in tree trunks, sometimes even disturbing morning sleep by paying similar attention to metal chimneys. But the one in this photo was making a far greater racket.

The reason, of course, is that this bird has a magnificent megaphone. The streetlight is prominently positioned, with nothing around to muffle its sounds in any direction. And its lamp-hood seems perfectly designed to resonate with best effect.

Know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount about how effective the example of one faithful person can be:

“You are the light of the world,” He insists. “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14 – 16 NKJV)

The glow of such an unmistakable light (aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t say “You are a flicker hammering on a lamp-hood”?) isn’t hard to miss, especially since it shines in a world flooded with darkness.

To learn more about how effective our spiritual example can be, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/witnessing

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, March 20, 2025

While cleaning up some wood piles, I found this mushroom tucked away inside a maple wood round. It made me think of shelter, so I did some searching in the Bible and found this verse.

For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27:5

With all the political battles reported in the news it feels like we need a refuge. I like how this verse promises that God will look out for us in the day of trouble.

Just like the wood surrounding this mushroom is nice and solid, we can trust God and His word.

Recently we had an opportunity to visit Double Bluff Beach, on Whidbey Island. Part of this beach is an off leash dog park. Our favorite furry friend is in his senior years but we gave him the opportunity to run around and attempt to chase some of the coastal sea fowl – he didn’t catch any, but he had fun trying.

When we arrived, the sun was out, and the wind was brisk. The temperature (including windchill) was most likely in the high 30’s – not the warmest day, but still amazingly beautiful.

Acts 17:24 & 25

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Whether you are at the beach, driving down the road or plugging away at work – God is there. What an amazing reassurance, to know our Creator chooses to be with us. In this moment at Double Bluff Beach, His presence was felt in the sunshine, the wind and the beauty of the vista. Thank you, God!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 18, 2025

“The Lord helps those who help themselves.” That aphorism seems so right that many people page through their Bible looking for scriptural backing for this, or for something else they already subscribe to. But it’s not there.

What we could find support for is the idea that God has a role to play in our lives, and we have a part to play too.  That’s about as close as we can get.  The challenge often comes when we have difficulty differentiating between God’s part and ours.

A simple example of this cooperative effort might be drawn from conservation measures put forth to save the near-threatened Bachman’s Sparrow from further decline.  This uncommon and elusive resident of the pine forests of the Southeast can be difficult to find except when one can find it singing from an exposed perch.  It is a mid-sized sparrow with a flat head and disproportionally large bill. Formerly known as the Pinewoods Sparrow, this name gives a good indication where it might be found, among longleaf, shortleaf, and loblolly pine as well as oak woods and palmetto scrub. But each of these areas must be free from heavy undergrowth along with ample grass cover.

Its numbers continue to decline due in part to another specific requirement, it does best when the trees are young saplings rather than mature forests.  This means that it is one of the most fire-dependent species in North America.  Accordingly, prescribed forest burns are used to create this ideal habitat.  The sparrow does its part by raising two broods per year, and should one fail, it has been known to try renesting five times.

Is it worth saving?  It’s not particularly attractive, not exactly star-quality.  Fortunately for us, that’s not the basis upon which God determined whether or not we were worth saving.  His very nature answered that question even before it was asked.