Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Found in the Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, and northern Australia is one of the 22 species of megapodes which one writer described as being “obsessive-compulsive scratchers”.  This bird is the Orange-footed Scrubfowl.  This scratching involves not only its method of feeding but also its method of reproduction.  About the size of a small domestic chicken, this bird scratches through the litter on the forest floor, feeding on seeds, fallen fruit, and invertebrates that make up much of its diet.

But it’s not the feeding method that we find so unusual, it’s the way this bird raises, or fails to raise its young. Like other megapodes, the scrubfowl gathers together large mounds of organic material into a structure that may reach 15 feet high and 30 feet in diameter and weigh over 50 tons!  And it’s into this mound the female, or females, lay their eggs.  Neither the male or the female incubate the eggs, but instead rely upon heat generated by the decomposition of the nesting material.  This, perhaps along with solar radiation, provides the warmth necessary to hatch the eggs.  The parents will dig holes in the mound, apparently to check the temperature, and add or remove material to reach ideal conditions for egg laying and hatching.

When the time comes for hatching after 45 days, the chick kicks its way out of the egg, using its strong feet. It then emerges from the nest, one to two days later, totally unaided by its parents.  All of the focus and attentiveness has been spent on construction on the remarkable mound and none on the upbringing of the young, for they must independently claw their way to the surface and then live entirely independent from their parents.  Because of this lack of parental support, it’s estimated that in a closely related species the chance of survival runs about 1 out of 200!  Not the best of odds.

What a contrast to the picture Jesus painted of His Heavenly Father in Matthew 23:37 where He is compared to a hen that protects her children under her wings.  Aren’t you glad that we have this image of a God who cares for us, who watches over us, rather than an absentee scrubfowl that made us and then left us to fend for ourselves?

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, July 12 and 13, 2026

Those of you who are regular readers of our church’s Daily Photo Parables (thank you!) may have noticed that I’ve written a lot recently about our neighborhood’s street paving project. If so, you have probably concluded that I am easily entertained!

That’s true. I am sad to report that the construction crew has pulled all the big rigs from their staging area, leaving only a few small pieces of equipment to take care of some finishing touches, one of which you see in my photo above.

In addition to digging up the streets to a depth of two inches, replacing water mains, and repaving, the crew also dug up this small piece of sidewalk and left it, dirt exposed, for several weeks. Then one morning as we rounded the bend into this cul-de-sac, we saw a man with a long-handled tool, carefully creating a brand-new sidewalk.

I was pleased to see him at work, in part because he seemed to be pleased with what he was doing. He smiled as he smoothed the surface into place.

Every day now when we walk down this sidewalk I picture him at work, and think how much enjoyment and contentment we experience when we create something good, whether it’s a meal or a song or a story or a garden or a photo or a spreadsheet or a friendship or a sidewalk.

I think that must be because our Creator designed us to be creators, too – not only to populate the earth with other human beings, but to bring beauty and goodness into being, as He does. He invites us to join Him, co-creating, and when we lay down our tools (woks or pianos or words or hoes or cameras or laptops or conversations or cement smoothers) we can, with Him, look at what we’ve created, and say with a smile, “It is good.”

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 11, 2026

I think I’ve almost weaned myself off the habit of mooning around in thrift store office-supply sections hunting for fascinating notebooks. Part of my recovery is because I actually possess at least one of pretty nearly every kind of notebook, and I really need to weed them out of my life. So nowadays, when I drift through thrift stores, I tend to smile sadly and pass along to the used-book section.

However, a couple of weeks ago I saw this notebook and almost bought it. Its title is slightly misleading. At first glance it might strike you as a sinister and even Satanic manual for heavy-handedly manipulating other people, but it’s not that at all. It’s about dominating your personal day – getting a grip on your priorities and your schedule. If you open to any two-page spread, you are urged to “List the top five most important decision-making criteria,” and it gives you space to do that. Then, “Which tasks do I do that fit into the highest number of these criteria?” Then you are challenged to “bucket your tasks,” and finally to give yourself a reward if you’ve successfully done these things for a month.

As I say, I resisted the temptation to buy this notebook, even though its suggestions are all very good. But since I’m a Christian, and a Christian pastor, I believe it’s less important to mindlessly handcuff myself to tasks which might hamper me from responding properly to a sudden crisis in the life of a church member. Over the years I’ve challenged myself to do my work, on time and as good as I can, while asking the Lord, “Lead me to someone who needs me today.”

Here are two Bible verses to guide us:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 10, 2026

Thursday morning, while taking a drink of water from a water bottle I keep in our refrigerator, I noticed this plaintive request from the side of a box of mushrooms Shelley’d purchased not long ago.

This is the heart-cry of every human being, whether they realize it or not. To some degree, we all sense our imperfection, our sinfulness. Yet we realize, deep down, that we were created for better things, for a cleaner and more perfect existence.

Good news. God has provided the opportunity for this to happen in every human heart, no matter how ugly it is. At the link below you’ll find real Bible verses which shows how this happens:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/assurance-of-salvation

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, July 9, 2026

It is the time of year for wild daisies, and they are putting in a good showing.  This field of flowers made me think about looking to Jesus.

I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
Psalm 138:2

These flowers all seem to be looking towards a setting sun. Let’s keep looking toward God’s son as we enjoy the recent summer weather.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 7, 2026

It serves well as the classic example of hypocrisy.  Not that it is, of course, but that’s the role we seem to have assigned it.  For the Praying Mantis is equipped with two-spiked forelimbs which give the appearance of outstretched hands, feigning the appearance of prayer, when in truth, this equips them to bring about death and destruction to any unfortunate victim it should encounter.  This pious stance is transmitted over into its Latin name, Matis religiosa, which carries with it the inference of supposed holiness.  But even mating comes with considerable risk to the male, for he may literally have his head bitten off by the female following copulation.

Programmed with a voracious appetite, this hunter employs a variety of tactics including ambush, stalking, and pursual of their prey until they succumb, weakened by exhaustion. Rather than poisoning their victims, they forcibly hold their quarry in place while they eat them alive.   Their victims cover a wide range of creatures and include moths, mosquitoes, flies, and other insects as well as small mammals, frogs, snakes, and birds.  Found on all continents except Antarctica, there are more than 2,000 mantids in the world with about 20 being native to the United States.

While insects are undoubtedly amoral creatures, we humans cannot use this same excuse, for we do have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.  Notice the Lord’s condemnation of the hypocrisy found among His people: “You leaders accept bribes for dishonest decisions.  You priests and prophets teach and preach, but only for money.  Then you say, ‘The Lord is on our side.  No harm will come to us.’” (Micah 3:11 CEV)  If this sounds at all familiar, you may be recalling Christ’s condemnation of the religious rulers of His day, which He then extended to the public at large: “That’s what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.”  (Matthew 23:28 CEV)   It may work for the mantis, but not for true believers.