Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, October 24, 2026

In our neighborhood over the last few months, Shelley and I have been noticing an alarming phenomenon. We’ll be walking along the sidewalk, and we’ll discover that large patches of a lawn – even well-kept lawns in front of expensive houses – have been brutally vandalized.

The general neighborhood consensus is that raccoons and crows are looking for grubs. It seems that the raccoons, with their bigger muscles and claws, arrive at night do the heavy work. Later, the crows come along and forage for what’s left. What you’re looking at in the photo is perhaps the largest area of damage we’ve seen on an individual lawn, but several other yards have been attacked as well. There doesn’t seem to be anything people can do about this heartless “tricking for treats.”

I guess if we’re looking for a parable in this, we could remind ourselves of how the devil and his minions are equal-opportunity destroyers. “Be sober, be vigilant,” Jesus’ friend Peter warns us, “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) The devil, of course, is after not grubs but souls. Satan desperately doesn’t want you and me to have eternal life.

However, unlike the raccoon/crow plague, Peter reassures us a couple of verses later that God has a victory plan:

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (Verse 10)

Amen!

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, October 23, 2026

On a walk with Shelley a few days back, I noticed that the sky was covered with a fog. Once, as I glanced up, I discovered that the fog was thin enough so the usual blazing corona was obliterated, leaving only the sun’s disc in view.

“The sun looks really small,” I commented to Shelley, and she agreed. As I gazed at it, a shiver passed through me as I realized that – physically speaking — this tiny orb was what was keeping our planet alive. All around me as I walked were trees and flowers, and miles away at the local farmer’s market there were the delicious apples and ears of corn Shelley and I had been enjoying, and all of these had sprouted and flourished because of that same sun.

The last chapter of the last book in the Old Testament is a short and possibly puzzling one. You can only understand most of it if you have a pretty deep understanding of a lot of the rest of the Bible.

But amid the puzzlement, one verse shines brightly – maybe as brightly as our dependable sun:

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 4:1 NKJV

“The Sun of Righteousness . . .” Isn’t that a powerful metaphor of Jesus the Light of the World?

To learn or review more Bible facts about the Savior, including other ways to describe Him, click the link below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, October 22, 2026

This covered bridge at the entrance to Milo Academy in Oregon is a local landmark. It reminds me of the following verse.

He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:4

It is interesting to think about how God is many things including a refuge. I imagine on sunny days the people using this bridge might take the shelter for granted. But on stormy and snowy days it would be a refuge from the weather while they drive across.

Let’s not take God’s refuge for granted as we go forward.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20 and 21, 2026

Quiz Question:  What do my Bible, a torque wrench, a Geiger counter, a GPS, and a bassoon have in common?  And the correct answer is:  They are all tools to help us accomplish a task more easily.  First of all, it should be noted that I have limited experience with using the majority of these tools, and there are at least two reasons for this.  One centers around the ease of usage.  The second has more to do with how important the task at hand is to me.

The Five-striped Sparrow was one of those things that carried personal import to me.  It is a Mexican species that has only been recorded in the United States since 1957.  Today it is considered rare and local within our country.  To see one generally requires use of a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and then only when seasonal flood waters don’t render what passes for a road to be unusable. But one had been reported in a steep canyon which could be accessed by car, via a 15 mile gravel road through the deserts of Arizona.  Best of all, latitude and longitudinal coordinates had been given and this is where my GPS came into use.  And it worked amazingly well.  A good deal of effort was still required to get the bird, but without it, the case would have been hopeless.

I also have a Bible in my possession.  It serves the purpose of helping me get to know God better.  Serious study of its pages certainly requires work.  Effort is required, not a mere glossing over the pages which is often done.  If the desire to get to know God better is great enough, then the effort that is needed will seem secondary.  As for some of the other tools, maybe I can opt out and find a recording with a bassoon solo on it.

Photo ©2005 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
 Monday, October 19, 2026

Today’s photo of Waimea Canyon takes me to one of my favorite places on the island of Kauai. The canyon is reminiscent of, and is sometimes called, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

The picture that I have in my mind of God’s original creation is one of smooth rolling hills, covered in grasses and flowers waving in a gentle breeze. I have always assumed that the jagged mountains and the raging rivers flowing in the deep valleys or canyons are there as the aftermath of the worldwide flood. As such, they are a reminder of the actions that God was willing to take to control Satan’s influence for violence and evil. So, today, when confronted by a canyon, or a mountain, the question comes, “How Deep, How Wide, How High is His Love for Us?”

^“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19, KJV)

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Beverly Riter
Sunday, October 18, 2026

Last month while hiking on a trail along beautiful Maligne Lake in the Canadian Rockies, the unexpected happened.  I was about in the middle of a small hiking group, about a mile from the trailhead.  A clump of trees had fallen across the trail, so the hike leader started climbing over the trees just off the trail, with other hikers close behind him.

All at once, we saw a spray shoot through the air. Immediately everyone started running away from the spray, coughing with eyes burning.  I wasn’t sure what happened, but I thought maybe the leader had gotten into a skunk den.  But, no, somehow the safety latch on his bear spray got turned on – it was bear spray!  The unfortunate man directly behind the leader fell to the ground and experienced extreme pain in his eyes, head and shoulders.

Once we realized what had happened, everyone offered water to help rinse the spray from him.  But, since the spray was oil-based, the water didn’t help much.  Once he recuperated enough to walk back out, excursion leaders poured milk on his extremely reddened eyes and his burning skin.  Even after over an hour, he was still in intense pain.  He was taken to a hospital several miles away for examination and treatment.  I felt so bad for this man and how he suffered.  The leader who had the bear spray on his belt also felt very sorry for the injury caused to this man – all because the warning on the bear spray can to keep the safety latch secured wasn’t followed.

We see warning signs daily. Our homes include warnings about safe use of kitchen appliances, plastic bags, and medications among others. And there are the many signs about safe driving  – speed limits, merging and construction signs. What other warning signs do you see as you go about your daily activities?

The Bible contains many “warning” signs, some for people of Biblical times and some that also apply to us today.  They were given by God to keep his people safe and protect them.  At the beginning God commanded man to not eat from a specific tree or he would die. (Genesis 2:16-17) He warned Noah about the Flood. (Genesis 6:13) God warned the Israelites not to forget Him; likewise, we shouldn’t forget Him today.  (Deuteronomy 6:12-13) In the New Testament, Jesus often used parables to give warnings. The Parable of the Ten Virgins warns people to be prepared for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mathew 25:1-13) The many “warnings” in the Bible are there so His people can learn from the past and look toward the future with God. Have you received any “warnings” from God?

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, October 17, 2026

On my walks during this autumn season, I guess I should keep my head up so I don’t bump into something. But I’m an inveterate student of fallen leaves, and it especially delights me to spot what looks like a face.

On a walk with Shelley this week I spotted this feisty little leaf which seemed to have something on its mind, and seemed to be emphatically telling the world about it.

So if a leaf could really talk, what might it say?

The Bible has some suggestions about what nature teaches:

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1 – 3 NKJV)

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:7 – 10)

For more about Nature’s articulate ways of teaching about the Creator, click the link just below:

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