Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, May 2, 2026

This past Sunday on a walk, I noticed this little bug trundling along a semi-paved trail, and laid down my black Bic pen in its path to give the scale. By the time I got my smartphone out to take a picture, the bug had wriggled around the pen-cap and was moving methodically away.

Through a bit of AI-searching, I found the Wikipedia link below. Turns out this bug has a Latin name that’s about five times as long as it is: Armadillidium vulgare. (I’m sure the vulgare part doesn’t mean it’s foul-mouthed, but is a synonym for “common.”)

I find myself feeling a bit tender-hearted toward this bug. It’s not flashy. It has no color that would attract much attention (something it would probably grateful for if it gave it a moment of thought), so it just toils along from Point A to Point B, doing its duty.

And if you take a moment to study Wikipedia’s fascinating article, you will find that this bug indeed does have several important roles in the ecosystem. Check it out. And give a reverent salute to its Creator!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium_vulgare

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, May 1, 2026

Thursday morning of this week I paused beside this scene and snapped its picture. Near this fence is a home which evidently includes not only children but a parent who loves to offer them opportunities for enjoyment.

However, as I looked at this swing, I found myself squinting at it through the eyes of my father. Dad passed to his well-deserved rest in 1994, but had he had been able to study this photo, he would have squirmed nervously.

And the reason would have been that, in his opinion, the rope on this device is far too feeble. Even if the householder could have reasoned with him, demonstrating with science and experimentation that its tensile strength was more than adequate for the weight of any of the kids who might leap astride its swing-disc, Dad would have politely disagreed. And had he been tasked with revising it to his liking, he would have replaced the rope with a line of hemp five times as thick, and he would have anchored that rope’s upper end to a sturdy tree branch using a large and complicated knot.

I know this because this is exactly what he did when he made a swing for his four kids back in the day. He loved us so much that he systematically worried his way through all the possibilities of our potential injury before he set up anything we would be involved in.

At the link below you’ll find four Bible verses which mention how God regards us as His children. And He cares for us far more than my Dad doted on his own progeny.

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/gods-children

Photo © 2026 by Amber Jurgensen
Commentary © 2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 30, 2026

Tulip season is starting to wind down in the Skagit Valley, but there are still plenty of blooms out at the moment. This photo contrasts a section with just one color with another section that has a variety of colors.

While looking at this image, I pondered the age-old question of diversity. Is it better to have only uniformly colored flowers like on the right side? Or is it better to have diversity in colors like on the left? It seems with flowers, there is no perfect color, and we like to see the variations and contrasts.

It is like that with people, where God gives everyone different talents and personalities. We wouldn’t want everyone to be the same. We are each unique and special. When we strive to learn and follow God’s law of love, it produces a pleasing picture that anyone can be delighted to see.  That kind of desire can’t be forced, as demonstrated countless times in history.  It comes from practicing what we believe, encouraging, and being involved to build up those around us.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 29, 2026

With a title like that, I presume you just had to take a glance at the image. I feel like I’m a carnival barker trying to lure you into the amazing sights, just behind the tent entrance. “Come, see one of the seven wonders of the world, for the low price of $1!” (or whatever the going rate was at that time).

The good news is that you can see this beautiful “oddity” for free. So, if you haven’t picked up on the reason I titled this image an oddity, take a look at the stem….two tulips, growing from one stem. The result, I believe, is quite striking and gorgeous.

I figured I couldn’t have been the first human to see something like this but wanted to understand the rarity of this find. Using my favorite AI, (Copilot),  – How rare? I asked. The answer was – “…very rare in gardens and most gardeners will never see this result.” That level of rarity was the reason my Copilot let me know I had captured a Genuine Horticultural Oddity.

Now, for all my gardening friends out there, I would be interested in knowing how many have encountered something similar. Maybe, it’s not as rare as I thought, or was informed. Either way, I had never seen it and was glad I took a moment to capture the shot.

All this rarity and oddity got me thinking of Creation and how God created EVERYTHING! He literally made all the rare, odd, unique and ‘one-of-a-kind’ living things that exist. Now, THAT is amazing.

When we stop and think of all the creations, we need to include ourselves in that list. God made US as unique as they come. Right? He created US to be the one and only. There isn’t someone like us (exactly) anywhere. Even identical twins aren’t identical. God wants us to know He knows who we are and loves us, as individuals. What a thought. The Creator of the world(s) chooses you and me.

You and I may not carry the label of a genuine horticultural oddity, but we can rest assured we are FAR more valuable to God, then two tulips growing from one stem. Thank you God, for choosing me!

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 28, 2026

When leafing through the pages of a North American field guide, the beginning birder can be overwhelmed by the seemingly vast number of small, grayish-green birds that fill its pages.  The White-eyed Vireo is one that would fall into that group.  But it does have one distinguishing characteristic that separates it from all the others, it has a distinctive white eye.  If there were no other field marks, that would be sufficient, for there is only one other perching bird in North America that sports this eye color and the rest of its features would prevent confusion.

There are times when we like being distinctive, unique, different from the rest of the crowd.  But there are other times when we would like to blend into the fabric of life so no one would notice.  What makes the difference?  Risking the danger of painting with too broad a brush, let me venture a guess.  I suspect it frequently hinges upon whether or not we are proud of that which sets us apart.

The arbitrary line between a cult, a sect, and a denomination can be a very subtle one.  They are, after all, humanly devised terms to help categorize.  When the early Christian church first came into being it could have properly been identified as any of the three.  Should we be stressing those qualities or beliefs that set us apart from other persuasions?  I guess it just depends upon how important those distinctives are to you.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, April 27, 2026

Over the past year, I have shared several images of the Granite Mountain Fire Lookout. It sits upon a solid foundation of granite boulders. Though buffeted by fierce winds and wild storms, once inside, it provides a place of safety. As this photograph suggests, getting to the Lookout may involve dangerous territory. At this time of year, getting to safety requires diligence and careful route finding.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 KJV).

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10 KJV).

Even as God provides a plan for safety, Satan places dangerous obstacles along our path. When confronted by danger, call upon the name of the Lord and be safe.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, April 25 and 26, 2026

One of my first teen-age non-babysitting jobs was as a vacation fill-in clerk-typist in the State Fire Marshall’s office in my hometown of Juneau, Alaska. The next four summers I worked for the Forest Service, not in an adventurous outpost as a fire watcher in a national forest, but as a clerk-typist and receptionist in the Finance Office on the fifth floor of the Federal Building.

These entry-level jobs helped with college finances, and gave me a life-long fondness for Smokey Bear and his admonitions, such as, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!” and “Smokey’s Friends Don’t Play With Matches!”

I thought of my friend Smokey when I first saw this painting. It seems to depict a fire still blazing its destructive way through a forest. The mood is grim and bleak, dramatic and traumatic. I puzzle over why this particular piece of art was chosen for this wall, because this scene is what greets us as we enter our medical clinic’s reception and waiting room.

During each visit, as I wait for my appointment, I furrow my brow. I remember clinics of my younger years which featured calming pastel walls and large tanks where fish swam serenely around and around.

I picture a committee reviewing several potential art purchases for this new clinic and choosing this one: “Yes! Let’s go for the dark and stark approach this time!” The choice seems so odd to me that, rather than cast a gloomy shadow on my clinic visits, it makes me laugh!

Both my husband and I are blessed with wonderful medical providers. We tell the Lord, and them, that we are grateful for them. As a counterweight to their gloomy waiting room décor, they “bring the sunshine” of their listening and caring, along with their expertise, to our visits.

I heard that phrase recently. I was driving home with a lot on my mind, and I was planning to share some of that with my husband when I got home. I can’t remember the specifics, which is a good thing for both you and me. I know I was planning to mention some rather negative news or feelings. Suddenly I heard that phrase, not spoken audibly, but yet clearly to my mind: “Bring the sunshine.”

Well. That brought me up short. This called for a course correction. So by the time I arrived home, I walked in the door minus the gloom. I remember a song from my childhood, “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” I guess I need to bring that song with me into my adulthood, too!

I believe the Holy Spirit was nudging me that day to “bring the sunshine” – the same Holy Spirit who inspired the following Scriptures, all from the book of Proverbs:

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NIV)

. . . the cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15b)

Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. (Proverbs 15:30)

As we step out into a brand-new week, we carry our personal weather with us. I’m going to try to remember to bring the sunshine, not the forest fire!