Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, April 24, 2026

What’s pictured in the photo above probably has no meaning to you. In fact, the color of the little item reclining on a page of my pocket notebook doesn’t really come through clearly. It looks black, but it’s really a very dark green. And it’s nearly an inch long.

If, like us, you make a practice of putting up and decorating a medium-sized artificial Christmas tree each year, a familiar look may be coming into your eyes. Yes, this is a solitary fake needle from our tree, and even though we finally carry the de-decorated tree as carefully as possible back to the garage, and even though we think we’ve vacuumed up all the detritus, we still find these needles throughout the year, in unexpected places.

When I find one, I gnash my teeth and fling it into the trash, as I did with this one after I snapped the photo. Yet I know that when the garbage truck arrives, and transports this needle to wherever they take it, it will not decay or dissolve until a lot of heat is applied to it.

Actually, this was the first such needle I’ve discovered in several week, so maybe we’re gaining ground on them. But I suppose what I should do, as my fingers hover above the trash can, is thank the Lord for the season it represents, and for the truly eternal green of Eden’s meadows.

Heaven is a real place, after all, far more than the artifice which surrounds us now. Why not enjoy a preview of that happy place by clicking the link just below?

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 23, 2026

In this image taken at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, these otherwise ordinary looking rocks fluoresce when UV light shines on them. Some of the rock types include Fluorite Calcite and Hardystonite Calcite among others.

While thinking about how these rocks emanate visible light by fluorescing when a less visible UV light hits them, I pondered how that relates to the way we reflect light from Jesus.

A couple things come to mind. Considering how natural history focuses on adaptation and survival of the fittest, there may be one more ingredient necessary before humans can become truly healthy and beautiful. That thing possibly could be the act of being willing and desiring God’s goodness to work through them. That final ingredient is so hard to qualify but turns out to be essential.

The second thing I pondered is the fact that we have a hard time seeing God’s light even though it is all around us. However, when someone goes above and beyond the necessary polite actions we expect, and they truly care about the well-being of people around them, something special happens. We see the light reflected from a higher source. They fluoresce.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

It’s sights like this, a blooming crabapple tree, that remind me of creation. In Genesis 8, we read about a kind of “new creation” unfolding. The floodwaters have finally receded after covering the entire earth, and life must begin again reproducing, growing, and taking root once more.

As Noah steps off the great vessel, his first act is to build an altar, offering a sacrifice to God in gratitude for His protection and faithful guidance.

Verses 20-22:

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”

I love the promise God gave to Noah, his family, and all of mankind moving forward: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest… will never cease.”

And just like that, we can count on the flowers to bloom at their appointed times. We look forward to our spring blooms, our summer crops, and our fall fruits, all made possible because we serve a loving and all‑powerful God.

Thank You, God!

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The Apostle John uses graphic language to describe the final wretched convulsions of the earth before Christ’s Second Coming.  Chapter 16 of Revelation pronounces in vivid detail the impact of the seven bowls of God’s anger poured out upon the earth.  The second of these bowls is described thusly: “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.” (verse 3 NIV)

In a very small way we saw this played out at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge in Utah. Each year the directors of the refuge drain a small portion of the sanctuary as part of their management plan.  This results in a concentration of fish which in turn accelerates the depletion of oxygen in the water.

We were not aware of this when we first sighted a Turkey Vulture perched on what appeared to be a log, but upon closer examination discovered it was no log but rather a fish.  As we continued we saw perhaps 1000 large carp, either dead or dying, due to lack of oxygen.

The truism offered by Jesus in Matthew 24:28 became apparent: “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” (NIV)  Not only vultures but California Gulls and White Pelican gathered around this ghoulish banquet, most too satiated to continue feeding.

Without an adequate understanding of the refuge’s overall plan, I have no way of properly evaluating their efforts.  What I do know is that in the scene portrayed in Revelation, all upon whom these bowls were poured out refused to change their hearts and give glory to a deserving God.  Such is the destructive nature of sin and those who hold to it.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, April 20, 2026

In today’s image of Lower Tuscohatchie Lake, I used several photographic techniques to draw the viewer’s interest. First, I waited until the sun was going down. We call this the golden hour, when the light is soft and produces a warm glow on the landscape. Second, I tried to include something of interest in each of the three zones of the image (foreground, middle ground, and background). Then, I used the floating logs as “leading lines to draw the viewer attention into the scene. I also used the light and shadows to provide an illusion of depth, to turn a two-dimensional medium into something more lifelike.

Our view of God is like a photograph. Initially, He is remote, but if we allow it, as we look for Him, He becomes visible. In His Word, in nature, in creation, if we look for Him, His image begins to resolve. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV).

I used the technique of leading lines in this photograph to take your eye to hidden details. Even so, in careful study of God’s word, in the bible and the physical world, you will be led to know Him. I encourage you to study Him and to discover His dimensions.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, April 19, 2026

We live near our neighborhood park, a lovely wide expanse of grass, with a basketball/tennis/pickleball court, and swings, slide, jungle gym, and teeter-totter for little ones.

It makes us smile when we walk by the park on our daily walks, seeing how many people of all ages frequent and enjoy it. With all this use, it’s easy to see how some things get left behind, usually items of clothing.

But another item has caught our eye lately, more than once. On the sidewalk that curves around the park, we’ve seen pacifiers. Were they accidentally dropped, or deliberately thrown from a stroller? Were they sorely missed, by child or parent?

The last time we saw a pacifier in our path, I took the photo you see above. I snuck my feet into the photo, partly for scale, and mostly because I liked how my blue laces echoed the blue of the pacifier, and how the touch of yellow brightened the scene.

But then, beyond my enjoyment of the color scheme, I saw something else – I suddenly saw a sidewalk Scripture!

Pacifiers make me think of peace, since their main purpose seems to be to soothe a child who might otherwise be fretful. Popping a pacifier in a child’s mouth can stop trouble in its tracks!

It must have been adding my feet to the picture that brought a Bible verse to mind, because here is what I found myself remembering:

“ . . . and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15 NIV)

I am weary of war. I remember as a child listening to the radio and hearing about war in the Congo. Not understanding what all that meant, I was still afraid. Later, the Vietnam War filled my junior high, high school, and college years with its horrors. And now, wars continue to rage around the globe. Weary of war, I yearn for peace.

Over and over these days I’ve been turning to Ephesians 6 for comfort – even though it’s a Bible passage that talks about war. It’s comforting because God is telling us the truth about warfare, and is recommending specific weapons with which to fight:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:10-18a)

As we step into this brand new week, our prayer every morning can be, “Suit me up, God! I want You to equip me fully for whatever I may face today. I choose Your weapons, not mine.”

And another prayer floats into mind, one that has been beautifully set to music. It begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

Yes, and Amen.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, April 18, 2026

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the picture above. I don’t know what happened, but usually my smart phone takes a crisper view of the passing scene. But as soon as I saw the sticker on the car ahead of me at a stop light this week, I knew it was perfect for a blog.

The only problem is, the sticker is hard to read. The first line, of course, says “Student Driver.” You and I see a lot of these signs these days. But in addition to the student-driver identifier, they most often say things like “Please Be Patient.” Or sometimes they take the humorous route using the picture of a cartoon cat with a concerned face and the words “I’m worried about my driving too.”

What attracted me to this sticker – and makes me gnash my teeth at how blurry it is – is that the lower phrase is “Skills In Progress.”

Isn’t that a positive spin? Doesn’t that warm your heart toward whoever is in the driver’s seat, white-knuckling their way through traffic? Because after all, no matter how many booklets you read or videos you watch about how to operate an automobile, the skills will never sink in until you spend some time on the road maneuvering your ton-and-a-half of motorized metal.

There’s nothing in the Bible about car-driving, of course, but there are hundreds of promises we can study and claim as we navigate through each day of our lives. Click this link for a good supply.

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/bible-promises