Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, April 17, 2026

In my home office, parked in a corner of my desktop, I keep a large mug which I use for coins which I empty from my pockets each night. Over the course of time, the mug accumulates enough silver and copper that I pour it out on the desk, and insert the coins into coin wrappers.

A couple of weeks ago I was filling up a dime wrapper when one of the coins didn’t quite fit. After employing a bit of fruitless coercion, I took a close look at the coin. You see it above, alongside a genuine dime on the right.

The coin isn’t actually a dime, and it isn’t American. It’s a Polish 20-groszy piece. 100 groszys equal one zloty. A zloty, nowadays, is worth $3.75, which means that this coin is worth about 80 cents – 8 dimes.

Which does me no good, of course. I can’t redeem it at our bank (unless I nefariously forced it into the wrapper with the dimes and gave it to a cashier). But I was raised by a dad and mom who insisted on absolute honesty, including with every aspect of money. And the reason they felt so strongly about this was what they read in the Bible.

The Bible knows that money is very important. That’s why it gives lots of advice about it. Check out some verses Mom and Dad knew well, at the link below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, April 16, 2026

It is great to see changes that spring brings, like with the blossoms on this wild cherry tree. It would be amazing if every blossom produced a cherry. But if past seasons are an indicator, this tree will end up with a modest number of small cherries.

It reminds me of the following verses about a big change.

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:50-52

It is something to look forward to and trust in God for. To learn more, read the entire chapter at
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15&version=NIV

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, April 15, 2026

This past weekend, while shopping for groceries for the upcoming week, I had to stop and snap this image.

As you can clearly see, this Dark‑eyed Junco appeared to have a specific agenda — to accompany me into the grocery store and stock up.

Actually, that’s not completely true. In fact, I don’t believe he would’ve enjoyed a visit inside the store, nor did he need to stock up at all.

Matthew (6:26) reminds us:
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”

What does that tell us? If the birds of the air know they will be cared for, shouldn’t we, created with even greater awareness, have the same faith that we are loved and provided for as well? Yes, we should.

The bottom line is, we are loved, we are cared for, and we are taken care of by our Creator.

My prayer is that we would live with that kind of faith — that we wouldn’t feel the need to ensure our carts are filled on our own but instead trust God to be the One who fills them. Amen.

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

The details have become fuzzy with the passage of time, but what still stands out is how clearly this laundromat modeled what our Christian witness should be like.  We were on a cross-country driving trip and for some reason felt the need to get change with a minimum expenditure of time.  It was just then that the Lost Sock Laundry came into view, complete with easy access from the road we were on.  A quick left turn and we were in the parking lot.

The name of the business provided the first principle of witnessing: make yourself easy to identify with, or, put another way, make sure you and those you’re trying to reach share common ground.  There’s probably none of us out there who haven’t lost a sock while doing the wash and were thoroughly convinced the machine was carnivorous in nature.

What cemented the deal was the sign we saw as we entered the building.  On a given Saturday they would provide the soap AND the quarters!  — Because you might need a break.  No cheap talk or moralizing, just a simple willingness to help.  What could be more genuine!  It almost made me wish we had some dirty laundry so we could support their enterprise.

This isn’t intended to be a plug for socialism or minimize the importance of personal responsibility.  Instead, it’s meant to provide a practical illustration of what Paul had in mind when he wrote Galatians 6:2 which says: “Carry each other’s burdens and so live out the law of Christ.” (J.B. Phillips New Testament) If a laundromat can do it in the Big Sky Country, it seems we should be able to do it in our own way as well.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, April 13, 2026

Today’s image of Kaleetan Creek was captured using specific photographic techniques. The lens opening was extremely narrow, at F 29 to keep the entire scene in focus. The shutter was 1/5^th of a second to display the motion of the water. The focal length was set at 36mm to establish the edges of the scene. Most importantly, I used exposure compensation to reduce the overall brightness. This “exposure bias” changed the mood of the scene.

In the second book of Kings, chapter 5, we can read the story of Naaman, a Syrian commander who was afflicted with leprosy. We learn that he traveled to Israel in hopes that the Prophet Elisha would heal him of the disease that made him an outcast. When instructed to “wash” in the Jordan, a muddy, clay-filled river, Naaman became angry. The rivers of Damascus were clear, cold, spring-fed, and surrounded by beauty. In his anger, Naaman expressed a definite bias for bathing in the better waters near his home. But he was unaware of the special relationship that God had with the Jordan. Miraculous events had taken place in the Jordan. God knew that Jesus would one day rise from these muddy waters to begin the work of washing humanity clean of their sins and diseases.

The story of Naaman teaches us that God does not require clean water to cleanse us. The blood of Christ is sufficient to wash each of us clean. His love is the bias of the universe. Today oh Christian, if we carry any prejudice at all, let it be a strong bias towards love.

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

Yesterday morning as I headed out on a post-breakfast walk, I came out of our cul-de-sac, rounded the corner to the right, and spotted this bird pecking away at the trunk of a tree. I snatched for my phone, and took a series of rapid photos, zooming further and further in for each shot. I think this photo is the best of the bunch.

This little guy happens to be a red-breasted sapsucker, which I confirmed later not only with a large bird-book but by sending this photo to our Tuesday blogger Robert Howson. (Thanks, Robert!)

Having read Robert’s bird blogs for – what is it – decades by now, I felt satisfied to be contributing to our Daily Photo Parable blog’s growing avian collection. But I felt something else too. I wondered, Why was this bird so tranquil as it saw me standing breathtakingly close, fiddling with my phone? Usually, birds seem to regard me as an alien from outer space, and flit warily away.

This may be a bit silly, but the phrase “Next Door to Eden” popped into my mind. To the right of the tree whose sap this bird is sucking is a wooden fence, and on the other side of that fence is the back yard of a woman whose thumb may be the greenest in our entire neighborhood. Professionally, she is a part-time garden and landscaping advisor, and if her back yard is anything like her front yard (which could be used as a putting green on one of the better golf courses), it is a space which is extremely kind and nurturing to nature.

Actually, I was probably just lucky to come across a broad-minded and non-jumpy bird (Stellar’s Jays, you would do well to take lessons from this Sapsucker), but I’m thankful for the chance to gaze upon this creation of God and long for the time when the real Eden has come, and humans and birds and animals will be fearless and happy together.

For four Bible verses about nature, click the link just below:

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

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

This past Tuesday as I was coasting to a stop at an intersection, I glanced at the truck next to me, and quickly grabbed my phone. This is certainly an eye-catching title, and seems to express strongly that God has been enlisted in the business.

I searched a bit online, and though there are businesses – mostly landscaping ones as a matter of fact — which have very similar names, none is exactly like this one. So I don’t know any more than you do about this firm, except that their services may be applied to both residential and commercial properties, and that they are licensed, bonded and insured.

This reminded me that God Himself has been a landscaper, and that one of His major projects indeed received His wholehearted blessing. “Behold,” He said as He glanced at His handiwork, “it is very good.” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV)

And it is good – and was even better before Satan tangled his claws in it. To read more about Creation, check out the following link:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/creation-and-evolution