Daily Photo Parable

Photo ©2025 and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take on a totally new identity? Perhaps like being put under the witness protection plan by the F.B.I.? Or maybe we should opt for something not quite as radical such as just changing your name. For many contemporaries the first thing that comes to mind might be how many cards and documents would need to be updated to fit the new you. Start with your driver’s license then work your way through your Social Security card and then, of course, there’s all those credit cards. The task could be quite daunting.

While these peripheral issues may not have been of concern to biblical characters who underwent that change, I suspect it may have taken awhile for some to make the needed adjustment. Did Abraham have to be called twice before he recognized he was being paged? What about Jacob learning to respond when the name Israel was called out? Was the Apostle Paul’s change so absolute that he never thought of himself as Saul ever again? I have to believe each of those individuals was eternally grateful for the change that took place, but were there ever flashbacks to the bad-old-days?

From 1886 until 1985 the Clark’s Grebe shown here was just another Western Grebe with some regional variations. But taxonomists enacted a split and a new species was formed. In all likelihood this made no difference in the slightest to the bird. It was the human observers that had to make the adjustment. But when those humans’ names were changed it wasn’t just a matter of getting a new Master Card. They were changed from inside out, not just a new paint job.

Photo ©2025 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, October 20, 2025

On May 5^th, my photo parable was entitled Peaks & Valleys. Today’s photo is an expanded view of the same scene. Revisiting an area encourages a photographer to look with new eyes, to explore more deeply, to find a new vantage point. I like this new perspective.

I find it like reading a passage from the Bible again. Each time we do that, we allow God to point our mind in a different direction. We see the passage anew. We become a different person. The passage remains familiar but brings new insight.

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV).

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

I will never tire of the endlessly changing beauty of God’s creation. God willing, I will continue to explore this area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Similarly, search for something new in God’s word. Seek to be in Christ, a new creation.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, October 18 and 19, 2025

Recently Shelley and I visited a cemetery where a distant relative of hers is buried. Maybe 15 feet away from that stone was this one.

As you can see, a loved one has brought a little statue of Jesus and has parked it up close to the stone. It’s as though the Savior is waiting patiently and comfortingly for the resurrection.

I don’t know anything about the people buried at the foot of this stone, but you might be able to make out the cross engraved on the top, as well as two open books (Bibles, presumably) which testify that this was a Christian couple who lived in the hope of the Second Coming.

And I don’t know how long the little statue will remain where it is. But I do know that one day the sky will be suddenly filled with an unearthly light, and if that statue is there, Jesus’ glory will cast a sharp, Christ-shaped  shadow on the grave. And this grave will suddenly erupt in joyous release, as this planet’s long-overdue reunion happens.

Want to review – or study for the first time – the Bible verses which talk about Jesus’ return? Go to the link just below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, October 17, 2025

A few blocks away from our home, yet another neighbor has decided to festoon his lawn with Halloween horrors. What you’re looking at is only a small portion of the pseudo-graveyard he has assembled. Shelley and I were walking past as he was adding still more “stones” to an already-impressive supply.

“I’m scared,” I assured him with mock solemnity, and he chuckled appreciatively.

Usually I spare a mere grin or two for such Halloween funerary items, but this time I noticed a kind of gravestone title I hadn’t before. Usually “RIP” (Rest in Peace) is the major theme, but three of the above stones say something else. “For Rent,” says the gray one. “Gone 4 Now” says the black one. The green one is hopeful in a gruesome way: “See You Soon,” which seems to be a hint that the viewer will shortly be haunted by the departed.

Actually, all three messages are somewhat true. Even the “Rest in Peace” stones (not pictured) speak solid Bible fact: Jesus called death a “sleep.” “For Rent” signals that a grave won’t be eternally occupied. “Gone 4 Now” and “See You Soon” are truer than most think.

That’s because the Bible lays to rest every disturbing myth about graveyards. Click the link below to see the good news about death.
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/death

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, October 16, 2025

On this white post it says “PROP COR RBR/CAP”. We learned recently that the white post itself is not the property corner, but is called a “witness post” and points to the actual corner, which is steel rebar with a yellow cap on top. On closer inspection, there is a yellow cap next to the post that is hard to see in the dirt, so I didn’t take a picture of it. The caps often get covered with dirt and leaves, and the posts help find them.

I like the name, witness post. It makes me think of witnesses in the Bible and John the Baptist comes to mind.

He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
John 1:7

We can be witnesses as well by sharing God’s love and talking about what Jesus has done for us.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

On a recent walk down our driveway, I came across this terrestrial gastropod mollusk, commonly known as a Slug. When I showed the image to my four-year old grandson he said, “Oh, a snail!” I can see where he came to this conclusion, given that my framing of the image, didn’t include the rest of the slug, which would have made clear that this guy didn’t have a shell.

In fact, that’s basically the difference between a slug and a snail — that all-important protective exterior shell. When slugs come across danger, they typically recoil into themselves but still are very vulnerable. In contrast, snails sense danger or harm in close proximity, they “retreat” into their cozy home, providing at least some level of outer armor.

When I apply the same concept to my own life, if given the choice, I would choose having a shell vs. no protection at all. Are we all in agreement? We’d much rather have cover when facing any type of danger. So, what’s our outer shell that we can rely on?

In Isaiah 41:10, I believe we get a glimpse of said protective shell,

“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

How about that? Fear not? What a promise. We don’t have to be afraid, living on this spinning sinful world. How is that possible? We are surrounded with dangers and possible harm, on a daily basis. Yet, we are not to fear. God is our protective outer shell. When we face the evils of our world, we can feel calm, as God (literally) has our back.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

For some reason, people seem to like to put things in line to display them. And for some reason, also unknown, I like looking at their arrangement. An open field seems a logical place to display implements used in farming in the past. It also serves as a reminder that, at one time, these were the most innovative and advanced technological tools available to man. They increased his productivity and made the work easier.

But now they sit rusting in the field, obsolete and no longer of use. And probably that’s the way it should be. Progress demands change. However, that doesn’t mean the same tasks still do not need to be done. The soil must be plowed, seeds must be sown, and plants need proper nutrients and water before the produce is finally harvested.

Written during a time when an agrarian way of life was the norm, many of God’s promises and warnings are couched in terms familiar to those working the soil. The focal point of many of these discourses centered on harvest time which marked the climax of the year. It was then that success or failure was made evident. Sometimes a bad harvest was due to personal failure; failure to plant abundantly, or to watch over the crops. But Haggai presents a slightly different picture: “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:6 NIV) He contends their failure was not due to laziness or little ambition, but due to misplaced priorities, of not putting God first in their lives. That’s advice that never goes out-of-date. Such advice should never be put out to pasture to collect rust and viewed as a relic of wisdom from the past. It’s more precise than the latest atomic clock, more trustworthy than yesterday’s harrow.