Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, May 30, 2025

A couple of weeks ago on a trail walk with Shelley, I paused beside this ancient leaf. The trail is one where probably no leaf-blower has ever been felt, which is probably the reason that this leaf has been lying here for who knows how many years.

I’d never seen anything like this before. I knew that leaves had major veins radiating out from the main stem, but I had no idea of the incredibly detailed lacework you see as the smaller veins.

Think of it. One leaf, growing normally from a branch along with hundreds and thousands of others, each one with this staggeringly beautiful design, each little vein passing along sap, and helping change carbon dioxide into oxygen.

“My God loves me, and all of His wonders I see,” goes the children’s chorus. “Consider the lilies, how they grow,” Jesus once told a crowd of people. “They neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Luke 12:27 – 28 NKJV)

These evidences of chillingly beautiful design anchor my trust in their Designer, and reinforce in my heart what Jesus says about God’s care.

To read more about this kind of faith, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/faith

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, May 29, 2025

This photo doesn’t show much skill as a wildlife photographer since it is from the back. But it was fun to spot it in nearby woods. It is to my wife’s credit. She heard a commotion with several birds chirping angrily. She said it must be an owl. So, we followed the trail towards the noise, and she spied it in a tree.

The poor owl didn’t seem to be getting a wink of sleep. A Stellar’s jay was loudly chirping, and a robin was making diving passes at it. The owl just seemed to stoically fluff up its feathers and take it.

What are the reasons we might put up our defenses and block out the world? There seem to be so many dangers from so many directions, it is no wonder.

But there are good reasons to live in peace and joy.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
Psalm 103:17-18

When we know God loves us unfailingly, we can afford to present a fluffy appearance. Not for defense, but for sharing that love with others.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Let’s be very clear, I am not a bird photographer. If you are looking for professional bird images, you will need to review Tuesday installments, from our resident bird expert Robert Howson. Today’s edition is of a bird, but taken from my phone camera, so take that into consideration. I attempted to capture an image of this Anna’s hummingbird that happened to be drinking from a small water fountain approximately 3 feet to my right, while I sat in a chair in our side yard. Talk about the “right place, right time”!

If you know much about this particular species, or have consulted Robert, you will identify this one as a female (unless Robert corrects and says it’s a juvenile). The best way to tell the difference is the male has a very vibrant and distinctive ruby-red colored neck and head. Regardless of the missing red crown, this bird is remarkable. As she hovered just a couple feet from me, she drank from the rising and falling water droplets. Her wings beating so fast, a high-pitched hum was audible, over the splashing water.

Hummingbirds in general are a marvel. Their tiny compact bodies, flying at such incredible speeds around the trees and flowers. You usually hear them, before you see them — they are just that fast. Annas, specifically, have a wingspan of only 5 inches and their wings beat at an alarming rate of 45+ ‘flaps’ a second. Yes, you read that correctly — each second. With that kind of wing speed, how fast do you think this tiny bird gets around? Would you believe over 40 mph? You should, because they can actually reach a top speed of 60 mph!

If you like data, I would implore you to take in those numbers I’ve just listed and mull them around a bit. Just think – size of the bird, wingspan, FPS (flaps per second), and top speed. What words come to mind? Incredible? Miraculous? Astounding? Marvelous? Yes, yes, yes and yes. These words should come to mind when thinking of this amazing creation. God’s amazing creation. to be specific.

I for one, cannot wait to sit with our Creator and have Him explain his design process and hear how much fun He had creating these amazing creatures. Thank you, God, for Your love for all and Your unwavering creativity!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, May 27, 2025

We humans are a fickle lot, letting the whims of the moment dictate what we happen to think is in vogue. In our quest for ever increasing status, we impose somewhat arbitrary guidelines which create a pecking order in society. The Gibeonites recognized this and used it to their advantage, tricking the Israelites into signing a treaty with them. You remember the story as told in Joshua 9: They gathered old sacks and old leather wine bags that were cracked and mended, and they put them on the backs of their donkeys. They put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes, and they took some dry, moldy bread.” (Joshua 9:4,5 The Everyday Bible) In other words, they tried to benefit from appearing to be the last man on the totem pole.

The Tricolored Heron, formerly called Louisiana Heron, involuntarily fell into this same situation. In the late 1800s, fashion placed a high premium on feathers of egrets and other birds used to adorn women’s hats. In 1886, it was estimated there were 50 North American species being subjected to this slaughter to accommodate this whim. But fortunately for the Tricolored Heron, their feathers were not in high demand, simply because of their color. And it wasn’t because they weren’t beautiful. Audubon, in referring to this species called this elegant wader the “Lady of the Waters.” It was just that they didn’t match the idealized style of the moment.

It’s likely we have misused 1 Peter 3:3-4 to restrict adornment while missing what Peter is really directing towards, true beauty, something that lasts. “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (NIV)

Photo ©2016 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, May 26, 2025

The mix of granite boulders and alpine fir trees with Mt. Rainier at sunrise dispelled all memories of the arduous hike up Granite Mountain.

A captivating landscape image is a blend of interesting elements in the foreground, middle ground, and background. Include a powerful subject, during the golden hour and the photographer’s face will shine.

This image reminds me of a biblical blessing, “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV).

May you enjoy God’s peace today!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, May 25, 2025

Was he guilty of soliciting? No. Loitering? No. He paused to pose for a few Private Property photos, but didn’t loiter or linger (or even litter, which the sign did not prohibit). Did he trespass? Yes, definitely, yes!

This bunny rabbit trespassed all over the place – merrily hopping from one garden and lawn to another. He even crossed the street without looking both ways.

It seemed a bit bold of him to pose by the Private Property sign with all its prohibitions, but this happened to be Easter afternoon. Perhaps he was the Easter Bunny and, as such, felt he was welcome everywhere.

I enjoy experiencing a delayed reaction to a photo I’ve taken. Perhaps I’m easily surprised and pleased, and also slow on the uptake! I thought I’d absorbed all there was to notice in this photo that I took more than a month ago – but yesterday I suddenly saw a connection I’d overlooked. And, believe it or not, it has to do with one of Aesop’s Fables and a verse in Ecclesiastes!

The rabbit is not the only critter in my photo; he’s cozied up to a couple of unnaturally white turtles. And suddenly I thought back many, many years ago to one of my elementary school readers, where I read Aesop’s Fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

The story in brief: The tortoise grows tired of the hare always making fun of him for being so slow, so he challenges him to a race. The hare easily takes a long lead, and is so confident that he’ll win the race that he decides to take a wee nap. While his nap stretches on, the tortoise plods ahead, overtakes him, and is approaching the finish line when the hare wakes up and runs as fast as he can, but the tortoise crosses the finish line first.

The moral of the story? I think it clearly is, “You snooze, you lose!” but it’s usually given as, “Slow and steady wins the race.” (Which I think is only true if your speedy competitor is overconfident and/or arrogant and thus loses the race that he could have easily won.)

However, Aesop concluded this fable with the moral, “The race is not always to the swiftest.”

Readers of Ecclesiastes might be hearing a close echo of the second line of chapter 9, verse 11:

I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong . . .

The verse continues:

. . . nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance
happen to them all.

In this verse I hear the author cautioning us that we should not jump to conclusions; those among us who seem most favored are not guaranteed to be the world’s winners.

And if I look at this verse again in a month or so, I will probably notice something that I’ve overlooked in it! I will be surprised and pleased at my double take!

One of my college friends astonished me by claiming not to re-read books. One reason I was surprised was that, on a college student’s budget, she bought only hardcover books, not the cheaper paperbacks. And she loved to read.

One book she did re-read was her Bible. It’s not a book to read once through and put on a high shelf or sell, because you’ve read all the print from Genesis through Revelation and there’s nothing more to absorb from it. And yet sometimes I approach a Bible story with the unhelpful attitude of knowing I know the story. I’ve read it, and re-read it. I’ve heard it preached. I may have memorized a line or two from it. Ho, hum – time for a wee nap.

Wait – what’s the moral of that story? You snooze, you lose . . .

And here’s where I say, “Thank You, Jesus, for giving us the best possible gift when you ascended back to heaven — our Holy Spirit Teacher, Comforter, Convicter, Guide, Counselor, Reminderer! Please open my eyes, my ears, my mind, my heart to what I need to hear afresh in Your Word.”

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, May 24, 2025

Friday afternoon of this week I was driving home from our local library, where I’d been working on this week’s sermon. I passed by a familiar neighborhood landmark – an old Shakey’s Pizza place which has been closed for several months. That reader board sign has been empty since then, until the message you see above was mounted.

Once I deciphered the letters (and figured out that the second symbol wasn’t a division sign but a plus sign), I realized that a guy whose name’s first initial was “C” was inviting a girl (“Cal”) to an upcoming prom. Or maybe it was the other way around, a girl inviting a guy named “Cal.”

The more you look at this photo, the more you realize the trouble someone took to get those letters up there. In past years, I’ve seen Shakey’s staff teetering high on an A-frame ladder changing the sign. So the prom-inviter had to first of all create the lettering, print it out large enough to be visible, and then ascend somehow and find a way to fasten those letters so they would stay.

And as the sign-affixer tottered down the ladder and anxiously surveyed the result, I’m sure that he (or she) was fervently hoping that the “significant other” would see the message and joyously respond.

You know where I’m going with this, right? Once upon a time, in His final Bible book (“The Revelation of Jesus Christ”), Jesus pictured Himself not at a reader board but outside the exterior door of a house.

“Behold,” He calls. “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NKJV) And while the prom-inviter envisions attending a brief high school event with a fascinating partner, Jesus invites the household into the closest possible eternal friendship.

Doesn’t that sound inviting? To read more about this invitation, review the verses at the following link:

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