Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2026

In these days of social media, the old phrase “15 minutes of fame” is hopelessly out of date. I think that the deformed racoon whom Seattle Instagram user Kaina Hall spotted and promptly named “Jimothy” (because “He looked like a Jimothy to me”), has generated a whole lot more fame than a quarter-hour’s worth.

Jimothy, who has his own Wikipedia page (click here to look him up for a lot of great info), doesn’t seem to be in pain, nor to be suffering any other physical problems aside from his deformity. Since his discovery this July, he’s been hailed as a forthright example of someone who wastes little time glooming around about how’s he’s so different from others of his species. He seemingly shrugs this off, something which a lot of even mildly disadvantaged humans seem to find more difficult.

I found this delightful bookmark (see photo above) at our public library a few days ago. Aside from its heartening message, there’s no indication who had it printed, but it’s true.

And another truth is that the God who keeps close track of sparrows and human hair-follicles loves Jimothy too. Proverbs 12:19 [NKJV] reminds us that “A righteous man regards the life of his animal,” and our Creator cares as well.

After all, the Bible says that “God is love.” To review several verses about how important love is to God, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/love

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 14, 2026

Earlier this week, outside a barbershop, I noticed this chess game set up. In college I played chess just enough to hold my own (but not against a good player), so as I studied the pieces above, I could tell that the game was in its early stages.

White, I could tell, had opened by moving the king’s pawn out a couple of spaces, a standard opening. Black then cautiously moved a pawn one space. White had then moved his knight into play. Black had moved another pawn out, opening up a route for a bishop. So far a fairly ordinary, cautious couple of openings, which I had used back in the day.

But I glanced left and right and saw no players. The game had started well, but the human minds behind the moves had departed. Maybe a haircut opportunity had arisen for one, or the other may have remembered an appointment.

In Galatians 5, Paul is laboring with some Christians who were carefully instructed that Jesus has paid for our sins with His death, and that nothing we can do to enhance our chances at salvations. But they were falling back into legalism. So Paul told them:

Galatians 5:7: You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

In other words, Galatians, you were following God’s rules for the game, but all of a sudden you’d given up! (If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll find the inspired solution to behaving well, from the inside out.)

“Have patience,” Paul says, “Because salvation was never a game you could win by crafty piece-movement. The Holy Spirit is the one who changes you.

For more Bible facts about patience and how to get it, click this link:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/patience

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 13, 2026

I enjoy spotting the little mundane survey markers that are usually overlooked. Besides attempting to mark a permanent location, they often have interesting histories.

For example, a survey marker just over a mile from my house possibly marks the location of an old cabin where George Weyerhaeuser was held captive by kidnappers in 1935. The marker was placed in 1936 and named Kidnap. Fortunately, George escaped and was helped by neighbors down the road.

The marker pictured is near Silver Lake Washington and has the following text stamped on it:

“U.S. Engineer Office, Survey Mark, Seattle Wash, No. A, $250 Fine or Imprisonment”

When attempting to locate the marker in the Seattle survey online databases, I could not find anything. This probably means the marker was placed before 1976.

God gives us a location of sorts. I like the following verses.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27,28

God promises to hold us in his hand. He will not forget us, and no one can take us away from that location.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, August 12, 2026

About a week ago, I was on a business trip to Utah. The company I work for has a manufacturing facility in Draper, a community just south of Salt Lake City. I was staying at a hotel nearby in Sandy, Utah.

One morning, I went for a walk and passed the Sandy Courthouse. Standing in front of the building was a memorial statue honoring the firefighters who raised the American flag over the rubble of the World Trade Center following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

That iconic image became a symbol of hope during one of our nation’s darkest moments. In the midst of tragedy, Americans were searching for something positive to hold on to, something that reminded them we would endure and move forward together.

The phrase “hope rising” can mean different things to different people. In that moment, “hope” meant believing that something better was ahead and that we would make it through an incredibly difficult time.

While 9/11 was a unique event, our world continues to experience hardship, loss, and brokenness. When we look around today, it’s easy to see that this fallen world needs all the hope it can get.

As believers, we have the opportunity to raise hope every day. We can share the love of Christ, encourage those who are struggling, and bring light into difficult circumstances. Does that mean bad things won’t happen? Of course not. But hope gives us confidence in God’s promises and assurance that something greater awaits us.

That promise may be realized in this life, or ultimately when we go Home to be with Him.

As Christians, we are called to be carriers of that hope. We can point people to a better way, demonstrate Christ’s love through our actions, and remind others that they are not alone.

My challenge for you this week is simple: pray for opportunities to raise hope. You never know how God might use a kind word, a helping hand, or a simple conversation to make an eternal difference.

Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Of course it wasn’t arbitrary, but it certainly seems so.  August 9, 1945 was the day Fat Man was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, for all practical purposes ending World War II.  Just three days before, the city of Hiroshima had been destroyed by a similar nuclear blast.  Although this second bomb was more powerful, the loss of human life was considerably less due to the geography of the area.  Nevertheless, between 39,000 – 80,000 died from the explosion, with roughly half of the deaths occurring the day of the bombing.  War is always horrific and the ethics of the use of this atomic power continues to be debated today.

But let’s put aside the big picture for a moment and reflect on the incident from a more personal level. It’s estimated there were 263,000 people in the city that day when 11 pounds of plutonium were dropped.  Imagine you just happened to be in that city that particular day.  The raid had been scheduled for two days later with the primary target being the city of Kokura, but plans changed due to weather considerations.  At 7:50 a.m., an air raid alert was sounded but this was followed by an all clear signal soon after when only two B-29 Superfortresses were sighted and it was assumed they were only on a reconnaissance mission.  The bomb was released at 11:01 a.m. Japanese time, and 47 seconds later it exploded above a tennis court.  Imagine you were in a different city, or were there on a different day, or different time.

One of the realities we must face is that modern warfare kills indiscriminately.  And the end of the final battle—is that conducted indiscriminately too?  The answer has to be a resounding NO.   “…each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.   Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”  (Revelation 20:13-15 NIV)  And there is another difference—this battle will be final, absolute, no POWS.  But perhaps the greatest difference is that nothing will be randomly done.  While the outcome of the final battle will be conclusive, it will also be unequivocally fair.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, August 9 and 10, 2026

What I really wanted to play was the drum, but I was assigned to the triangle. Mrs. Nelson, my second-grade  teacher, had organized us into a band. Looking back on it now, I realize that might not have been an easy task.

We were a large class, with limited musical background, but she bravely signed us up for a performance of two songs at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting. I remember only a few things from second grade, but standing on stage as a member of this band is one of them.

We were lined up in a long semicircle for the first song, then Mrs. Nelson played a lively rendition of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” while everyone filed to the back of the stage, deposited their instruments in a big box, each picked up a different instrument, and filed back to their original positions.

Everyone but me. I had been instructed to stay in place, holding my triangle, while everyone else exchanged instruments.

I remember staring out into the audience and feeling embarrassed as I waited for my classmates to come back to the line. I thought that the teacher must have decided I could only be trusted to play the triangle, that I was not good enough to play a second instrument like everyone else. And everyone could see that.

When I shared this story with one of my friends a few years ago, she smiled and said, “Wait a minute – what if the reason you had to hang on to that triangle was that your teacher thought you played it so well that she needed you to play it for both songs!”

Well . . . I was dubious. But I had to smile back, because I liked her reframing! She chose to view my situation from a much more positive perspective than the story of shame I’d been telling myself for years.

I’ve been paying attention to reframing lately, appreciating when other people do it, and trying my hand at it, too. I think that’s why I’ve noticed instances of reframing in the Bible, including these:

The Israelite soldiers were terrified of Goliath, the Philistine giant who taunted and challenged them for forty days, morning and night. Young David comes to the Israelite camp to bring food to his older brothers, hears and sees the giant, and says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 NIV)

He tells King Saul that, despite his youth, he will fight the giant, and proclaims to the Philistine:

You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45 – 47)

And He did. Where the Israelite soldiers only saw a menacing giant and sure defeat, David reframed the situation to a big bully defying his God, who would most assuredly win the battle for them.

And then my mind leaped to Joseph, and my favorite part of his roller coaster life of bad news, good news, bad news, good news, etc.:

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15-21)

Joseph was clear-eyed in remembering “all the wrongs” his brothers did to him, but he reframed his situation. He saw their intentions, but he saw that God’s intentions overruled and saved people from starvation. He couldn’t hold a grudge when he saw things from God’s perspective.

Once I start looking, the reframings are everywhere. The angel tells Joseph that what looks bad is really good, eternally good. Marry Mary, and her Son will be your Saviour.

The apostle Paul is imprisoned and shackled, but reframes his situation to being “in chains for Christ,” as a witness to the whole palace guard and an encouragement to fellow believers to proclaim the gospel without fear.

And then the ultimate reframing. It was an old rugged cross, a common instrument of torture and death for criminals. When Jesus, nailed to that cross, cried out, “It is finished!” it was a cry of victory. He had carried out the mission, He had paid the price for our sins, at the risk of eternal death. The cross has been reframed as a symbol of sacrifice, salvation, and love.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, August 8, 2026

A couple of weeks ago as Shelley and I were heading out for a neighborhood walk, I noticed what you see in the photo above. What looks very much like someone with a giant pair of scissors had slashed that cloud-layer neatly into two parts.

My first thought was that a jetliner had ripped through it. But I’m still puzzled. It seems as though the cloud layer would be thicker than that, too thick for a jet to make that much impact. But to me, there’s no other explanation. That cut is too clean, and too long.

Speaking about sky-cleaving, it shouldn’t be too much longer before another sky event takes place, something more dramatic and planet-jolting than anything that’s happened before – the arrival of Jesus the Son of God.

When’s the last time you reviewed what the Bible says will happen then? Click the link below, and you’ll find answers to questions you may never have thought to ask.

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