Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, September 27 and 28, 2026

I’m a sky-gazer. It’s an inexpensive hobby, and richly rewarding. Sometimes I’ll take a break from being too much indoors and step out on our front steps and look up and around to see what the sky is “up to” at the moment.

And I do mean, “at the moment,” because the sky and its contents do not stand still. This is why I often holler back over my shoulder, with urgency, “Come, quick, before it’s gone!” The “it” may be a rainbow or a flock of pigeons rolling and tumbling in the air, or a stunning sunset.

Often it’s the shape and texture of clouds, as in the photo above. I viewed them, not from our front steps, but while we were on our neighborhood walk. I did then what I’m doing now – I grinned.

What do you see when you look at these clouds? I picture someone, maybe me, scampering up this flight of stairs that leads upward from cloud to cloud – on my way to heaven. I’m not good with heights, so it’s a bit strange that the thought makes me smile, rather than cringe! I guess I’m trusting the Creator of clouds, and of me, to watch over me as I ascend.

Coming back to earth, from my flight of fancy (flight of stairs fancy), I think of people we read about in the Bible who have “climbed the clouds” to heaven:

So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:23-24)

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11)

Enoch’s route to heaven is hard to picture; all we know is “God took him.” Elijah’s, in contrast, could not have been more dramatic. I’ve heard and read these accounts many times over the years, but not until this moment have I paused to wonder what Enoch and Elijah thought and felt as they were suddenly transported from earth to heaven.

And then there was, and wasn’t, Jesus. He had lingered forty days after His resurrection, encouraging and equipping His disciples as He turned the mission over to them. After some final words to them, He left:

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Yes, He will! We have His word on it. As we say earthly good-byes, we are told how to comfort one another:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (I Thessalonians 4:16-18 NKJV)

And that’s when my sky-gazing hobby will be the most richly rewarded!

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, September 26, 2026

I am certainly no bird expert, but as I get a chance, I enjoy watching crows. As research has discovered, crows are complex birds, and have personalities. However, most often when I’ve observed crows in action, it seems as though if there are at least two crows on the scene, one will start to peck at something, and immediately the other crow hurries over so as not to miss something good. (At least, to my lay mind, this is what seems to be happening.)

At other times, crows seem to be quarreling. A crow may be sitting on a rooftop, and another swoops in, and often the first flies away as though to avoid a territorial conflict.

That’s why the above scene, which I spotted a few weeks back (and telephotoed blearily with my smartphone), seemed so unusual. These two crows were side-by-side, close together, at the top of a tree. I took several photos of them, and in one shot they’re both looking in different directions, but here they seem to be whispering together. No annoyed squawking or wing-flicking .

This is of course my human reasoning, from what my human eyes can see. But to all appearances, these birds seemed to be friends.

Human friendship is one of life’s most precious gifts. On the sidewalks beneath these trees, two neighbors, both men and both carrying walking sticks, have made a regular habit of tromping 5 miles together every morning. I’ve talked with them often, and they’re true companions.

The God who created such friendship has included commentary about it in His Bible. Check out the link just below.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, September 25, 2026

A couple of weeks ago on a neighborhood sidewalk I noticed this fallen leaf. Actually, what caught my attention wasn’t this side of the leaf but the underside, which made the veins stand out in very dramatic fashion.

This kind of natural beauty almost takes my breath away. Here it is – just one leaf among billions and billions – once connected to a branch or vine. I don’t know what plant it came from, but its green color shows that it was perfectly nourished throughout its life. And notice how each vein feeds out from the central one, sometimes connecting up with other veins.

Does God care? Of course, and not only because of His amazing natural creations. His Son Jesus, who created everything with Him, expresses His caring in a way described by this century-old song written by Frank Graeff:

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song;
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

 O yes, He cares- I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,I know my Savior cares.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, September 24, 2026

Rattlesnake Lake has an interesting history because before it was a lake, it was the town of Moncton with 200 residents. Despite warnings by geologists about leakage, the Masonry Dam was built nearby in 1914. Leakage from the dam flooded the town over the next year and efforts to save it were abandoned. The City of Seattle purchased the land from residents and cleared out the structures.

Now Rattlesnake Lake is a popular recreation area. Rattlesnake Ledge, a popular hike, can be seen above the lake.  Old stumps from that old era still hang on.

Some things make me stop and think. The following verses are another one to think about.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:2-5

If we focus on the word perseverance, it can be a powerful thing to reach goals that are otherwise unobtainable.  The other word is love. Without love, what would we end up with?

As we do our best to improve the world around us, let’s focus on perseverance and love.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, September 23, 2026

I recently had the opportunity to visit Yosemite National Park, east of California’s Bay Area, nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. While we spent our days exploring the park, at night we stayed about 60 miles away in the small town of Ahwahnee, California.

Our accommodations sat in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at roughly 2,500 feet in elevation. The secluded setting made it an ideal place for birdwatching.

One morning, I spotted and photographed a colorful California Scrub-jay. Curious to learn more, I looked up a few facts about the bird and came across this description: “They’re essentially the bird equivalent of a clever neighborhood troublemaker: loud, curious, opportunistic, and almost always up to something.”

I also learned that scrub-jays are known for collecting and storing acorns, which made perfect sense given the number of oak trees nearby. Interestingly, the bird in this photograph wasn’t perched in an oak tree. Instead, it chose a Paperbark Maple, a tree known for its distinctive cinnamon-red bark that peels away in thin curls, almost like strips of paper.

When I saw the scrub-jay, its vibrant blue feathers illuminated by the morning light against the deep red bark, I was immediately struck by the contrast. The darker background made the bird stand out in a way it might not have in bright sunlight. At the same time, the rich color and texture of the bark became even more noticeable because of the brilliant blue perched among its branches.

It reminded me that much of God’s beauty is revealed through contrast.

God created each of us with different gifts, personalities, experiences, and perspectives. Those differences are not accidents. Like the blue bird and the red bark, our uniqueness often serves to highlight the beauty of others while collectively pointing back to the Creator. Together, we reveal something greater than we could on our own.

In photography, contrast is one of the elements that makes an image compelling. It catches our attention and draws us in. Perhaps that same principle applies to our lives. The way God works through His people should create a contrast with the world around us, one that causes others to take notice and wonder what makes us different.

Maybe our calling isn’t to blend in, but to stand apart in a way that reflects His love, grace, and truth.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, September 22, 2026

There are details a scientist might observe while holding a bird in his hand that the casual observer might totally overlook in the field.  The Northern Rough-winged Swallow provides a perfect example of this.  For most of us, it is just one of those rather indistinctly colored swallows that flit over the open water in seemingly effortless flight.  Even John James Audubon fell into this same trap when he collected what he believed were Bank Swallows which share many of the same characteristics.  But upon examining them more closely he discovered that he had collected representatives of a new species. Later observations added more information which have helped us differentiate between the two, but at the time, one thing stood out in his mind – their wings.

Running his hands over the collected specimens he discovered the leading edge of the wings felt rough, like drawing one’s hand over a rough file.  Upon closer examination he recognized that these outer primary feathers lacked terminal barbules, those little hooks that help feathers stay connected.  Obviously, their flight was not adversely affected. But neither he, nor others since, have been able to figure out the purpose of this anomaly.  This so impressed him, he awarded the scientific species name, serripenni, (meaning “saw feather”) to his discovery.

Paul seems to echo the idea that it’s not always those things which are most obvious that are the most important.  Notice his comment on this found in Romans 2:6-7:  “There is no doubt at all that he will ‘render to every man according to his works’, and that means eternal life to those who, in patiently doing good, aim at the unseen (but real) glory and honour of the eternal world.”  (J.B. Phillips New Testament)

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Bev Riter
Sunday and Monday, September 20 and 21, 2026

Earlier this month when in the Canadian Rockies, I was thrilled to walk on the glass-bottomed Columbia Icefields Glacier Skywalk.  Perched 1,000 feet above the Sunwapta Valley below, the 1,312-foot-long walkway is an experience that some of us thoroughly enjoyed.  Others, however, were afraid, did not trust in the structure and wouldn’t walk on it even though the nearby sign stated the following about its strength and engineering: the foundation was drilled horizontally 52 feet into the cliff, it is attached to the foundation with 34 large anchors using 6,000 A490 structural bolts and it can support 1,300,727 pounds.  Those of us who walked on it had faith in the engineering design and building of the structure as well as trust that it would not fall if we walked on it. And it didn’t fall when I was out on it!

I’m reminded of the many texts in the Bible about having faith in God and trusting Him.  We all have challenges and are sometimes concerned or anxious about things in our lives.  Faith in Him can help lead us through hard times.  Trusting in Him can lead to peace, joy and an abundance of blessings. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”  Psalm 56:3