Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, July 29, 2026

We recently had to have a few trees cut down on our property. This particular tree stood in our front yard and, according to its rings, had been growing for more than 70 years. It was approximately 75 feet tall but had been topped several years ago because of its height and proximity to our house.

What we didn’t realize was what was happening inside.

From the outside, the tree appeared healthy. Its bark looked solid, its branches seemed strong, and there were no obvious signs of trouble. But once it was cut down, the inside told a very different story. Even though the dark core looks tiny, I was able to push my fist into it with little resistence. The leader of the tree-cutting crew said, “Good thing you took this one down. It’s rotten.”

One of the greatest blessings we have is God’s promise to work in us from the inside out. David understood this and prayed in Psalm 51:10:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

When I saw the core of this tree, I was surprised by how unhealthy it was compared to what I had seen from the outside. Everything visible suggested a healthy tree, yet inwardly it was decaying.

People can be the same way. Outwardly, everything may appear fine, while inwardly there are struggles, wounds, fears, or sins that need attention. David recognized his need for change and asked God to do what only He could do – create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him.

The encouraging truth is that God not only has the power to transform us inwardly, but He also invites us to ask Him. He is far more concerned with the condition of our hearts than our outward appearance.

My prayer, and perhaps yours as well, is simple:

God, please clean me inside and out. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 28, 2026

If you’ve ever played a game of Bible Trivia, here’s a question I’m guessing you’ve never heard asked.  And the reason is, the answer doesn’t come from the Bible, but from science.  What species of bird is known to have eaten manna?  Immediately your thoughts go back to the stories of the Children of Israel and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness.  But the answer doesn’t come from that story at all.  Instead, science tells us that the adult Red Wattlebird feed their young manna, a name given to nutritious crystallized plant sap.  This, along with insects, makes up their diet at the early stages of life.

In contrast, adult Red Wattlebirds are among the largest nectarivorous birds, using their brush-tipped tongues to extract nectar from a variety of flowering plants.  They are aided in doing so by a long tongue which contains around 120 bristles.  These bristles increase the surface area of the tongue and soak up the nectar through capillary action.

Interestingly, this ability wasn’t unique enough to be included in the bird’s name.  Instead, early taxonomists seem fixated on the fleshy protrusion on the neck.  We’re accustomed to seeing wattles on larger birds, like turkeys, but they seem oddly out of place on one who spends its life flitting from flower to flower.

Names seem not to carry the same significance they did in the long-ago-biblical past, but if you’ve ever been given a nickname, you can probably more easily relate to its connotation.  For these personal names often reflect a quality or characteristic of the individual.  We might not like our nickname for it may call attention to an attribute we don’t want others to especially notice.  On the other hand, some of these names reflect a personal warmness, a closeness shared between just the two of you.

You’ve undoubtedly read about receiving a new name when Christ returns to take us home.  But Revelation 3:12 adds a new twist that perhaps you’ve never thought of before, because it speaks of Christ also receiving a new name:  “I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” (NIV)  Why would God need a new name?  I don’t know the answer, but I’d like to think it has something to do with that closeness we talked about earlier, an intimacy between Christ and the one He has saved.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, July 26 and 27, 2026

An odd phrase popped into my mind when I saw these daisies; I thought they looked like “frayed flowers.” Not wilted or drooping – frayed.

That’s a word I usually associate with things non-floral, like cords, fabric, and nerves. The latter reminds me of the “you better watch out” declaration: “I have one last nerve and you’re standing on it!”

Dictionary definitions of “frayed” include: “strained by constant stress,” “worn down by strain or irritation,” and “showing the effects of pressure or strain.”

A personal, recent example: I was fine with last Tuesday’s 92° heat, but by Wednesday afternoon the same high heat felt relentless, and I felt frayed (because I felt fried!). I think the daisies in my photo have felt the heat, too.

As is my wont, I thought about people I’ve met in the pages of my Bible. Who came to mind first as someone who seemed frayed? After I pondered, I asked my husband and was astounded that we’d thought of the same person – astounded because he isn’t one of the “big names” in the Bible.

We both thought of Obadiah. Read I Kings 18:1-15 and you’ll see why he came to mind as someone under strain and stress!

The next person I thought of is a “big name” in the Bible. A really big name: Moses. Reading through the book of Exodus, we marvel at the challenges he faced, leading thousands of newly-freed slaves out of captivity, into the desert, on the journey to their Promised Land.

These people were not sitting down in their tents every night, writing three things they were thankful for. They tended to whine and grumble and complain and blame their leader, and his God, for any perceived lack in their liberated lives. All the time they were eating food that faithfully fell from heaven. A pillar of cloud by day and fire by night showed that the Lord continued to travel with them, and guide as well as provide for them.

Yet they grumbled and accused and rebelled and eventually constructed a golden calf to worship. That definitely struck a nerve — God’s nerve:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-10 NIV)

Moses could have said, “Thank you, Lord. I understand your anger. I agree with your new plan.” But he does not leave Him alone. He begs the Lord to relent, giving Him excellent reasons for doing so. And the Lord relents.

But Moses descends from the mountain and finds the situation much worse than he could have imagined. Now his anger burns. A terrible time of reckoning ensues, but then, this incredible scene:

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.  But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Exodus 32:31-32)

I am in awe of Moses’ response and request. Instead of asking the Lord to give him an easier life than leading these stiff-necked, rebellious people, he is willing to intercede for them to the point of giving up his place in God’s kingdom, giving up his life.

Moses wasn’t perfect, but in this scene we recognize his likeness to the One who is.

When things become too much for us, when we feel the stress and strain of life on this perilous planet, perhaps we might want to sit down and write three things we’re thankful for, a trio of blessings.

That reminds me of the Three we’re most thankful for, the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus Our Saviour, and Holy Spirit Guide and Comforter. Whenever we’re frayed, or afraid, we can remember that we are not alone, but known and held and loved with an everlasting love.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 25, 2026

A few days ago, in quest of a wedding gift, Shelley and I traveled to a nearby town. One of our destinations was a delightful used-book store. My photo is taken from the store’s second level, which featured nothing but books at least a hundred years old. Parked on a desk overlooking the main floor was this ancient typewriter (which itself has probably hit the century mark, but still works fine).

I’ve noticed that images of elderly manual typewriters often show up on the front covers of greeting cards, especially those dedicated to writers or wanna-be writers. There’s a delicious nostalgia about these truly magnificent machines, used for decades and decades by journalists or novelists.

I’ve actually written articles, and once in awhile a sermon, on various manual typewriters (none this old, thankfully), and from teeth-grinding personal experience I can firmly certify that these were not walks in the park. Not only did you have to pound firmly and evenly on all the keys, but you had to watch out for errors, which became even more annoying if you were using carbon paper. Most often, you simply had to rip the paper out of the roller, crumple it up, and start the page all over again. Ah, (or aghhhh), those were the days.

But do you notice what has happened in the photo? Someone has shrewdly shaped a crumpled first draft into something that looks like a rose, supposedly rescuing a discarded product and making it beautiful.

Which of course plants this directly in the center of our line of Daily Photo Parables. One of the Bible’s most heartwarming truths is that God and His Son stand instantly ready to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, not just revising but renewing us.

Want to read or review how this can happen? Click the link just below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 24, 2026

About a half-hour before sunset this past Sunday, I opened our front door, and was about to step out onto the porch when this blaze of sunshine hit my eye. The photo doesn’t do justice to its blinding brilliance. Instantly, I thought about its parable possibilities.

The couple who live in that house are a retired Asian couple, very polite and gracious. They’re definitely not powerful personalities, and they go about their pursuits with humility. He loves to care for their excellent lawn, and she practices accurate golf shots in the park beyond their back yard. But here they are, illuminating my side of the street in a powerful way.  “This little light of mine,” goes the Christian chorus. But this light isn’t little!

And of course the couple living here isn’t the source of this light. It’s the sun, smiting their house and rebounding off its spotless windows, which bathes the neighborhood in its glow.

And when Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV), He wasn’t talking about any sort of human personality-sparkle. The light He speaks of must be supernatural, because it immediately bypasses your humanity and causes you to “glorify your Father in heaven.”

Click this link for more Bible info about this light!

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday and Thursday, July 22 and 23, 2026

Many of the flowers in our garden are in full bloom right now, including this cosmos plant, which is enjoying its second round of blossoms this season. As you can see, it has become quite the attraction, especially among the local bee population.

I took this photo early in the morning, just as the sun began peeking over the fence. While much of the garden was still waking up, this bee was already hard at work, gathering pollen from the freshly opened blooms.

In fact, many of the flowering plants were already buzzing with activity. I could tell simply by standing still and listening. The gentle hum of dozens of busy workers filled the air as they diligently collected what they needed for the day.

In that quiet moment, I could “see” Him. Not in the sense of a physical being in front of me, but in seeing the evidence of His design everywhere around me. God created the flower. He created the bee. He designed the flower to produce pollen, and the bee with the instinct to gather it. He established an intricate process where pollen and nectar are collected, transformed, and ultimately used to nourish the next generation within the hive. Every step reveals intention, purpose, and design.

With that in mind, consider this: How do you think God feels about you?

Take a moment before answering.

The same God who carefully designed a flower to attract a bee, who provided pollen for that bee to gather, and who created a process that sustains and grows an entire hive, is the God who created you. If He invests that much care and attention into a single insect and a single flower, how much more must He care for those made in His image?

God is the Master of the universe, yet He is attentive to every corner of His creation. Sometimes, all it takes is a moment of stillness to recognize the evidence of His love surrounding us. When we slow down enough to listen, our Creator is often ready to remind us of just how deeply we are known, valued, and loved.

Maybe today, that reminder comes in the form of a simple buzzing messenger among the flowers.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 21, 2026

It was close to dusk as we floated down the margins of a slow moving river.  There in the overhanging branches hunched a Nanking Night Heron, the ideal setting for this crepuscular bird.  Also referred to as the Rufus Night Heron, this name may be misleading, for it is not strictly nocturnal, sometimes feeding during the day, particularly during wet weather.   Besides Australia, this bird is also found in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia.

So why is the title “Nanking” included as part of the bird’s name?   Its range is far south of China so why should the name of a Chinese city be given as part of its title?  The answer goes back to Victorian times when cloth was imported from Nanking. This cotton fabric, known as nankeen, was buff or yellow-colored which John Gould, who named the bird, apparently thought resembled the color of its plumage.  To make matters worse, its scientific name literally means “Scottish Nightraven”, a title that strains the imagination to justify.

Contrast this with a name from the Bible which is rather familiar to us, the name of Methuselah’s father, Enoch.  We know very little of this ancient man except that he walked with God and was apparently translated, and his Hebrew name, חֲנוֹך Chanokh, meant dedicated.  Now that’s a name that’s truly easy to understand, a dedicated man who walked with God.