Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, September 7, 2025

I found it in a book in a used bookstore, in the religion section. It may have been used as a bookmark, but what puzzles me is that it seems to be firmly sealed, never opened. I don’t think I could use an unopened card as a bookmark; I would need to open it, read it, and perhaps then use it as a bookmark!

If I’m reading the postmark correctly, it was stamped on June 1, 2020, in San Diego. One unique feature is the postage stamp, which I’m intentionally blurring here. It’s a custom design from minted.com, and features a photo of a couple, arms around each other, gazing joyfully into each other’s eyes. My guess is that it’s a thank you note for a wedding gift. Although it could be a wedding announcement, with its modest size due to it being the early months of the global pandemic, so perhaps a small, socially-distanced wedding had occurred and was being announced.

This envelope is not addressed to me, so I’m not going to open it. I’m going to put it in another envelope, with a note explaining where and when I found it, and send it on to the family in Bellevue. They’ll have a second chance at opening this card! (If they still live at this address.)

I could just throw it away, but that doesn’t set easy with me. The words in the card may not be all that consequential, but they were sent with a purpose and I feel the need to try to connect them with their intended readers.

And yes, this makes me think of Jesus.

He was sent to this planet hundreds of years ago, God’s (air mail? heir male?) letter to everyone He could reach with His teaching and preaching and healing and rebuking and loving. I don’t recall reading in the Bible about anyone not “opening” His message. The issue was how they responded to what they heard.

Many people listened to His words without understanding:

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’ (Matthew 13:13-15 NKJV)

Most of the religious leaders listened, then twisted His words and used them against Him:

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. (Matthew 22:15 NIV)

The rich young ruler turned away sadly, having quickly counted the price of following Jesus and finding it too steep:

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Matthew 10:21,22 NIV)

And yet:

. . . the common people heard Him gladly. (Mark 12:37b, NKJV)

I like to think that I would have been one of the common people, that nothing He said would have threatened me, or caused me to turn away, but that I would have allowed the Holy Spirit to draw me into the current of His love.

But I don’t need to speculate on what I would have done back then and there, because I have the chance to respond to Him, now and here. Day after day I can open my Bible, His invitation to me, and ask the Holy Spirit to show me truth, and give me the grace and power and wisdom to live it out.

The RSVP is up to me.

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, September 5 and 6, 2025

A little over a week ago I noticed that a house in our neighborhood was being re-roofed. Having had two experiences of house we’ve owned undergoing this process, I was naturally interested, especially since I walk past this house on my after-breakfast walk most mornings.

But after a day or two something struck me (no, not a falling shingle!). The two other roof jobs I’ve seen up close had featured crews of at least three or four guys clambering around, with the work being completed in a day or two. I suddenly realized after a few days that there’s only one guy working on this roof, the one you see in the photo above. (One day earlier this week there were two, but the second had come along with the truck delivering the shingle-packets. But after they left, it was just this guy.)

The last few days have been pretty warm, but this roofer has been going about his work with placid patience, and by now he’s over half done. Thursday morning of this week I got a chance to exchange a few words with him, since he was uncoiling a hose of some kind on the sidewalk.

“Looks good up there,” I said.

“Thanks,” he replied.

“Are you doing this all by yourself?”

He nodded.

I can’t remember exactly how I asked the next question, but it was something about what he did as a job. I expected him to say that he normally worked with a roofing company, but instead he said calmly:

“I do everything.”

And suddenly I realized that this was a man who could be hired to come out to a house, find out what was needed to repair it, and know exactly how to do what needed to be done. I’m not sure whether he has official plumbing or electrical credentials, but I’m sure that nothing would intimidate him.

This makes me think of Heaven’s All-purpose Repairer, Jesus the Son of God. When He arrived on this planet, growing up from babyhood among humanity, He was neither confused nor intimidated about any challenge tossed at him by people or the Prince of Darkness. He was completely and eternally sufficient for what He needed to do.

To learn or review important Bible facts about our Savior, click the link just below.

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

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, September 4, 2025

I needed to water a tree that was turning brown with the dry weather this summer so I asked my granddaughter if she would like to help me. She initially showed reluctance until I assured her that the tractor would do all the heavy lifting.

Here she is in the photo filling water buckets in a wagon pulled by a lawn tractor. Once at the tree, she was delighted to use the little bucket to do the watering. She had me keep adding water to it from the big buckets.

It makes me think about how sometimes it seems hard to follow Jesus, but he makes things easy.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1 John 5:14

Let’s let God do the heavy lifting as we approach challenges in our lives.

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Recently, we were in the greater Salt Lake City area, for a very short visit with family. On this particular day, the skies were extremely dramatic. I had to capture this image for the dark blue skies, contrasting the various shades of white and grey of the clouds. Within about 90 mins, that blue sky was completely covered with even more dark, ominous clouds, that either poured rain or hail, for the next 2-plus hours.

I failed to capture the torrential onslaught of water falling from the skies but witnessed it as several children from the neighborhood ran out into their yards to be part of the storm. We heard thunder but luckily didn’t see any close by lightning.

When out in nature, your surroundings (albeit beautiful) don’t necessarily change or dramatically adjust within minutes. If you are walking in a forest, the trees will typically stay upright. If you are walking near a lake, the body of water will look relatively the same with each passing moment. However, if you look up to the skies above, depending on the situation, those skies could change in an instant. One moment, beautiful blue sky, <snap> the winds shift, and the dark clouds roll right over.

I can think of one moment that will look very similar to what I just described. Any thoughts? I am sure at least one of you thought of what I am thinking. I am thinking about the return of Jesus!

Matthew 24:30

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

How about that? What a sight that will be! This will be far beyond any storm cell we’ve ever seen or felt. It will be the moment when we have the opportunity to see our Creator and leave this sinful world behind. As we wait for that day to come, continue to look toward the skies above.

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Unlike the invasive Eurasian Starling, which has taken over much of North America, the Metallic Starling is native to Papua New Guinea and its travels are limited to the 100 or so miles to nest in the northernmost parts of Queensland, Australia. Also, unlike their cavity nesting relatives, the Metallic Starling builds a suspended globular nest in the tall trees of the rain forest during the wet season. The adult appears black from a distance but in the right light their feathers reflect purple and green making it deserving of the metallic name. Juveniles, like the one shown here, have a white patch on the chest which extends up toward the throat.

What’s so amazing about this bird is a discovery made by a 14-year-old boy who lived in this challenging setting. One night Daniel Natusch stumbled upon a clearing beneath a poison-dart tree where hundreds of Metallic Starlings had built their globe-shaped nests. The ground beneath these nests was as barren as a moonscape due to the guano deposited. The nutrient level was high enough to kill off most of the vegetation under the nests. In this barren microcosm he found half a dozen snakes assembled, patiently waiting for eggs or baby birds to fall to the ground where they would be consumed. This, along with food dropped by the birds, invited other consumers to the feast.

He returned as a graduate student to observe this short-lived ecosystem, and discovered in two monsoon seasons that more than 100,000 animals of 42 species feasted beneath 27 trees during the four month breeding season of the starlings. All of this due to the relationship between the birds and the snakes.

Notice Solomon’s commentary on discovery: “…then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.” (Ecclesiastes 8:17 NIV) This in no way should be used to discourage exploration and pursuit of understanding. Instead, recognize there will always be more to uncover, more questions to be answered. This should keep us humble indeed.

Photo ©2017 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, September 1, 2025

The image for this week’s photo parable was captured at Hurricane Ridge, in the Olympic National Park. Animals that live in national parks seem unafraid of humans. Of course, that was God’s original plan. All the creation was in harmony. God’s recreation will restore His eternal intent to nature.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6 KJV). I am looking forward to that day. How about you?

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, August 30 and 31, 2025

One of the recent encouraging trends I’ve noticed (amid a host of discouraging ones) is that Barnes and Noble bookstores keep sprouting up here and there. They’re delightful places, adjusting with the times and very customer-friendly.

I dropped by one of the newest B&N’s this week, and grinned when I discovered that whoever had charge of labeling the book sections hadn’t glued the “B” as firmly in line as the other letters. This created (temporarily until they find that “B” and reattach it) a new genre!

Of course, most books to a great extent are actually “I-ographies,” reflecting the writer’s personal preoccupations and obsessions. Nothing wrong with that, as such. But when this self-absorption ignores the reader and what he or she might find helpful, that’s bad (and not very royalty-productive.)

John the Baptist may be the Bible’s ultimate non-ego, when he said in John 3:30, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” Paul urged us in Philippians 2:3 to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” [ESV]

At this link you’ll find some more of what the Bible says about proportionally estimating your own value:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/self-esteem