Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary 2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 14, 2025

This summer we have managed to get out on paddle boards multiple times, which is only surprising because last year we had not really thought about paddle boards. Our daughter told us how much fun they are, so we gave it a try. She must be a good encourager because she convinced several other people as well.

On this particular day she got ten people out on the lake with nine paddle boards. A few are out of the picture.

It makes me think about the power of a little encouragement. A few simple words leads to a few simple actions, which leads to something exceptional.

On the flip side, you can imagine how a few discouraging words can potentially paralize people into inaction.

I sometimes wonder if encouragement can be a superpower we all can use.

It looks like rain this weekend, but hopefully there will be chances to get a flotilla out on the water again.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Have you ever heard of that phrase, or maybe even used that phrase? It’s fairly simple and straightforward. When we share something with someone, we are showing that we care about them. When we were children, most of us heard that it was “nice” to share. It was the kind thing to do. If you had something and someone wanted it, or needed it more, share. It was a lesson we all learned.

In the world of insects (and other animals), that isn’t always a rule that is followed. In fact another phrase came about, from a certain naturalist — Charles Darwin. The phrase he coined was “Survival of the fittest.” There is more to the theory, but part of it is the exact opposite of sharing. Given this mindset of survival, if I have something that will help me, I wouldn’t dare give you any of it. That doesn’t sound like a caring attitude now does it?

Take a glance at the image I captured in our garden yesterday. Here we have two honeybees in the morning sunshine, collecting pollen from this vibrant purple dahlia. Of course this is a still image and you are going to have to take my word for it, but they didn’t battle with each other. They didn’t pull one another off the flower. No, they went about their “bees-ness” (see what I did there?) and collected their pollen — plenty to go around. They shared.

We have more than ample opportunities to follow in suit of these generous and caring bees. Of course we can think of the times we can share in the church setting — our time, our talents, our wealth, our skills, our energy, our passion. The list goes on. What about outside the church setting, do we have anything to share? Oh, right! We have the love of Christ to share with the world. We have something that not only do we have the ability to share, but we can see this world is in desperate need of our sharing.

The time we have on this planet isn’t about survival. Our purpose is to share as much as we possibly can. God gives to us; He shares because He cares. Why would we do anything different? This week (hopefully today), find an opportunity to share. Remember, sharing is caring.

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 12, 2025

My introduction to Dung Beetles happened many years ago. Perhaps it was in a nature article for kids found in one of the church papers. I mention this because I still recall there was a moral lesson attached. Sometimes those writers seemed to have to stretch the truth a bit to make the lesson fit, but for me, this lesson matched up perfectly. If there was one thing I missed, it was that I believed these industrious insects lived in faraway places, in Africa or Asia, or some other mission land. Truth is, Dung Beatles are found on all continents except Antarctica and this particular one was photographed in Texas.

There are many species that carry this name but they all feed at least partially or exclusively on feces or dung. They can be placed into three different categories, but the one shown here would be placed in the roller group. They are assigned this classification because they energetically roll a ball of dung to what they consider to be an appropriate stop to bury it to be used later as a food source or breeding chamber. And it was this rolling process that caught the eye of the afore- mentioned author and myself.

In spite of the childish snickering and efforts at bad jokes, my childhood memory was impressed with the idea that they could roll a ball ten times their own weight, and do so in a straight line in spite of all obstacles in their way. Perhaps Atlas had a loftier task of carrying the world around on his shoulders, but since that’s not my job, maybe I should take care to make sure the tasks I do shoulder are worthy of my best efforts.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary 2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, August 11, 2025

Getting sunrise photos of Mt. Rainier from “Reflection Lake” meant getting up early and a long drive in the dark. Landscape photographers place a high value on the quality of light. The “Golden Hour” (around sunrise and sunset) produces warm diffuse light that can put a glow on the subject.

As I set up for the photo shoot that morning, I felt rushed to capture the best composition possible. Should I be up high to get a full reflection of the mountain, or down low to include the wildflowers as a base? I was thinking, “what are the most important things that will best document this time and place”?

While it is important to identify the salient elements when composing a photograph, it is paramount to identify what is most important in our walk with God. The list of those things is robust: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Discipline…

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24 KJV).

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV).

What do you think is most important about this photograph, the mountain reflection, or the wildflowers? (I chose the flowers.)

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Ruth Lemus
Sunday, August 10, 2025

[Note from Pastor Maylan: Today’s Daily Photo Parable is by guest blogger Ruth Lemus, a woman who loves the Lord and keeps her eyes wide open to watch Him at work. Thanks, Ruth!]

My first travel adventure posted on this blog (Daily Photo Parable, “Emergency Row,” November 29, 2024) explained how God answered my request to sit by Jesus on my upcoming flight. Since then, it has been apparent to me that I neither travel alone nor leave the travel drama at home.

Just a couple of weeks ago, at the airport gate, shortly before lining up to board, my husband began searching for his global entry card. Carefully checking each of his pockets, and then his backpack, he kept asking, “Where is my card? What did I do with my card?”

This global entry card is a valuable document, because it streamlines airport security procedures. But it was nowhere to be found. In his desperation, he began to search the floor all around. That’s when his eyes noticed something shimmering beneath the seating area where we’d been just moments before.

He asked me to check to see if that could possibly be his missing card. Because our previous seats were linked back-to-back with another row of seats, not only did I have to get down on all fours, but I also had to do a low belly crawl in order to reach the shimmering object.

Sure enough, it was his global entry card! Praise God! A person nearby who’d witnessed the whole incident was as impressed as we were with the miraculous retrieval of such an important item.

After a short flight, I quickly made my way down the aisle to deplane while my husband, for some reason, lagged behind. When he caught up with me, he said, “This time, I left my passport behind! Fortunately, a woman mentioned it to me so I went back and picked it up.”

As we crossed the connecting bridge to the terminal, he took a moment to look at the passport and exclaimed, “It’s YOUR passport!” Praise God for the second miraculous rescue of a valuable document!

Soon after, it was time to board our connecting flight to Seattle. As we stood up from our seats in the waiting area, my husband asked if the paper on the ground under our seats was mine. I reached down and retrieved a 3×5 index card with my handwriting on it – a Bible verse I wanted to remember! Wow — a third rescue, praise God!

My mind searched for the connection between our identity verification travel documents and my Bible verse, all inadvertently dropped and rescued. What was the significance? I concluded that in God’s Word, not only do we find our true identity, but His Word is also critical for us on our heaven-bound travel. Praise, praise, praise!!!

The words from Isaiah 41:10, another of my handwritten Scripture cards, came to mind: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, August 8 and 9, 2025

This past Monday at our local library, I was momentarily startled to see this little stepstool. What confused me was not the stool itself but the circular piece of paper on the lower shelf. At first I’d assumed that the cheerful “Friends” lettering meant that the paper had slipped down there from some sort of poster decoration championing camaraderie among library patrons.

But if you study the edges of that paper, you see that it has been firmly scotch-taped to that shelf. Its location is as permanent as tape can make it.

So what gives? Is the stool for a small friend to use when giving a hug to a much taller friend?

Nope. This library, like all other King County libraries (and maybe even more libraries all over the place) has a service called Friends of the Library. If you donate books you don’t need any more, you become a friend of the library. And if you visit their display there, you will find hardback books for a dollar, paperbacks for fifty cents, and even DVDs for two bucks. The cash you exchange for books you like donates to the Friends of the Library fund.

Why the stool? So that shorter patrons, spotting a book on a higher shelf of the Friends display, can ascend and procure it. And it may have other uses too, by shorter librarians. This stool helps the library to be great friends with everyone.

The Bible (without mentioning stepstools) has a surprising amount to say about friendship. To read several verses on the topic, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/friendship

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 7, 2025

When I first arrived at this boat launch area, something did not look quite right, and it took a moment to realize the boat was upside down. Someone standing nearby commented that the motor must be under water. Sure enough, the propeller is sticking straight up.

Since the boat is near the boat ramp, I’m guessing it fell over from a trailer while loading, and was too heavy to set right side up. I doubt it was intentionally flipped.

It makes me think about the things we do intentionally. At my work, they talk about how developing a positive workplace is done by intention. It doesn’t happen by accident. When Jesus told the parable about the Good Samaritan, he showed how the man helped his neighbor intentionally.

I like the idea of doing good things with intention whether it is at home or work or with a neighbor. I even wonder if it can help avoid a few problems like what happened with this boat.