Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, July 30, 2025

What comes to mind when you hear the word “encounter”? It’s a word that can carry many meanings—sometimes unsettling, sometimes awe-inspiring, and occasionally a mix of both. Take Moses, for example. His encounter with God at the burning bush must have been overwhelming. Imagine standing before a fire that speaks. I can only assume he was startled, maybe even afraid. And yet, what an incredible moment—to hear the voice of God.

Last evening, I had an encounter of my own. I was standing in our living room when I noticed movement outside. It was around 6 PM, still plenty of daylight. At first, I couldn’t quite make out what I was seeing. Then it moved again—an owl, hopping up the branches of our cherry blossom tree. It was a Barred Owl, climbing higher and higher until it reached a perch with a clear view. For nearly an hour, it sat there ruffling its feathers, swiveling its head, watching and listening. Sometimes it disappeared behind the leaves, other times it was fully visible, completely unbothered by its surroundings.

That encounter was remarkable. At first glance, I was surprised—maybe even a little startled. But that quickly gave way to awe. It’s not every day you get to witness such a beautiful, wild creature up close.

It made me think: what would it be like to hear the voice of God? Like Moses, I imagine we’d be stunned at first, then filled with reverence. While we may not experience a burning bush, we do encounter God in other ways—through His creation, in quiet moments of reflection, or in the stillness where His guidance becomes clear.

Whatever form it takes, be ready. Be ready to be awed. Be ready to act on the wisdom you receive. And most of all, be ready to share that experience with others.

I pray you have an encounter this week—one that stirs your soul and draws you closer to the one and only Jesus.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Perhaps it was his desire to be free from the bonds imposed by gravity, or maybe it was simply his yearning to experience the beauty shown in flight, but Leonardo de Vinci was long fascinated with the flight of birds. It’s unlikely he observed the Caspian Tern in flight as it lived east of him on the Caspian Sea, but he probably watched some of the smaller terns whose flight is even more buoyant. His fascination with flight became almost an obsession and he recorded over 35,000 words on the topics of flying machines, qualities of air, and the flight of birds. While scattered throughout his writings, the most concentrated work on the subject entitled Codex on the Flight of Birds was compiled around the same time as he painted the Mona Lisa.

His close observation of nature caused him to realize the limited muscle power of man and his lack of endurance, compared to his avian subjects, would be a limiting factor in human flight. But that did not prevent him from seeking solutions. As he said, “I have always felt it is my destiny to build a machine that would allow man to fly.”

Balance that with the implied limitations placed upon man found in Job 39:26 where God asks Job a question to help him recognize his own inadequacies: “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?” (NIV) It’s a wise man that can seek to expand his horizons, to achieve new and wonderful accomplishments, while at the same time remaining humble before the limitless power of his Maker.

Photo ©2013 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, July 28, 2025

In a recent blog, I treated the Granite Mountain Lookout as a metaphor of God’s refuge from the storms. Today, our photo highlights the danger of presuming on God’s grace and protection. Here, winter has fully engulfed the Lookout. The route to the summit during winter poses significant danger due to the avalanche paths that encompass the southern flanks of the mountain. Additional risks from extensive cornices can be seen on the left side of the photo.

Just as we would do well to avoid winter travel to many mountain lookouts, so should we heed the warnings we find in God’s word. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, July 27, 2025

My first thought was, “How heartwarming!” Even though his baseball and mitt are close beside him, this boy is captivated by a book! It must be a really good book. Somehow it has drawn him in, and held his attention. He probably found himself in the book. Maybe he identifies with the main character, someone who triumphed over all sorts of challenges!

I took photos from several angles, grateful again for digital photography, not needing to worry about “wasting” film.

Then I stepped closer and bent down to see what was inscribed on the plaque in front of the boy, expecting to find the sculptor’s name and date. And they were there: “Artist: M. Pettigrew, 2002.”

But something else was there, too – the sculpture had a title: “Homework Comes First.”

What??? So much for heartwarming. My vision of a young boy postponing the pleasures of baseball for the enchantment of reading vanished. A bubble burst. I had misread the sculpture.

But perhaps I could be forgiven, because this boy and his book and ball and mitt were sitting outside a public library. I remember my hometown library as a wonderful (literally full of wonders) home away from home, not a place to do homework. So I thought it reasonable to consider this sculpture a celebration of reading for pleasure.

I look at life through eyes that have always loved to read. I remember how often I’ve found myself in a book. I was Anne of Green Gables, fond of nature, looking for kindred spirits, and full of fanciful ideas. I was Jo in Little Women, keen on writing (although I didn’t understand how she could choose Professor Bhaer over Laurie). I was Cherry Ames, student nurse, ignoring the fact that I was queasy around blood and broken bones.

As I grew older, and more familiar with my Bible, I found myself in this Book, too. I wept and grieved with Eve. I played my tambourine in thankful song with Miriam. I was David with 5 smooth stones (and a big lump in my throat which he seemed not to have, as he voiced such mighty confidence in his God.) I was Prime Minister Joseph, warily testing my unaware brothers who had sold me into slavery.

I wanted to find myself in Esther, and Daniel, but these two were too brave for me to see myself reflected in their stories. But I wanted to be like them when I grew up!

Best of all, I found myself in the stories of Jesus. I was there when He called for the little children to come to Him, and held them in His arms. I watched Him bless the boy’s simple lunch, and I chewed on the fish and bread that miraculously multiplied in answer to His prayer. I witnessed miracle after miracle as He healed those who were fevered, blind, deaf, lame, leprous – and even dead.

I couldn’t understand why the religious leaders hated Him and hunted Him down, calling Him a criminal when I couldn’t see any crimes. Even the Roman governor said he found no fault in Him. So why did he order Him to be flogged, and then hand Him over to be crucified?

The gospel song asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” I was. “Were you there when He rose up from the dead?” Yes, I was there, too.

I still find myself in the Book. In Romans 3:23:

. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . .

And in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I’m in the “all” and I’m in the “whoever”!

And so are you.

As we step out into this brand-new week, may we also find ourselves in Philippians 4:13:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 26, 2025

In most bookstores – including this HalfPrice Book store – I’ve noticed that the new-age and occult section is always located very close to the religion/Christianity section. This means that as I head over to religion, my eye is sometimes caught by the new-age material.

Someone – I believe it was C. S. Lewis – once commented that there are only two kinds of religion: ones that teach that you can save yourself, and one that teaches that you can’t.

Notice these two books above. The one on the left insists that you have the power to “attract the love you deserve.” But 1 John 1:9 says that “He [God] first loved us.” The book on the right seems to be not just a book but a deck of cards, and proclaims that “transformative spiritual power [is] in your hands.” Not God’s—yours.

To read some Bible verses that spell out where an improved spiritual life actually comes from, click the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/spiritual-rebirth

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 25, 2025

A few days back on a neighborhood walk I spotted this snazzy red car, whose color seemed to match the two exhortations on its rear window. Once in awhile on rear windshields you see two messages, and they’re different enough so as to imply that the left one refers to the driver while the other one to the passenger.

But these labels are fairly equivalent. Both urge a positive outlook on life. “Happy,” according to an online dictionary, means “feeling or showing pleasure or contentment,” while “joyful” heightens things by adding a couple of words: “feeling, expressing, or causing great pleasure and happiness.” In a nutshell, happiness seems a more continuous emotion, while joy seems more spasmodic.

Okay, neighborhood red-car owners, whoever you are. Your decals have given us our marching orders. So how do we achieve these desirable emotions? Here are some Bible suggestions:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, July 24, 2025

We have had tomato plants in the past, but it has been a few years. So when this plant started producing little green tomatoes, it seemed exciting. It started out as an eight inch tall plant from the garden section of our local hardware store. In hindsight I should have got a bigger starting plant, because this one seems pretty far behind other plants I have seen lately.

Everybody starts somewhere. Some start ahead and some start behind. It seems like the key is to get started at all. It might be like walking. We don’t all start out by walking long distances. We start with small manageable amounts and work up.

It is the same with our spiritual lives. It wouldn’t make sense to go from nothing to reading the Bible two hours a day. We can start with small things and work up.

Just like these tomatoes started small. It takes patience and gentle persistence to start bearing fruit.