Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, June 28, 2026

I have to laugh when I walk by this little neighborhood tree, with its different-colored branches wildly bursting out in all directions. It lacks discipline and constraint; the word I thought of when I saw it last week was “unkempt.”

My research discovered that “unkempt” literally means “not combed,” and is usually used to describe something that is untidy, messy, or neglected.

When I laugh at this little unkempt tree, there is not even a trace of derision or scorn in my mind; I have no contempt for unkempt! Because, you see, I can relate. I laugh because sometimes I feel like this little tree looks.

This past week is a prime example. We helped with our Vacation Bible School. We prepared in advance, yet every day this week was filled with more preparation, and every evening we helped at the event itself. I enjoyed every minute of it.

But while we were immersed in all this, some aspects of my “usual” life became a bit neglected, unkempt. I will be in recovery mode this coming week, but it was worth it.

My “unkempt” research led me to another word that is a close cousin – “unkept.” Several commentators urged me to be careful to remember that “unkempt” is commonly used to describe a person, while “unkept” is more often used to describe places – or promises.

It was the latter that caught my eye. Suddenly, God appears, our Promise Keeper:

You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:7-9)

Promises that God will keep us in His care are threaded throughout the Bible, reassurances that we are always on His mind and in His heart. No matter how unkempt our lives may feel, we are kept. We can pray, along with David:

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings . . . (Psalm 17:8 NIV))

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. (Psalm 18:28)

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, June 26 and 27, 2026

This past Tuesday on a morning walk with Shelley, I happened to glance up and see this dramatic halo around the sun. A bit of research tells me that it’s what’s called a “sun dog,” a name I remember from my youth on the South Dakota prairies. Back then, what my mom called “sun dogs” were most often bright spots on either side of the sun, most often seen close to sunset. Mom spoke about them grimly, warning that they often predicted severe winter weather, maybe even blizzards.

Here’s an explanation I found online, which seems to sum up other accounts of what cause these:

“A sun halo is caused by the refraction, reflection and dispersion of light through ice crystals, suspended within high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22-degree angle, which creates the circular halo around the sun.” (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today, March 5, 2024.)

Never having seen such a full-formed sun halo, I was startled at first. But remembrance of Dakota sun dogs, plus what I knew of the Bible’s true end-time signs, gave me immediate tranquility.

Want to learn or review some of what Scripture says about end-time signs? Here you go:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/signs-times

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, June 25, 2026

When I look at a scene like this, a couple of things come to mind. One is the amount of effort and coordination it takes to get people to where they are going. The other is all the stories that a scene like this represents.  Each plane has a story and each crew member and passenger have stories.

For example, we can examine the plane farthest to the left that appears to be heading out toward the runway for a takeoff. Where are they going, and what is leading each person to their destination? Are they traveling for work, vacation, or to see family? You can think of your story as you travel whether it is by plane or by walking to your destination.

We know that Jesus loves each person and knows them individually. This brings to mind the following words of Jesus I find interesting and comforting to dig into.

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

John 14:15-21

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Clouds are interesting, at least to me. They are simple but unique. In simple terms, a cloud is condensed water floating in the sky. Interesting, right? So, when we look up and see the fluffy or (in this case) wispy clouds, we are actually seeing water suspended in the air.

Clearly, clouds are one more creation from God. Not only did He create, but He also designed the way they would form – warm air rising, cools and water vapors form. We can also remember several instances that He used clouds to represent His presence. Think of the children of Israel – a cloud guiding them throughout the dessert. Then when God summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, to speak with him, God covered the area with a cloud – His cloud. When we imagine the second coming, we automatically set the throne of God in a cloud, hovering, waiting for us to join.

Not only does God use the clouds as guidance and covering, but He also uses it to water our planet. Giving life where rain is essential. Only through that gift, life continues. Psalm 147:8 tells that story:

He covers the sky with clouds; 

he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.

Just like the clouds in the sky, God is all around us, all the time. What a comforting thought. Thank you, God, for your presence, your protective cover, and your sustenance.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, June 23, 2026

The Wood Warblers of the New World are quite different than the Warblers of the Old World.  For one thing, the vast majority of these small birds are attired in contrasting colors of yellow and black.  One of the notable exceptions would be the Bay-breasted Warbler, a species found nesting in the spruce forests of eastern Canada.  William Bartram referred to it as the “little chocolate-breasted titmouse.”  Turns out he was more descriptive than accurate.  Still, this warbler is distinctive when compared to the others in the family.

That is, until nesting season is over and they morph into what Roger Tory Peterson called just another “confusing fall warbler.”  You can hardly blame Peterson, the champion of bird identification, for his comment, when those characteristics which a few months earlier made identification much easier have all but vanished.

Paul, too, seems to value two qualities which make us distinctive.  Notice how he refers to the church in Macedonia.  “Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor.” (2 Corinthians 8:2 The Message)  He then continues to celebrate that fact that even in these trying conditions the church was more than generous in their giving.  We will all experience springs and falls in our life.  May we be one of those which retain true colors.

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, June 22, 2026

My father grew up on the north end of Devils Lake on the outskirts of what is now Lincoln City, Oregon. I remember his stories about the swans the frequented the dock where he learned to swim. I recall him saying, “Beautiful creatures, but not when they are chasing you. They will bite you or beat you with their wings.”  Today’s photo shows a swan in its best mood, gently moving across placid waters. The ripples the swan is creating form the basis for today’s Photo Parable.

The good news of the gospel centers on the Birth, the Life, the Ministry, the Death, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ripples flowed from the Wise Men and the Shepherds who witnessed His Birth. Additional ripples formed in those who met Him as a child in the temple. A host of disciples fed on the ripples of His teachings. Somber ripples formed as others saw him on the day He died. Powerful ripples formed at an empty tomb.

Over time, the ripples of the gospel have waxed and waned. At times, the ripples traveled slowly, gently. At other times, the fierce nature of the swan arose. Regardless, the ripples will continue until the whole surface of the pond is affected.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15 NIV). The mission continues:  Add a pebble – let your ripples join mine to create waves.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, June 21, 2026

It’s Father’s Day – a big Thank You to each father who reads these words! The older I become, the more I realize how life is all about relationships, and good relationships require a lot from you. I wish I could thank my father one more time for all he did for his family, and especially for me.

But I think he knew he was loved.

It isn’t always easy to know that, especially in the beginning stages of a romantic relationship. That’s where these daisies come in! Did you ever consult a daisy by chanting, “He loves me, he loves me not” as you plucked petals one at a time, holding your breath to see if your last petal coincided with the words, “He loves me,” or, “He loves me not”?

If the answer was not to your liking, and another flower was nearby, you could also try again. In the case of the plentiful daisies in my photo, you could try until you landed on your desired answer. But I don’t think that would be in the spirit of the exercise.

This reminds me of my father. Yes, I’m sure he knew we loved him, and yes, I knew he loved me. However . . .

My father greatly preferred me to get straight A’s and also a perfect attendance record. I remember how he objected to me staying home from school when I was sick, but my registered nurse mother always won that discussion. My favorite memory of those occasions was that partway through the morning my father would always make a brief stop at home. He would give me a bottle of ginger ale and a new jigsaw puzzle to entertain me during the sick day that he had fought against, knowing it would spoil my chance at that perfect attendance record!

One year – I think it was either second or third grade – my teacher gave me a B in Citizenship. She even called me up to her desk to explain why she did that; she said it was because sometimes I would cry in class. Not very often, but I was a shy child, and easily embarrassed. (Looking back on this now, I wonder why she never asked me what was wrong when I cried, instead of just marking me down as a lesser citizen. Sob.)

You can imagine what I wanted to do when I returned to my desk with that report card clutched in my hands, but I held back my tears. When I got home that afternoon, I took the report card and threw it up high on the top shelf of my bedroom wardrobe, so no one could see my shameful citizenship grade.

I knew my father loved me . . . but it seemed he would love me more if I could excel at everything, and didn’t make any mistakes. I tried so hard to measure up, but perfection was elusive.

And yes, this reminds me of my Heavenly Father. I remember the first time I read that there was nothing you could do to make God love you more, and nothing you could do to make Him love you less. I had to stop and think that over. Was this true? Or was this just wishful thinking?

It certainly didn’t seem true of earthly fathers. Behavior mattered. Could my Heavenly Father love me with a different kind of love? Unearned, unquestioned, unconditional?

How does the Bible record read?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (I John 3:1a NIV)

 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:9-10)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26)

I do give thanks to my Heavenly Father, for His great and lavish love. I thank Him, too, for my earthly father. He was not a perfect parent, and I was not a perfect daughter, but our bond of love endures forever.