Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, October 7, 2026

If you’ve ever visited Yosemite National Park, you likely recognize this granite monolith. For those who haven’t, it’s called El Capitan, or “The Captain.” It is one of the park’s most iconic landmarks, known for its towering 3,000-foot granite face, breathtaking views from every angle, and world-renowned climbing routes.

In the first image, just above and to the right of the tree line, hidden in the shadows, are the climbers featured in the second image. At first glance, they appear as little more than tiny specks against the massive face of El Capitan. Yet those specks are people slowly making their way upward, connected by ropes, carrying supplies, and trusting their equipment with every move they make.

The pack hanging below (between the two) may even contain the collapsible platforms they will use to sleep while suspended from the granite wall. Depending on the route, reaching the summit can take several days. Every step requires planning, skill, endurance, and an incredible amount of trust.

Standing in Yosemite Valley, it’s easy to become captivated by the beauty of El Capitan itself. The textures, colors, shadows, and sheer size of the rock command your attention. But when you notice those tiny climbers on its face, another thought begins to emerge. How much trust must they have in the ropes that hold them, the anchors secured in the rock, their equipment, and even their own strength? That level of trust is remarkable.

As I watched them climbing, I couldn’t help but think about where I place my own trust. In life, we often put our confidence in our abilities, our plans, our finances, our health, or the things we can see and touch. Yet all of those can fail. Scripture reminds us that there is a firmer foundation available to us:

Proverbs 3:5 & 6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Those climbers were literally putting their lives in the hands of something they trusted. Something we need to ask ourselves – Do we trust God with the same confidence? When the path is steep, uncertain, or even a little frightening, are we relying on our own strength, or placing  faith in the One who never fails?

The climbers will eventually reach the summit of El Capitan. My prayer is that, whatever mountain is in front of us, we will learn to trust the Lord with the same determination, knowing that His grip on us is far more secure than any rope could ever be.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Like a Noble Savage in a James Fenimore Cooper novel who was able to vanish unseen into the woodwork, so too for me was the Indian Plum.  Even from childhood I liked knowing the names of plants and animals I found in the woods, but somehow this small tree didn’t register in my thinking until much later in life.  Even then I failed to make the connection between this shrub with drooping clusters of flowers that was among the earliest to bloom, and that same species which bore olive-sized fruit that started out pale orange before ripening into a bluish black.  Maybe that’s because during the summer months it’s not nearly as distinctive as its spring and fall appearance, blending in well with willows and other growth in a variety of wooded settings.

It is known by a variety of names including Osoberry (because bears love them), Indian Peach, Squaw Plum, Skunkbush, and Bird Cherry.  Native Americans ate the fruit fresh, dried, and cooked, even though it can have a bitter after-taste.  Perhaps that keeps consumption limited, which may not be so bad since its leaves, seeds, and even the fruit may contain small quantities of hydrogen cyanide.  Somehow or other, we have come up with the idea that if it tastes bad, it must be good for us.  As a result, it has been used to treat tuberculosis, stomach aches, rheumatism, macular degeneration, as a laxative, and even to prevent cancer.  Who knows if it really works or not, but it does contain decent amounts of vitamins C and K.

When people are hurting they will resort to almost any proffered solution in hopes that their actions will prove to be beneficial.  Some of these are rational, others are not.  But without hope, no one can prosper.  Hope, itself, is a healing agent.  However, Micah seems to have the best idea:  “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7 NIV)

Photo ©2003 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, October 5, 2026

(From Maylan: Welcome back to Chuck Davis! As you’ll read below, Chuck took a break from doing our Monday Photo Parables, but now he’s returned!)

In my last post, I told you I was “Taking a Break.” I had hoped to hike 966 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail from the Siskiyou Summit in southern Oregon to Lone Pine, California with my brother Buzz. That goal turned out to be too ambitious for two men whose hearts and minds were willing, but whose bodies did not agree.

By the third day, Buzz’s left knee was complaining, especially on the downhill stretches. Our speed dropped from 2-1/2 miles per hour to around a mile per hour. The trail from Callahan’s Lodge to Seiad Valley was in rough shape having sustained wildfires over the past few seasons. Miles of the trail were barely visible due to burned trees that had fallen and the chapparal that had overgrown the trail.

On our last day, we were about 5 miles from Seiad Valley, when a pinched nerve in my lower back caused my left leg to lose all control and I fell off the trail on a steep slope. I tumbled heels over head about three times before I was able to stop. After crawling back to the trail, we continued – finally making it to our planned destination in Seiad Valley.

The following day, I was barely able to walk. With Buzz’s knee and my level of low-back pain, we made the decision to leave the trail.

Today’s photo, captured in 2003 along the PCT near Glacier Peak recalls this verse:

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep. (Psalm 36:5–6, KJV).

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, October 4, 2026

My husband saw it first, a big black spider climbing upward. But it’s what we didn’t see that delighted me. Looking from one angle and then another, we couldn’t see a spiderweb or any trace of silken threads the spider was using to scramble up in the air. He was seemingly unattached to anything.

I remembered another spider I spied, long ago, who accomplished the same magic trick of moving steadily up without any help we could see, and my words then came back to me now as I admired this new spider: “He’s climbing without any visible means of support!”

And so are we.

Not by magic, but by miracle do we live. I love the reassurance in Lamentations 3:22-23 that the Lord’s mercies and compassions are new every morning, a fresh supply of support for us.

We can press on, like Moses, if we see as he saw:

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (Hebrew 11:27 NIV)

Although there is much that can weigh us down, and cause us to be fainthearted, Paul shows us how to fix our focus:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

And yet God gave us Jesus, to walk and talk and heal and preach and live among us – Son of Man as well as Son of God – so we could see Him who is invisible:

For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God . . . (Colossians 1:13-15a)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14;6-9 NIV)

We don’t have to wonder what God is like; we don’t have to fear Him. Watch Jesus as He moves through this world, and know that you are seeing God the Father’s heart in action, loving the world through Jesus.

One of these days, the Day will finally come, when we will see Him face to Face. Until then, “we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) We rejoice in the solid truth of the invisible.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, October 3, 2026

A few weeks ago, across the street from the Hobby Lobby store near the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, I noticed this vacant commercial building. The real estate people have mounted this enticing sign, urging entrepreneurs to check it out.

I like that sign. Too many times, I think, our decidedly non-Edenic world feels so foreign to those of us who’ve discovered the fact of a happy eternity somewhere else that we start frantically humming, “I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home. Earth’s but a desert drear, heaven is my home.”

Down through the centuries, a few devout Christians have sought refuge in hermits’ caves or monasteries, but this was never Jesus’ plan. He sent His disciples to the four metaphorical corners of the earth, with the implied message that wherever they landed, they belonged there.

You can find more verses which express heaven’s insistence that this is true. Check out the link below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, October 2, 2026

Every October Shelley and I are curious to see what our neighbors far and near will put up for Halloween. This may very well be bare-faced hypocrisy on our part, because we ourselves are not decoration-putter-uppers (never having had kids). But we do enjoy speculating about what will sprout up on the lawns around us. From past years we often remember which display which neighbor erected, and in one sad situation we have seen a large house which its owner decorated for as many holidays as possible (Halloween, Christmas, Easter). But suddenly the decorations ceased. We think the owner died, and the house may have been sold to a less demonstrative family.

And gradually this year, the spooky décor is once more emerging, with some creative twists. Wednesday of this week I saw for the first time the above skeletal display. What was so charming was that these two skeletons aren’t leaping out at you trying to scare you. Instead, they’re reclining at leisure on a couple of rocking chairs, and the erectors have positioned their arms and hands as though they’re gesturing their way through a friendly conversation.

With the “fright-feature” removed, I found myself focusing on the structures. I don’t often think of it, but beneath our clothing and skin, we are superbly-designed structures, able to move at will, or just pause and rest. We are wonderfully made.

And as owners of our personal mobility machines, we need to take care of them, just as my Toyota is due next week for its 110,000 mile service.

And our Creator has provided us a detailed owners’ manual for our bodies and minds – the Bible. Check out some vital care tips at the link below.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, October 1, 2026

This steam train operating out of Elbe, Washington used to haul large loads of timber.  Now it offers a nice scenic ride.

The way steam can transfer power from the boiler area to the pistons is kind of amazing. But it is not just the steam. It takes a crew of dedicated people to keep it serviced and running.

The following verses give some ideas into how people can function in a healthy way.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
Philippians 1:9,10

Combining the concept of love with knowledge and insight makes a lot of sense. When we think about what makes people tick, we might think about these verses.