Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 20, 2026

This particular flight was supposed to be during the day, but with delays it ended up coming in at night.

When I see lights at night, it brings up many different thoughts. One idea is that even in a dark world, people can live with light from electricity and light that comes from God.

A Bible verse I like reminds us of where life comes from.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:11

We can trust that God gives us life. Because of this we can share the gospel of grace and love with those around us.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, August 19, 2026

When I saw this dahlia in our garden, I instantly thought it looked as though light purple brushstrokes had been painted across its white petals. You can almost see the streaks left behind, like a paintbrush running low on paint or gliding over a textured surface.

Of course, flowers do not get painted. Their colors and patterns occur naturally.

Or do they?

Perhaps the “brushstrokes” we see were not added after the bloom opened. These remarkable patterns were created long before the flower ever emerged. They were woven into its very design, at the DNA level. No paintbrush touched these petals, yet the brushstrokes are real all the same.

To create the colors, patterns, and structure of this flower, growing from an underground storage root known as a tuber, requires something far more extraordinary than an artist merely waving a brush. This beauty points to the work of a true Master. In this case, the Master.

God delights in His creation, both great and small. He knew the joy that one simple purple-and-white dahlia could bring to another part of His creation – US. He designed these brushstrokes, these patterns, and these colors as a reflection of His creativity and artistry.

I am grateful for the beauty and variety woven throughout the natural world. To me, they reveal glimpses of light even when this world can seem filled with darkness. That light points to the hope of something greater, something better, a paradise yet to come.

I cannot wait to see what our creative Master has prepared for us when we finally arrive Home.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands”
Psalm 19:1

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 18, 2026

An unusual and less than common wildflower, Pterospora, is commonly known as Pinedrops or Woodland Pinedrops.  Its common name reflects the fact that it is most frequently found in coniferous forests, especially those containing pine trees, while the “drops” part of the name is a reference to the small, urn-shaped flowers that hang down from an unbranched stem.

Unlike most plants, Pinedrops produce little or no chlorophyll and therefore are not green and do not conduct photosynthesis.  Leaves, where photosynthesis takes place in most plants, are absent or reduced to scale-like structures found mostly on the lower stem.  Instead, they rely on a mycorrhizal fungus, closely associated with pine trees, for nutrients.  Its stems are noticeably hairy and sticky to the touch which enables it to trap small insects.  Enzymes then break these insects down which helps provide nitrogen to the plant.

If plants could reason it would be easy to see why Pinedrops might be tempted to complain that they were not treated fairly and therefore unable to make it in a hostile world.  But the truth is, they have been given all they need to survive, even if it is done differently than in other plants.  Paul reminds us of how much more that is true for you and me.  “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 ESV)

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sunday and Monday, August 16 and 17, 2026

Sunday morning during a mile-long walk through our neighborhood I spotted this Chevy Silverado pickup with the word HESED as its license plate “number.” It’s a Hebrew word often used in the Old Testament to give details about God’s love. In the Wikipedia entry below, you’ll see the different ways it has been translated.

From the Wikipedia entry on chesed (also spelled hesed):

“[Hesed] occurs 248 times in the Hebrew Bible. In the majority of cases (149 times), the (KJV) translation is mercy, following the Septuagint (LXX) eleos. Less frequent translations are: kindness (40 times), lovingkindness (30 times), goodness (12 times), kindly (five times), merciful (four times), favour (three times) and good, goodliness, pity (once each). Only two instances of the noun in its negative sense are in the text, translated reproach in Proverbs 14:34, and wicked thing in Leviticus 20:17.”

As you can see above, “mercy” is the way hesed has been most often translated, at least in the King James Version. Click the link below for three Bible passages where God’s mercy is described.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2026

In these days of social media, the old phrase “15 minutes of fame” is hopelessly out of date. I think that the deformed racoon whom Seattle Instagram user Kaina Hall spotted and promptly named “Jimothy” (because “He looked like a Jimothy to me”), has generated a whole lot more fame than a quarter-hour’s worth.

Jimothy, who has his own Wikipedia page (click here to look him up for a lot of great info), doesn’t seem to be in pain, nor to be suffering any other physical problems aside from his deformity. Since his discovery this July, he’s been hailed as a forthright example of someone who wastes little time glooming around about how’s he’s so different from others of his species. He seemingly shrugs this off, something which a lot of even mildly disadvantaged humans seem to find more difficult.

I found this delightful bookmark (see photo above) at our public library a few days ago. Aside from its heartening message, there’s no indication who had it printed, but it’s true.

And another truth is that the God who keeps close track of sparrows and human hair-follicles loves Jimothy too. Proverbs 12:19 [NKJV] reminds us that “A righteous man regards the life of his animal,” and our Creator cares as well.

After all, the Bible says that “God is love.” To review several verses about how important love is to God, click the link just below:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/love

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 14, 2026

Earlier this week, outside a barbershop, I noticed this chess game set up. In college I played chess just enough to hold my own (but not against a good player), so as I studied the pieces above, I could tell that the game was in its early stages.

White, I could tell, had opened by moving the king’s pawn out a couple of spaces, a standard opening. Black then cautiously moved a pawn one space. White had then moved his knight into play. Black had moved another pawn out, opening up a route for a bishop. So far a fairly ordinary, cautious couple of openings, which I had used back in the day.

But I glanced left and right and saw no players. The game had started well, but the human minds behind the moves had departed. Maybe a haircut opportunity had arisen for one, or the other may have remembered an appointment.

In Galatians 5, Paul is laboring with some Christians who were carefully instructed that Jesus has paid for our sins with His death, and that nothing we can do to enhance our chances at salvations. But they were falling back into legalism. So Paul told them:

Galatians 5:7: You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

In other words, Galatians, you were following God’s rules for the game, but all of a sudden you’d given up! (If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll find the inspired solution to behaving well, from the inside out.)

“Have patience,” Paul says, “Because salvation was never a game you could win by crafty piece-movement. The Holy Spirit is the one who changes you.

For more Bible facts about patience and how to get it, click this link:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/patience

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 13, 2026

I enjoy spotting the little mundane survey markers that are usually overlooked. Besides attempting to mark a permanent location, they often have interesting histories.

For example, a survey marker just over a mile from my house possibly marks the location of an old cabin where George Weyerhaeuser was held captive by kidnappers in 1935. The marker was placed in 1936 and named Kidnap. Fortunately, George escaped and was helped by neighbors down the road.

The marker pictured is near Silver Lake Washington and has the following text stamped on it:

“U.S. Engineer Office, Survey Mark, Seattle Wash, No. A, $250 Fine or Imprisonment”

When attempting to locate the marker in the Seattle survey online databases, I could not find anything. This probably means the marker was placed before 1976.

God gives us a location of sorts. I like the following verses.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27,28

God promises to hold us in his hand. He will not forget us, and no one can take us away from that location.