Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Many, or all, of us know the parable of the lost sheep. The parable highlights the compassionate nature of God as a shepherd who actively seeks out and rejoices over the return of a lost individual. It emphasizes that God values everyone equally and is dedicated to finding and nurturing each person. The story serves as a lesson in unconditional love and care for others, regardless of their appearance or behavior, reflecting the call to love and support those who are lost.

What’s remarkable about this parable to me is that God wasn’t content with the 99 sheep He had. No, He needed to find that one remaining, lost, alone and scared sheep. He had to seek out the one left out in the cold. Let that sink in a bit. Think of having 99 of something and being obsessed (in a good way) about finding that last missing piece. I mean, 99 out of 100 is good, right? Actually, it’s really good. Until you are the one. God seeks us ALL and sees us as equal. We can rejoice in His passion and dedication to each and every one of His creations.

Matthew 18:12-14:

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

We have been anticipating a large number of cherry tomatoes to ripen soon but haven’t seen any yet. When I was perusing our garden yesterday, I found this one. I can guarantee that there are well over 99 other green tomatoes on the vines of the four large plants we have. Seeing this single ripe one made me think of the parable of the sheep. What an awesome, compassionate, forgiving, and loving God we serve. He cares for all, including when there is only one!

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Job had a lot to say about shadows, not surprising considering his condition. He compared mankind to shadows to emphasize how short-lived we are. “They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.” (Job 14:2 NIV) But in his misery it appears he forgot an important element. Those shadows only appear when there is light, when the sun is shining. And that means he could have compared shadows to problems, which based upon this parallel, are also short-lived. That’s easy for us to say when things are going well, but not so easy when in the midst of chaos.

Shadows can make or break a picture. They can distract or hide important details. But without them, the picture can appear flat and lack dimension. I took many pictures of this Black-chinned Hummingbird (Do birds have chins?) but had difficulty getting him in the right light so the purple color of his gorget could be seen at its best. Otherwise, his throat just appeared black. But in capturing the color, the shadow of his bill appeared on its breast and was distracting. I suppose I could have Photoshopped the image but somehow that didn’t seem right. The shadow was just part of the picture.

While this shadow may have bothered me, let me ask you a question. Was the shadow the first thing you noticed in the picture? Probably not. While on this earth we will always have shadows, but maybe they are worth it to have those glorious colors.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, August 12, 2024

I went to the Cashmere farmer’s market this morning (Sunday) and found all sorts of great fruit and vegetables. The tomatoes (pictured) are the biggest I have ever seen! The vendor’s coffee cup behind them is probably a 12 oz cup. No, I didn’t buy them, but I did buy some smaller ones! I love going to farmer’s markets this time of year as there is such a great variety of produce and flowers as well as all sorts of other homemade goods.

As we hear news reports about the effects of climate change and pollution around the world, we may wonder how long the earth can possibly last. After the Genesis flood and after the people and animals were allowed to leave the ark, the Bible tells us that God thought to Himself:

For as long as Earth lasts,
planting and harvest, cold and heat,
Summer and winter, day and night
will never stop.”
Genesis 8:22
(The Message)

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, August 11, 2024

It’s a beautiful, balmy day. It feels like a gift. So ordinarily I wouldn’t be thinking about thorns – but I can’t help it because I’m looking at them. Big, sharp blackberry thorns.

Not just any blackberry thorns, but our very own backyard blackberry thorns. We do battle with most of our blackberry bushes every year, wearing long sleeves and heavy gloves, but I like to leave a few bushes in place so that we can enjoy the berries.

Having feasted on some of those berries just now, I’m ready to think about thorns. And since I have listened to and read the Bible from my earliest years, most of my thorn thoughts are Biblical.

I think of Paul, who said:

. . . in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

This thorny passage gives us so much to mull over! There is, to begin with, the mystery of the exact nature of Paul’s thorn. Some scholars think it might have been poor eyesight, or another physical affliction. This mystery falls into the “nice to know” rather than the “need to know” category.

More poignantly, we hear loud and strong the echoes of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, praying in deep anguish three times for His Father to take the cup of suffering away from Him.

He heard the same answer that Paul heard. God didn’t take the cup away, but Luke comforts me by saying that “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” (Luke 22:43 NIV)

While Paul had a thorn in the flesh, Jesus wore a crown of thorns:

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. (John 19:1-3 NIV)

I cannot read that without flinching. All that mockery, disrespect, and abuse.

There are many more thorns in the Bible, including Jesus telling, and then explaining, a parable that urges us not to be like thorny ground. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all share the story. Let’s listen to Luke:

[Jesus speaking:] This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God . . . . The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. (Luke 8:11, 14 NIV)

In contrast, the seed that fell on good ground is described as soil that:

. . . stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:15 NIV)

Words of encouragement for our brand-new week: We need to listen to God’s Word, store it away in our hearts and minds, and keep on keeping on! That’s the path to growing up, and growing more like Jesus.

And we remember, along with Paul, that when we are weak, we are strong, because God promises that His grace is sufficient for us, and that His power will shine through our weakness. This week, let your (His!) light shine!

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, August 10, 2024

A few weeks ago I showed you the above photo of a lawn whose grass was pretty patchy, and whose owners had decided to experiment with a few squares of sod, maybe with the idea of redoing the whole lawn with it. Looks great, doesn’t it?

Well, that was then. This is now:

Your reaction to this depends on whether or not you’re a homeowner who is responsible for a lawn. You know where I’m going with this, right? If this were a normal year, with normal rainfall, this lawn would look much better, especially since you would set up your sprinkler and water it every evening.

But if a long string of July and August days have presented you with weather which approximates that of the Gobi Desert, which ours has, you do what I and quite a number of neighbors have done—just leave your lawn alone and don’t give it much water. especially if you’re a bit spooked about the overall water supply.

Jesus spoke several times about the “water of life,” which will never run dry. Spend a moment reading through these verses, and ask Him for this water.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” John 4:7 – 15 NKJV

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” . . . . John 7:37 – 39

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 9, 2024

On a neighborhood walk in mid-June, Shelley and I noticed this heart-tugging little scene. On the sidewalk, close up against the base of a basketball hoop so they’ll interfere as little as possible with the family car’s entrances and exits from the driveway, are three toy vehicles, a little picnic table, and on top of the table a device which—never having kids myself—I cannot identify.

These vehicles seem to show the growth of the child. The red “covered wagon” lets a tot ride around with mom or dad pulling them. Then, as the tot grows older (let’s call her a “she,”) she is presented with the googly-eyed “SUV” on the left, which has a seat and also open floor access so with her heels she can propel herself down the sidewalk, aided by the helpful swiveling front wheels.

Soon, though, this foot-power SUV gets too cramped (and boring), and she graduates to the pink-and-purple hot rod, which is most likely run by electricity.

But she keeps growing, and soon she has no further use for the hot rod, and turns to other pursuits. And mom and dad, maybe shedding a nostalgic tear, bite the bullet and clear out the clutter by marking it “Free.” As I remember it, I only saw these items on view one day. By the next, they seemed to have been snapped up by the parents of other kids who are probably delightedly scooting them across their own cul-de-sacs.

Kids grow up, right? And according to the Bible, Christians should as well. Check out three Bible passages about spiritual maturity by clicking the link just below.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 8, 2024

It seems like a lot of things are changing in the world this week. The Olympics are in progress with new medals being won. Various national and local election campaigns are in full swing with candidates spending money to get noticed. The Middle East is tense with expected attacks that are so costly to everyone.

If we step outside, away from our screens, there are things that don’t seem to care about all those activities. The flowers pictured above seem to be doing their normal thing. They almost seem to want to offer a soothing alternative.

Through history, God is unchanging in offering a better way with supporting power. Let’s ponder God’s care and strength as we go about our week.