Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, July 14, 2024

It’s not my birthday. If it’s yours, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and a new year brimming with God’s blessings!

I have birthdays on my mind. Three friends celebrated their birthdays last week, my husband celebrated his recently, and today is the birthday of my dear friend Mary, who was born 24 days before me. She lived across the street from me all our growing-up days. She has walked life’s path before me, but only a few weeks before.

When I met and fell in love with the man I would marry, I acquired an immediate bonus blessing – the loving friendship of his mother, whose birthday was the day after mine. We often arranged our summer vacation so we could celebrate our birthdays together in South Dakota.

It was lovely, and comforting, to have back-to-back birthdays. I remember when I turned 40, which seemed such a daunting number to me at the time. My mother-in-law scoffed, “Shelley, 40 is nothing!” She turned 65 the next day, so she had walked the path a quarter century before me.

And then Maylan’s brother and wife had a baby girl, Angela, the day before my birthday. So there we were, three birthdays in a row, going up a generation each day.

Angela and I haven’t had the fun of celebrating our birthdays together for many years. If we did, I could scoff at her current number of candles and tell her it was nothing. I’d already been there, I’d tell her.

Or would I? What would I most want to share with someone, from my vantage point farther down the path?

I immediately thought of this: Jesus has been with me on my path. He’s kept company with me every step.

I am a person who loves words, and I tend to use a lot of them, so I’m sure I could elaborate. I could tell stories of how I know He’s been with me. I could speak of the unexpected turns the path took, the views I encountered, the lessons learned along the way.

But mostly, that Jesus has been with me.

One year, for my birthday gift, I asked my mother-in-law if she would write down some of the stories she’d told us about how the Lord had led in her life, how He had guided and provided, over and over again.

She sat down and wrote out 111 pages in a spiral-bound notebook. We treasure this notebook and turn back to its pages when we want to remember our heritage of faith, and God’s faithfulness.

She had been a widow for 3½ years when she chronicled her walk with the Lord for me. One of the 60 experiences she shared is entitled, “The Saddest Day of My Life,” describing the day her husband died.

But there are many happy experiences she shares, as well. The thread that runs through all her writing is a heart posture that shines out of this passage: “There is a wonderful strength found in putting complete trust in our dear Lord. He has all the answers to our fears and doubtings. The more we commune with Him the greater peace and contentment we have.”

She knew Jesus was with her on her path, and called it good. That’s what she wanted us to know.

As we step out into this brand-new, untried week, it’s good to know that the God who gives us birth and birthdays keeps step with us every day, all the way Home.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 13, 2024

Okay. Here’s a visual quiz. Take a look at the photo above. Can you spot the two coins (both of which I noticed at random on a neighborhood sidewalk)? It’s most likely that even if your screen’s photo-resolution is good, you might barely make out the penny, but maybe not the dime. Spend a few more seconds.

WAIT! Before you look at the photo below, notice the position of the sidewalk crack above. Not the straight one, but the wiggly one at the upper left.

Now, here’s the next photo:

Notice where the sidewalk crack is now. Different position, right? This means that I have shifted my angle. And now, of course, you can clearly see the two coins, a few inches above the crack. And the reason is that now the sun is reflecting off them.

One day sitting in a courtyard of the Jerusalem temple, Jesus spotted a woman who was about to drop two coins into an offering box. Let’s listen to Eugene Petersen translate the story from his The Message:

Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!” (Luke 20:1 – 4, The Message)

Do you see what Jesus was doing? The Light of the World was shining a powerful beam which reflected brilliantly from two otherwise unnoticeable, forgettable coins — symbols of a heart which was utterly devoted to God.

So let’s remember to keep our eyes on Scripture so we can evaluate true worth—of items or people.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 12, 2024

This past Thursday, just outside a clothing store near Southcenter Mall, I noticed this collection of mostly books. Every once in awhile I’ll notice little stacks of miscellany behind stores’ exterior pillars, mostly left by homeless people who’ve either discarded such items or are storing them temporarily.

But this collection was interesting. For one thing, aside from what may be a scarf or blouse, it’s just books. The yellow-and-red hardback on top of the left stack is most likely an action novel, and the colorful item a little over halfway down in the right stack is probably a kids’ picture book. But most of the rest have to do with business or motivation. Going from top down on the right-hand stack: Successful Business Forecasting, The Manager’s Desk Reference, Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale, Raise the Bar, and some thinner books which might be children’s literature.

The first readable spine below the action novel is Basic Goals in Selling. Then come a large number of thinner hardcovers, all of which seem to be directed to kids, yet all of which deal in some way with striving for success: A Consumer’s Guide for Kids, A Kids’ Guide to Managing Time, A Kids’ Guide to Managing Money, and many more. Four books up from the right-hand sub-stack is my favorite: Surviving Fights With Your Brothers and Sisters.

Questions explode like popcorn in my brain: Whose books are (or were) these? Why were they left in such a concentrated quantity outside this totally unrelated store? (The nearest thrift store is many blocks away, as is a Half-Price Books store.) Is someone coming back for them? Are their former owner and any progeny now so successful that they don’t need this wisdom any more? Or did the whole family sigh, give up the battle, and dump the lot?

Can you spot where I’m going with this? I’ll bet you can. I happen to own a large book—and you probably do as well—which distills the wisdom of nurturing true success as well as dexterously dodging failure. Its pages don’t contain bullet points and pithy sidebars, just stories, proverbs, prophecy, and a multifaceted introduction to a celestial CEO who really likes us and wants to get to know us better.

For a synopsis of this beloved Book, click the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/books-of-the-bible

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, July 11, 2024

There are some mysteries that may be real yet are hard to explain. I ran across this book about ball lightning. The mystery here is that there are many reports of people seeing ball lightning, yet there is very little evidence for it. Even the “Little House on the Prairie” books offered an account of ball lightning. Researchers have not been able to reproduce ball lightning and photographic evidence is slim. There are a few Youtube videos, of which, some may be fabricated. The reports seem real, but ball lightning remains a mystery.

Another mystery is related to the following text about whether love leads to better knowledge.

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, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11

What is it about love that leads to insight and knowledge and the concept of right living? I’d like to mention a basketball player named Tim Duncan who won five NBA championships with the San Antonio spurs. One characteristic of Duncan was he did not engage in trash talking with his opponents. He could look the angriest big men in the face without fear or anger and still have success on the court. He earned their respect and praise. So, I think he is an example of using love to find the right way.

Just like it is hard to discover the secrets of ball lightning, it takes effort to understand how love through Jesus benefits our thinking and our success in life.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, July 10, 2024

No, you aren’t seeing double, or a reflection in a mirror. Instead, you are seeing two very similar vehicles parked next to each other. Last week, while I was in Costco, I came out to find a “twin” of my GMC Terrain – parked right beside me. I had to do a double take to ensure I didn’t accidentally approach the wrong car. They are the exact make, model, year, and color. Had my own vehicle been the scam of identity theft? Luckily no, just a funny coincidence that the driver of the Terrain (on the left) decided to park directly beside me. (P.S. You can look closely and see a Seahawks decal in the back window – clearly that one is mine 🙂 ).

We do hear a lot about identity theft, triple verification, and find ourselves having to claim “I am not a robot” on a pretty regular basis. The world is full of tricks and gimmicks to swindle people out of money, and /or steal information from corporations. We are warned of something very similar we will encounter, as we get closer to Jesus’ return. The warnings are of the potential of falling prey to much more sinister acts. We must continue to prepare ourselves to be able to distinguish the truth from what is instead, an elaborate facsimile.

The best way to prepare for this sinful “cyber attack” is to walk with our Savior – daily. Prayer, scripture, and conversation is a great formula. The closer we are to Him, the better we will be able to see the truth. The closer we are to Him, the more we know what to look for and what to look out for. We will be able to spot the differences. We will quickly notice the “decal in the window.”

If you don’t already have a routine, start one today. Start simple – pray to God, then be still and listen. Talk with our Creator, pause and be open for a response. Open the Bible and read a favorite scripture, again, sit silent to feel His presence. God is ready (and very interested) in being part of your life, allow Him in and He will be there.

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Intent as I was upon photographing the male Chestnut-sided Warbler that had conveniently positioned himself in front of my lens, I totally overlooked the story that was taking place right in front of my eyes. Probably twenty or thirty exposures of the warbler were taken as it flitted around the tree, only to return to its original position. Elated with my capture, it wasn’t until I returned home and looked at the images on a larger screen that I became aware of the co-star in the picture. Patiently the caterpillar inched its way along the branch, undeterred by the comings and goings of the warbler, heading towards whatever destination was on its agenda.

It would be easy to moralize about such persistence, but I’ve elected to focus instead upon the role I had to play in the encounter. Perhaps high marks might be given for not becoming distracted from my primary focal point, which is all well and good. But in so doing, did I run the risk of overlooking that which was really deserving of my attention? It’s the big picture versus the zoomed in version all over again. And isn’t that what God desires from us, a holistic approach, not just certain parts given to Him or certain parts explored? Luke 11:36 seems to carry that message: “If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” (NLT)

And while that may be God’s ideal for us, aren’t you glad that He provides opportunities for us to revel in the warblers of our life. What a generous Father!

Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, July 8, 2024

These wildflowers are called scarlet gilia or skyrockets. They grow on the east side of the Cascades in Washington and are found from Southern British Columbia down to Northern Mexico. Their bright red color is kind of hard to miss when they bloom on the side of the road but they are also quite delicate and tend to blow in the breeze – especially when you are trying to get a picture of them.

According to Lewis Clark, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, they have an “unpleasant smell and wilt almost immediately after cutting.” That is all the more reason not to pick them as they are also not common. Apparently, if you try to grow them on the west side of the Cascades, the plant will grow but doesn’t flower.

In the book of Isaiah, people (part of creation) are compared to flowers that don’t last, but the word of God (the Creator) lasts forever:

A voice says, “Shout!”
I said, “What shall I shout?”
“These people are nothing but grass,
their love fragile as wildflowers.
The grass withers, the wildflowers fade,
if GOD so much as puffs on them.
Aren’t these people just so much grass?
True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade,
but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.”
Isaiah 40:6-8 (The Message)

For further clarification, God was before the beginning and the Word was God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (NIV)