Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

On a recent walk down our driveway, I came across this terrestrial gastropod mollusk, commonly known as a Slug. When I showed the image to my four-year old grandson he said, “Oh, a snail!” I can see where he came to this conclusion, given that my framing of the image, didn’t include the rest of the slug, which would have made clear that this guy didn’t have a shell.

In fact, that’s basically the difference between a slug and a snail — that all-important protective exterior shell. When slugs come across danger, they typically recoil into themselves but still are very vulnerable. In contrast, snails sense danger or harm in close proximity, they “retreat” into their cozy home, providing at least some level of outer armor.

When I apply the same concept to my own life, if given the choice, I would choose having a shell vs. no protection at all. Are we all in agreement? We’d much rather have cover when facing any type of danger. So, what’s our outer shell that we can rely on?

In Isaiah 41:10, I believe we get a glimpse of said protective shell,

“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

How about that? Fear not? What a promise. We don’t have to be afraid, living on this spinning sinful world. How is that possible? We are surrounded with dangers and possible harm, on a daily basis. Yet, we are not to fear. God is our protective outer shell. When we face the evils of our world, we can feel calm, as God (literally) has our back.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

For some reason, people seem to like to put things in line to display them. And for some reason, also unknown, I like looking at their arrangement. An open field seems a logical place to display implements used in farming in the past. It also serves as a reminder that, at one time, these were the most innovative and advanced technological tools available to man. They increased his productivity and made the work easier.

But now they sit rusting in the field, obsolete and no longer of use. And probably that’s the way it should be. Progress demands change. However, that doesn’t mean the same tasks still do not need to be done. The soil must be plowed, seeds must be sown, and plants need proper nutrients and water before the produce is finally harvested.

Written during a time when an agrarian way of life was the norm, many of God’s promises and warnings are couched in terms familiar to those working the soil. The focal point of many of these discourses centered on harvest time which marked the climax of the year. It was then that success or failure was made evident. Sometimes a bad harvest was due to personal failure; failure to plant abundantly, or to watch over the crops. But Haggai presents a slightly different picture: “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:6 NIV) He contends their failure was not due to laziness or little ambition, but due to misplaced priorities, of not putting God first in their lives. That’s advice that never goes out-of-date. Such advice should never be put out to pasture to collect rust and viewed as a relic of wisdom from the past. It’s more precise than the latest atomic clock, more trustworthy than yesterday’s harrow.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, October 13, 2025

Last week, I introduced an American Pika amongst the rocks on the shore of Lake Ilswoot. Today, we witness the beautiful turquoise waters of that lake. The waters found in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness are known for their crystal-like clarity. Occasionally we find a mountain lake that also displays stunning colors. The deep turquoise color of Lake Ilswoot is caused by glacier flour. Tiny particles of rock and minerals (clay/silt) remain suspended in the water. Sunlight, striking these particles, reflects the shorter blue and green wavelengths and this combination produces stunning colors.

God is the Master of color, and He gave us eyes capable of seeing various hues. After the flood, He gave us the rainbow. In the opening chapter of Isaiah He wants to discuss two specific color choices with us:  “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18 KJV).

God offers a color choice, red or white. Which color will you choose?

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 2025

As October crawls along, Halloween decorations are beginning to sprout on our neighborhood properties. This giant half-buried skeleton is making its second-year-in-a-row appearance on this lawn, along with a number of face-carved pumpkins and a few scattered small fence segments containing skull carvings.

I couldn’t help grinning at the vertical “Welcome” banner beside the door. Its message has been truncated to “Welc–,” and what with all the preliminary intimidation, once wonders how welcome a guest might feel.

Halloween décor is all in good fun, of course, but it got me to remembering – as someone who’s been a church pastor for 43 years – how important it is to make people feel welcome. In a church, it starts with a friendly team of greeters in the foyer. It continues in the Bible class discussion, and into the sermon, and back out into the foyer again, and on potluck Sabbaths it continues there as well.

That means that anyone – not just leaders or teachers or greeters – needs to be ready to say “welcome” in as many ways as possible. The Bible tells us how, in the verses at each of the links below:

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

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

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, October 9, 2025

Down at the end of one of the cul de sacs in our neighborhood is this house. On our walks, Shelley and I have noticed that its right-hand garage door is always open (at least at the times we walk). There are always two chairs there, and the garage is very full – an orange Home Depot work bucket, and a green trash bin, crowd right up against those chairs. Once in a while we see a man sitting in one of the chairs, smiling thoughtfully out into his driveway.

But this week, for the first time, I spotted the guitar. Suddenly, my heart warmed even more to whomever owns this house. Though their garage is cluttered and in need of cleaning out, this couple turns their chair-backs to the debris and face outward. And one of them – maybe the man – might park the guitar on his knee and strum a few chords.

Maybe that could be a parable of how Christians should live on this earth until Jesus comes. There’s a lot of clutter on this old planet – stuff that needs cleaning up. We should do what we can to help with this, but every once in awhile we must turn our backs, sit down and rest, and do a bit of rejoicing.

That’s the Sabbath in a nutshell, isn’t it – making weekly room for (as the hymn calls it) “A day of sweet reflection”? If you’d like to learn – or review – more about this Divinely-created day, click the link just below:

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

Photo ©2025 by Amber Jurgensen
Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, October 9, 2025

Sometimes things look big and impossible like this climbing wall. With a little encouragement our granddaughter decided to give it a try. At first she didn’t know how those little climbing rocks could even help. But as she tested them and learned how to transfer her weight from one to another, she started getting the hang of it. Some seemed out of reach, but by relinquishing a foothold on one rock, she was able to grab the next rock and trust that she was still ok.

It seems like it takes practice to trust in the words of Jesus. But if we read them and think about them and try to use them in our actions, we can learn to climb on their principles.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

I know we can’t deny how marvelous our God is. In fact, it’s far too difficult to number all the things He has made and what He continues to provide. Take this image for example. Here we have a variety of beautiful colored gourds (a.k.a pumpkins). We see orange, white, yellow, striped, red – multiple varieties of colors, shapes and sizes. Not only do we see the differences that have been created, but we also know what time of the year these show up (at least for the Pacific Northwest). They show up in fall.

In Psalms 104, King David is describing all the many creations, (v. 24) “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all…”. A few verses prior, David calls out how the seasons are part of those creations.

Verse 19, “He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.”

Depending on your geographical location, you may or may not see four defined seasons throughout the year. For those in the PNW, we see all four. We know what to expect when it’s winter, spring, summer or when we get to the fall season. This time of year brings those amazing fall colors – both in the pumpkins, as well as in the trees with their fall leaves.

Not only does God give us the necessities of life, but He provides those things that bring us joy as well. Thank you, God, for all your incredible gifts, including all the colors you provide throughout the entire year.