Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary (c)2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, January 26, 2025

You may not see anything out of the ordinary in this photo, but I do. In our neighbors’ front yard, something large is wrapped in white plastic. This wasn’t true last week, but some time this week it appeared. Or disappeared, if you want to look at it that way.

I’m not sure what it is, but I’m betting that it’s a large bush of some sort. Apparently one that is delicate in nature, and needing protection from winter weather. I could be totally wrong, and discover when the wraps are removed that something man-made has been sitting incognito on their lawn. But I think the odds are in favor of it being a vulnerable member of the plant kingdom.

We walk past this house at least four times a day, usually giving it no more than a glance. But now I give it a longer look, and a smile.

I smile in anticipation of the mystery being unveiled someday, perhaps when the temperatures reach a reliable level of warmth. And I smile because whatever it is looks well-protected. Its owners have taken action to keep it covered.

And yes, this reminds me of Jesus.

Look upon Jesus, sinless is He;
Father, impute His life unto me.
My life of scarlet, my sin and woe,
Cover with His life, whiter than snow.

Cover with His life, whiter than snow;
Fullness of His life then shall I know;
My life of scarlet, my sin and woe,
Cover with His life, whiter than snow.

(First verse and refrain of gospel song by F.E. Belden, 1899 © Public domain)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NKJV)

He’s got you covered.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

He’s got you covered.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
(Psalm 5:11)

He’s got you covered.

You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
(Psalm 32:7)

He’s got you covered.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
(Psalm 91:1-4)

And all of Psalm 23!

He’s got you covered.

As we step out into this brand-new week, we may not know the circumstances we will encounter, but we do know the God who goes with us, and . . . He’s got us covered!

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday and Sabbath, January 24 and 25, 2025

I’m going to go out on a limb here and confess that I have never had a friendly feeling for confining living things in a permanent enclosure, at least those who were born to be free. Birds in cages cause an instant revulsion of pity within me. And I deliberately don’t go into pet shops where I might see ownerless dogs staring mournfully at me through cage bars.

Not long ago I was in a room with the aquarium you see in the photo above. There were no fish there, that I could tell, though I can’t be sure. (Fish seem to take their captivity with a serene, philosophical detachment.)

But I did see this turtle. It was by no means possessed by piscine calm. Exactly the opposite: it was in constant motion, its legs clawing at the rocks, its nose pressed against the far pane of glass. To my horror, I saw what it was trying to get to. Some well-meaning aquarium-keeper had placed a photo or painting of another underwater scene just behind the rear glass wall, and—unless I am missing something—the turtle was flailing away at the rocks, trying to get enough traction to go there. This wasn’t a momentary attempt, followed by its attention turning elsewhere. This turtle kept at it, desperately wanting out, wanting away.

Have you ever felt like that turtle—trapped in a situation you don’t enjoy, longing to get away to freedom? Life is complicated, as you know, and solutions most often aren’t easy to find. But I found a link with several Bible verses which might help. (When you’ve looked over the texts, make sure you also click the additional links at the end.) And pray to the Inspirer of those verses, that He will give you patience as you wait for release.

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/help-bible-promises

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, January 23, 2025

We had a chance to hike up the trails to South Tiger Mountain and came across a large blow down area from the last windstorm. This picture shows a small part of the area with many trees down. A trail crew must have come through recently to clear a path through dozens of trees that were blocking the trail. In some places they rerouted the trail where an uprooted tree was too big to remove.

It makes me think about the following verses and I’ll explain why.

He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:65-69

The disciples knew that without Jesus they would have nothing. They wisely chose to continue following.

Back to the trees — it appears part of the reason for so many fallen trees is that previous logging removed large sections of forest next to the area shown. Without the full forest for a wind break, these trees were at the direct mercy of the wind.

In a similar way when we choose to follow Jesus and his teaching, we benefit by staying in the protective environment of God’s guidance.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, January 22, 2025

This quarter for our Sabbath School class, we are studying the book of Philippians. I’ve referenced this before, but this past week was a good discussion on Paul’s positive attitude of being incarcerated. I wouldn’t think those two things would necessarily go together – “positive attitude” and “incarcerated.” Yet Paul writes to the church and states, it’s because of what’s happened to him (chained in jail) that has actually served to advance the gospel. What a way of looking at things. Paul’s non-perfect situation has him praising God, as the goal of spreading the Word has increased due to his situation. I don’t know about you, but I wonder if my reaction and attitude would be the same as Paul’s. I certainly hope it would be, but I know it would be because of the Holy Spirit working in me to provide such an optimistic view.

Paul goes on to state that in some cases the preaching of the Gospel is based on stirring things up, to protest what has happened to him. In other cases, Paul acknowledges it’s out of love and goodwill. We pick up in verse 18, Paul’s thoughts on each of the intentions.

Philippians 1: 18 & 19

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance

It’s an interesting comment – “But what does it matter?” Clearly, Paul’s concern was less on the reason, and more on the delivery. He, and the church of Philippi, want the Gospel to be spread far and wide – allowing all to hear the good news. The more mouths sharing the message the better. When I think of that vastness of where God’s word needs to be preached, it can feel daunting. If, instead, I think of this example of a city in modern day Greece, I see these early believers starting local – family, friends, townsfolk. From there, it expands to neighboring islands, towns, and cities. Far and wide – the Gospel was spread.

The image above, to me, represents the vastness of the “far and wide” that the Word needs to reach. Don’t be distracted at the never-ending horizon, but focus on the starting point – right here at home.

To some, it may look like an old Micorosft Windows wallpaper image, but it can be found on your way to the Palouse Falls in eastern Washington.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Some birds are more fun than others. Let me clarify. What I mean by that is observing some birds is more enjoyable than seeing others. The reasons for that are varied, but let me suggest just a few: their scarcity, their flamboyant beauty; their unique behavior, and their physical uniqueness. In my book, the Great Curassow falls into both the first and last categories. The large turkey-like bird of the Neotropical rainforests has been classified as “Vulnerable to extinction”. Today they are rarely found except in protected parks or very remote areas. It is the largest of the Cracids, a family that also includes chachalacas and guans.

It’s unique in two ways: its appearance and its behavior around humans. Both the black male and varicolored female come with pronounced crests which in the male is curly. He also has a yellow beak with a knob at the base that increases in size during the breeding season. Their behavior is not particularly unusual, feeding largely on fruit that has fallen on the ground and nesting and roosting in the trees. But contact with humans has altered their behavior. As a result of overhunting and habitat loss, they have become quite shy except where they have become acclimated to the presence of humans. Take it one step further. When kept in captivity they can become quite aggressive toward their human caretakers and have been known to attack them scratching around the head and targeting the eyes.

When one thinks about Bible references dealing with being unique or special, the text that most likely comes to mind is 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV) Did you notice what isn’t included as a reason for this specialness? It isn’t appearance or our performance. It was simply because He chose us. Why He chose you or me is something of a mystery, but we should be eternally grateful for being included in this special group.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Cheryl Boardman
Monday, January 20, 2025

I saw what was left of this uprooted tree after it fell during a storm. Heavy winds, saturated ground and a shallow root system are probably the main reasons it fell. I read that most trees that are uprooted do not survive being replanted because their root system is irrevocably broken.

Here is some advice from Paul (in a couple of different Bible versions) to the Colossians about being deeply rooted in Jesus:

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2;6-7 (NLT)

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7 (The Message)

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, January 19, 2025

I like baskets. When I see a display of them, my eyes light up and I have to mutter my Cautious Consumer Mantra a few times, “Feel free to admire without needing to acquire.”

There’s something about a well-made basket that makes me smile in appreciation, and sometimes, if I’ve ignored my mantra, in acquisition.

When I think back to baskets of my childhood, I only remember one. Maybe that’s because it outshines any and all other baskets I knew then. It was our picnic basket.

Our family liked to load up that large wooden basket with plates and silverware and cups and ketchup and mustard and all manner of good food and a big thermos. Then we’d load up the car, and head out to one of our southeastern Alaska rocky beaches to build a campfire and prepare to picnic heartily. Whenever I see a basket similar to our beloved picnic transport, I am awash in nostalgia, and immediately hungry for food eaten outdoors, at ocean’s edge.

If you ask me what Biblical baskets come to mind, it might be because of my fondness for those childhood picnics that I first recall the story I heard as a small child, when Jesus fed 5,000 people. I was impressed that he could make a boy’s humble lunch of two loaves of bread and five fish stretch to feed all those people. (I was much older when I realized there were not only 5,000 men, but also women and children, who didn’t make the count.)

I loved the end of this amazing picnic story – there were leftovers! Twelve baskets of leftovers! I enjoy leftovers almost as much as picnics! Those baskets tell me there was enough, and more than enough – very satisfying and reassuring to the anxious child I often was.

I learned another Biblical basket story before I was old enough to read it myself; maybe it was the first story that came to your mind – that of baby Moses floating on the river in a basket his mother had carefully made for him.

It could be such a fearsome story if the teller focused on the death decree that forced his mother to do what she did, and on what might become of a little baby floating alone on a river, abandoned by his parents.

Fortunately, I didn’t hear the story that way. Instead, I heard how a mother’s love constructed that waterproof basket, and sent the baby’s big sister to keep careful watch over him from the riverbank. And then a princess shows up and rescues the baby. All is well if a princess arrives on the scene!

When I scanned my memory for another New Testament basket, I thought of what must have been a very large and sturdy one:

After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. (Acts 9:23-25 NIV)

In the first verse of Acts 9, Saul is “still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples,” and before the end of the chapter he is trying to become one of them, at great risk to his life. I wonder how fast his heart was racing as the men lowered his basket through that wall! I’m sure his angel steadied that basket and made his escape possible.

Saul lived to become Paul, intrepid missionary for the Lord, church planter, author of up to half the books of the New Testament.

Moses lived to lead God’s chosen people out of slavery to the brink of the Promised Land, with 40 years of adventures and misadventures on the way. He authored the first five books of the Old Testament, and perhaps Job and a few of the Psalms.

Their baskets are strong reminders of God’s protection. He is Emmanuel, God With Us.

The baskets of Jesus-blessed bread and fish leftovers speak of God’s provision. He is the God of Enough, and More Than Enough.

Not only for there and then, Saul and Moses and 5,000 plus people, but also for here and now, you and me.

That’s great good news as we step out into this brand-new week: we do not walk alone. It’s always a journey with Jesus.