Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday and Monday, July 26 and 27, 2026

An odd phrase popped into my mind when I saw these daisies; I thought they looked like “frayed flowers.” Not wilted or drooping – frayed.

That’s a word I usually associate with things non-floral, like cords, fabric, and nerves. The latter reminds me of the “you better watch out” declaration: “I have one last nerve and you’re standing on it!”

Dictionary definitions of “frayed” include: “strained by constant stress,” “worn down by strain or irritation,” and “showing the effects of pressure or strain.”

A personal, recent example: I was fine with last Tuesday’s 92° heat, but by Wednesday afternoon the same high heat felt relentless, and I felt frayed (because I felt fried!). I think the daisies in my photo have felt the heat, too.

As is my wont, I thought about people I’ve met in the pages of my Bible. Who came to mind first as someone who seemed frayed? After I pondered, I asked my husband and was astounded that we’d thought of the same person – astounded because he isn’t one of the “big names” in the Bible.

We both thought of Obadiah. Read I Kings 18:1-15 and you’ll see why he came to mind as someone under strain and stress!

The next person I thought of is a “big name” in the Bible. A really big name: Moses. Reading through the book of Exodus, we marvel at the challenges he faced, leading thousands of newly-freed slaves out of captivity, into the desert, on the journey to their Promised Land.

These people were not sitting down in their tents every night, writing three things they were thankful for. They tended to whine and grumble and complain and blame their leader, and his God, for any perceived lack in their liberated lives. All the time they were eating food that faithfully fell from heaven. A pillar of cloud by day and fire by night showed that the Lord continued to travel with them, and guide as well as provide for them.

Yet they grumbled and accused and rebelled and eventually constructed a golden calf to worship. That definitely struck a nerve — God’s nerve:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” (Exodus 32:7-10 NIV)

Moses could have said, “Thank you, Lord. I understand your anger. I agree with your new plan.” But he does not leave Him alone. He begs the Lord to relent, giving Him excellent reasons for doing so. And the Lord relents.

But Moses descends from the mountain and finds the situation much worse than he could have imagined. Now his anger burns. A terrible time of reckoning ensues, but then, this incredible scene:

So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.  But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Exodus 32:31-32)

I am in awe of Moses’ response and request. Instead of asking the Lord to give him an easier life than leading these stiff-necked, rebellious people, he is willing to intercede for them to the point of giving up his place in God’s kingdom, giving up his life.

Moses wasn’t perfect, but in this scene we recognize his likeness to the One who is.

When things become too much for us, when we feel the stress and strain of life on this perilous planet, perhaps we might want to sit down and write three things we’re thankful for, a trio of blessings.

That reminds me of the Three we’re most thankful for, the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus Our Saviour, and Holy Spirit Guide and Comforter. Whenever we’re frayed, or afraid, we can remember that we are not alone, but known and held and loved with an everlasting love.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 25, 2026

A few days ago, in quest of a wedding gift, Shelley and I traveled to a nearby town. One of our destinations was a delightful used-book store. My photo is taken from the store’s second level, which featured nothing but books at least a hundred years old. Parked on a desk overlooking the main floor was this ancient typewriter (which itself has probably hit the century mark, but still works fine).

I’ve noticed that images of elderly manual typewriters often show up on the front covers of greeting cards, especially those dedicated to writers or wanna-be writers. There’s a delicious nostalgia about these truly magnificent machines, used for decades and decades by journalists or novelists.

I’ve actually written articles, and once in awhile a sermon, on various manual typewriters (none this old, thankfully), and from teeth-grinding personal experience I can firmly certify that these were not walks in the park. Not only did you have to pound firmly and evenly on all the keys, but you had to watch out for errors, which became even more annoying if you were using carbon paper. Most often, you simply had to rip the paper out of the roller, crumple it up, and start the page all over again. Ah, (or aghhhh), those were the days.

But do you notice what has happened in the photo? Someone has shrewdly shaped a crumpled first draft into something that looks like a rose, supposedly rescuing a discarded product and making it beautiful.

Which of course plants this directly in the center of our line of Daily Photo Parables. One of the Bible’s most heartwarming truths is that God and His Son stand instantly ready to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, not just revising but renewing us.

Want to read or review how this can happen? Click the link just below:

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, July 24, 2026

About a half-hour before sunset this past Sunday, I opened our front door, and was about to step out onto the porch when this blaze of sunshine hit my eye. The photo doesn’t do justice to its blinding brilliance. Instantly, I thought about its parable possibilities.

The couple who live in that house are a retired Asian couple, very polite and gracious. They’re definitely not powerful personalities, and they go about their pursuits with humility. He loves to care for their excellent lawn, and she practices accurate golf shots in the park beyond their back yard. But here they are, illuminating my side of the street in a powerful way.  “This little light of mine,” goes the Christian chorus. But this light isn’t little!

And of course the couple living here isn’t the source of this light. It’s the sun, smiting their house and rebounding off its spotless windows, which bathes the neighborhood in its glow.

And when Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV), He wasn’t talking about any sort of human personality-sparkle. The light He speaks of must be supernatural, because it immediately bypasses your humanity and causes you to “glorify your Father in heaven.”

Click this link for more Bible info about this light!

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

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday and Thursday, July 22 and 23, 2026

Many of the flowers in our garden are in full bloom right now, including this cosmos plant, which is enjoying its second round of blossoms this season. As you can see, it has become quite the attraction, especially among the local bee population.

I took this photo early in the morning, just as the sun began peeking over the fence. While much of the garden was still waking up, this bee was already hard at work, gathering pollen from the freshly opened blooms.

In fact, many of the flowering plants were already buzzing with activity. I could tell simply by standing still and listening. The gentle hum of dozens of busy workers filled the air as they diligently collected what they needed for the day.

In that quiet moment, I could “see” Him. Not in the sense of a physical being in front of me, but in seeing the evidence of His design everywhere around me. God created the flower. He created the bee. He designed the flower to produce pollen, and the bee with the instinct to gather it. He established an intricate process where pollen and nectar are collected, transformed, and ultimately used to nourish the next generation within the hive. Every step reveals intention, purpose, and design.

With that in mind, consider this: How do you think God feels about you?

Take a moment before answering.

The same God who carefully designed a flower to attract a bee, who provided pollen for that bee to gather, and who created a process that sustains and grows an entire hive, is the God who created you. If He invests that much care and attention into a single insect and a single flower, how much more must He care for those made in His image?

God is the Master of the universe, yet He is attentive to every corner of His creation. Sometimes, all it takes is a moment of stillness to recognize the evidence of His love surrounding us. When we slow down enough to listen, our Creator is often ready to remind us of just how deeply we are known, valued, and loved.

Maybe today, that reminder comes in the form of a simple buzzing messenger among the flowers.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 21, 2026

It was close to dusk as we floated down the margins of a slow moving river.  There in the overhanging branches hunched a Nanking Night Heron, the ideal setting for this crepuscular bird.  Also referred to as the Rufus Night Heron, this name may be misleading, for it is not strictly nocturnal, sometimes feeding during the day, particularly during wet weather.   Besides Australia, this bird is also found in Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia.

So why is the title “Nanking” included as part of the bird’s name?   Its range is far south of China so why should the name of a Chinese city be given as part of its title?  The answer goes back to Victorian times when cloth was imported from Nanking. This cotton fabric, known as nankeen, was buff or yellow-colored which John Gould, who named the bird, apparently thought resembled the color of its plumage.  To make matters worse, its scientific name literally means “Scottish Nightraven”, a title that strains the imagination to justify.

Contrast this with a name from the Bible which is rather familiar to us, the name of Methuselah’s father, Enoch.  We know very little of this ancient man except that he walked with God and was apparently translated, and his Hebrew name, חֲנוֹך Chanokh, meant dedicated.  Now that’s a name that’s truly easy to understand, a dedicated man who walked with God.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch

Sunday and Monday, July 19 and 20, 2026

I woke up this morning with a TV clip from long ago in my head: a drill sergeant haranguing a new batch of raw recruits with his barked out, “I can’t HEAR you!”

A rather odd way for me to start the day; usually a song is playing in my mind when I surface from sleep.

But these four words have provided much food for thought, enough that I needed two photos to illustrate what stirred in my mind. (My thanks to my husband, who willingly posed for these photos – the kindest of men!)

I thought about God, and I thought about us, and how we experience hearing each other. I remember so many times in the Psalms when a voice cries out for help, begging God to hear, to pay attention, to answer. Here’s one of the many:

Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.
(Psalm 102:1-2 NIV)

Does God turn His back on us, plug His ears so He won’t be bothered with us? Does He refuse to hear us? If so, we’re sunk! As the song I learned long ago asks, “Where could I go but to the Lord?”

Just as there are many instances in the Psalms when we hear the plea to be heard, there are also many times when the psalmist speaks out in confidence that God is a good listener, unless we are cherishing sin in our hearts. Sin seems to stir up static.

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
(Psalm 66:16-20)

This last verse reminded me of a quote from David W. Augsburger, a pastor, author, theologian, counselor, and teacher. I had the privilege of hearing him speak once, forty-four years ago, on how to handle conflict. He was a well-respected peacemaker.

Perhaps his most often-quoted sentence is this:

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.”

Every time I read that (and I have it pinned to my bulletin board so that I see it often), I resolve once again to try to really hear people. I can think of so many, many times in my life when I felt heard, and I definitely felt loved.

Another Augsburger quote which is not as well-known, but follows the same thought is,

“The golden rule of friendship is to listen to others as you would have them listen to you.”

Looking back at my two photos makes me think of how I listen to God. Or not. I have heard myself praying, rather pitifully, “I need to hear from you, God, but please answer in a way that is not painful!” I want to hear what I want to hear! Sometimes I need to check to see if my fingers are figuratively stuck in my ears.

I never see God as a drill sergeant, but I wonder if He sometimes is saying to us, wistfully, “I can’t hear you . . .” As we step out into this brand-new week, we can confide in the One who created us and redeemed us and is coming again for us – and who waits to hear from us.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 18, 2026

This past Tuesday I finally decided that the orange tire-pressure light on my Toyota’s instrument display panel was not going to wink back off on its own. I’d been giving uneasy glances at the front left tire, which was almost certainly the culprit, since its load of air was obviously leaking away. I’d even re-inflated it with a small air-compressor I carry in the trunk, but the leak resumed.

So I drove gingerly down to the dealer (and made it safely), lined up in the queue of cars waiting for service, and came and stood beside the sign you see in the photo above.

As I gazed at the words, their meaning began to go far deeper than a customer-service message. Please wait here!  In other words, wait your turn! Don’t go barging up to just any customer-service kiosk you want to. Get in line. Be patient. We’ll get to you.

Isn’t that something like Heaven’s message to us, as gravity continues to clamp us to this planet’s crust? I know you’re getting weary of waiting, but hold on a little longer. Wait here – not somewhere else, not in a monastery or convent, not in a wilderness cave. Wait here . . . among My other children. Help them to join you in waiting with patience and courage.

Patience may just be Heaven’s most splendid quality. Think of the day you were born. God could have ended human history a couple of years earlier! Aren’t you glad He didn’t?

Patience, incidentally, is one of the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit. To review, or learn more about, this Godlike quality, click the following link:

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