Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, March 28, 2026

Yesterday, as you can see in the above photo, was a Chamber of Commerce kind of day – blazing sun, blue sky, the temperature just that tiny hint of coolness which makes a walk especially zestful. So I headed out on my usual post-breakfast stroll, and came upon the scene above.

As you notice, a man is doing some major pruning work on an immense cherry tree in his yard. This wasn’t the first time I’d see him out there, because the heavy snowfall of a couple of weeks ago had snapped so many branches on a smaller cherry tree of his that he simply had the entire thing removed.

And now, here he was, toiling away on the taller one. (Later in the day I saw him quite a way up a very tall aluminum ladder.)

Did you know that the Bible often speaks of God as a Gardener? After all, Genesis 2:8 insists that it was God who planted the literal Garden of Eden. (Interesting and totally coincidental note: On my walk yesterday I’d been noticing bright yellow advertisement taped to neighborhood garage doors, and when I got home there was one on mine too. It advertised “Adonay’s Lawn Services.” Guess what one of God’s major Hebrew names in the Old Testament is: Adonai.)

And God’s “lawn service” is indeed spiritual. “I am the true vine,” Jesus told His friends, “and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

And a good gardener knows when and where and what to prune. This is why you and I need to submit to God’s cleansing care. For three verses about spiritual discipline and its importance, click the link just below:

https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/spiritual-discipline

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, March 27, 2026

A few days ago, in an era when the sun began to happily appear (yet whose temperature made it needful to wear head-warming hats), Shelley and I paused beside this patch of grass. I snapped this photo, not primarily of our shadows but to try to catch the glint of sun off some grass-spears.

As you can see, the grass-spears were too tiny to make this a success, and I ignored this photo until I happened to see it again today in my phone’s “gallery.”

There we are, my sweetheart and I, having known each other for 49 years and having been married for almost as many. We’ve moved through life together as a pastoral couple, and have treasured the people who’ve cast their shadows over us.

This matter of influencing other people isn’t an exact science. It happens whether you know it’s even happening at all. When I was 16 years old I worked fulltime in a creamery, helping get out milk products. One day the other workers and  I took a break together in the “coffee room” upstairs in the plant.

We had gathered at tables in the little room, and were making small talk. Suddenly, I noticed that the room had gone fully silent. I glanced around, and saw that everybody was staring directly at me.

I blinked, and asked “Is something wrong?”

Doug, a worker who operated the machine next to mine in the bottling room said in a hushed voice, “Maylan, what did you just say?”

“When?” I asked. “Right now?”

“Yeah. What did you just say?”

I thought back to the conversation I’d been having with the person across the table from me, and repeated what I thought I’d said.

As soon as I said this, the whole room burst into laughter. When it finally died down, Doug said to me, “We thought you’d said a cuss-word!”

I was indeed a meek young Christian, and grew up under parents who never swore and who admonished me not to. But I had never once even mentioned being a Christian to anybody in the plant, let alone expressing my embarrassment when somebody let fly an oath.

But all these people – every one of them – had felt my shadow, my influence. They knew who I was, and how consistent I evidently had been in portraying my beliefs. So it must have been like an electric shock to hear Maylan’s language turn grotesquely blue.

So yes, you do have a shadow – an influence — whether or not anyone will ever mention it to you. Your shadow falls everywhere you go, far from the door of your house of worship.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, March 26, 2026

Last week another camellia bush burst into blossom. At least that is the way it seemed. It was a nice surprise to walk outside, after all the rain we have had recently, to see new flowers in bloom.

It reminds me of finding Bible verses that maybe we have seen before, but they take on new meaning each time we read them.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

A simple verse can surprise us with several different thoughts. This one tells me that it is easy to be saved simply by confessing and believing. Jesus does the hard work of forgiving and purifying. It also points to a simple energy adjustment or attitude adjustment. By changing from the mindset that we are in control and we can do it ourselves, to an attitude of letting God do it, we free ourselves from impossible burdens.

When things are difficult and gray, look to God in the Bible for surprises and encouragement.

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, March 25, 2026

This past weekend, we visited one of our favorite local spots just minutes from home — Flower World Plant Nursery. If you’ve ever spent time in the Snohomish or Maltby area and enjoy plants and all things gardening, chances are you’ve been to Flower World.

For those that have not had the opportunity, this particular nursery is quite large. In fact, the website claims it’s over 200 acres of plants, trees, shrubs, and several water features.

While inside one of the main retail buildings near the bird feed supply, I spotted an unexpected guest. The first image captures the setting of this little guy’s hideout; the second reveals who he really is.

When I spotted him, he kept looking at me as if expecting to be told to leave — which I didn’t do. Others walked by, either not noticing him or, like me, choosing not to shoo him out the door. For as long as I was in the vicinity, he was welcome to stay.

The family of God is made up of people from all walks of life. No matter our background or how unworthy we may feel, God reminds us that there is a place for everyone—all are welcome.

What a thought! Regardless of where we came from, any mistakes we’ve made, or doubts we may hold about ourselves; we are welcomed into the family of God. Grace opens the door, love invites us in, and God asks us to stay. Amen!

Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Have you ever noticed how susceptible we humans are to being overly influenced by our first impressions?  We can use the character Absalom to illustrate our point.  This third son of King David was probably first introduced to us with stories of his long hair which ultimately led to his untimely death.  Lost in the telling were more important character qualities which led to his unfortunate demise: his egocentric posture, his feigned use of flattery, his total lack of clemency, and his utter disrespect of his father.  Instead, we tend to revert to the story centered on his long hair and the boughs of an oak tree.

A similar scenario takes place in a large cuckoo found in the Neotropics. The Squirrel Cuckoo derives its common English name from its superficial resemblance to the Red Squirrel in both body color and its movements through the trees in search of food.  This image is further enhanced by its extremely long tail, not unlike that of the squirrel’s.  Of course, there is really no connection between the bird and the squirrel, only surface similarity.  Their diets are not the same with the cuckoo consuming almost entirely animal material.  Feathers and fur are relegated to the proper species; in other words, one is a bird, the other a rodent.

Eugene Peterson offers us a down-to-earth, common-sense translation of Proverbs 25:8.  “Don’t jump to conclusions – there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.” (The Message)  While those first impressions may be helpful, taking a second look is more likely to deliver sound judgement.    

Photo ©2011 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Sunday, March 23, 2026

Today’s photo is an example of looking back. In the winter of 2011, I captured this image
of my grandson Elliott. I look back on this day with joy. The Bible both encourages and cautions us about looking back.

Encouragement:

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your
father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you (Deuteronomy 32:7 ESV).

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23 NIV)

Caution:

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and 
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62 KJV)

Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32 KJV) See Genesis 19:26, where she looked back at Sodom and turned into a pillar of salt.

I hope that this photo causes you to look back with joy in God’s faithfulness and forward to His Kingdom, eternal joy.

Photo and Commentary (c)2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, March 22, 2026

What do you see when you look at this photo? This sight stopped me in my tracks as we set out on one of our neighborhood walks last week, and we’d only gotten as far as our next-door neighbors’ front yard!

I see a snow man, or, to be more precise, a snow face, looking left to the flowers. I see winter, looking at spring.

It was quite a surprise to have winter arrive mid-March, a one-day winter just long enough to mess up air travel and road travel and appointments and plans, and to give kids a day to stay home from school and build snowmen.

The snow face in my photo has his mouth slightly open, as if he’s saying something. What might that be?

Perhaps, “I’m leaving now; sorry for any disruptions.”
Or, “Hello, spring! I think they’re ready for you!”
Or, “See you next year, maybe a bit earlier than March.”

I used to think of seasons as times of the year that you could count on to reliably and predictably arrive and leave on time, each politely making way for the next. I would enjoy each season for its gifts, and endure its downsides, knowing they would pass.

But now? Seasons are scrambled all over our country. In my husband’s South Dakota hometown they had a blizzard last week, with minus degree temperatures. This week was still chilly, except for yesterday, when the thermostat rapidly climbed to 75 degrees, before plummeting to 33 degrees in the night.

But this was mild, compared to the unprecedented heat wave suffocating much of our nation, shattering records, with many places in Arizona and California reporting temps of 100+ degrees. Martinez Lake, Arizona reached 110 degrees last Thursday, the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.

Seasons no longer glide serenely along, with one exiting stage left while another enters stage right. It feels, instead, like climate craziness. We brace for whatever weather will happen next, not knowing what that will be.

This seems to mirror the chaos in our country and in our world. We wake up every morning, braced for whatever news has happened overnight, and what the day might bring.

In order to lower my shoulders and unclench my jaw, I open my Bible to hear from God, my true and faithful God.

The book of Psalms has been called the Bible’s songbook – 150 songs sung by our ancestors long, long ago. But they are not ancient, dusty lyrics far removed from our experiences today.

No matter how you are feeling, you can probably find a psalm that expresses that feeling, because these songs spill out all that our human hearts have known. They are not only songs; they are also prayers.

What is amazing to me is that over one-third of these psalms are laments – songs, or prayers, of pain, of grief, of sorrow, or confusion.

Just before the well-loved, peaceful 23rd Psalm, we read Psalm 22, a lament so dark that Jesus cried out its opening words as He hung, dying, on the cross” “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” There has never been a greater pain, a greater crisis than this.

And yet, in Luke 23:46, Jesus’s final words from the cross, He cries out words of trust from Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

When I am in a season of uncertainty and confusion, or at any time when I need to carry what’s on my heart to God, I find myself quoting verses 14 and 15a from that same Psalm:

But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands . . .”

As we step out into this brand new week, we can repeat this prayer of trust in our trustworthy God. And we can also encourage ourselves and others with David’s concluding words from Psalm 31:

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.