Daily Photo Parable

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, August 23, 2025

On an after-breakfast walk this past Thursday, Shelley and I noticed the above chalk-art display. Someone — maybe a child or a grownup — gazed at the bare sidewalk panel and said, “Aha! A canvas!” and went to work with pastel tones. The results are eye-catching in a gentle way.

And also disturbing, since the iron maw of the sewer grate yawns just below the colors. One vigorous rainstorm, and all that chalk will wash meekly down the drain, never to be seen again.

Are you looking for beauty which will be permanent? Once place to find it is Heaven, where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Here’s some of what the Bible says about the imperishable loveliness of our heavenly home.

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

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 22, 2025

Last Sabbath during a spare moment, I went into the unoccupied Beginner’s Sabbath school room to do some vocal warmup, and saw the above scene on the flannelboard. Since there’s no Bible story I know of which features a church floating on water, I’m assuming one of the older kids had gotten into the supplies and arranged this display just for fun. The arrangement looks beautiful, thanks to the vivid colors on the flannel.

And the message is heart-stoppingly true. Today’s times are tumultuous, and Christians – individually and corporately – are targets of Satan’s harrassments. Some people wonder whether church really has much meaning today.

But the Bible insists that the church is like an “ark” of safety, under God’s special protection. Notice the white bird (for my purposes a symbol of the Holy Spirit) soaring protectively above? Check out the courage-building verses at the following link:

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

Photo ©2025 by Chelsea Jurgensen
Commentary ©2025 by Russell Jurgensen
Thursday, August 21, 2025

These bees seem to be working intently in this sunflower. They probably don’t know that while they are gathering nectar, they are helping to pollinate the little individual florets that will eventually grow seeds. Every seed needs to be pollinated and there can be around one thousand seeds in an average sunflower depending on the size and variety.

It seems like it takes dedication on the part of the bees to help sunflowers grow.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1

Sometimes to achieve good things it takes peaceful dedication to keep going.

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, August 20, 2025

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my grandkids. Any chance to hang out with them is special, as they don’t live close by. During the visit, as you can see from the images, we made a lot of bubbles. Both of them were more than willing to get their hands “dirty” (technically soapy). At first, they wanted big ones to watch float in the air and eventually pop. Next, they realized they could make piles of bubbles, by blowing directly into the container of soapy water. As seen on each of their faces, they were overjoyed with the creations.

When I was playing alongside them, it struck me how excited they were, even with this simple tub of water and soap. There are times, as adults, we struggle to find joy with simple things. The bigger the better, as the saying goes. As a society, we tend to need new ways to be entertained — the shinier the better. This experience with these two little ones was a great reminder of how I should view the small things in life.

We know God is the ultimate Creator. He creates the big things, as well as the small things. He has created so many things, just for our enjoyment. Think of that for a moment. The God of the universe, chose to provide creations, ultimately to bring us joy. Wow, what a God!

The next time you are in need of a little joy in your life, try blowing bubbles — (grandchildren tested, grandchildren approved)

Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Remember looking in one of your books from childhood and seeing a picture something like this one? The image may not have been the same, but the instructions under it were similar. The question posed was “What’s wrong with this picture?” And you would look carefully to determine what was amiss. Maybe the duck had a dog’s tail, or maybe the table was missing a leg. Or perhaps, try as you might, you weren’t able to discover what was wrong. So, now we repeat the question, what’s wrong with this picture?

The simple answer is that it’s upside down, it’s inverted. Maybe our first clue is that the proportions just don’t seem right. Or maybe you recognize that gravity isn’t working as it’s supposed to. To some it may be appealing; it may have a certain attraction, but that doesn’t mean it is as it should be.

Paul warns us against being misled. “Don’t let yourselves be deceived. Talking about things that are not true is bound to be reflected in practical conduct. Come back to your senses, and don’t dabble in sinful doubts.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 J.B. Phillips New Testament) That sound advice could be applied to many situations besides the one he was specifically addressing. Good advice that may require us looking more carefully.

Photo ©2010 and Commentary 2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, August 18, 2025

I call myself a “Wilderness Photographer,” and most of my photographic emphasis is on grand scale landscapes. But being in the wilderness also brings me face to face with delicate beauty. I like to think that wildflowers still display God’s original creative design and power.

Today’s photo is one of my personal favorites. I captured the image in May of 2010. I still remember my mother saying, “April showers bring May Flowers.”

Locally, bleeding hearts are prolific in the mountains during April and May. On this day, the forest floor was damp from the gentle rain and this plant was alone. My eye was drawn by the brilliant colors and the single blade of grass that framed the blooms. It reminded me of the song we sometimes sing at church, “His Banner over Me is Love.”  It is fitting that the basis for the song is from King Solomon. “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4 KJV).

Please enjoy these bleeding hearts as a symbol of God’s enduring love for us. I hope you find yourself under his banner today.

Photo and Commentary 2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, August 16 and 17, 2025

Not long ago Shelley and I wandered through a favorite antique shop. Near the counter was this impressive wooden case labeled “Higher Power.” I reached out and opened the case.

Always alert for Daily Photo Parable material, I grinned. “Aha,” I thought. “I’ll do a blog on how a lot of what the world claims is ‘higher power’ is empty.”

So I snapped these two photos, and departed the store.

Now, as I’m uploading them and writing this blog, I see what’s written on the slip of white paper within the case. If you’re not able to zoom in your phone enough, I’ll let you know what it says: “Bible case.”

So the joke’s on me. This case was created to carry the only dependable introduction to the true Higher Power, God Himself.

Are you in the regular habit of reading Scripture? To read some of what the Bible says about its value, click the link just below:

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