PODCAST · religion
Daily Picture
by Stephanie Hawkins
On Monday through to Saturday, I link an image to a theme in the Bible, with a podcast lasting about 10 minutes, which I hope brings hope and strength to anyone listening.
Episodes
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How long is a piece of string?
Today I saw a piece of string which brought to mind the British expression 'How much is a piece of string?" to indicate that a timeline is unknown. This further causes me to reflect on the timeline for Jesus's return of which no one knows except God (see Matthew 24:36). However, we have been…
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Barred window overlooking a dark garden
Today I saw a picture of a window with vertical bars overlooking a dark garden. This could represent the unknown which sometimes we are anxious or fearful over. When light comes we realise we needn't have been so. There are many verses in the Bible which tell us that the Spirit of God searches…
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Parrallel lines
Today I saw a picture with parallel lines reminding me that though, as Christians, we may function as a pair in a friendship, relationship, marriage, ministry, at work etc., we are all committed to the Lord in different ways and God understands our different ways. "...The one who eats everything...
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A vacuum
Today I saw a visible white nothingness, a vacuum. I am reminded that a vacuum will suck from what is around it. In Luke 11:24-26, Jesus warns, "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I...
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A pair of tweezers
Today I saw a picture, in my mind's eye, of a pair of tweezers. As we know, the two arms are ineffective without a hand pushing them together and directing them. This reminds me of Ecclesiastes 4:12, in the Old Testament, which tells us that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken, further...
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An obtuse angle
Today I saw a picture of two lines meeting to create a wide obtuse angle. Obtuse originates from the Latin for blunt or dull. This contrasts to the pointed small sharp acute angle. I believe that this picture is to remind us of the need to keep ourselves sharp, focused and prepared with God's…
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A dead log
Today I saw a large dead log, totally disconnected from its stump and roots. However, when there is no life, God can miraculously revive. God creates. In the Old Testament Book of Numbers (chapters 16 and 17), we read of a rebellion against Moses and his brother Aaron, inflamed by a man who was...
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An eraser
Today I saw an image of an eraser, bringing to mind God's assurance that He erases our sins (transgressions, iniquities, wrongdoings) through His son Jesus Christ, if we so choose. Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and remembers your sins no more"....
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A sword-billed hummingbird
Today I saw a sword-billed hummingbird with a beak longer than its body. It has to dig deep into tubular flowers to collect nectar other creatures cannot access. It is highly inefficient and awkward for them to collect pollen from shallow surfaces. I believe that this imagery is to remind us that...
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Properties of gas
I saw a grille or the horizontal and vertical bars of a cage, through which a visible gas was pouring. Gas will extend to as far as is possible. Similarly, the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, is available to us everywhere, with no restrictions. The Holy Spirit is in all creation so, in effect,...
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A lined exercise book
Today I saw lined paper from an exercise book that a child might have to use to practise writing letters. I remember disliking having to write repeated big letters; my instinct was to write small letters. This concurs with educator Maria Montessori's assertion that all children display human...
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Close up of a lion's head
Today, in my mind's eye, I saw a picture of a lion's face. We have looked at Satan being likened to a prowling lion looking for his prey. Satan is sometimes referred to as "the ape of God" because he has no fresh creative ideas or ability to create but, instead, he copies God and tries to lead...
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A large arrow
Today I saw an imaginary image of a large arrow. This has brought to mind an incident recounted in the Old Testament (2 Kings 13:14-19) in which Prophet Elisha advises King Jehoash to shoot an arrow through a window, in the direction of his enemy. In so doing, Elisha puts his hand on the king's,...
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Ineffectual talons/claws
Today I saw a pair of passive talons/claws, seemingly not attached to any body, though potentially scary and dangerous. It has caused me to think of the devil's tactics to scare us into thinking there is no God or if He exists that He is an unjust, unloving and ineffectual God. The devil prowls...
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Temporary versus eternal
The theme recently seems to have been about us missing out, in not accessing what God has for us. Yesterday we were specifically cautioned that we sometimes hold on to what we believe is beautiful and precious when God has something far better for us. Today's message is more on the lines of...
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A blocked white door
Today I saw a white door that couldn't be opened towards me because of some tubs of beautiful flowers blocking the way. However, if opened, there was a far more beautiful expanse of meadow and nature behind that door. I believe that this picture is to remind us that sometimes we hold on to what…
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A bowl of white rice
Today I saw a picture of a small bowl of fluffy white hot steaming rice. Rice can be mixed with so many other foods and eaten in a multitude of countries. There is no verse about rice in the Bible as rice is not grown in dry Israel. However, interestingly a company in Israel has developed a way…
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Abundant living
Today I find myself reflecting again on Jesus's words that he has "come so that they may have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10). This was in the context of him being the Shepherd and we are His sheep. God has so much for us but do we receive it? Think of the power source of an old music...
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Faith drives away fear
Yesterday we reflected on the absence of fear when we really trust in God's love for us individually. Another way of putting it, is that Faith (in God), drives away Fear. Sometimes we can lose sight of the simplicity of God's Words to us, to encourage us to trust Him always. In Mark 11:24 Jesus…
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A scarecrow
Today I envisaged a straw-stuffed scarecrow. Scarecrows can generate a comfortable feeling such as of the amiable character in The Wizard of Oz film or in the English nursery rhyme, "I'm a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat ...". However, in contrast, there is a horror film with a...
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Take time to stand and stare
Today seems to be a sequel to yesterday's audio Devotional in that a friend who had listened to it, told me of a poem called 'Leisure' by William Henry Davies. The first and last lines read, "What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?" The body of the poem provides...
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Victory in Nature
Today I saw a green V embedded in beautiful foliage, bringing to mind the ultimate victory we have in God through nature. The perfect natural beauty of the Garden of Eden was marred after Adam and Eve sinned but within all the death and decay springs hope with the new life, such as decomposed...
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A lily with roots in the sludge of a pond
Yesterday one of the gardeners, on the school farm, had been scattering clumps of dried sludge from a dredged lake nearby. The idea of sludge, and manure, may not seem all that appealing but they do supply nutrients for the earth, from which plants can grow. This provides a good example of beauty...
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A white pebble
Today I saw a beautiful, smooth, white pebble that could be held comfortably in one's hand. Somehow this has brought to mind the tangible aspect of God's Kingdom. To some it may seem to be a fanciful, imaginary kingdom. There are many verses in the Bible which reveal a connection between God's...
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The Wonderful and Loving Father
Today's message is on the fatherhood of God. Many of us are familiar with what is known as Jesus's Parable of the Prodigal Son, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 15:11-31. This is a title given by man to help us identify the parable but actually it could be given any number of names and, for the...
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Invisible thread
Today I was reminded of invisible thread, encouraging me to reflect on God's unseen work in our lives, connecting all our circumstances and other people's lives with us. Apostle Paul reminds us to "...walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7) and there is the much quoted Old Testament...
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What are we thinking?
Today I am thinking about thinking! Neuroscience tells us that our thoughts trigger off responses in our brain's neurons with electrical/chemical processes taking place. If the same thoughts (whether positive or negative) are repeated, a neural pathway is created so it becomes a viscious circle…
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Unique colourful arrays
Today, whilst praying I saw both a flower iris and the iris of the eye. Both have many colours and patterns. In Greek mythology Iris was the personification and messenger of the rainbow, seen as the bridge between heaven and earth. The iris of our eye controls the size of our pupils to let in...
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Giving
Since yesterday's message on offering our lives as a beautiful sacrificial incense, I have been reflecting further on the following verse: "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver."(2 Corinthians…
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Smoke signals
Today I saw smoke signals which involve the use of damp grass or leaves covered and uncovered systematically to give short puffs or long columns of smoke. The signals need to be seen and interpreted before the smoke signals literally disappear into thin air. Smoke signals are still used by…
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International frog sounds!
Today a frog has come to my mind's eye and, in a funny sense, I have thought of the different sounds that different countries attribute to a frog. The English say "ribbit ribbit" and "croak". Meanwhile, I have read of many others, such as French coâ coâ , German quak quak, Japanese kero kero,...
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Marble with veins
Today I saw some white marble with swirling black veins running through it. These veins are impurities of clay, iron oxides, graphites or suchlike, and yet, many of us find this marble beautiful. Similarly, God looks at each of us, His unique creations, as beautiful, with all our impurities. "We...
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Dry to Life
Yesterday, on the Departures Board at a Lisbon bus terminal, passengers which included me, were told that the bus to Fatima would depart on time. It was not in its allotted bay 5 minutes before departure time so that was going to be very unlikely. Then the Board even said we were embarking which...
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Blankets
Today I saw a picture of a blanket being used for two purposes - to cover the ground for a picnic and as a cover when sleeping in a bed. This reminds me that God's Word both protects and comforts, amongst other benefits. The Bible is an amazing instruction manual to mankind from its creator.…
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Successful root canal treatment
Today I had to go to the dentist for a constant niggling tooth pain. An xray revealed the need for root canal treatment and the dentist reckoned he could release some of the pain but that I would still need to see a specialist endodontist to complete the treatment. I sat in the dental chair and...
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Inner beauty
Today I saw an image of a simple black dress with absolutely no frills or adornments. Then a lady put it on, exuding genuine love and smiles. Instantly, the image was transformed to one of beauty and it was nothing to do with the dress. In the New Testament we are counselled to concentrate on our...
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A bigger handful
I heard two little anecdotes yesteday, encouraging us to not limit God and to trust Him to equip us for whatever he asks of us. I will recount one here. Little Jack went to do an errand for his mother at the local village shop. The lady serving there told Little Jack that as he was such a good...
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A white petrol/gasoline container
Today I saw a picture, in my mind's eye, of a white petrol/gasoline container. I felt that this was in direct contrast to the inflammation of gossip, as mentioned in last Saturday's devotional, which we are directed not to do. Instead we are to fan into flame our passion for the Holy Spirit and…
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A bucket of gasoline/petrol and a bucket of water
First thing this morning I read an inspiring imagery which I would love to share as today's Daily Picture. It was of two buckets, one filled with gasoline/petrol and the other with water. These represented the two choices we have when we hear gossip, whether true or not. If we really know how…
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Our prayers are heard
Today I saw a picture of millions of light rays extending down from God to everyone on earth - in the sense of over all time. Meanwhile our prayers are going up to Him as light. From my experience, non believers are often happy to accept the offer of prayer when they are in a seemingly negative...
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Jehovah Jireh
Today I reflect on one of God's names - Jehovah Jireh, which means Provider. It derives from an original Hebrew word, 'to see, to look, to behold'. God sees in advance what we need and paves the way for our provision - bountifully, as we learnt yesterday. We do not need to scurry around looking…
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A big clean white dustbin
Today I saw a clean white dustbin suspended in heaven! It has made me think on the fact that nothing is wasted in God's Kingdom; everything is used for a good purpose. In the Gospel of John 6, we read of the feeding of the 5,000 people who came to listen to Jesus preach on the mountainside. He...
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White or black?
This might be difficult to write accurately and succinctly but here goes! I couldn't see what colour a flower was as it was rotating quickly, so appeared as white. This leads me to contemplate on the fact that when coloured lights are shone together they become increasingly white. This is…
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Perspective
As a teacher, I have been required to return to school today to prepare for the children's start of term next week. I have had a full Summer break of beautiful weather and yesterday it started to break and today, back at school, we had rain all morning. I realise that this comparison really...
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lord, Lord, LORD
In ancient times, the names used in the Bible were not only a form of singling out a person and identifying them; they also represented the character, nature, power and authority of the person concerned. Though we say 'Hallowed be thy name' in the Lord's Prayer, because of God's Majesty and...
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God going ahead of us, Jesus with us and the Holy Spirit in us.
Yesterday I had a 15 minute interview at an Immigration office in Northern Central Portugal. I had been waiting 18 months to be given this appointment and it took 6 hours by public transport, door to door, to get there. Waiting can sometimes seem to take so long as compared to the event waited…
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Bride and Bridegroom
Yesterday we looked at different nuances of words in the world and today I remind ourselves that as well as some cultural, historical and translation issues to consider in the Bible, there are also deeper mysteries. In the Bible, God is referred to as our husband, such as "Your maker is your...
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Cachorro
This morning whilst praying I thought of the Portuguese word 'cachorro' which in Portugal refers to a young dog/puppy but in Brazil, where they speak a form of Portuguese which has evolved differently over time from mainland Portugal, with differences in grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary…
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A lintel
Today I saw the top left hand corner of a door frame so, basically, part of the horizontal top beam or lintel. In the Old Testament book of Exodus 12: 7 and 12, we read God's instruction to the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt at the time. The context is that, on God's instruction, guidance…
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An active sling shot
On Saturday we reflected on "waiting on the Lord" which, in the original Hebrew, means to have forward leaning tension, eager anticipation and confident hope, which I likened to an elastic band ready for action. Well, today I extended that to the sling shot which the very young David, at the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
On Monday through to Saturday, I link an image to a theme in the Bible, with a podcast lasting about 10 minutes, which I hope brings hope and strength to anyone listening.
HOSTED BY
Stephanie Hawkins
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Daily Picture have?
Daily Picture currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Daily Picture about?
On Monday through to Saturday, I link an image to a theme in the Bible, with a podcast lasting about 10 minutes, which I hope brings hope and strength to anyone listening.
How often does Daily Picture release new episodes?
Daily Picture releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Daily Picture?
You can listen to Daily Picture on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Daily Picture?
Daily Picture is created and hosted by Stephanie Hawkins.
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