It's a beautiful Indian summer day here in Pittsburgh.  I've made a huge list of "things to do" and after devotions, eating breakfast and talking with my mom, I headed out for yet another "power walk!"  I just love breathing in this fresh air and since the predicted weather for this Friday is rainy and cool again, I'm trying to make the most of each and every minute of sunshine.

So, here I go....walking as quickly a pace as these short little legs will carry me!  Unlike yesterday afternoon, the newly fallen yellow and red leaves are beginning to change into a darker hue....I can see brown where the vibrant yellow used to be.  I was simply amazed at how quickly this transformation has taken place.  Then the Holy Spirit whispered a verse of scripture, "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:5 (NIV)  Wow....then the session on teaching the meaning began....

It was as if the Holy Spirit showed me visually how my spiritual life becomes.  I can be in the Word of God, go to a retreat, hear an enlightening sermon and I am like those vibrant colored leaves.  Even when I leave the source of the blessing, I maintain my vibrance...for a while.  If I don't stay "connected" I will become the color of the world....I'm a regular brown, mixed in with all the others.  Nothing stands out about me....I can be blown by the wind to the side of the trail or sometimes gathered up and put in a bonfire and destroyed.  However, God would have me be among the masses and used for His glory.  Just as some leaves are gathered together and put in a compost pile, we can be the "food" for someone else to be nourished and grow. 

I want to stay immersed in God's Word and the life He has for me.  I want to be a standout Christian and even if my color changes, just like my age, I pray that I will continue to be used to nourish and feed others the Living Water...Jesus Christ.  Have a good one, my friends and God bless!