<\/p>\n

The leisurely days of flip flops, sunshine and seashores are fading into memory like a disappearing sunset. Hopefully you enjoyed a glorious summer.<\/p>\n

A summer highlight for my family occurred on July 12 in my hometown located on Lake Michigan. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Can you say a culture-defying milestone?! It was a deeply moving and memorable celebration in every way.<\/p>\n

One of my great joys was to create a commemorative video to show at the party. The resulting 30-minute tribute depicts my parents\u2019 love story as well as their love of God, family, friends, fun times and long-standing traditions. After his first viewing, my Dad made an observation that still has me thinking. He said, \u201cWater is a definite theme throughout the entire video.\u201d<\/em> Absolutely. True. In fact, having the same realization early on – I included this favorite piece in the video in an attempt to explain the magnetic power of water:<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on the water fulfills a hardwired need to connect with nature that cannot be satisfied by ordinary life in an advanced nation. We \u2018go to sea\u2019 to forge a connection with the wild and we seek to share that elemental connection with family and friends, thus renewing and strengthening the bonds between us.\u201d<\/em> – Unknown<\/p>\n

Flying back to Atlanta, I wondered: Does everyone have this \u201chard-wired need\u201d<\/em>? Or is it only forged in the souls of people who grew up on the water like my parents did\u2026.like I did? These questions were tucked inside my mind when, weeks later, a big light bulb went off for me. I was reading Psalm 23 while hanging out with God one morning. It\u2019s as if God illuminated this very familiar passage for the very first time:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lord is my shepherd\u2026.He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.\u201d<\/em> Psalm 23: 1-2<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it! My soul is restored at the water\u2019s edge which explains its alluring nature. But this realization led to more questions. Why? How? So I went back to \u201cthe beginning\u201d – curious to recall what day water was created.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning\u2026the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.\u201d<\/em> Genesis 1:1<\/p>\n

Eureka! Even before God gave form to the universe and filled the earth – water existed. God is the \u201csame yesterday and today and forever.\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 13:8) which means He still hovers over the waters. This explains why I\u2019ve always felt God\u2019s presence most profoundly at the water\u2019s edge. This explains why the sun-scorched areas of my heart are soothed at the ocean\u2019s shore and the dehydrated areas of my life are quenched. God\u2019s \u201csuper\u201d flows out and hovers over the \u201cnatural\u201d and SUPERNATURAL RENEWAL is the result. There is power in His presence.<\/p>\n

As we bid farewell to summer, let not your heart be troubled. You don\u2019t have to wait until next summer to pull up a chair at the water\u2019s edge. There is a way to get rehydrated all year long. You can pull up a chair any time during the year and drink of the Living Water. That\u2019s what Jesus promised:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you knew the gift of God you would have asked Him and He would have given you Living Water. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 John 4: 10, 14<\/p>\n

Jesus is always ready to fill you up and replenish your soul. Ask Him to pour into you. Saturate your soul in His presence and His Word. Soak in the Living Water. It\u2019s the best kind of refreshment. It\u2019s the best kind of unbelievable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

J-Crew @ Lake MI the night before the big soir\u00e9e
\nJuly 11, 2014
\nMom\u2019s wedding dress circa 1964.
\nDad\u2019s cummerbund and bow tie circa 2014.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n