“but 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" (John 4:14).

I don’t know about your area, but here in central Pennsylvania, it’s been a hot and dry summer. My yard is beginning to turn brown. When I walk my dog in my neighborhood, I notice my neighbors’ yards are in no better shape. They all have patches of brown spots. Grass is not growing well; all that is growing well is weeds, especially crabgrass. However, I did notice an exception. One neighbor’s yard a few houses down my street somehow still looks green and lush as it did in spring. I admired it and wondered what the secret behind it was. There is such a thing as the neighbor’s front yard envy!

Aha, I discovered the secret this morning!

I got up early to drop off my son at the church for his summer missions trip to West Virginia. As I drove past my neighbor’s perfect yard, to my surprise, for the first time I saw a sprinkler system watering his yard under the cover of the dark before the dawning of another summer day!

No wonder his yard shows such vitality in sharp contrast of signs of dryness all over our neighborhood. That prompted me to ask myself: Is my life showing signs of vitality or signs of dryness?

As Christians, challenges in life and ministry can likewise threaten to discourage us, beat us down, or even defeat us. Do we have a secret source by which we can still live a life of vitality?

Yes, that secret source is found in God. “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

May God so bless us that we may live an abundant life, full of joy and vitality to the envy of the world around us!

-- Daniel Su, COM President