Hello ,

A parable:

From bright to black!

From ON to OFF!

From fully alive to completely dead!

I was moving along, writing a blog article, hunting and pecking at my usual quick rate of speed when everything on my computer screen went blank.

Just like that...GONE!

I wondered what the problem was. I thought about it for quite some time...and made my first attempt at a solution:

I tried harder. I positioned my hands over the keyboard (my typing skills have always been horrific). Perhaps if I could just work on my form...hmmm. Arch the hands, pay attention, don't try to move to fast. Execution? Not perfect, but certainly better than I HAD been doing. My typing teacher would have been proud.

Nothing!

I stepped back, re-evaluated the situation for a moment, and made my second attempt at finding a solution:

I started thinking more positively. Ever since I was young I've been a victim of "stinkin' thinkin'" in the most debilitating sense of the word.

This had to change!

I pulled out a couple of positive mental attitude books and began to read. I saw a couple of quotes that made sense and decided to try and employ them.

Let's see now; "Your attitude determines your altitude." Yeah...I just HAD to start really putting that mantra to work in my life. I checked my attitude. I felt pretty good.

Nothing!

Hmmm. Time for another quote: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve." That's a good one. I believed with all my might.

Zip! Nada! Not happening! 

The computer was still blank, and I had work to do.

This was getting serious!

Then it hit me. It was like a bolt out of the blue. 

Why hadn't I thought about it before?

I looked down at the floor and saw the adapter plug lying beside my chair...just waiting to be connected. I picked it up and quickly stuck it into the electrical socket nearby.

I pushed the "Power" button on my computer and it came to life, booted all the programs I needed to use, and brought up my home screen.

From black to bright!

From OFF to ON!

From completely dead, to fully alive!

It had been so obvious, and I had totally missed it, but being connected to the power source was the answer that I had been looking for all along.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  John 15:5

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word