I've regularly been experiencing the quick transition from drought to flood in my personal spiritual life, and I've noticed the very effects mentioned in this chapter - no prolonged nourishment. This season of life has been marked by inconsistency (my wife recently returned to work after having our first child; I'm doing school from 6 hours away from home while completing my second year at a new ministry position; our son starting to walk and talk and do new things everyday - so not bad things but challenging ones), and the result has been a deep longing for the stable influence of God's presence and Word. I'm desperate for it, but daily circumstances keep me dry. This is the drought that I've been in, and along the way I've found time and space to enjoy rich time with the Lord, but it hasn't been sustained. The flood comes in, but doesn't pool. It's here and then gone. I long for pooled water, and I wonder if the flock I'm leading is in the same position. They are college students, who are running from activity to activity, constantly experiencing new things and facing new challenges. I long for them to have a lingering encounter with God that mimics the pools of water that shepherds and sheep look for. I'm encouraged to keep looking and spending my energy seeking those places and times for me, my family, and these students. We can't survive any other way, because "from drought to flood" is no way to live.