{"id":6858,"date":"2012-11-07T12:08:47","date_gmt":"2012-11-07T12:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6858"},"modified":"2012-11-07T12:44:50","modified_gmt":"2012-11-07T12:44:50","slug":"the-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6858","title":{"rendered":"The Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While in Monument Valley Sunday I saw this tree, ( a Pinyon Pine), in the deep sand. \u00a0I wondered how in such a dry land, \u00a0in such harsh conditions this tree could survive!!?? \u00a0The summers are blazing hot, the winters can be brutally cold, there is not a lot of rain and the soil is mostly sand!! \u00a0Yet this sturdy tree is thriving in the harshest conceivable environment? \u00a0I’m told that this tree has deep roots that reach out under the soil in search of all the moisture it can find. \u00a0The tree has a thick strong bark that protects it from the conditions it must endure. \u00a0Somehow it survives and has for many, many years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If we hope to survive in a hostile and difficult environment, as this world, we must learn from this successful survivor! \u00a0We must reach out and develop a root system that reaches to God for life giving water. Without God’ sustaining love we can never hope to survive those conditions that would destroy us. \u00a0We must fortify our protective covering which is our constant reliance on Him. \u00a0He has already defeated the powers of this world, and He is the only thing that can keep us safe in such a harsh environment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lastly, no matter how severe the storm, the heat, the cold, and the onslaught of this world, we must keep our eyes on Him, trust Him, and know He always has a plan that goes far beyond our understanding.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Psalm 23<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n

A psalm of David.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>The\u00a0Lord\u00a0is my shepherd;<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I have all that I need.<\/strong><\/span>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>He lets me rest in green meadows;<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0he leads me beside peaceful streams.<\/strong><\/span>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He renews my strength.<\/strong><\/span>
\nHe guides me along right paths,<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0bringing honor to his name.<\/strong><\/span>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>Even when I walk<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0through the darkest valley,[a<\/span><\/a>]<\/sup><\/strong><\/span>
\nI will not be afraid,<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0for you are close beside me.<\/strong><\/span>
\nYour rod and your staff<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0protect and comfort me.<\/strong><\/span>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>You prepare a feast for me<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in the presence of my enemies.<\/strong><\/span>
\nYou honor me by anointing my head with oil.<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My cup overflows with blessings.<\/strong><\/span>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0all the days of my life,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>and I will live in the house of the\u00a0Lord<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0forever.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Live in the house of the Lord today!! \u00a0Feel his protection, His love, His kindness, and His sustaining presents! \u00a0Dig your roots deep into Him, and find the refreshment and life sustaining water of His spirit. Know that He is protecting you, and sheltering you, so that you can not just survive but reach out your branches in praise of Him and in service to others. \u00a0Bring His hope to the lost and wandering pilgrims of this world. \u00a0Like the Pinyon Pine, may we thrive in even the harshest environment, and contribute to the world around us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

and I will remember;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup>Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0all the days of my life.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Him,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the pilgrim<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  While in Monument Valley Sunday I saw this tree, ( a Pinyon Pine), in the deep sand. \u00a0I wondered how in such a dry land, \u00a0in such harsh conditions this tree could survive!!?? \u00a0The summers are blazing hot, the winters can be brutally cold, there is not a lot of rain and the soil […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronicles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6858"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6863,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6858\/revisions\/6863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}