All of us recognize that life is not the way it is suppose to be. That's why we work for justice and compassion; that's why we strive for patience, and kindness; that's why we yearn for freedom and peace; and in many ways, that's why we follow a calling and vocation. The challenge is that we live between Genesis and Revelation. Put other way, we live "between the trees." And as we reach out to grab hold of the life that God has for us, there is a third tree -- the cross -- that life and death of Jesus that empowers us to live life to its fullest. It is our prayer that we would not only reach out for that tree, but that we would embrace it, and allow the tree of the life of Jesus to transform us.