There was a day in my youth when I stood strong as an oak tree in the Presence of my God, and I said within myself “God has given me much and made me great, and I stand among the trees of the woods stronger than most and taller than most, and I saw that as the wind blew through my branches, that while others – their leaves fell, mine hung on, and I was strong, and I was filled with LIFE.” And I looked at my hands before my God and I said, “God, in me, Thou hast done a good thing.” And my heart rejoiced as I looked around and saw the great Master of the trees coming through the trees of the woods, and He went to this one and that one, and He looked at it, and He said “You are a good tree, and I will dig you, and I will dung you, and I will prune you that you become a better tree.” He said this to many trees, and He did a strange thing, as He went through the forest of trees, He pulled from His side a sharp knife, and He cut the bark of the tree! And I said, “This is not my God, why would my God do this?” He cuts the very heart of the tree, until the life will bleed out of that tree, and I looked down at my leaves and I said, “Something is wrong here,” and I drew myself in and I said, “I hope He comes not near me for I am fearful of what this Husbandman will do.” And surely He walked straight towards me and He took the knife and He cut me to the very heart…and I felt the piercing, and I felt the life begin to flow, and I began to wonder at such a thing. But when I looked at that which He had carved –

I saw it was His name… that He had carved upon that tree, and my heart leaped within me and I said, “Oh God, I stand again – strong and tall in Thy Presence, for Thou hast put upon me Thy name.” And I rejoiced for a season…

And then the winds began to blow, and I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Every time the wind blows, it is a sign that change is coming – be thou prepared for change, for as I have put My name upon thee, so have I also destined thee for change.” Again I said, “I can take it, I am strong, though I have a scar – I am still standing.”

And on a certain day when the wind had blow ferociously, and the fierceness of the elements had come upon me, I heard footsteps behind me and I looked, and there came that same Husbandman, and my heart fell, and I said, “Well He cometh only to Bless me, only to Promote me, only to make me great among the trees of the woods, for I am stronger than most, and I have been cut by the Sword, and I bear His name!” But when He came closer I saw He had not this time a knife, but He had an axe, and I recoiled at the awful thought that He would use that axe on me… But as He walked among the trees of the woods, He looked until He saw one – that was me, and he took the axe, and with great fervor and with great joy, He cut down the tree – and I saw joy on His face, and I said, “This I can’t understand, again I don’t understand why He would take a tree and cut it to the very roots.” But when I fell…

I fell in His Presence.

And He took the axe and He cut me where no man has ever touched me, and He hollowed out the very center of my being, and I wept like I had never wept before, and I begged Him to stay His hand for the pain and the bruising and the hurting was more than I thought I could bear, and I begin to cry, “STAY THY HAND OH GOD, IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT THOU HAS FELLED ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY FRIENDS, IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT THOU HAST WOUNDED ME, IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT WHILE MY FRIENDS ARE STANDING UPRIGHT I MUST LAY LOW – EVEN IF I AM IN THY PRESENCE,” but He just kept on working till He was satisfied, until He had seen the travail of His soul, and then He did a beautiful thing, He picked me up and He put me on His shoulder and together we went out of the forest away from my friends and my heart said, “OH NO, HE DOETH IT TO ME AGAIN, I WILL HAVE NO FRIENDS, I WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM FELLOWSHIP TO WHOM I AM JOINED.”

And the Word of the Lord came unto me, “I want you to come to the Circle of the Earth. For up there where I hold the wind in My fist, where I speak the clouds into their directions, where I cause the snow to fall and the sun to shine, up there on the Circle of the Earth I would speak unto thee son of man, you were not born to be a tree that was taller and greater, nor were you only born to be one who bears the scars of My name, but you were one who was born to be My Possession, and I have come to do with you whatsoever My heart desires, and it is not My desire that you bloom among the trees, it is My desire that you come with me to a high place.” And again He brought me down and I saw myself upon the shoulders of the Husbandman and He crawled over the rocks and He crawled into barren places and up to the mountain and I said, “NOW THIS IS TERRIBLE, THERE IS NOBODY UP HERE, WHAT CAN I DO, OH, WHOA IS ME, I WILL BE ALONE.” And the voice of the Lord said, “Up again to the Circle of the Earth!!” And He said, “Alone, how can you be alone, for I dwell in the high places?”

And when He found a little stream, He laid me gently down, and He put me into that stream, and suddenly that stream became a great River!!

And the Lord spoke again to me and said; “Now I will tell you the parable of the tree.” And He took me to the Circle of the Earth and He said, “Now look down on that tree it is no longer just a hollow log, it is no longer just a tree – it is now a WATERCOURSE through which I will flow onto the barren land.” And I looked and I saw the desert became green and that earth which was parched and dry became green, not because rain had fell from heaven, not because man had planted it, but because one tree had been BROKEN and now the desert began to blossom like a Rose!!!

“You people of the Lord, you have came today and you have said I will dedicate myself unto this ministry, and if you are not willing to be that tree that is cut away, that tree which is cut down, that tree that is hollowed, I say unto you, that you shall never see the day when the nations and the barren places shall be filled with My Glory. But if you will allow Me to do the work of God that is within you, I promise you I will cut My name upon you, I will cause you to be a byword among your brethren, I will cause the very heart of you to bleed until I am satisfied with that which I have done in you, and the day will come when I will take many of you from among your brethren, and I will cut you up and I will send you to the nations of the earth, and you will dance over the nations, and you will sing in the nations, and you will move among the nations, and one will put 10,000 to flight, and the water of God will Spring forth, and the Glory of God will cover the earth, just as the waters cover the sea.”