In our scripture this morning  there is an intriguing suggestion that if we put our trust in ourselves  we just might miss relief when it comes Is it true? Can we turn our lives towards the wasteland simply by paying attention to the wrong things? Baptism is the entry into a covenant community in which we work together to pay attention to God and God's grace in our lives -- to learn to live as a tree planted by a stream  that is strong and well-grounded and resistant to the challenges of drought and winter