Tis the Season ...

... To be Pruning!  Yup, it's that time of year, to get out the clippers and start hacking at the apple tree.  I had put an "Event" on my google-calendar last year to prune the apple tree in mid-February but that weekend's weather was extremely uncooperative and it never got done.  But this weekend has been quite a bit better and so my dear wife reminded me of this horticultural maintenance project.  Here are the official "Before & After" pictures:

I was very nervous at first.  Several years ago a bunch of "Rose of Sharon" trees died as a result of my lack of pruning skills.  So I checked some web-sites, read some articles and watched a few videos, but once you are standing there, pruners in hand, those first few cuts are a bit un-nerving.  What if I murder another tree?  I know how I messed up before, it was the wrong time of year to prune.  Late winter is the right time.  If you prune in the fall the tree will naturally try to replace the cuttings with new growth and basically suck the life out of itself, and die.

This same principle applies to Christians. All of us need some pruning in order to be fruitful, yet the timing has to be right.  An unskilled pastor may just start cutting away at a new convert expecting them to respond excitedly about the opportunity for growth without any concern as to the season that they are in.  That's right, I've made that mistake before.  It has to do more with the timing, not just with cutting, that makes all the difference in the fruitfulness of the plant and the child of God.  


Chuck