Life Lessons in the Vineyard

It's that season, again. The time when we go into the vineyard and cut out the old to make way for the new. It's always a strange sort of time for me. Not only do we connect individually with each of our 1200 vines, but we cut away much of what it took each vine an entire year to grow. The first time we trimmed, it felt scary. Would the vine come back? Would we cut it the right way? All that runs through your mind and more.

And every year, that bit about vines in John 15 comes bouncing into my brain. "I am the vine, you are the branches.... apart from me, you can do nothing!" (it doesn't hurt that it was also my confirmation verse!) So I think, here go the branches from last year... or at least most of them.. all that is left is 8-10 buds on only about 4 branches. The vine does it all... and each year the branches regrow.. some as much as 20-30 feet!!! It's pretty amazing that they even grow, and then they produce 30-40 lbs of grapes per vine! It's mind blowing, really! And I think about God's "pruning" in my life.. showing me what's essential and needful, and what is not. (I told you, it gets deep!)

A dear friend of ours lost his wife to leukemia this week. Lost is a bad word... the disease appeared to have won.. but she really did the winning. He's hurting right now... feeling very alone and lost... but he's giving witness to others and even though this is probably the worst "pruning" he's ever undergone; we can see his faith in what God has in mind for his life shining through. We know more growth is coming, and we absolutely know his wife is even now alive and rejoicing in the fruits of her faith with her Savior. What a marvelous thing that is! Pain with gain... weird and wonderful!

Every year, every moment, there's new lessons to be learned. The power is all in the connection to the vine!


Ed at work.

Vines before the trimming.

Each one, tended carefully....

Vines after the trimming

Walking the vineyard at dusk.
Keep growing, friends!