Our son, Daniel, is a certified arborist and loves all things trees. This series of pictures is from a Hackberry in the front yard of our new house in Richardson. It was pretty mangy looking when we moved in, with a lot of dead branches, a terrible shape, and not much health. Last winter, Daniel gave it a severe pruning. I was not at all sure it would come back to life this spring--sometimes pruning looks and feels like too much loss. But, it turns out it was just what this tree needed to surge forth with new life. Where in your life are you being pruned? Where are you experiencing a surge of new life that has come from releasing what is no longer needed or healthy? Where is God in the process?  In John, Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower…Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit…Abide in me as I abide in you." No matter where we are in the pruning and new growth process, we can trust that Christ is always with us, urging us toward growth and new life.

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