It’s spring time in Oklahoma! How do I know it’s springtime? A late March blizzard followed by a 70* day. Well, before the blizzard hit Duncan I decided (not checking the extended forecast) to clean up my yard. I mowed the weeds that overran my grass, trimmed my overgrown hedges, and even ran my weed eater… my least favorite activity. Then it was time to start my backyard…

The pruning of the church is a necessary practice to keep the church healthy. What do I mean by pruning? Church discipline. Why do we discipline? Because we care about the church enough that we see the pain of pruning as a step in growing. We discipline because we care about our members enough that we want to see them individually grow, not just attend and then grow dry. Discipline is the practice of the church in lovingly standing with its members, dealing with sin, and caring more for the holiness of God than the comfort of others. So the question is, do we ignore the mess, allow weed to dominate the tree, or do we prune so that we might grow in to the strong and healthy tree that God has called us to?