Gardening

I am not a gardener...and I make no bones about it.  I would love a beautiful garden.  I appreciate beautiful gardens.  But I do not have a green thumb...nothing even close to that shade.  

With that said, gardening fascinates me because the Scriptures make several references to gardening...to farming...to plants...you get the picture.  I don't remember when I did the research for the following but I do know I was inspired to do it after reading, "I am the vine and you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)  Living close to wine vineyards, I understand that a lot of work goes into growing those grapes and getting different tastes for wines (I am not a wine drinker...but the vineyards are beautiful).  I wondered if there could be a correlation between the care of vines and the care that must be taken to ensure that we remain healthy in our connection to our vine.  I researched the "diseases" that can attack the vines and drew some of my own thoughts from that research.  I found it today and thought it made a lot of sense.  So I share it with you here.  All of the information was found at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/ul212.pdf   The inferences at the end of each comes from my thoughts.

Climbing cutworms – invade and do damage in the nighttime…in the darkness …when no one is   paying attention - can only be found by shining a light in the darkness.  SiN  often becomes most prevalent in the dark times of our lives.  We cannot “see” it, so we sometimes ignore its presence.  Only when we shine God’s light on that sin…allow God to expose it in our lives…can we  deal with it.
European red mites – suck the plant juices from the leaves.  Magnification is needed, because these critters are tiny and insidious….they keep coming and coming…tiny attackers that can be lethal.  In the same way we let “tiny” sins invade our life.  We don’t even notice them unless we allow God to magnify their presence so that they can be dealt with.

Grape berry moths – plant their eggs inside the grapes.  Evil grows from inside…and once one grape has been infested, the moths grow to adulthood, break through the skin of one grape and move on to the next grape.  The damaged grapes end up clustered together with a silk web that ties them together.  Timed sprays and visual scouting can help get rid of injured fruit.  In the church, many times evil grows in the heart of one church member…and they do what they can to get folks to “take sides” by presenting their side of the story.  They form their own web that can destroy a church from  the inside out.  The fruit that’s been infested must be removed from the  vine to protect the good fruit.

Grape leafhoppers – suck the plant juices from the leaves.  These critters are interesting...they’re just pests…they don’t really do serious damage.  They could be considered distracters…if the farmer focuses on getting rid of these things, they neglect other more important needs of the plants.  Christians often face “distractions” that do nothing more than move their focus off Christ…where it should always be.

Grape phylloxera – two forms – one feeds on the roots and the other on the underside of the  leaves.  These can cause loss of fruit!  These MUST be treated…but not till  they’ve spread a bit.  Grafting with a hybrid will help to control re-infestation.  Grafting can be a painful process that involves cutting away bad branches and bringing in new, strong branches…see treatment for grape berry moths.
Grape root borers – these bugs attack at the source…the root.  If Jesus is the vine then the root would have to be the Father.  The only thing that has ever interfered with the Father’s plan was satan.  Satan is treacherous and continues to believe he can somehow defeat God’s plan.  Like the borer, he just keeps showing up…even had the gall to show up and “tempt” Jesus, God’s Son. He can be exposed…but he cannot be eliminated (until that day when Christ returns as the Victorious Ruler of Earth and Heaven)

Grapecane gallmakers – these pests like to attack new growth, leaving scars and affecting the ability of the branch to grow and bear fruit.  These nuisances are best removed during the pruning season…when cutting back to make the vine and branches stronger.  Early in our Christian walk we are likely to be attacked in ways that could scar or impede Christian growth.  Those “events” are best pruned away…forgotten and destroyed and left without ability to affect the growth.

Grapecane girdlers – these black weevils aren’t satisfied to damage the branch once…they drill a second hole into the branch and pull the two holes towards each other to destroy the branch.  These are more than nuisance creatures…the damaged part of the branch must be cut away and burned to be sure that the weevils are completely destroyed and unable to attack again.  These are like the restless spirits in church that nitpick and create damage…and must be removed for the church to grow.

Grapevine flea beetles –  again we have a critter that goes for the bud…the new growth. Damage to the bud will result in no fruit.  They must be sprayed profusely (treated with a big dose of Scripture and truth)

Japanese beetles – these bugs feed on the foliage of the branch…and sometimes on the fruit of a new branch.  The Christian who is bearing fruit will feel discouraged if the fruit is lost.  These beetles go for smooth vines with thin leaves…so I’m thinking that the Christian who’s had an easy walk and is showing exceptional fruit is most likely to be attacked in this way.

Leaf plucking around the fruit zone and shoot-thinning and positioning to keep an open cano-py help increase aeration, sunlight, and spray  penetration. By reducing canopy shade and humidity, you can greatly reduce fungal diseases.

Black rot – Berries and pruning discards need to be removed…in the same way that we need to remove temptations from our lives or influences that can infest us and destroy our ability to bear fruit.  We have to let go of events of our past that can distort our present and future.

Botrytis Bunch Rot – When the fruit over-ripens, it can rot on the vine and infect other fruit.  This makes me think of Christians that grow beyond what the Scripture teaches…they take on beliefs that do not line up with what God’s Word says and they supplant God’s Word with material that either diminishes or distorts or just plain ignores God’s Word.  Those who believe “spirituality” is more important than living like Christ would fall into this category.  Those who mix New Age teaching…mid-Eastern religions…any other man-made religious teachings.  Botrytis bunch rot, or gray mold, is a disease that exists in all vineyards.  It is  this disease that will help to usher in the anti-Christ because anything will go.

Downy Mildew – This is an interesting disease.  The “infected” berries are the ones that remain strong and on the vine while the “healthy” berries drop to the ground and become soft.  I thought of “sheep in wolves clothing” as I read about this disease.  There are folks who will call themselves Christian…will do “Christian” deeds…everything about them will help them to blend in with the real thing.  But they will push aside the “real fruit” and cause the real fruit to leave the vine.  False prophets…false teachers…the father of  lies…these all come to mind as I read about the disease.  It’s interesting…the synonyms for “downy” include the following:  silky, soft,velvety, furry, fuzzy, and  fluffy.  The Scriptures teach that in end times folks would want their ears tickled…and we see that in so many ways with  the growth of mega-churches believing in the “name it and claim it gospel”  … “prosperity gospel” … “health and wealth” gospel…New Age teachings…transcendental meditation...reincarnation...karma...or any mixture of teachings that have nothing to do with Scripture.
Phomopsis Cane and Leaf Spot – Another disease that goes after young growth and  reduces yield    and quality of fruit.  As I read about this disease I thought about the seeds that fell on ground but couldn’t take root, so they never have the opportunity  to grow.  Because it attacks only young growth, I thought about our young people who are led to Christ but are unable to continue their growth.  It’s important to remove previous debris…things from the former life…that give room for 

the infestation to grow.

Powdery Mildew – another crop loss disease, this one is another disease that festers inside the plant.  Unforgiveness…guilt…hatred…all of these work like poisons inside the Christian and can eventually produce a loss of relationship if not treated properly.

WEED CONTROL PLANS

v    Variety and maturity help to keep disease from spreading.  We need churches where folks are not all the same…churches that have a mature base and give space for the young fruit to flourish with guidance to avoid choking weeds.

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      Pruning to help with balance.  Too much of anything can be hazardous…too many older folks…too many younger folks…too many fundamentalists…too many progressives…too much tradition…too much “new”.   Balance is “tricky”…but healthy!

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      Get rid of dead, diseased and broken parts!  There’s no room for garbage to stay in place when you’re trying to grow healthy fruit.

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      Keep things clean and fresh (raking and straightening problem areas up will protect healthy growth)

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      Scouting – keep an eye out for any problems that could disturb the balance organization