Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)

Do you remember that little book, The Prayer of Jabez… big hit amongst the Christian pop-culture a year or two ago? It was written by a guy named Bruce Wilkinson. Now, I do not do things that are wildly popular, simply because they are wildly popular. I stay away from fads, and other strange “follow-the-herd” type phenomena. That’s something weird that is in me, but it’s definitely in me. SO, I have not, and most likely will not, read that book – The Prayer of Jabez. Perhaps in the distant future… but not now.

(On a footnote… the above reasoning is the same reason that I did not wear acid-washed jeans or roll up or safety-pin up the pants legs of said jeans for those of you who grew up in the 80s… and the same reason I have not seen the Passion Of The Christ, or The Lord Of The Rings or The Matrix… and there are many more examples (just ask Jen…) 🙂 but for now… you get the point.)

But, that said… I actually have TWO Bruce Wilkinson books in my possesion (albeit temporarily as they are on loan from the library…) And the first bit of the first one has been really cool.

I have (current read) Secrets of The Vine and The Dream Giver. Dream Giver has been highly recommended by several friends. (NOT highly recommended by the Christian marketing machinery) Secrets of The Vine deals with what Jesus said in John 15, which has always been a very cool chunk of Jesus-words for me. (We named Alex after what Jesus said there. His middle name is Caedon, which is a gaelicized form of the Spanish word Quedar – “to remain”)

Coolest line so far:

He quotes John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser… you are the branches”

“If you didn’t grow up in wine country, you might think that the vine is a long, trailing limb that sprawls along the trellis. Actually, it’s the trunk of the plant that grows out of the ground. … The vine ends in a large gnarl from which branches grow in either direction along the trellis.

In the vineyard the branches (us) are the focus of the vinedresser’s (the Father’s) efforts because they produce the fruit. The vinedresser lovingly cultivates each branch so that it will produce as much fruit as possible.

I thought that was a neat look at a familar passage. I know that imagery… told you it’s one of my favorite that Jesus gave us. But it’s cool to see how much God wants abundance in our life. Really. Not abundance of wealth and prosperity necessarily. But Kingdom fruit.

Cool, eh?

So, let the Vine-Guy do his work today and check out the fruit he coaxes out of you! 🙂