Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.

Wyndham Resorts works hard to get timeshare investors. We are reaping some of their incentives by staying at a very nice resort in the heart of California wine country.

Vino Bella Resort has all the usual amenities you’d expect, plus a beautiful vineyard! We didn’t choose this location because of the vineyards but rather because it wasn’t too far from the coastal highway we are following from the top of California to the bottom. My overall enjoyment of this “layover” has been an unexpected bonus.

As I mentioned in a previous post, our son and daughter-in-law are here with us. Though we have minimal living space in our little studio, we have done very well together. We’ve seen some neat sights and experienced beautiful weather. Unfortunately, tomorrow we head our separate ways.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this stay for me has been the opportunity to walk through a vineyard that is located just steps from our room. I’ve never had the opportunity to look closely at grape vines or to just stroll leisurely through them. I even had the extra blessing of a nice picnic table where I can sit, read and think, or talk to friends and family.

Abide in Me

I’ve always loved how in John, Chapter 15, Jesus describes our relationship with Him as branches attached to a vine. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to look closely at a grapevine, its branches and its fruit. Jesus says …

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." 

In this photo, you can clearly see the vine and the branches. The vine is firmly rooted in the ground and is obviously stronger. The branches are the green offshoots that produce the grapes. If you look closely, you can also see where branches have been completely cut off.

Jesus continues …

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Knowing that He abides in me and I in Him is central to my joy and peace. [Great article.]

While here, I discovered a very cool feature of the Bible App that added to my vineyard mediations — scripture provided in song. If you go to the ESV version in the Bible app, you can choose from two narrators, and one of them is a person singing the scripture. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but it is really good for listening while walking. Listen to this sample I recorded from Dale’s phone (quality not the best) ….

In closing, I’ll share with you a song that I really enjoy called “Abide in Me” by Andrew Marcus.