Hello everyone, I hope you are having a good week thus far. Today we are discussing the first three chapters in the new book by Mrs. Beth Moore, “Chasing Vines.” For those who haven’t had a chance yet to read it, be aware there will be spoilers. Okay, so go and grab a friend, your favorite drink, and let’s dive into today’s book discussion!

Intro: The story behind the book

In the intro we find out the book was inspired by a trip Mrs. Beth took with her two daughters to Italy – the Tuscany area to be exact – and the fascination with grapes and vines began to take root in her heart. I won’t go into depth with this, but basically I enjoyed how she takes the scripture from Matthew about the vine and the branches and makes it practical.

Part One – The Vineyard

 “The Lord God planted a garden.” – Gen 2:8

Chapter 1: Plant

In this chapter Mrs. Beth uses the theological side of her brain and go way back to when God created the earth and made humans from the dirt in the ground. She makes mention of how God enjoys seeing things grow and how he must be enamored with dirt. I particularly enjoyed when she talked about longing for continuity and a semblance for purpose. One part stuck out to me and I had to get my little yellow highlighter to make it stand out. She said, “We feel like we’re not even important enough to be forgotten, because we were never known in the first place.” Woah! I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life where I felt like this! She then discusses how her husband Keith, her, and her in-laws decided to move out of the city and into the country and the experience she gained from growing her own food. What was your favorite part? Think about it as you finish the article and then in the comments below let me know what you thought.

Chapter 2: Place

In this chapter Mrs Beth discusses what it feels like to belong and mark your place in this world. She jokes about how she even has had people tell her in life to find and stay in her place and she would say, “I would, if I simply knew where that was!” I know I have felt like this many times. I always say I tend to go to the beat of my own drum, and have always felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Mrs. Beth states, “Maybe nothing is more normal that feeling a bit abnormal. Maybe feeling comfortable in our own skin means coming to the realization that we weren’t created to feel particularly comfortable in this skin.” She goes on to write, “True belonging is found only in the sovereign palm of God.” This made me think about how many times I have jumped outside of his palm and into a mess of my own making because I wanted to feel normal and a sense of belonging. That got me thinking, what areas of our lives have we compromised because we sought the approval of creation instead of the approval of our creator?

Chapter 3: Grapes

I love grapes! Probably not as much as someone like my mother – in – law, but i love the taste, the way I can just pop them into my mouth when i am getting a craving, and depending on how ripe they are, the texture. Apparently this wasn’t the same for Mrs. Beth growing up. In the beginning of the chapter she discusses how she hated everything about grapes, so it seems ironic she would write a book about it. This chapter discusses how she came to find them slightly more appealing, and of ‘course discusses the various uses of grapes in the Bible. Most people older than 35 tend to remember the movie, “Grapes of Wrath,” I have only heard of it, that’s it. However, she discusses how the movie showed a correlation of grapes being a representation for God’s wrath. She discusses how even though there are some negative connotations to the fruit, Jesus sheds a new light on them in the gospels as a way to stay connected to Him as He is connected to the Father, and by doing so we will have a more productive life. I found this chapter to be interesting, overall just okay, but I did enjoy when she said, “Your fruit will outlast your life.” Meaning of course what you bear fruit to doesn’t just affect you, but the generations that follow thereafter. What fruit am I bearing today that will impact the world tomorrow? Am I bearing more rotten fruit or sweeter ones? Some good “food” for thought, don’t you think? Let me know how you liked the first three chapters in the comments below. As always, make sure you subscribe to the blog so you can get notifications when I write on here, don’t forget to share the site with your friends, and I will chat with you later!

Blessings,

~Angie~