Darlene Marie Wilkinson - Secrets of the Vine for Women: Breaking Through to Abundance

S ECRETS OF THE V INE FOR W OMEN
P UBLISHED BY M ULTNOMAH B OOKS
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Secrets of the Vine is a registered trademark of Random House Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-56454-2

Book and study guide copyright 2003 by Exponential Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are trademarks of Random House Inc.

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up Secrets of the Vine for Women. Im praying that you, along with thousands of others, will remember this little book as a turning point in your life.

A turning point, a pivotal experience, something that leaves you forever changedthats what so many women are looking for today. And I can tell you from personal experience that Jesus words in John 15 are life changing! In this conversation in a vineyard the night before He died, Jesus showed His followers how God would be at work to bring each of them to a truly abundant life.

I invite you to step with me into that vineyard and listen carefully to what Jesus said. And as you read, may you be in awe of your Fathers faithfulness and greatness, because incredible spiritual abundance is His plan today for you, too.

With affection,

Darlene Marie

I have come that they
may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.
J OHN 10:10

The train creaked to a stop. A young woman standing ready at the door gazed out over the rooftop of the railway station to the golden hills of Tuscany. How beautiful it is! she sighed. The bustling cities of the north were behind her now. Finally, she was home.

Descending to the wooden platform, she felt her weariness slip away. Eagerly, she scanned the sea of faces until she saw him. Her father, a tall, bronzed man, was easy to find in a crowd, and she had sought him out many times. When she caught his eye, he rushed toward her, arms outstretched, and wrapped her in an embrace.

Welcome, my beautiful girl! he cried. Ive missed you so much!

It didnt take long to have her bags sent on ahead. As usual, her father wanted to take her on foot out of the village and up the twisting lanes that led to their home. Leaving the station, they walked hand in hand, talking and laughing. He asked about her life in the city. She asked about the approaching harvest. And as they talked and walked, she reveled in the warm sun of an Italian autumn.

At the crest of the hill her eyes fell upon a familiar sceneher fathers vineyard, rolling away in neatly tended rows. She had grown up following her father as he worked up and down those rows. And since childhood shed known that her father was well-respected throughout the region as a champion vinedresser. But at her first view of the vineyard, now heavy with fruit, her breath caught in her throat.

Papa! she exclaimed. Ive never seen such a promising crop! She walked down a row to look more closely. Huge clusters of dark, satiny grapes hung from every branch.

Turning back to her father, she saw the pleasure on his face. You must be very proud, she said. I still remember the wretched state of these plants when we first came here. How diligently you have worked all these years to produce such an incredible yield!

She tucked her arm in his, steering them toward the house. Im so glad to be home to celebrate this harvest with you! she said. This was the most anticipated season in the vineyard, and she didnt want to miss any of it. She could hardly wait.

T he young woman in our story has, for many years, observed the tending of her fathers vineyard. She is well acquainted with all that is required to produce a harvest. And she knows how much a great harvest of prize-winning grapes will mean to her father.

You, on the other hand, may never have walked through a vineyard or even seen grapes hanging from a branch. For that reason, in the chapters to come well revisit our young friend and her father as the grape harvest approaches. I want you to feel the sun, smell the earth, and touch the rough leaves of the grape plant. I want you to celebrate with them as they anticipate a bumper crop.

Why should you think about grapes?

Abundancea life as full as possible of Gods best.

Because the truths I want to explore with you in this little book, based on Jesus teachings in John 15, have a lot to do with grapes and how they grow. The vineyard were interested in is a spiritual picture rather than an actual place. But I promise that the lessons you learn there will be so real to you that they will change your life forever.

I can make such a promise because our teacher is Jesus, and His words are part of His last conversation with His friends on the night before He died. What He said surprised His disciples. Im sure it wasnt what they wanted to hear. But Jesus knew it was what they desperately needed to hear. Otherwise they would never experience the abundant life God had in mind for them.

Abundancea life as full as possible of Gods best. Its the picture God has in mind for us, too. Unfortunately, if we dont understand what God does to bring that wonderful harvest about, we can actually work against His good hand in our lives without ever knowing it.

But then Jesus makes a string of disturbing announcements.

By the time you finish this little book, some important principles of how abundance happens in your life will become clear, and youll learn how to cooperate with your Fathers handfor your greatest fulfillment, and for His glory.

For example, youll discover how He intervenes when sin is holding you back. Youll understand how He responds when your own good intentions are leading you astray. Youll learn, perhaps for the first time, just how much He longs to enjoy intimate fellowship with you, and youll have a clear idea of what you need to do to make that relationship happen. And finally, youll know for certain that you can expect more lasting results from your life than you ever thought possible.