At this season

of the year, I say to myself, "It's Miller time." That is to

say, it's time to head over to Harold and Sarah Miller's muscadine and

scuppernong vineyard. No other fruit satisfies the palate in the fall

like our wonderful southern grapes. A football game with UGA winning and

a bowl of sweet, luscious scuppernongs is just about good as it gets this

side of heaven.

Mr. Miller,

chief vineyard keeper, is full of wisdom which he provides free of charge

as he sells his delicious grapes. Any pastor would do himself well just

Miller's wisdom. He's got some pretty sharp perspectives on the church

scene. I, for one, always go away encouraged by his vineyard wisdom.

Well, I thought

it would be good stuff to ask Mr. Miller what it takes to produce those

sweet, scrumptious orbs of delight. In recent years Dr. Bruce Wilkinson

wrote a highly popular book called The Secrets of the Vine, taking

off on Jesus' words in the Gospel of John concerning a vineyard, the vine,

the branches, and the vinekeeper. Remember Jesus said, "I am the

vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, the same

brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing" (John

15:5).

Rather than

detailing what Wilkinson thinks (he's a Bible scholar not a grape grower),

the following are Mr. Miller's fab five top secrets to a great grape crop.

Now, today I am going to leave it to you and your own expositional skills

to give spiritual flavor to the five secrets of a great grapes. I know

you are capable of seeing the inferences and possibly coming up with some

that I have not even thought about.

Big secret

Number Five: Make sure you select the right location for your vineyard,

Mr. Miller says. He pointed out that the world famous vineyards of France

and Italy are located on land that slopes. Although grapes need moisture,

too much is just too much. Oh, the temptation is too great at this point.

I just have to inject a word of application: have you ever known anyone

who had too much of the Spirit rained on them. It seems as if they are

so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.

Big Secret

Number Four: Mr. Miller says it's strategically important to run the plants

north and south in order to get broad sun. The matter of "running"

a plant is totally up to the vinekeeper. You can make a plant run in any

direction, but "they need full sun."

Big Secret

Number Three: To get good grapes, you need good plants. "It takes

four or five years to find out what you have. The leaves all look alike,"

Mr. Miller observed. You have to make sure you know for sure you have

good plants because it will be proven out only years later.

Big Secret

Number Two: Before planting your vines, dig a deeper hole deeper than

advised. "When you dig deeper, the flavor is better," Mr. Miller

said. "The water will drain through rather than hovering around the

root."

Big Secret

Number One: The proof is in the harvest. "You've got to have a harvest

if God cooperates and if mother nature cooperates." Mr. Miller noted,

however, "Sometimes it doesn't happen. You have to do the best with

what God gives you." So after all is dug and pruned, I suppose Mr.

Miller would agree that a good crop depends a lot upon God. Indeed, it's

all about God. Not you and not me.

I appreciate

Mr. Miller's wisdom and willingness to share his secrets. I've got two

plants two years old. This year I counted 25 grapes. Maybe next year I

can have 250, now that I've got a secret or two.

John

Hatcher is pastor of

Outreach International

Center

1091 South Jeff Davis

Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia

30215

770-719-0303

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