Napa Valley on Leadership

by Margaret Feinberg

Something about that statement made me bristle. I knew he was talking about the vine, but I couldn’t help but read the comment into my own spiritual life. Though I want fruitfulness and growth, the paradox is that it usually only comes through loss, pain, and adversity. Only by God painfully cutting back certain things in my life, am I able to move forward into all the abundance God has for me. I like bearing more fruit, but I don’t like the pain. Who really does?

The principle of pruning in theory was familiar, but not until that morning in the vineyard did it finally become a pressing desire. I had felt moments of pruning in my past—loss of jobs, relationships, opportunities, and even health—but only in the vineyard did I get a glimpse of the fruitfulness that erupts. The grape bunches that weighed eight to ten pounds came from the vines that had been pruned. The grapes looked like gigantic gifts of life under the green canopy—a portrait of what, deep down inside, I desire in my own life.

Yet pruning is not the only vines’ challenge. Great vines are actually planted in adversity.

When I hear the words “abide in me,” I tend to think of the branch attached to the vine. But have you ever thought about the roots? What is the best possible soil for a vine to thrive in? Interestingly, it isn’t rich, smooth soil, but rocky, stone-filled land.

Though the Napa Valley vintner kept an eye on the soil, he intentionally didn’t remove every rock or hardship of a vine. He left them. Why? Because he wanted to grow rich, flavorful grapes with distinct flavors and character.

In Israel, the vines thrive in soil that has a mixture of silt, stones, and sand. Rocky soils are best for vines because they encourage the roots to dive deep to reach the moisture and nutrients they need to survive.

One of the finest vineyards in France today, Chateau Lafite, is three- fourths gravel. Some vinters even advise planting stones into the soil that is being prepared for vines. Imagine planting rocks to prepare for a fruitful harvest!

It’s a thought-provoking image—the idea that the stones and pruning— whatever form they take in our lives—the brokenness, the pain, the past—are actually the source of what gives a grape its’ character, vigor, and distinct flavor.

One of my dear friends, Amena Brown, has chosen to follow an unusual career path: She’s a spoken word poet. She fuses poetry and her love of God into a rich tapestry of soul-stirring words that challenge, engage, and provoke. Her performances are rare works of worship and beauty.

Amena is the first to admit the journey has been anything but easy. Yet despite the challenges of creating a worshipful artistic expression that far too many are unfamiliar with, she continues to pursue her God-given passion. As a result of the challenges (rather than the successes), her poetry retains a gritty beauty and honesty that’s instantly compelling. The stones in her journey are essential to bringing her where she is today.

As we lead and cultivate culture, we will be planted in some rough places. Those challenges can be discouraging. But they may be the source of what enable us to distinctively flavor the world around us.

LESSON FOUR: AVOID DRUNKENESS

The vintner in Napa Valley spoke openly of the tension he faced in helping to produce something that could so easily be abused or even used to abuse others. He said the temptation existed not only for those who buy wine to drink too much but also those who make it. One of the reasons some people don’t end up pursuing a life-long career in viticulture is because they can’t handle the alcohol and end up becoming an alcoholic.

The abuse of wine is warned against in Scripture and provides some of the most colorful illustrations of foolishness in the Bible. Though vines were most likely found in the Garden of Eden, a vineyard is first mentioned after the flood. Noah, described as a man of the soil, was probably not the founder of viticulture, but he appreciated its fruits. After emerging from the ark, one of his first courses of action is to plant a vineyard. He foolishly drinks the wine until he passes out.

His youngest son, Ham (the father of Canaan), finds him in his tent naked, and rather than cover up his father, he tells his two brothers. Shem and Japheth walk into the tent backward to cover up their father without looking at his nakedness.

When Noah discovers what his youngest son has done (or left undone) he curses Ham’s descendants, Canaan, to be the lowest of slaves. One of the things that’s particularly interesting (and depressing) about this story is that Noah—who has himself felt the grace of God in the covenant to never again curse his descendants with forty days of rain—curses one of his sons (Genesis 9:20-27).

Drunkenness brings out the worst in God’s people. Lot commits incest with his daughters while drunk (Genesis 19:30-38) and the kings Amnon (2 Samuel 13:28) and Ben-hadad (1 Kings 20:16) are killed while drunk. King David tries to get Uriah drunk to cover up the Bathsheba incident (2 Samuel 11:13). Isaiah asserts that leaders who drink too much often compromise justice and morality (Isaiah 5:22). Proverbs warns listeners to stay away from drunkenness and all the foolish delusions and decisions that come with it (Proverbs 23:29-35).

Vintners in Napa Valley must keep an eye on their consumption. As leaders and creators of culture, what must we be wary of over imbibing? What do we consume that encourages us to lose our perspective? Make unhealthy decisions? Act like fools? Take off all our clothes and dance on tables?

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