It's time for me to confess one of my primary goals for this whole wine and theology project. I want to cast an alternative reality. Here is how I go about spreading my vision. I take people to places of great beauty (like the one at Coeur de Terre Vineyard in the photo above) and then I have them taste exquisite wines made from the grapes of that estate. The message is clear. Creation is beautiful, and this perceivable beauty is a symbol of how much God loves you. I have my work cut out for me. There are many other visions of reality out there, and we have a tendency to buy into them without even thinking about it.
One of the prevalent visions comes from watching the evening news. There you will see a frightening vision of the world--it is violent, and there are not enough resources to go around. The message is one of fear. All this despite the fact that violent crime statistics were down again in 2011 for the fifth straight year. We live in a much safer and less dangerous world than we did 40 years ago, but you would never know it from watching TV.
Another competing vision comes from people of faith. Many of them focus almost solely on God's judgement and the right belief which is required to keep us on good terms with God. The older I get the less I care about a correct set of beliefs, and the
more I concentrate on God's loving initiative towards all people. That's right ALL people.
I have been greatly influenced by where I live. The Willamette Valley is so beautiful, and the vineyards that surround the valley amplify that beauty to me. I don't know how you can visit one and not be struck by the beauty of God's creation. The valley is also amazingly fertile. God has blessed us abundantly. It is everywhere to see.
So I continue to use people like Jacques at Coeur de Terre to spread my alternative life view. We were up at the vineyard with the young woman who is staying with us this school year along with her parents. Jacques has an amazing knowledge of wine. He is the new tasting room manager and had only been on the job for three days when we visited. He already knows more about the winery and the wines than I do after hanging out for significant amounts of time for several years!
Let me introduce you to my world view. I think you would find it a great experience.
