This past week I've been converting my upstairs office into a nursery. That means hauling every piece of furniture downstairs to the basement, then turning around and hauling a different set of boxes and furniture back up. At one point I was carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other, a bag looped over my wrist, and my car keys pinched between two fingers — convinced I could squeeze in one more trip. My wife offered to take one. I said, "I've got it." Three steps later,

I like to think I'm pretty good with directions, but sometimes I need to use the map on my phone. Typically it does a good job of getting me to my destination on time, although once in a while it decides to tell me my next turn is RIGHT NOW and by that point it's too late. I've passed it. The destination hadn't changed. My phone's lackadaisical approach to giving me directions hadn't cancelled the trip. I just added a few miles. We tend to treat our spiritual wrong turns diff

"Can you hear me now?" Even with today's technology, we still lose signal — and our spiritual lives work the same way. In John 15, Jesus calls Himself the vine and us the branches. A branch doesn't generate its own life; it receives it. Apart from Him, we produce nothing. But when we remain in Christ, our desires align with His and the Father is glorified through our fruit. Staying connected looks ordinary: reading His Word, praying honestly, trusting Him today. Can you hear