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"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5 I want you to write a book. These are the words God spoke to my heart on a woman's retreat in 2009. Up to that point, I had never written anything before. Besides a few poems in high school, I had no idea how to write a book. But in that moment, I knew God was calling me to something greater. I prayed about it, had my husband pray with me, and consulted Scripture. As I sought the Lord, he led me to self-publish my first book in 2011. It is hard to believe that only fourteen years later, I'm about to celebrate my eighteenth book published. I would never have experienced the joy of publishing so many books if I hadn't taken the first step of obedience to write the first book. Overwhelmed, I couldn't rely on my own understanding because I didn't understand what God was doing. But as I abided in the Lord and he guided my words through each chapter, soon I had a whole book waiting to be published. Because I took that one step of obedience, God knew I could be entrusted with other book ideas. In John 14, Jesus declared to his disciples that he was the way the truth, and the life. He understood that once word got out about this claim, it would be considered blasphemy. He knew that soon he would be charged with blasphemy, and because of that charge, beaten, persecuted, and crucified for his words. Jesus had to remain with the Father. With each minute, he had to remain in God, trusting in His promises. He knew that the future held turmoil, pain, and suffering. But Jesus also knew He had to fulfill this purpose. Jesus says these words in John 15 to remind us that we can do nothing apart from the source of life. | 
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