"Is your method working?" Does this question sound too general? Let me be more specific.
Take a moment to answer the following questions:


* If you asked the people closest to you whether you listen well while they talk, what would they say?
* Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Do you wake up in a dazed state?
* How do you use the first 15 minutes of your morning?
* What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep at night?
* When was the last time you read and meditated on the Bible?
* On average, how many hours a week do you devote to your hobbies?
* Do you find yourself forgetting simple things like paying bills or responding to emails?
* Are you bad at keeping promises?
* How many text messages do you have that you haven't read or responded to?
* (If you are a parent) Do you know the names of the teachers who teach your children?
* Are you more easily irritated and angry with people than before? If you're not sure, ask those around you.
If you get annoyed because people don't respond quickly or you don't like their answers, the answer is obvious.
* Do you spend more time on social media or praying?
* When was the last time you asked someone for help?
* Have you gained some weight?
* How many times have you exercised in the last 7 days?
* Have you experienced worsening back pain, headaches, or indigestion?
* How many times have you responded to the idea of ​​living a life doing what you love by saying you were too busy to make time?
* How many times a month do you volunteer or seek out service work?
* When was the last time you read a book? (Except this one, since I just started reading it.)
Anyway, it was a really good thing that I started reading this book)
* Are you finding yourself wanting to be alone more and more often?
* Do you feel like people don't recognize your contributions and efforts?
* Where do you go or what do you do to relieve stress and pressure?
* Rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how burdensome and annoying these questions are.
--- p.21-23

The problem with most of us is that whenever our methods don't work, we redouble our efforts in production.
Our instinct is to start working harder to produce results.
The equation that seems most reasonable is 'more effort = more production'.
When this strategy doesn't work, we become discouraged, frustrated, anxious, and easily exhausted.
Jesus wants all his disciples, including you and me, to never forget that everything begins with connection.
Connection, not production, is key.
Abiding in Jesus takes priority over achieving desired goals.
--- p.134

In fact, after spending a full day with a vineyard owner, the definition of “airo” became clearer.
I asked him how he cared for the branches.
By listening to him and, more importantly, observing his actions, I gained a clearer image of God as a farmer.
The farmer looks at the branches that are 'on the vine but bear no fruit.'
This branch is withered and wilts, covered with weeds and dirt all around it.
But as long as you're stuck on the tree, there's hope.
So what does the farmer do next? He carefully lifts the withered, drooping branch and clears it of dirt and weeds.
Then, shake off the dirt from the branches and tie them well with other branches so that they can survive.
The farmer's goal is to "prune" the withered branches, weaving them together tightly so that fruit can grow.

When our ways fail and we become covered with dirt and weeds, there is someone who lifts us up with a gracious heart and gentle hands.
I, who was once a withered branch, am infinitely grateful to God for this.
God saw me covered in dirt and weeds, lifted me up with His gracious hands, and shook off the dust of the world.
Then He placed me in a place where I could grow and experience life again.
--- p.168-169

God does not prune us to make us more successful by worldly standards.
"God, is that why you took this job away from me? You're giving me another job with a much higher salary?" While this scenario is certainly possible, it's a complete mistake to think that God works according to worldly definitions of fruit.
When God prunes, he has clear fruit in mind.
Those fruits are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

God prunes us for our ultimate good.
What is ultimately good for us, what is truly good, does not necessarily look or feel 'good' in this world.
What is truly good for us is to live in an intimate relationship with God, the source of all good things.
A few verses later in John 15, Jesus says that God also prunes us for His glory.
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples” (v. 8).

--- p.186-187

Sometimes it's hard to accept others on a particular issue not because they have different opinions from us, but because they themselves are the problem.
They are not just different, they are really weird.
I think there are many branches that look down on other branches and just want to stay attached to the vine.
Like any family, any community has its share of oddballs and tedious people.
Let me tell you something that everyone admits to.
There are strange people even within the church.
Of course, that's not the case for most people.
In a church with 1,000 people, about 5 percent, or about 50 people, would be weird people.
Does that seem like too many? If any readers are thinking, "I haven't seen a single weirdo in our church," I'm sorry to say this... ...but chances are, you're the weirdo! After all, most of these people were weird even before they became Christians.
I used to try to help these people be less weird, but at some point I started to accept their weirdness for what it is.
Because that's what family does.
--- p.209-210

As disciples of Jesus, we face a difficult reality.
Becoming a disciple of Jesus is the first and most important step toward a restored life, free from the corrupted world and the evil desires of the flesh.
The problem is that we must wait patiently and faithfully in a troubled world until we experience complete recovery.
Much of the Christian life is spent learning how to wait well.
It's not that if you wait, the waves of life might come, but they will definitely come.
--- p.223

Many people seem to think of God this way.
God is said to be enjoying our suffering from far away in the sky while clicking TikTok.
Psalm 34:18 reveals God's character.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It is God’s will that there is suffering in our lives.
It is important to remember that this is not evidence of non-existence.
Where there is suffering, God is closer to us.
God sometimes causes great waves of life to rise up to connect us more deeply with Him.
In suffering, we discover God's presence more clearly than ever before and connect with Him more deeply and fully.

--- p.227

In farming, manure is an effective fertilizer that promotes health and growth.
Manure may not smell very pleasant, but it is used to produce more fruit.
When the moment of fertilization comes in life, our instinct will be to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Jesus repeatedly told his disciples to abide in him until the end, but when we are surrounded by manure, the thing we least want to do is wait in him for growth.
To become a healthy branch that bears good fruit, you must know how to wait for the fertilizer to fully soak into the soil and do its job.
We must believe that God, the farmer, has given us something that is inconvenient at the moment in order to promote growth.
I'm probably not the only one who gets impatient in front of manure.
When something difficult happens, I want to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

--- p.228

Another common fake vine is the 'na vine'.
After trying to connect with various false vines, we realize that no one can provide us with the strength and nourishment we desperately need.
So now I decide to trust only myself.
From then on, I began to obsess over self-help and personal growth.
Focus on exercise, nutrition, and self-care.
Of course, these are good things too.
But if you place your hopes on yourself, you are bound to be disappointed.
--- p.239

Before attaching the cut branches to the vine, the farmer removes all unnecessary things such as twigs, shoots, and leaves attached to the sticks.
They leave behind just one stick and then use a very special technique to attach that stick to the vine.
First, dig a hole in the grapevine.
The vine is wounded so that the stick can be reconnected.
Do you know what this technique is called? Bleeding.

The farmer grafts sticks into the grooves of the vines where the sap flows out.
The vine literally sheds its blood to make way for mere sticks to become true branches.
As time passes, the nutrients in the vine are absorbed by the dead branches, allowing them to bear fruit again.
For those readers who haven't noticed yet, Jesus was nailed, torn, and bled so that the dead stick could become a living branch and bear good fruit.
Jesus, the true vine, provided a way of salvation for the stick that had been cut down and seemed useless, a stick with no hope of ever becoming a branch again.
Jesus' death on the cross is the only way to complete true connection.

--- p.250