Many people want to feel emotionally and spiritually well, but aren’t always sure how to get there. The Plumline blog offers practical guidance that will help you get unstuck, find rest, and experience peace.
The Grind’s first destination: burnout
I’ve written a few times this year about a villain I call “The Smothering Grind of Life.” The Grind shows up in many different shapes and sizes. It’s the pressure businessmen feel to work late, avoid using personal days, and constantly monitor their emails while on vacation. It’s the guilt that moms feel when their kids don’t make the travel ball team or deliver a 4.3 GPA. It’s the fear that ministry leaders feel when
The 4 parts of our spiritual anatomy
“We have been designed by God to live, love, and lead with uniquely designed parts.” Instinctively, we know this is true. However, a lot of teaching on this topic – teaching that often centers on the concept of “calling” – leads us into confusion. We’re told that we need to search and pray that God makes our calling clear to us, as if our true identity is somewhere out there. Jesus didn’t talk that way.
What does “spiritual anatomy” mean?
If you’re new to Plumline, you might be wondering what we mean when we talk about your “spiritual anatomy.” That’s a fair question! Last we checked, biology textbooks don’t make any mention of it. In those high school science classes, we learned that our bodies are made of systems: each of us has a respiratory system, and a circulatory system, and a skeletal system, etc. Working together, these systems keep us alive and keep us
Where do relationships go wrong?
As human beings, we naturally hunger for strong, healthy relationships. We’re made to be with other people, which is why it hurts so much when relationships go wrong. You’ve asked why this happens, so Dr. Jake recorded this video to shed some light and tell you how you can strengthen your relationships. In it he explains: If you want to keep your relationships from going wrong, we invite you to check out our online HEART
Codependency is NOT caring
From an outside view, codependency can look like loving, caring behavior. But in this video, Dr. Jake explains how it’s anything but. Watch to learn:
How strong are you?
Before you start to sweat, don’t worry. I’m not asking you to flex your biceps or show me how much you can bench press. I want to talk with you about your strength system. Spiritually speaking, your strength system is your ability to embody and express the beliefs that you hold dear. These beliefs could be theological beliefs and philosophies. They could also be reflected in your mindset and self-discipline. People who live primarily out
The soil of a divided heart
For the last few weeks, we’ve been exploring the Parable of the Sower, sitting with the question, “What kind of soil is in my heart right now?” As I’ve said before, this parable is not primarily describing the reasons unbelievers refuse to hear the Gospel. Rather, in this little story Jesus is inviting us to a life of constantly paying attention to our own hearts. The truth is that sometimes our hearts are hard and
The soil of a shallow heart
What kind of soil is in your heart right now? That’s the question driving my current series on the Parable of the Sower. Many Christians — myself included — were taught that this parable is all about unbelievers. In this understanding the different types of soils describe the different reasons unbelievers cannot truly hear or receive the Gospel. But as I’ve explained, that’s actually not what Jesus is trying to teach us here. Rather, he’s
The soil of a hard heart
If you (like me) grew up in the church, you’re probably familiar with the Parable of the Sower: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were
What type of soil is in your heart right now?
Sometimes when I ask people how they are doing, they respond by saying, “I’m crushing it.” They are not wrong. Driven forward by The Smothering Grind, they are crushing the life out of their lives. I’ve written about how The Grind pushes us into burnout, flame out, and tapping out. Now it’s time to talk about how to silence his villainous lies so we can become who we truly are and live the lives God
The Grind wants you to tap out
Over the past two weeks, I’ve described some of the ways The Smothering Grind of Life kills our joy and sabotages our lives. We looked at burnout, that state of mental, physical, and spiritual exhaustion. Then we looked at flameout, which happens when dissatisfaction with our lives drives us to sabotage ourselves. This week, it’s time to look at the most insidious of all The Grind’s intentions for you: tapping out. Unlike burnout (which drains)
The Grind wants you to flame out
Last week, I wrote about how The Smothering Grind of Life drives us into burnout – a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. But here’s the sobering truth: The Grind is not content with simply exhausting us. While it loves to render you useless with burnout, it wants to destroy everything you’ve built and the things which matter to you the most. The Grind wants you to flame out. Pushing you toward self-sabotage, moral
