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.
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
Engage your mind without losing your heart
Last week, I wrote about your mind system—the part of your spiritual anatomy that engages your intellect. This week we’ll talk about how to engage your mind system without forgoing your heat. You and I are called—along with all Christ followers—to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). This verse is critical to understanding what true mind system nourishment and integration looks like. The key here is the word “transformation,” which is
Your mind and your spiritual health
If you’re like many North Americans, the “mind system” probably feels comfortable and familiar. From the perspective of your spiritual anatomy, the mind system is your ability to think and learn. This system is shaped and molded by many influences as we grow up. Some of these influences are institutional—the schools we attend, the churches in which we worship, the extracurricular activities that we pursue. Other influences are cultural, such as peer pressures and societal
Soul prayer – How does one do soul work?
A couple weeks back, I talked about your “soul system” in the blog post: “Why Are We Drawn to Personality Tests?” To remind you the “soul system” is the part of the spiritual anatomy that represents one’s true identity. As I said then, sometimes, talking about your “soul” can feel very abstract and removed from reality. And there’s a good reason for that. Your soul is a vast ocean. It’s where you commune deeply with
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
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
