Reader, 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 inviting us to constantly pay attention to the...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, 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 scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and...
21 days ago • 3 min read
Reader, 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 created us for. If you (like me) grew up in the church, you probably remember being...
28 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, 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) or flameout (which corrupts), tapping...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Reader, 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 compromise, and total collapse, The Grind reels you...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Reader, I've written a few times this year about a villain I call "The Smothering Grind of Life." As I said last week: 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 their congregations stop growing or their...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, "We need to talk." My stomach sank at those words. I'd just collapsed on the couch and flicked on the TV. The work day had been long; the dinner / bedtime routine even longer. Any mental energy I had to "talk" was long gone, used up by reading Goodnight Moon three times in a row. With an exasperated sigh, I paused my show and turned to look at my wife. She met my gaze with quiet determination. "We can't keep doing this." "We can't keep doing what?" I responded with more edge than I...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, In the past two weeks, I've covered some pretty big ideas: Each of us has a spiritual anatomy that's made up of four parts Our calling is to integrate these parts However, as finite human beings, we tend to live from one or two of these parts most of the time Learning how to live as an integrated person is hard. SO HARD. It's honestly a lifelong pursuit, and there are plenty of times when I revert to my default dominant parts. But when I'm able to interrupt that impulse and...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Reader, Last week, I introduced you to the four parts of our spiritual anatomy and suggested this: What spiritual maturity looks like – what it means to be a holistically-formed follower of Christ – is working to make sure that each of these parts is connected and functioning properly. I often find it helpful to define these parts by personifying them. Your heart is the part of you that's a Loving Companion Your soul is the part of you that's a Visionary Guide Your mind is the part of you...
2 months ago • 2 min read