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Here’s what I think: There are two ways you can live. You can live by accident or by intention. That’s it. When it comes to your choices, you’re either reacting or acting.

In one way of life, you are letting the forces of your own story, your relationships, your discomfort, and culture push you downstream, toward some end you did not choose. In another, you’re setting out with an intention and organizing your life around it. You’re putting your canoe in the water and paddling towards a destination.

Things may not go as you planned; they often don’t. But you still have an intention about who you are becoming and where you are headed. This is true in your relationships, in your finances, in your parenting.  It’s also true in your spiritual life.  It’s also why I’m writing.

I want to help you discover how you can experience spiritual vitality, as someone who is learning how to cultivate a healthy inner life, following the way of Jesus.  Is that something that intrigues you?

Whose writing all this stuff?

My name is Marc Alan Schelske. Much more about me & my story here.  My goal is to help you discover and experience a more vibrant life where you experience a connection with God and make a good and beautiful difference in the world.

Who am I writing for?

This is the question of tribe. Who is it that I’m serving when I write?  When I write, I imagine you:

  • You are ready to grow personally and spiritually.  
  • You want your faith and spiritual journey to make a tangible difference made in your life and the world around you.
  • You may be frustrated that commonly taught Christian practices seem to have made very little difference in your life. You believe (or maybe, hope) that there is a different way.  You may even be a recovering fundamentalist like I am.
  • You are an intelligent, independent-minded thinker, skeptical of over-simplified black-and-white thinking.  You love input from wide and varying sources, especially when it connects the dots between spirituality, the Bible, and every-day living.
  • You are not looking for an expert or authority, but a partner and coach who offer support, encouragement, and manageable teaching to nurture a more intentional spiritual life.

On the other hand, if you’re a KJV-Only Christian, who holds to patriarchal headship theology, expects pastors to be perfect paragons of holiness, focuses on who the church should keep out, thinks there should be a US flag on the platform of your church, or if you struggle hearing theological perspectives different from yours without the deep need to correct them–you may find my writing troublesome. And it may bother you that I just won’t argue with you. Life’s too short. 

Word Art by Marc Alan Schelske. Photo Credit: Matt MacGillivray

What is my focus?

I fight against disconnected, mundane, and ineffective living.  I fight against the oppressive religion that crushes the spirit, obscures the life-giving way of Jesus, and justifies the oppression and exclusion of others. I fight against boredom, excuses, and settling for less than being everything God made us to be.

I believe that we were created by God to make a difference in this world. How do we do this? By living out the image of God within us, bringing good and beautiful things to life in the world. By practicing intentional spiritual living, we find our own way of creating and a sense of purpose. When we do this we discover that a “relationship with God” isn’t code for having said a certain prayer, attended church and read the Bible. It is, in fact, a real relationship that we can experience.

In this relationship, we discover that the way of Jesus speaks to all of life, not just the “religious” side. The old categories of Sacred and Secular were wrong. All of life is spiritual, and God’s purpose for each of us is that we would mature in the image of Christ in every aspect of life. This means growing spiritually, emotionally, interpersonally, intellectually is the sign of a deeply engaged and healthy life. In fact, that’s spiritual vitality.

Opportunities For You

In order to serve you, I’m presently offering 4 opportunities:

  • THIS BLOG – This website is my “home base.”  Everything else that I do will show up here, so if you want to pay attention to only one thing, this is it. I try to post something new 1-2 times a month.
  • THE PODCAST – Once or twice a month, I publish a podcast called The Apprenticeship Way, with short, focused, and relevant spiritual growth teaching and relevant discussions. This is available as an audio podcast in all the normal podcast places, as well as a video podcast on Youtube.
  • ONLINE COURSES – I am continually developing curriculum that will be helpful in your spiritual growth. You can see the current available courses here.
  • EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION – I email about once a month, with links to stuff I’ve written and other things I think might be of help to you.  Sometimes I’ll have special insider discussions and opportunities for you. No spam, and I’ll never sell your info.
  • SOCIAL MEDIA – I’m active on social media, sharing what I’ve written, and other things I think will be helpful to you. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Talk back.  Share what you hear and what resonates.  Tell me what works for you and what doesn’t.  I want to hear from you.  More than that, I want to help you have a more engaged and impactful life.

On the adventure!