The Apprenticeship Way with Marc Alan Schelske Marc Alan Schelske

Episode 054 - Knowing the Past to Make a Better Future (With Sarah Sanderson)







Do you know the hidden history of the place where you live? If we want to be part of God’s work of bringing restoration and liberation, we can’t ignore what’s happened in the past. Telling this truth is the only way to get to healing.















Show Notes









Get Sarah's book:



The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate















Other Books Mentioned:



Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair by Duke Kwon & Greg Thompson







The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby







Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore















Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partner







Sarah L. Sanderson is a writer, speaker, and teacher. Her writing has appeared in PBS Newshour, Blackpast, Christianity Today, and various other journals. She’s a thoughtful human, a justice-minded Christian, and a skilled writer.









Find Sarah at www.SarahLSanderson.com







Threads: @sarahlsandersonwriter







Facebook: sarah.sanderson







Instagram: @sarahlsandersonwriter









Today's Sponsor









The Apprenticehip Notes Newsletter - Monthly-ish writing just for you on spiritual growth in the other-centered, co-suffering way of Jesus.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske 0:00Do you know the hidden history of the place where you live? If we want to be part of God's work to bring restoration and liberation, we can't ignore what's happened in the past, as much as we'd like to. Telling this truth is the only way to get to healing. Hey, friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske, and this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 54. Knowing the past to make a better future.







THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR







Before we start, I'd like to tell you about Apprenticeship Notes. Apprenticeship Notes is my new email newsletter. What is this? Why should you subscribe? Why on earth would you want one more newsletter in your inbox? I'm glad you asked. Social media has just stopped working well for many people. Our social media feeds used to be spaces where we had some control. We could choose to follow people who are interesting to us. We could connect with friends, we could learn from the experience and wisdom of other people. For well more than 10 years, my social media feeds, particularly Twitter, were a significant benefit to me, especially as a writer.







But nowadays, in most cases our social media feeds are filled with ads, sponsored posts that are ads but don't look like ads, and influencers trying to sell us on their latest master course. And even when we find and follow the people we want to hear more from, the black-box algorithms determine whether or not we get to see what they have to say. And usually what the algorithm shows us is just stuff that gets us ramped up. That means more anger, more division. It's a mess.







I've been slowly transitioning away from using social media as the main avenue for communicating about my writing. It's really scary. I can't even express to you how big of a change this is.

Episode 053 - What if the Bible isn't perfect? (With Zach Hunt)







There are many debates and disagreements within Christianity. Behind most of these, you’ll find one very significant issue. How we read the Bible. The way we read the Bible and what we believe about how the Bible came to be directly gets at what we believe about God. Can Christianity work if the Bible isn't perfect?















Show Notes









Get Zach's books:



Godbreathed: What it Really Means for the Bible to Be Divinely Inspired







Unraptured: How End Times Theology Gets It Wrong























Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partner







Zack Hunt has spent the last decade writing about the interplay of faith and politics in the public sphere on his eponymous blog, Substack, and Patheos as well as contributing articles to multiple publications. He’s also made appearances in Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and various other media outlets.









Find Zack at www.TheWayIsTheWay.org







Threads: @zaackhunt







Facebook: @zlhunt







Instagram: @zaackhunt









Today's Sponsor









Journaling for Spiritual Growth - Six weeks to build a habit that fosters spiritual and emotional maturity. This little book is a generous and hospitable guide to establishing a sustainable spiritual practice. Try it now.









More from Marc









Get The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer and Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World - This little book is free for you by opting into my email list.







Discovering your Authentic Core Values: A Step-by-step Guide







Subscribe to my Email List. You'll get a free copy of a little book called The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer & Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske 0:00Hey friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske, and this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 53. What if the Bible isn't perfect?







TODAY'S SPONSOR







Today's podcast is made possible by Journaling for Spiritual Growth. This is my new book. It launched in November of 2022, so it's just a few months old, but it's already finding its people. And that is so exciting to me, especially since this is a book with a pretty small target audience. I heard from one woman who grew up in the church, and her comment after reading Journaling For Spiritual Growth was how relieved she felt. For her, this little book helped her to untangle her picture of God and find a healthy way to pursue spiritual growth. I teared up, listening to her.







Here's an Amazon review that just moved me. "I wish this book had been around when I was at the start of my deconstructing process and trying to form a new connection to my last shred of spiritual practice with the Bible. After reading this book, I can tell you it is something special. I found this book clear, focused, and transparent in its intentions. It became my friend in a way as I explored the prompts. It makes room for one's personal story and experience. Give it a try. I hope it gracefully surprises you as it did me." As an author, I could not ask for higher praise than that.

Episode 052 - Childlike Faith vs. Childish Faith (With Pastor Mandy Smith)







Often the church seems in a panic to avoid the influence of culture, but what if the church is already fully bought into the assumptions of culture? Western culture assumes that strength, leadership, and being right are the way of success. Does the way of Jesus calls us to something different?.















Show Notes









Get Mandy's books:



The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower our Ministry







Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith beyond the Baggage of Western Culture











Mandy's Website: www.TheWayIsTheWay.org











Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partners







Mandy Smith is a pastor, author, and speaker. She pastors St. Lucia Uniting Church, in St. Lucia, in Queensland, Australia. She's a regular contributor to Christianity Today and Missio Alliance.









Find Mandy at www.TheWayIsTheWay.org







Twitter: @MandySmithHopes







Facebook: Mandy Smith









Today's Sponsor









The Untangled Heart Course - We don’t need to live with fear that our emotions will overwhelm us. We can learn to experience them in a way that allows us access to the wisdom they carry!









More from Marc









Get The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer and Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World - This little book is free for you by opting into my email list.







Discovering your Authentic Core Values: A Step-by-step Guide







Subscribe to my Email List. You'll get a free copy of a little book called The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer & Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske 0:00Hey friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske, and this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 52. Childlike faith is better than childish faith.







TODAY'S SPONSOR







Marc Schelske 0:18Today's podcast is made possible by the Untangled Workshop. Some of us don't do too well with emotions, ours, other peoples'. It doesn't matter. For some of us, they're confusing. For some of us, they're overwhelming. For some of us, it feels like we live at the whim of emotions that are explosively beyond our control. Others of us can't seem to feel anything at all, even when it seems like we should.







For most of my life, emotions were a deep struggle for me. I had no idea how much my early childhood trauma had shaped the way I experienced my emotions. I just knew that my emotions, other people's emotions, anyone's emotions made me uncomfortable. Things are much better for me now, but I remember what that ache was like. And that's why I teamed up with a skilled trauma therapist, Byron Kehler, to create The Untangled Workshop, a roadmap for understanding and navigating our emotions.







We filmed this training live, and then created an on-demand video course that you can watch on your own time and review as needed. In this workshop, you'll learn why we often disconnect from our emotions, how our emotions serve a vital role in living a fulfilled life, and what's happening in our brain and body when we feel an emotion. In addition, we'll teach you a simple to understand roadmap for how to...

Episode 051 - Faith when you don't Feel Faithful (With Ben Stenke & Matt Tebbe)







The life of a follower of Jesus is not about assent to an idea, or rigorous attention to a life of religious activity. Matt Tebbe says, "There aren't two things: faith and action. There's just one thing: Faithful Action." We discuss.















Show Notes









Get the book: Having the Mind of Christ







Gravity Leadership's Excellent Podcast: The Gravity Leadership Podcast







Gravity Cohorts: https://gravityleadership.com/academy/











Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partners







Ben Sternke is an Anglican priest, author, and leadership trainer. He's one of the co-founders of Gravity Leadership and pastors at The Table Indy, in Indianapolis, Indiana.









Find Jonathan at www.GravityLeadership.com







Twitter: @bensternke







Facebook: Ben Sternke









Matt Tebbe is also an Anglican priest, author, and leadership trainer. He's the other co-founder of Gravity Leadership and pastors at The Table Indy, in Indianapolis, Indiana.









Find Matt at www.GravityLeadership.com







Twitter: Matt Tebbe







Facebook: Matt Tebbe









Today's Sponsor









Journaling for Spiritual Growth - Yes! My new book is out and in pre-order mode. Head over and check it out and maybe order a copy or three.









More from Marc









Get The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer and Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World - This little book is free for you by opting into my email list.







Untangled Heart Course Online.







Discovering your Authentic Core Values: A Step-by-step Guide







Subscribe to my Email List. You'll get a free copy of a little book called The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer & Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske 0:00Hey friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske, and this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 51: "Faith when you don't feel faithful."







TODAY'S SPONSOR







Today's podcast is made possible by Journaling for Spiritual Growth. This is my new book. It launched in November of 2022. So it's just a few months old, but it's already finding its people. And that is really exciting to me, especially since I knew going into it that this book had a pretty small target audience.







A few weeks ago, I was talking to a woman who read the book and had grown up in the church, and her comment after reading Journaling for Spiritual Growth was how relieved she felt. For her, this little book helped her untangle her picture of God, and find a healthier way to pursue spiritual growth. I teared up, listening to her.







Here's an Amazon review I want to share with you this really moved me: "I wish this book had been around when I was at the start of my deconstruction process, trying to form a new connection to my last shred of spiritual practice with the Bible. After reading this book, I can tell you it is something special. I found the book clear, focused, and transparent in all its intentions. It became my friend in a way as I explored the pr...

Episode 050 - Letting God Change Our Minds —or, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Devotional (With Jonathan Puddle)







What do you do with an opportunity that comes your way that isn't right for you? That happened for Jonathan Puddle, and he turned into something beautiful.















Show Notes









Jonathan's new devotional: Mornings With God: Daily Bible Devotional for Men







Jonathan's first devotional: You are Enough: Learning to Love Yourself the Way God Loves You











Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partner







Kevin Makins is a writer, speaker, and maker of things, who is also just a regular pastor, serving at Eucharist Church, in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.









Find Jonathan at www.jonathanpuddle.com







Twitter: @jonathanpuddle







Instagram: @jonathanpuddle







Facebook: Jonathan Puddle









Today's Sponsor









Journaling for Spiritual Growth - Yes! My new book is out and in pre-order mode. Head over and check it out and maybe order a copy or three.









More from Marc









Get The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer and Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World - This little book is free for you by opting in to my email list.







Untangled Heart Course Online.







Discovering your Authentic Core Values: A Step-by-step Guide







Subscribe to my Email List. You'll get a free copy of a little book called The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer & Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske  0:00  







So are we willing to let God change our minds? Hey, friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske, And this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 50. When God changes our minds, or maybe a better title: A weird thing happened on the way to the devotional book. You'll see what I mean.







TODAY’S SPONSOR







Today's podcast is made possible by Journaling For Spiritual Growth. Yes, finally! My new book has at long last made it through all of the hurdles of writing and editorial and revision and design and all that stuff. Pre-orders are live right now. And on November 15, it will be available to you. I'm so excited about this.







Now, if you follow me online, or you're a regular podcast listener, you already know I'm a big advocate for practical, doable, intentional practices that contribute to personal and spiritual growth. And that's what this is about. Journaling has been a part of my spiritual practice for about 30 years now. And working with lots of people as a pastor, and in other capacities, for more than two decades, I've seen that for many people, journaling is the most consistently transformative practice. But I've also seen a lot of people try journaling and then give up. A lot more are intimidated about starting. It feels like a really big deal.







So, I wanted to offer an easy-to-follow process that can help a person start a flexible, gracious, sustainable journaling practice that can serve over the long haul. That's what this little book is about. It's a day-by-day guide that will, over the course of six weeks, help you set your expectations, lay the groundwork,

Episode 049 - Church, Stop Acting Like a Hot Topic—or, Building a Church People Actually Want To Go To (With Kevin Makins)







Why would anyone bother to go to church? I don't mean why would Christians bother. I mean, if someone outside of the church was thinking about getting involved, why would they? What might it look like to build a church that people attend because it's meaningful to them, not out of obligation or habit? What would a church look like that was truly loved by its neighborhood?















Show Notes









The Nones: Where they came from, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going, by Ryan Borge







Article: OK, Millennial. Don't Blame Boomers for the Decline of Religion in America, by Ryan Borge







Kevin's Book: Why Would Anyone Go to Church?



















Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.







You can also watch and share the video version on Youtube.

















More about My Conversation Partner







Kevin Makins is a writer, speaker, and maker of things, who is also just a regular pastor, serving at Eucharist Church, in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.









Find Kevin at www.KevinMakins.com







Learn more about his church: https://eucharistchurch.ca/







See Kevin's short films about being human and his 60-min one-man show, "Holy Shift."







Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinmakins







Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinmakins/







Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinmakinsstuff









Today's Sponsor









My Summer Inflation Sale - I am trying to raise some funds this summer to make up for a shortfall in income. If you've been thinking about buying anything I make, now is a great time! These sale prices will be active through August 1st.









More from Marc









Get The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer and Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World - This little book is free for you by opting in to my email list.







Untangled Heart Course Online.







Discovering your Authentic Core Values: A Step-by-step Guide







Subscribe to my Email List. You'll get a free copy of a little book called The Anchor Prayer: A Prayer & Process for Remaining Grounded in a Chaotic World.

















Transcription







Marc Schelske  0:00  







Hey friends, I'm Marc Alan Schelske and this is The Apprenticeship Way, A podcast about spiritual growth following the way of Jesus. This is episode 49. Church stop acting like a hot topic! Or maybe a better title is "Building a church people actually want to go to."







TODAY’S SPONSOR







Today's podcast is made possible by My Summer Inflation Sale. You heard me! Life has gotten expensive, hasn't it? Gas, groceries, it's all a bit much. Now, Christina, my wife, is a teacher. And so the normal gig is that our family is without a second paycheck for a couple of months every summer. In past years, we've budgeted to cover that. But this year, the dramatic increase in prices of essential things has just outpaced our budget. So I'm looking for some extra income. So if you've ever thought about buying something I make, now is an excellent time. So what could you get? Any and all of my books, my online courses, and of course for some people, there's the work that I do to support writers.