iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Want to connect with God? Your purity and piety aren't the key. Your Purity & Piety Will Get You Nowhere (TAW043) bit.ly/4rEWOv0

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The kind of Christianity that promises no suffering is false. Your suffering is sacred. Wisdom from KJ Ramsey. Your Suffering is Sacred (TAW044) bit.ly/4dH1BGE

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It might be good for your spirituality to practice being wrong. Talking with Rev. Matt Tebbe. Let's Normalize Being Wrong (TAW045) bit.ly/4hsTrma

001

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Deconstruction doesn't have to be devastating. Rethinking your beliefs can be a beautiful thing. Chatting about this with Dr. Bradley Jersak. A More Beautiful Deconstruction (TAW046) bit.ly/4ycfXHv

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Much of modern Christian discipleship leads to very shallow spiritual formation. It doesn't have to be this way. Chatting with Rich Vellodus. Don't Choose Shallow Formation (TAW047) bit.ly/4ylOTFd

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Did you miss this one? How Would Jesus Spend? (TAW063) bit.ly/4iBWvP4

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

You can't follow Jesus without having empathy for those around you. Wisdom from Becky Castle Miller. Empathy Is Not A Sin. (TAW048) bit.ly/3SNJPdE

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

The clearest indicator of your conversion is how you handle your wallet. How Would Jesus Spend? (TAW063) bit.ly/4iBWvP4

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We're invited to have childlike faith -- but don't confuse this with childish faith. A chat with Pastor Mandy Smith. Childlike Faith vs. Childish Faith. (TAW052) bit.ly/45RrdMJ

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The clearest indicator of your conversion is how you handle your wallet. How Would Jesus Spend? (TAW063) bit.ly/4iBWvP4

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Hello all. I’m needing to trim my social media time. So I’m not going to be posting here. If you want to read more of my reflections about life and the other-centered, co-suffering way of Jesus, find my daily posts on Threads or join my monthly-ish newsletter at www.MarcOptIn.com. Thanks!

marcoptin.com

Newsletter Opt-In

Join Marc Alan Schelske's email newsletter, Apprenticeship Notes.

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

What if the Bible isn't perfect? You'll be OK. God will be, too. A discussion with Zach Hunt What if the Bible isn't perfect? (TAW053) bit.ly/3SGNslv

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Your creative project needs focus. Escape the distractions of regular life and join me for the Writers Advance. A unique writing retreat designed to help you get busy writing. Space limited! #WritersRetreat #WritersCommunity #WritingLife

110

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I am speaking at an upcoming theological conference. "Jesus, Justice and Your Neighbor." Speakers will be addressing various justice topics. Mine? 1/5 #Justice #Jesus #Love

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Good morning. Incredibly encouraging, these words from Kenneth Tanner. “We need not hide ourselves from him as the humans that we are. Jesus shows us the way to be human as God is human. 1/8 #Incarnation #Jesus

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

What to do with the racist past of our home? (Oregon's past as white-only and how Christians can repair). A chat with Sarah Sanderson. Knowing the Past to Make a Better Future (TAW054) bit.ly/4wnnVvk

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Good morning. More morning reflection with Miroslav Volf, a Croat formed in the bloody sectarian violence of the collapse of Yugoslavia. He offers one of the most credible and healthy theologies of forgiveness I’ve come across. A sample: 1/5 #forgiveness #theology

110

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Good morning. Miroslav Volf, a theologian formed in the location of profound cruelty and violence, is blowing my mind this morning: #forgiveness #theology 1/4

111

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Hey Church, the folks with the most credibility to guide right now are the ones you're least inclined to listen to! A discussion with Jenai Auman. When the Marginalized Are Our Prophets (TAW056) bit.ly/4wkIWqH

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Wisdom for the church from someone the church cast out. Incredible conversation with musician Jennifer Knapp. A Better Place Than Here (TAW055) bit.ly/45f6jqx

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Some Christian leaders are telling you empathy is a sin or a temptation. That's because they want to control who you feel for. A discussion with Felicia Murrell. bit.ly/3WSdaSZ

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Good morning. An audacious claim from Fr. Kenneth Tanner. Imagine what your life could be like if you took this for truth. “The world ends not with a bang or a whimper but with shalom, a well-being that works its slow, patient way into everything. 1/4 #theology #gospel #love

110

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Good morning. Thank you, Kenneth Tanner, for these captivating words. “Assuming flesh, he becomes what he loves from all eternity. And he becomes not just a human being but humanity itself. 1/3 #theology #incarnation

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

"For the children of noise, silence is both unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but it is in this quiet that we discover the voice of Spirit and the truth of our own hearts." 6 Weeks to Build a Habit that Fosters Spiritual & Emotional Maturity, updated! bit.ly/4lmLPCw

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

What does it mean to follow Jesus in a time of political panic, rising Christian supremacy, and creeping fascism? A discussion in response to my book, Walking Otherward. bit.ly/3Fmhsfj

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Good morning, friends. “But what was the point, the purpose, of my salvation if it did not permit me to behave with love toward others, no matter how they behaved toward me?” - James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time (Vintage, 1993). 30 Amen, James. Amen.

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Good morning. Volf’s description of the transformation we each need. “Sandwiched between the system of exclusion and the exclusionary tendencies of the self, are we doomed to despair? 1/8 #theology #hope #reconciliation

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

What Christians need right now is the Beatitudes. If we took them seriously, it could save the world. A discussion with Dr. Bradley Jersak. bit.ly/3GZRoHN

010

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Good morning. In this chunk, Moltmann uses two terms: vita contemplative and vita activa. These translate to "the contemplative life" and "the active life." 1/4 #ChristianLiving #Meditation #Love

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

How I became an LGBTQ Affirming pastor. I won't argue with you. I'll just share my journey. bit.ly/3I2CBN9

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

"Any spiritual practice that doesn't allow gracious flexibility for the unpredictability of life is too brittle to survive." 🤩Available now! 🥳 Journaling for Spiritual Growth, 2nd ed. 6 Weeks to Build a Habit that Fosters Maturity, updated! 🎉 bit.ly/4lmLPCw

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Is justice people getting what they deserve, or getting what they need? What is Jesus' justice? A discussion with Fr. Joash Thomas. bit.ly/3RtqUUT

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

“Some birds sing when the sun shines bright My praise is not for them But the one who sings in the dead of night I raise my cup to him.” Hades Town. Whew, boy.

021

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Good morning. The idea that God is Trinity is a rebuke to our retreat into isolationism, self-centered protection, and defense through othering. When we live this way, we live out of alignment with the fundamental nature of creation as it reflects the image of the Creator. From LaCugna: 1/4

230

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Good morning. What do you think? This sounds right, but it's also quite challenging. “Our relationship to others, which is indistinguishable from our relationship to Jesus Christ, determines whether we are or are not finally incorporated into God's household. 1/3 #ChristianLiving #Love #Theology

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Six weeks to grow? I can help. Let's page through my book, Journaling for Spiritual Growth, and see if it's the right match for you. Build a sustainable, life-long journaling practice with me. bit.ly/46MZI8U

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The next read. This is another that I met in the footnotes so often I decided I ought to read the whole thing.

210

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A morning that actually feels like sabbatical.

030

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Good morning. These are the closing words of Delio’s compelling, often disquieting, ultimately inspiring book: “God's love is unmanageable and unruly; it is creative, spontaneous, and novel. It slips in between our controlling urges and dwells in the unbearable wholeness of our being. 1/4

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Good morning. “Our relationship to Christ is our relationship to one another. If we say yes to the embrace of the crucified Christ, then we must be willing to offer that embrace to our neighbor, our brother or sister, whoever he or she might be. 1/2 #love #theology

120

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Is justice people getting what they deserve, or getting what they need? What is Jesus' justice? The Justice of Jesus (TAW062) bit.ly/4l1CT68

020

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Good morning. Delio reminds that love includes resistance to that which is not love. 1/3 #theology #love

110

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

“It’s not practical.” I was told, not long ago regarding a significant decision. The word sounded foreign, almost incomprehensible to me, in the context. These lines from Pedro Aruppe helped me see why it seemed so strange. (This is quoted by Ilia Delio in The Unbearable Wholeness of Being, 187)

000

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

So excited to be teaching a session at Open Table's upcoming virtual conference, "Jesus, Justice & Your Neighbor." (October 2-4) The range of justice-related topics is important. The speaker line-up is fantastic. I'm thrilled to be part of it. 1/3 #Conference #Justice #Jesus

100

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Good morning. “Now then, if they ask why he did not appear through other more noble parts of creation, or use some nobler instrument, as the sun or moon or stars or fire or air, but merely a human being, let them know that the Lord came not to be put on display... 1/3 #Jesus #Incarnation #Love

111

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Good morning. Some good news: “It is not the way of the compassionate Maker to create rational beings in order to deliver them over mercilessly to unending affliction in punishment for things of which He knew even before they were fashioned, 1/2 #Apokatastasis #Theology #GoodNews

101

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Good morning. Whew, man. This one is so good. If we took this seriously the church would be such a healthier and transformative place. “Love is not a marketing tool; it is a form of worship, a transcendent spiritual power. It is the deepest creative power in human nature. 1/4 #theology #love

110

Marc Alan Schelske @marcalanschelske.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Good morning. This one might be challenging to some of us, but I think I’ll be stewing on it all day. “Jesus initiates a new Big Bang; his life symbolizes a new Singularity, an explosion of cosmic love that ushers in a new presence of God. 1/4 #theology #Jesus

100