Marc Alan Schelske - The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions

What people are saying about

THE WISDOM OF YOUR HEART

Emotions can often be a fickle dish. Still, emotions are made by the finger of God. We are made in the image of God, and as such, we find ourselves in worship before an emotional God who loves, fights, cries, gets jealous, and embodies compassion at every turn of Scripture. Emotions are as central to the life of God as they are to the life of faith. The journey Schelske has trekked here takes us deep into the caverns of these emotions with a fire and fearlessness that I rarely see among Christ followers. I endorse this book heartily. I dont believe it will disappoint.

A. J. Swoboda, PhD, pastor of Theophilus Church, author of The Dusty Ones, and professor at Portland Seminary and Fuller Seminary

Im so grateful there are people like Marc Schelske in the body of Christ who point us to authentic relationships with ourselves and Jesus. The Wisdom of Your Heart is a much-needed narrative about the richness we can have in our emotional lives and is full of honest examples and biblical truth.

Mary DeMuth, author of Worth Living

We all need help at times understanding who we are and why were here. Not long ago, I experienced such a personal crisis, and I wish I would have had this book to guide me.

Jeff Goins, bestselling author of The Art of Work

Despite what youve heard or believed, emotions arent mere inconveniences that can be buried or brushed aside. Like the determined fly buzzing in your bedroom at night, emotions can be ignored only at the high cost of your rest and peace. Instead, you must acknowledge, listen to, and learn from your emotions. Only then can you find the life of peace and wholeness you crave. This book is the net to help you catch whats been keeping you awake, and Marc is the mentor to help you navigate the dark.

Michele Cushatt, author of I Am

By and large, Western Christianity has exalted the intellect in spiritual matters to the neglect of the emotions. In reaction to this tendency, some Christians have allowed emotions to drive the cart. In The Wisdom of Your Heart, Marc Schelske cuts through the fog generated by these two extremes, seeking to set the role of our emotions back in their God-ordained place.

Frank Viola, coauthor of Jesus Manifesto and author of Gods Favorite Place on Earth

THE WISDOM OF YOUR HEART

Published by David C Cook

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Details in some stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version. (Public Domain.); KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (Public Domain.); NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV. Copyright 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION and NIV are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica, Inc.; NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

The Love of God written by Richard Mullins

Copyright 1990 Universal MusicBrentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

LCCN 2017933744

ISBN 978-0-7814-1451-7

eISBN 978-0-7814-1465-4

2017 Marc Alan Schelske

Published in association with literary agent Tawny Johnson of D.C. Jacobson & Associates LLC, an Author Management Company. www.dcjacobson.com.

The Team: Tim Peterson, Keith Wall, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Jennifer Lonas, Abby DeBenedittis, Julie Neddo, Susan Murdock

Cover Design: Jon Middel

Cover Photo: Getty Images

First Edition 2017

To Christina.

You more than anyone know the words in this book are the fruit of a long and painful experience. When I was weak, you carried me in ways that cost you dearly. Its profoundly insufficient to say I love you.

Here you are, holding this book, about to decide whether its right for you. I understand. Reading is a costly investment when our time is overobligated. Before you go any further, I want to tell you where Im coming from and who might find this book useful.

As these words are published, I am forty-six years old and deep into the most daunting transition of my life. I came to the end of my rope. The tools I built my life with no longer worked. I had been living disconnected from my emotions. Disconnected and afraid. Untended pain leaked out in my relationships. At times Id see the edges of this darkness and be mortified. Id want to changeat least I would as long as the pain lasted. Id read, make lists, rework my schedule, and try some new strategy that promised life change. Invariably some emergency would distract me. How many times can you promise before youre just telling lies? Discouraged, I started believing real change was out of my reach.

Pain forced me to face what I wasnt willing to look at on my own. God was in that pain. I was jarred awake. I knew something had to changenow. I had to do life differently, for my marriage, for my children, and for the church I serve, but most of all for my own emotional and spiritual health.

Im now several years on from that moment, yet my life still feels caught in the rolling wave of change. Id like to tell you Ive discovered some secret with seven easy steps, but I cant. I can see a better place from here. Some days I even experience a better way of living. This book grew out of everything Ive learned in the changing.

I grew up in a conservative Christian home and faith community. Much of that upbringing was good and safe. There I met wise, loving people who shaped me for the better. But as Ive entered the second half of life, Im also learning my background came with baggage: painful experiences, assumptions that have proved untrue, misconceptions about God, even precious habits that turned out to be anything but life giving. Ive had to let go of much I used to hold dear. Ive also had to learn to grieve those losses.