Concordia Seminary’s Dean of Theological Research and Publication Dr. Kevin Golden sits down with Professor of Practical Theology Dr. Rick Marrs to discuss Marrs’ newly published piece, “Wholeness Wheel Bible Study: The Balanced Life in Christ” (The Lutheran Foundation, 2025) in this Concordia Theology Book Blurbs segment. Marrs, who was involved in the spiritual formation of Concordia Seminary students, had incorporated the aspects of the “Wholeness Wheel” into their spiritual development. When approached to write a Bible study version for lay people, he quickly agreed. “If pastors are thinking about it when they’re out [in their congregations], then shouldn’t they have something that communicates to their laypeople that ‘This is what I am thinking about for my Christian life; what would you like to think about on these various aspects of balancing out your life in Christ to this wholeness wheel?” Marrs relates the importance of this Bible study for church workers and lay people alike. “This makes it more concrete because it connects us to our spiritual life … embedded within our relational lives, our emotional lives, our physical lives … this is all stewardship of the bodies of the lives [God] has given us,” says Marrs. Beyond intentionality, Marrs advises people who read the Bible study to begin the healthy practices it encourages slowly and to build upon them, “Everybody needs to find what is going to work for them, make that a habit, try to build on it and see how much it improves their physical health, which then probably gives them more energy for their relational health … and all the other areas of the “Wholeness Wheel.”
The Bible study is free for download online.