“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23, NIV
School Dates:
April 3rd - June 7th, 2025
Applications are closed for 2025
Who:
Adults Ages 21-30
Cost:
$5,000
Where:
A Place for the Heart
Sophia, NC
Please read through this entire page before applying for Phase One.
What is the 18 Inch Journey: Phase One?
The 18 Inch Journey: Phase One is a 65-day discipleship school of the heart dedicated to helping you have a thriving relationship with Jesus in every area of your life. Phase One is not a ministry or worship school. Phase One is not a retreat or a conference. In a culture of distraction, burnout, and overwhelm, the 18 Inch Journey: Phase One offers a set-apart time for you to learn how to do the hard, yet rewarding inner work of becoming a disciple of Jesus for the long-haul.
This school will empower you with spiritual disciplines, emotional health tools, and practices to sustainably tend to your relationships with Jesus, others, and yourself. This school is not easy because life is not easy. Life is full of joy, pain, and tension. Learning how to stay rooted in God and community in the midst of it all is essential.
We are looking for students who have lived enough life to know they need help and don’t have all the answers—adults who are ready to learn, want to be led in the challenging work of spiritual formation, and are eager to have others speak into their lives. We long to partner with men and women who are ready to practice humility and honesty, have vision for the areas where they want to grow, and desire help getting there.
Discipleship
We exist to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
The 18 Inch Journey centers around discipleship. Our desire is to empower you to grow in friendship with the Lord, hear His voice, and walk in daily discernment. We believe that Jesus intended for us to follow Him together. Salvation, wholeness, and healing are best walked out when we invite trusted people to speak into our lives and offer wisdom, mentorship, and help that we can’t get on our own. Discipleship requires teachability, vulnerability, and a willingness to receive feedback. When you say yes to the 18 Inch Journey, you are committing to let our staff speak into your blind spots and areas of struggle, as well as encourage and champion your growth.
What you can expect:
Teaching sessions with Jonathan & Melissa Helser and the Cageless Birds.
Learning practical tools to process your internal world and emotions with God.
Weekly One-on-Ones with a mentor from our staff who will help you process your story and what you’re learning.
Consistent rhythms of worship, prayer, scripture, fasting, and contemplation.
Weekly small groups for connection and reflection.
An emphasis on creativity—the head to heart journey is often worked out through the work of your hands. Creative rhythms are vital to connecting with God in a tactile way to process what He is doing in your life. We do not have any artistic or creative prerequisites for Phase One.
What we ask our students to practice:
Humility in trying new things.
A willingness to do self-reflection, honesty, ownership, and vulnerability.
A desire to receive feedback and guidance from our staff.
Community Living
You were made for belonging and connection.
We believe that sharing life with others is part of the Lord’s intentional design for our lives. God did not design us to do life alone. Fellowship around the table, being seen and known, and pursuing the heart of God together are essential parts of this school and values we practice as a staff year-round. The good work of stewarding healthy relationships is an important focus of the 18 Inch Journey. We believe the challenges of practicing healthy communication and conflict are worth the connection and the depth of friendship they produce.
What you can expect:
Participating in shared, everyday life with like-minded men and women who are committed to growing in wholeness with Jesus.
Eating daily meals together with other students, staff, and our community families.
Living with other students in spaces intentionally designed to foster rest and connection.
Stewarding your living and working spaces together and communal work duties.
Learning and practicing healthy, compassionate communication and conflict resolution.
What we ask our students to practice:
A willingness to try new ways of relating to and communicating with others as you invest in growing relationships.
Flexibility with personal preferences as you receive the gift and challenge of community living.
Learning and practicing values that protect and empower community.
Rhythms & Schedule
The rhythms and schedule of Phase One are designed with intention and purpose.
Our school rhythms honor the balance between learning, work, rest, and delight. We have intentionally designed our schedule to support you stewarding your wholeness—body, soul, and spirit. All of our school rhythms create challenges and opportunities to connect with God in a variety of ways and make space to process what He is doing in your life. Because of the pacing of the 18 Inch Journey, it is essential that our students dedicate the full 2 months to the requirements of the school. It is a full-time commitment, including weekends. It is impractical to try and balance other part-time jobs, work remotely, or take online classes while participating in the 18 Inch Journey. We want you to receive the gift of being fully present.
What you can expect:
Learning in various, hands-on environments in addition to a standard classroom.
Rhythms of rest, recreation, and learning how to Sabbath.
Intentional workouts led by our staff to cultivate body care.
To be in a creative class called a Collective taught by our staff—such as pottery, darkroom photography, printmaking, movement, music, etc.—-as well as participate in weekly visual art classes (no experience necessary).
Homework and reading assignments connected to the school’s curriculum.
We ask our students to practice:
Taking the posture of a learner and engaging the vulnerability of learning new things as an adult.
Slowing down and practicing being fully present.
Learning new pathways to take care of yourself.
Application Information
Our application process for the upcoming Phase One school has closed. We are no longer accepting female or male applications for our 2025 school.
More Photos from our Phase I School
