Things That Make You Go “Ahhhh”

I may be dating myself with this post but once a child of the 80’s, always a child of the 80’s. If you’re also a child of the 80’s you probably already heard a beat in your head when you read the title of this blogpost. Please accept my apologies if that song gets stuck […]

What is Everything You Thought You Knew About Addiction was Wrong?

Recently TED.com featured a fascinating talk by journalist Johann Hari. In many ways, it reflects the research and practices we’ve been developing for years at Life Model Works. According to Hari: In the year 2000, Portugal had one of the worst drug problems in Europe. One percent of the population was addicted to heroin, which […]

Don't Miss Today's FREE JoyStream Webinar with Dr. Jim Wilder!

Dr. Wilder will discuss the one thing that everyone deals with, most people don’t feel like they have enough of, and most people hate talking about: Money! As much as we try to avoid it, money is all over the Bible. Join Dr. Jim Wilder tomorrow, July 7, at 12 EST for “God, Money and Giving” […]

How One Woman Went from Survivor to Joy Starter

Barb is a miracle. There is no question about that.  Growing up, she experienced abuse and  trauma. She attempted to take her own life and spent six weeks in a psychiatric hospital. Today Barb is  alive, has graduated from college, and has a healed heart. Missing Skills Because of her childhood,  Barb did not develop […]

What is one thing that everyone deals with? (but doesn't want to)

What do most people don’t feel like they have enough of? What gets in the way of relationships with between couples, friends and even God? This is a subject you probably don’t want to talk about it, either. Which is funny…because the Bible talks about it—a lot. You’ve probably guessed the topic: Money. Money is […]

Here's a Way You Can Bring Life to a Graveyard

Uruguay is known for being the “graveyard for missionaries.” With one of the highest rates for suicide and depression in all the Americas, the large majority of missionaries get chewed up and spit out. Atheism and agnosticism rule, with only 3% of the population actively practicing any Christian faith. Learning About Maturity Matt and Toni […]

How One Fighting Couple Finally Became Friends

Several years ago Gerry and Karen were living in a marriage full of pain, loneliness, and at best peaceful co-existence. Time after time most conversations would end in anger that caused distance and hopelessness. Gerry and Karen were trying to parent many children and to operate a business. They tried their best to look good […]

What Should You Do When Grief Won't Go Away?

Learning to navigate difficult emotions is one of the key benefits of the training you receive through resources like Joy Starts Here, Connexus and Thrive. The necessity of these skills was highlighted in a recent article by the New York Times “When Grief Won’t Relent“. Sometimes, even when the loss is neither sudden nor unexpected, […]

Watch Now: Father's Day Webinar with Dr. Jim Wilder, Dr. Ken Canfield and Rev. Carey Casey

Our Father’s Day Webinar, “The Joy of Relational Fathering” is live! Watch Now Dr. Jim Wilder, author of The Complete Guide to Living with Men, Dr. Ken Canfield, founder of the National Center for Fathering, Rev. Carey Casey, CEO of the National Center for Fathering share thoughts and engaging stories from their continuing journeys as fathers and grandfathers on the power […]

Work on This Instead of Your Relationship Problems

The first time I heard Jim Wilder state that we need to “keep relationships bigger than the problem,” I thought, “That man hasn’t seen my problems! How on earth am I going to do that?” The idea was so appealing, however, that I plunged in to my experience of the Life Model Works concepts by […]

Register Today: Discover the Joy of Relational Fathering

Fathering is a huge responsibility, and a great opportunity. Fathers have the opportunity to shape a child’s life, and, in so doing, to grow and mature themselves. But if you don’t know how to connect relationally, you will limit your capacity to be an effective father. Discover how to relationally connect to your children on our […]

How to Move Beyond Silence and Begin to Deal With Abuse

Rebecca Davis is the collaborating author, with Dale Ingraham, of TEAR DOWN THIS WALL OF SILENCE: DEALING WITH SEXUAL ABUSE IN OUR CHURCHES (AN INTRODUCTION FOR THOSE WHO WILL HEAR), published by Ambassador International in 2015. She is interviewing Michele Hardy, who for twelve years has served as a prayer ministry educator and facilitator, pastoral […]

Joy Starts Here Previewed by Christianity Daily

Christianity Daily, a website “dedicated to pursuing the honest truth” recently wrote a preview of this weekend’s Joy Starts Here conference in Los Angeles. Numerous resources and books are available for Christians on the topic of joy, but one of the unique aspects of the conference and Wilder’s books is that it combines spiritual as […]

The Key to Emotional Resilience Might Be More Simple than You Thought

resiliencia flower

Who are your friends?  We often get this question when someone we haven’t met before wants to get to know us. So what does having friends have to do with emotional resilience and consistent life giving? The key is so simple, it might even sound obvious: Having good friends. Good Friends Good friends are safe […]

Use This for More Joy…again and again and again!

The following was written by Doug Morgan, a longtime friend of Life Model Works, about his personal experience with Joyful Journey. I just finished reading Joyful Journey – Listening to Immanuel.  It is wonderful! If you have not read it yet, start today! If you read one chapter per day, you’ll finish it in a […]

Tomorrow Only: "Why We're Bringing Joy Starts Here to Town!" (JOYStream Webinar)

daisy

Our next JOYStream Roundtable is tomorrow at 12 PST. Twice a month, we convene joy starters like you. Our next Roundtable Features Betsy Stalcup and Ariel Babikian, promoters of June’s upcoming Joy Starts Here. They will share why they are convinced that hosting a Joy Starts Here event in their city is crucial to spreading joy. […]

Jesus Loves All of You

In Immanuel Prayer, we pay attention to a number of things: not just our thoughts and God’s thoughts, but also our emotions and body. Then we share our stories with others, incorporating the community. As you also know, the name “Immanuel,” given to Jesus, means “God With Us.” Jesus is the image of invisible God […]

What Karl Lehman and Others are Saying About Joyful Journey

The reviews for Joyful Journey keep rolling in. Here are a few of them: “This small book presents creative new tools and exercises to help you do the Immanuel approach on your own. There’s still no substitute for working with a facilitator (and I strongly encourage you to find a way to do this on a regular […]

Feeling Bad for Feeling Bad? You May Experience This Type of Trauma.

broken wicker basket

Sometimes when I mention that I am a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, people dismiss the possibility that they might benefit from working with me. They immediately picture the addict, fresh out of rehab as the person needing a “Recovery Coach”. But the truth is, not just addicts need recovery. Everyone who hasn’t reached their full […]

Tomorrow's Roundtable: Special Guest and a Big Contest!

Anna & Sunshim

Tomorrow at 12 Eastern is our East Coast Roundtable Joystream! Roundtables are a special twice-a-month interactive conversation between you and other joy-starters across the world. Our next Roundtable will feature Anna Kang and Sungshim Loppnow, two of the co-authors of Joyful Journey. These exuberant ladies have hearts filled with hope and truth and want to have […]