We’ve had a lot of posts this past year. Here are a few highlights: our most popular posts of 2015!
Centrality of Joy: Jesus and Pixar’s Inside Out
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Imagine my surprise when I found out Jim Wilder, founder of Life Model Works, and co-author of their book, Joy Starts Here, is also a major Hollywood screenwriter. Well, not really, but it sure seemed like that he had something to do with the script of the recent Pixar blockbuster, Inside Out. Let me explain.
How Jim Wilder Learned to Talk to God Everyday (Video)
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Dr. Jim Wilder tells the story of how his own skepticism led him to developing an interactive prayer life.
Seven Steps to Model Maturity and Avoid the Abuse of Power
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Well-meaning but untrained congregants and church boards place highly educated individuals into positions of authority. These men and women are likable. Their sermons are inspiring. Their personalities are alluring…However, maturity and relational skills are never discussed.
Relationship Basics: Three Skills as Essential as Keys, Wallets & Cell Phones
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The authors at Life Model Works have identified 19 different relational brain skills that determine how relationships flow. While all of them are important, I have noticed an impact in my relationships when I learned to utilize just three in particular.
Nine Questions About Forgiveness
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Question — Can joy be “faked”? or can someone trick themselves into believe they are experiencing authentic joy? What are the repercussions of synthetic joy?
Feeling Bad for Feeling Bad? You May Experience This Type of Trauma.
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But the truth is, not just addicts need recovery. Everyone who hasn’t reached their full potential in maturity is in need of recovery. If you fall into that category- you might be in need of recovery from trauma.
God’s Job…and Mine
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I’ve been in the people-helping business for a long time, in one aspect or another: nursing, health upgrading, clinical psychology. I saw good things happen in each of those eras of my career. But the most exciting change for me was the shift in focus from the healing of wounds to the development of maturity.
What are RCs and why do I need them anyway?
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joy is the feeling that we get when someone is glad to be with us, How come so many of us don’t feel joy in situations with people who supposedly love us? When we learn all about this “joy” stuff, why do some of us start looking around and wondering where all the people are that can be glad to be with us so we can feel joy.
7 Deadly Traps for Small Groups (and how to avoid them)
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Churches often rely on small groups to increase or sustain participation. But it’s not just enough to have people show up for parties. Small groups require a balance between what appeals to people and the mission or vision that started the small groups idea in the first place. Maintaining that balance means avoiding seven traps.
Always Miserable? Try These Three Steps to a “New Normal”
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Do you wake up feeling anxious? Do pleasant experiences drift away quickly? If so, it might be because your brain considers that to be “normal.” Before we turn two years old, we develop a sense of “normal.” All sorts of factors can contribute to this development.
Five Features of Small Groups that Keep Bringing Visitors Back
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Whether the goal is to keep members involved in small groups or to transition small group members into established programs, the key question is, “How do we keep people coming back?”
