What's Missing? The Immanuel Lifestyle!

Last weekend I attended the Annual Gathering of folks who love Life Model Works. The focus was Living an Immanuel Lifestyle. I heard two speakers, both heads of ministries, say, “I was missing something in my relationship with Christ–and what I was missing was the relationship.” We spent the next two days looking at this missing component that hinders life transformation.
Unresolved Traumas Interfere with Our Relationships
Immanuel is always with us.  Everything about Him is relational and nothing pleases Him more than to relate to us and to see us relating with His love to each other. Unresolved traumas interfere, lack of relational skills hinder, and lack of understanding about how He made our brains keep us apart.  So often we can’t sense Immanuel when we are in pain or believing lies. But He is there.
We Can Learn Missing Skills from Others Who Know Them
What good news that we can learn to experience the presence of Jesus and interact with Him about everything, all day, at any time.  The relational skills that Life Model teaches apply to all relationships, including the one with Jesus. The best news is that we can learn these missing skills with others who know them and are glad to be with us no matter what.
It Is Possible to Live an Immanuel Lifestyle
I remember when I first heard about Immanuel Prayer for the healing of emotional wounds. What power and comfort and healing became possible as I went to Jesus or took others to Him. Then I realized one day this approach could help others learn how to connect with Jesus anytime, regardless of a need for healing.  We can live an Immanuel Lifestyle. That is what I heard was missing this weekend–Get a relationship into your relationship with Christ!
Even Small Traumas Affect Our View of God
We also heard that taking all traumas to Jesus, regardless of size, will help us discover how unresolved pain distorts our view of God and leaves us feeling upset and alone. If unprotected, we can feel God will not protect; if needs were not met, we can feel God does not care. The Immanuel Lifestyle sees interaction with Jesus as the answer to hurts, wounds, growth, and transformation.  It’s all about relationship.
Transformation Happens When People Experience Healing and Acquire Missing Relational Brain Skills
Life Model Works has numerous and various ways to train/learn missing relational brain skills that keep us from having good relationships with Jesus and others around us. Learning how God designed the brain to work in joy, how to stay relational during distress, and get back to joy from upset are transferable skills that change how we interact. In my joy groups that meet to learn these skills, I am seeing families dramatically changed. Transformation into the character of Christ is often missing from discipleship programs, where people get their wounds healed and learn relational brain skills. One mother has changed so much that her husband asked to join our ladies’ group.  He wants to know what he is missing!