Smiling with God

friendly eye contact

As we head toward Thanksgiving, I wanted to share an Interactive Gratitude journal entry that I wrote down during one of our Joy Starts Here city events this year. It meant so much to me that I have shared it since during many subsequent events. Jim to God: I’m grateful for all the volunteers that […]

The Joy World Series

Despite being from Los Angeles, I still watched as the San Francisco Giants battled it out with the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Game 7 had 23.5 million viewers. While we may not fill a stadium at Annual Gathering 2015, I suspect your being there will have a longer lasting impact than who […]

Volunteer Day is April 8!

Movements don’t happen because of a few people at Headquarters. They happen because of a lot of people in cities and towns all over the country or the world. Over this last year, we have identified the functions needed to reach our goal of Joyful Christians, Joyful Churches, Transformed World. We have organized them into […]

How a New Identity Can Help Others

The other day three members of the Life Model Works team were talking when an interesting idea came up. One of our key volunteers, Conrad, was talking about how he and his wife Lori come alongside struggling families. They work together to teach them using Life Model principles like those we train at Thrive until […]

Discover How to Spread Joy in 2015

At Life Model Works, we have a dream: Joyful Christians. Joyful Churches. Transformed World. Dreams are nice, but they don’t accomplish much. That’s why we also have a plan. When we say “we,” that includes you, too! We are prayerfully gearing up to make 2015 our biggest year yet. We have audacious plans to spread more […]

How an Annual Gathering Changed My Life

I can’t wait to see you at Annual Gathering 2015! The first time I went to Annual Gathering was about 10 years ago. I got an e-mail blast from Jim Wilder inviting me to attend and I was intrigued. Back then it was called Thrive Track IV and it was at the same time as […]

What does Pope Francis really believe? The answer should fill you with Joy.

Did Pope Francis read our book “Joy Starts Here. The Transformation Zone?” Since his appointment in 2013, Pope Francis has exploded on the international media. He has made headlines for his approach to a range of vulnerable subjects in today’s society. Now in his new book “The Joy of The Gospel” he is touching on […]