The Heart and Soul Conference: Forming Spiritual and Emotional Maturity

The Heart and Soul Conference: Forming Spiritual and Emotional Maturity

The Heart and Soul Conference: Forming Spiritual and Emotional Maturity

The Heart and Soul Conference: Forming Spiritual and Emotional Maturity

This is Jim Wilder’s brief introduction to the Heart and Soul conference. He speaks about how Jane and Dallas Willard paved the way in his experience to learn how vital it is to welcome the real-time and interactive presence of Christ into the healing and maturation process for all Christ-followers.

Amy Howey Pierson delivers an insightful session on how the use of a variety of spiritual growth exercises within a community are best for developing a natural love/joy attachment to God.

Margaret Webb unpacks how the word “in” from John 17:26, “your love for me will be in them and I in them,” helped her move from broken to connected in order to find the best relational attachment to God.

If your heart longs for simple, practical and new ways to improve your marriage, cultivate healthier relationships with friends, and build bonds of peace with coworker, then don’t miss Dr. Marcus Warner, president of Deeper Walk International, delivering an honest insightful and memorable talk on what separates happy relationships from miserable ones.

What’s missing? After writing a basic theology book to help mature Christ followers and incorporating a Bible reading plan to give people as much Jesus as possible, Michel Hendricks realized, “something is missing.” Unsatisfied with some people experiencing great results, sometimes, and for others no traction at all, he set out on a quest to find the missing ingredient to help people mature into disciples of Jesus.

In this opening session to Transform 19, Dr. Jim Wilder addressed how the authentic love of Christ can rise and grow within the community of faith to “overcome the world.”

Suppose being a Christian is a bit more mysterious than what we’ve made it out to be. Jesus saves – a phrase plastered on billboard signs and bumper stickers across America has become more associate with avoiding punishment and very little with transformation value for our character.

Revive your leadership. Grow healthy teams. See great results.

Healthy teams begin with healthy leaders, and at the heart of this dynamic is emotional maturity—the quality the greatest leaders possess.

Prioritize people and lead from a secure identity; you’ll be amazed at the freedom you feel and the results you see!

Revive your leadership. Grow healthy teams. See great results.

Healthy teams begin with healthy leaders, and at the heart of this dynamic is emotional maturity—the quality the greatest leaders possess.

Prioritize people and lead from a secure identity; you’ll be amazed at the freedom you feel and the results you see!

Revive your leadership. Grow healthy teams. See great results.

Healthy teams begin with healthy leaders, and at the heart of this dynamic is emotional maturity—the quality the greatest leaders possess.

Prioritize people and lead from a secure identity; you’ll be amazed at the freedom you feel and the results you see!

Revive your leadership. Grow healthy teams. See great results.

Healthy teams begin with healthy leaders, and at the heart of this dynamic is emotional maturity—the quality the greatest leaders possess.

Prioritize people and lead from a secure identity; you’ll be amazed at the freedom you feel and the results you see!

To wrap up the 2018 Transform Conference, Dr. Wilder will share final thoughts and next steps for us as a movement of change agents bringing transformation back to our families, churches, ministries, businesses, schools and cities.

Leaders generally dread narcissistic behavior. Dealing with narcissists is messy, and the damage they inflict can undermine leaders, small groups, organizations, churches, families, and the workplace. Fearing messy confrontations and believing that transformation is impossible, leaders are often reluctant to confront these destructive behaviors, or respond by removing the narcissist to prevent further damage. Is there a better way to respond to the challenges of narcissistic behavior?

Character is formed by our attachments . We gain our sense of identity from the minds we are connected with. By being part of a people who are glad to be together and sharing a mutual mindstate with God and His people, it activates the mechanism in our mind that creates character, forming us to be more like Him.

Dr. Wilder examines how Christian character is formed in light of neuroscientific insights. Most spiritual growth efforts are focused on having right thinking, making right choices, or experiencing more of God’s power. But our identity and character are formed by something that happens even deeper in our brains: our attachments. If we want to have Christlike character, we should be developing attachment with God and God’s people.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

The Maturity Model incorporates current brain science, time tested developmental stages, and God’s powerful Word to provide a map with practical steps to maturity. Everyone benefits—ourselves, children, spouses, colleagues and community—when we learn to mature. And sadly, everyone suffers when we operate below our physical stages. Anxiety increases and the ability to experience true joy and God’s presence decreases.

In 2016, Amy developed “Journey Groups” to provide and build community for those who wanted to deepen their skills for relationships with God and people, especially where local groups are not available. Journey Groups are online small groups which meet weekly by video to learn “sticky love” , maturity, relational skills, and practice God’s presence together. Tremendous transformation has occurred over the past 2 years, and Amy is delighted to share with you more about Journey Groups and how you can get involved.

This breakout will be a followup to the Spreading the Life Model panel. The purpose is to encourage, equip, and challenge participants to think creatively about how to spread the Life Model in their unique context. Margaret Webb will facilitate discussion and stories by those finding ways to share the elements of the Life Model that have impacted their life and relationships.

Be inspired as leaders from several ministries describe how the Life Model is bringing transformation to hearts and lives and creating a joy-epicenter in their city through the ministries of their churches and counseling centers. Through teaching classes on relational skills, by fostering multi-generational community, and by removing blockages to maturity through healing, these ladies are seeing more and more people begin to live out of the heart that Jesus gave them.

To be creative is to make meaning. This presentation will explore what it’s like to transformationally embrace God’s creativity in our lives. All transformation happens in the context of relationship, so together we will consider how “it takes your whole brain to be holy.”

Most of us tend to naturally think that one of our goals for small groups should be to create a ‘safe’ environment. In this talk, Dr. Jim Wilder will make a case for why making a ‘safe’ environment may actually hinder the transformation we seek. While of course we need to ensure that group members are protected, there is another way to do so beyond creating a ‘safe’ group – and that is to cultivate a protective group identity.

There’s no doubt that living in community can be very challenging – even when we find a group of people that we like! Most people don’t have the “relational muscles” to work through conflict when it arises, so they simply leave the group. In this session, we’ll cover how simple exercises to build your relational muscles can transform your group’s experience.

Small groups are an ideal gathering to practice the 19 relational brain skills that make relationships work. With a combination of teaching and exercises, Chris Coursey will look at how to best design your fellowship times around how God designed your brain to work best – in joyful community.

Pastor Charlotte Lehman believes that establishing a relational community culture is not just for counselors and healing ministers – it is Jesus’ charge to all who would be his followers. In an accessible yet compelling fashion, Charlotte will share her journey with the Bible that led to this conviction about the priority and practices of staying relational.

Jim Martini reviews the key resources of the Life Model to help you experience transformation and to help others do the same.

The church is commonly understood to be a factory producing a product: disciples. So, how are we doing? Why does the church seem to struggle so much to produce mature, Spirit-led disciples? Together, Life Model and Deeper Walk are providing solutions to this problem that have the potential to drastically change the way the church makes disciples.

Are you looking for deep and lasting transformation? Are you impatient with living in the now? Learn how to live in the present right where God wants you to be! Before joining the leadership team at Oak Hills Church, Greg Hawkins served alongside Bill Hybels at Willow Creek for 20 years.

In this session, Dr. Jim Wilder will participate in a discussion with several leaders around making elements of the Life Model more contagious. The ultimate dream of Life Model Works is to see the 19 relational brain skills become so contagious that they spread everywhere and to everyone.

Jim Martini, CEO of Life Model Works, recounts the history and development of LMW, lists some of the partner organizations that are adapting and spreading the Life Model, and shares how Life Model Works fits in an overall ecosystem of ministries, movements, and people who are committed to seeing transformation spread.

Michael will share about the launch of his new book, “Thinking Biblically About the Life Model”. You’ll hear how Michael and his wife Terri’s lives have been deeply impacted by the Life Model, and be given sound biblical wisdom on seeing the Life Model through the lens of God’s Word.

Enter into a conversation of transformation between Dave Mead and Ramie and Vanessa Miller. They will share how they’ve experienced Immanuel entering into the neighborhood and workplace through authentic, joy-filled relationships.

Life Model founder and chief neurotheologian Dr. Jim Wilder gives an overview of the Life Model and how the the Life Model can contribute to increasing the yield of transformation for those seeking it.

Dr Jim Wilder talks about how to cultivate our ‘Protector’ identity. Men get into trouble trying to remove something that God hard-wired in . We are all wired to spot weakness. The important thing is training our brain how to respond when we see weakness.

Drawing on his years of research and experience in helping others, Dr. Wilder ranges far and wide in this talk, sharing about such concepts as: multi-generational community, hearing God, building protective, peaceful, and joyful communities, leading to true transformation in our lives as measured by love, even love for our enemies.

Dr. Wilder says, “I know most people don’t feel special, many feel more special than they deserve and that people have gotten lots of healing and may yet not feel special.” Dr. Wilder will address your specialness in this audio presentation.

Dealing with people can be difficult, especially if they are narcissistic! In this audio, Dr. Jim Wilder will cover topics related to narcissists, their behavior and how you can help.

As we mature, we gain the ability to care for others, but skill is needed to help others assess their maturity level, and we need understanding as to our role in helping them reach the next level. Sage advice from Dr. Jim Wilder is packed inside this presentation.

Dr. Jim Wilder, Life Model’s Chief Theoretician, helps you know how to honestly assess where you are on the map of maturity and steps on how to develop further.

According to Dr. Jim Wilder, maturity means we are fully developed for our age. Sadly, many of us lag far behind the optimum maturity for our age and we don’t understand what it takes to become mature or help others reach maturity.

Could trauma result from missing relational brain skills? – Are we more susceptible to trauma if we don’t possess these skills? – If I lack these skills, am I likely to create trauma for others? There are relational brain skills every person needs to acquire in their infancy and childhood. These skills are gained mainly from mothers and fathers within the first 4 years of a child’s life, however, many parents lack these skills and are unable to equip their children with the skills to thrive.

There is no greater, wonderful, maddening, joyful, frustrating, humbling, exhilarating, painful, crazy good relationship like marriage. The experiences and emotions that come with the marriage relationship are second to none.

Chris Coursey and Dr. Marcus Warner answer these key questions: How do rare leaders develop a deeper walk with God and greater intimacy as the center from which they lead? – How can leaders integrate their own emotional healing journey and lead from a place of intimacy with God? – How are the 19-relational brain skills related to Christ-like character change and personal and corporate transformation? – And, how can things restore the credibility of the Western Church?

Dr. Jim Wilder and Dr. Karl Lehman answer these key questions: – What is the Life Model? – What are the 3 distinct elements of the Life Model? – What is the Immanuel Approach? – How is the Immanuel Approach effective in helping people recover and/or heal from trauma? – What are Immanuel Centered Relationships?

People yearn for leadership. Sadly, many can recall an experience where poor leadership lead to a less than desirable outcome, personally and professionally. This experience has also happened in the many churches. What would have made things different?

With all the hustle and bustle of the season, how can I maintain my joy? How can I spot the potholes and pitfalls that would want to steal my joy this holiday season? How do my spouse and I maintain joy when we cannot match the commercialization of the holiday and give as much as we’d like to our children, family, and friends? And, how does spiritual warfare play a part in maintaining joy during the holidays?

How can I increase joy levels for me and for my family? Which relational skills are most applicable during the holidays? How can I increase my relational skills before the holidays? How do I deal with a Grinch who wants to decrease everyone’s joy during the holidays?

What does a relationally-skilled leader look like? How does a leader with high emotional capacity act? Are discoveries in brain-science and emotional maturity keys to the development of rare communities where people are trustworthy, spread joy, and are genuinely engaged in one another’s lives?

Have you ever noticed that the people who have learned to really live well are the ones who have developed a lot of skills? In fact, recent discoveries in brain science reveal the most important skills thriving people possess are relational brain skills.

The brain is wired to feel six unpleasant emotions. Fear, anger, sadness, disgust, shame and hopeless despair each signal something specific is going wrong. We need to learn how to quiet each of these different circuits separately while maintaining our relationships.

Everyone experiences feelings of anger, but are you equipped to handle this powerful emotion, especially in relationships? Charlotte Lehman offers valuable insights into this big emotion and helpful solutions to recovering from anger.

Bah, humbug, who needs joy?! What’s the difference between joy holidays? Or, if relationships are strained and broken, how can I/we even hope to experience joy as a couple/family? How can I return to joy after an upsetting holiday experience?

If you struggle to sense God’s presence, or to hear His voice, or to feel His love, we have good news for you. If painful experiences seem to be blocking you from connecting with God and you just can’t seem to take the next step forward, you want you to discover the Immanuel Approach!

Does activity in church services and programs lead to Christ-like transformation? A massive study led by Willow Creek revealed a resounding answer to this question: No!

If there is anything to know about Christianity, most people believe they already know it. Many of those same people continue to struggle to “get it to work right.” There is a persistent disconnect and dysfunction, even though they are committed Christians. What’s missing? Why hasn’t the transformation been greater or lasted longer?

God created us for a relationship with Himself and He created us to be in relationships with other people. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look around and discern that many people are struggling in their relationships? What is the key to thriving relationships?

God created us for a relationship with Himself and He created us to be in relationships with other people. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look around and discern that many people are struggling in their relationships? What is the key to thriving relationships?

God created us for a relationship with Himself and He created us to be in relationships with other people. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look around and discern that many people are struggling in their relationships? What is the key to thriving relationships?

Could an Immanuel-centered relationship increase your business’ influence, impact, and income? Can a ministry or business leader engage with God in such a way that the tasks to be achieved are aligned with God’s purposes and plans?

With great candor and humility, Dr. Marcus Warner admits, “There was a time in my life when there was something missing in my walk with God. Later, I discovered what was missing in my relationship with God was a relationship.”