Customer Reviews

The Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You, The Essentials of Christian Living, Revised 2000-R

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have 2 copies of this book, and I refer to them and lend them out frequently. I and many others whose opinion I respect have found the truth in this book to be consistent with the Bible and life changing. It is primarily about growing in emotional maturity which is sorely needed in our world and our church today. It teaches us how some of the lacks or hurts we have from childhood affect us today, but more importantly, God's plan for healing those wounds through mature relationships and prayer ministry. I can testify that it works as I have grown in emotional maturity, now I am able to more consistently live from the heart Jesus gave me (which is also living biblically) and better minister to those around me. The information on changing fear bonds to love bonds is also been life changing for me. How many times in the Bible does God tell us not to fear, and the LIFE Model provides tools to help us move in that direction. I know this material fairly well from these experiences and more during the past 1.5 years: I have been to 2 week long Thrive seminars that are based upon the LIFE model, questioned Jim Wilder and others about it, read Jim Wilder's Living with Men (much more detailed), and I am part of a Belonging group in which a small group lives out these principles.

As my Belonging group told me recently, I am transformed, more mature, more compassionate, more peaceful, more able to minister God's love to others. I use what I have learned from Life Model everyday in a variety of relationships. I am better able to connect with others and minister to them whether it is a personal or a ministry situation. And yes, I was a fully functional member of society before, professionally and personally. But it took courage to look at the weak spots in my maturity and address them.

In addition to being based on the Bible, the LIFE model is solidly backed by brain science. The LIFE model primarily involves enhancing the right brain (emotions) and stresses relationships. This is especially needed in our culture which is left-brain dominant, valuing and emphasizing thinking and doing over connecting and relating. I am an educated person,trained to be discerning and an independent thinker and I am very serious about comparing what I read to the Bible. I recommend the Life Model and I thank God for leading me to it. I have seen this truth transform, redeem and restore people and relationships.

This balanced book is focused on God, and the healing and freedom and joy Christ came to bring us. Being more healed and free and joyful is part of being more Christlike, which enables us to better serve others with His transforming love and power. You can find out more information at lifemodel.org and thrivetoday.org. At the LIFE Model site, you can look for a church in your area that applies these principles. It would be most helpful to get in a LIFE Model or Belonging small group.

I am overjoyed to have come accross this book. I will always have a copy in my library. In summary, the Life Model is a model for helping people achieve maturity, through trauma healing and recovery using godly communities and counsellors.

The author states that each individual can maximize their God given potentials (living from the heart Jesus gave you). However, because we live in a fallen world, things happen to us along the path of maturity (traumas) that keep us from achieving our potentials.

Each individual needs a nourishing community to mature properly, where the natural community (family and early childhood influences) have failed, the individual requires healing and recovery. God provides this healing and recovery through a few channels:

- Godly counsellors that identify the traumas, bring biblical teaching about the situation and pray with the person
- A godly community to provide the nourishment the individual needs to grow
- Healed individuals providing life and nourishment to others in need

The authors state that a mature person is well able to cope with the challenges of life, handle difficult tasks, help others and still maintain the joy of the Lord.

This is one of the best, most helpful, books I have ever read. It talks specifically about how we overcome the wounds of childhood, either through our family of origin or through healthy community. It is a powerful statement about the healing power of God in Christian community.

This is one of those books I keep buying and giving away because it is so good.

This book was so helpful to me. It really helped me understand why I think and act the way I do at times. IT was a great guide! I recomend this book for anyone who is going through inner healing or for those who suffer with DID! HIGH RECOMMENDED!!! Great book for counselors too or just anyone who wants to help those who are recovering from trauma. This book is a blessing!

'The Life Model' is a clear concise way to look at your life, and find out where you're "stuck" so you can get "unstuck." I recommend this guide. It is a valuable resource to determine how "mature" you are, and what you need to work on, to become more whole.

This book explained things in my life that never made sense to me. I had ways of behaving and reacting to situations that didn't make sense to me. Thos book helped me understand why and helped me overcome distructive behaviors.

If you have any kind of traumatic past events this book will help you understand them. I also have a workbook that goes with this book. The workbook is not available on Amazon but you can get it by going to (...)

Amazing teaching - a must read for anyone wanting to help others with healthy relational dynamics.

The entire first half of the book is written in. Underlines, stars, personal comments and personal notes. Answers to questions and someone's personal contact information is in the book. I really would have liked to have been informed that the pages were so marked up before making this purchase.

"While purporting to be in harmony with the Bible, this book mixes in modern-day psychology principles that in my view are actually in conflict with the Word of God. In my opinion, all sincere Christians who read this book should read it with caution . . . and as the noble Bereans, search the Scriptures to see if these things be so.

In my view, objectionable teachings in this book are as follows:
1) Definition of trauma. Too broad, including things such as the claim that a down to earth parent not taking enough time to "analyze" their children is traumatizing them. The book goes on to give the methods to deal with this trauma. This broad definition of trauma appears to be a rather transparent attempt to imply that true victory in Christian living comes by excavating trauma rather than by finding salvation through Jesus and rest in forgiveness.
2) Broad and sweeping statements and formulas based on an unsubstantiated and untried foundation. Example is the dividedness concepts and the charts to measure maturity.
3) Focus on self; enjoying myself; finding joy when people focus on me; maintaining my sense of self.
4) Second-guessing the power of God through salvation, the knowledge of truth through the Bible, and the power of prayer through faith.

The temptation is to trade the simple teachings of Scripture for logical sounding formulas that miss the point. This book promotes hyper-analysis as opposed to a life of simple faith; living in obedience from day to day. As a side note, did you think about how much better it makes a person feel when they are told that the root of their problem is really something someone else did to them, rather than taking full responsibility for their own actions and admitting that their reactions are driven by the carnal nature?

Ephesians 4: 14 "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.""