The Mysterious Lagoon

The important thing isn’t what others say or do, but rather how we respond to the actions of others. Think of all the words, phrases, comments, actions, pleas, suggestions, and orders that come your way each day. Now think of how you tend to respond to them. You might respond out of love and respect, regardless of how you were treated. Or you might lash out in an angry tone, hoping to silence an accusing voice or get even with someone who wronged you.

The effect our responses have on our lives is the backdrop for “The Mysterious Lagoon” we read about in Phase 3. As you’ll recall, this allegory involved Explorer and The Guide. The Guide had cautioned Explorer to bring to Him every situation he encountered in the lagoon. Because unless The Guide were behind the response, Explorer was certain to respond out of his own heart, which would create a toxic environment that would kill him over time.

The lagoon, as we learned, is our own mind. And just as Explorer learned that by his own words and actions he could turn the pleasant lagoon into a dark and murky mess, we face the same choices regarding how we will respond to circumstances we encounter each day.

Explorer had no control over the actions of others in the lagoon. But he did have choices in how he would respond. Explorer learned that if he responded in whatever way seemed best to him, he polluted the environment he had to live in. On the other hand, when he turned to The Guide for direction, The Guide responded for him. And The Guide’s responses always produced life rather than death.

If we instinctively respond in whatever way seems best to us, we will always miss the mark. Even when we love someone and want to respond to them with unconditional love, we won’t be able to.  This is why we must abide in Him at all times and in all circumstances. In Christ, He becomes our source and response in every situation. As Christ’s response becomes our response, His love flows through us.  When that happens, not only do the ones we are interacting with experience Christ’s love, but so do we as it creates the environment we live in. Consider how much life is contained in just these few verses of scripture:

^“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

In every area of life, we reap what we sow. That is why the important thing isn’t what others say or do, but rather how we respond to the actions of others. From out of our own hearts, the future issues of our lives are formed. We are never immune from the results of our own reactions.

25th Anniversary Celebration Recap

We had an amazing 25th Anniversary celebration that went beyond our expectations! A big THANK YOU to those who were able to make it.
Click below to watch a two-minute video clip of John Marquez from the open house. To see the entire 27-minute video click HERE

2 minute video clip

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MUST SEE 4 Minute Video from Jim & Kathie Hobson

The Countdown is on.
One Month from TODAY!

Join us for a special Open House as we celebrate 25 years of transformed lives through The Ultimate Journey!

Date: Sunday, July 13, 2025
Time: 2:00–5:00 p.m.
Special Appreciation Ceremony at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Christ-Life Center
1900 NW 86th St., Clive, IA 50325

Mark your calendar and make plans to join us—we can’t wait to see you there!

PS. In honor of the lives God has transformed over the past 25 years through The Ultimate Journey and to help transform even more lives over the next 25 years, consider setting up a monthly donation for the next year.

You are invited! Save the date: July 13, 2025

New Co-Executive Director

I am excited to share that this July 1 will be the 25th anniversary of the official birthing of Christ-Life Ministries. Since then, we have seen thousands of people receive emotional healing and life transformation through The Ultimate Journey. As stewards of The Ultimate Journey and with the help of our amazing Board of Directors, three years ago we began a strategic planning process earnestly seeking God’s wisdom on how to make sure Christ-Life Ministries continues beyond Kathie and me.

Two years ago, God blessed us by calling John Selman to serve at Christ-Life Ministries. After serving on our Leadership Team for two years now, we are excited to announce that John has accepted the position of Co-Executive Director. John is an amazing man of God with tremendous gifts and talents. His servant heart has helped free up Kathie and me to concentrate more of our time on direct ministry. Over the next few years, we look forward to being freed up to do even more as John takes on more and more of the leadership responsibilities.

Prior to joining Christ-Life Ministries, John most recently owned and managed a real estate and development agency. He has over 15 years of management experience and has served on the board of his church and many non-profits. John has master’s degrees in both non-profit management and education. John and his wife, Meredith, have three children, Josiah (10), Ayla (8), and Levi (1).

John and I will serve, together, as Co-Executive Directors for the next couple of years in what, hopefully, will be a seamless transfer of leadership. Eventually, as John takes over all of the Executive Director responsibilities, Kathie and I will transition to part-time focusing on teaching turbos, mentoring leaders, and discipling individuals for as long as God enables us.

If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to reach out to John, Kathie or me.

In His Covenant Love,

Jim Hobson

Co-Executive Director

jim@theultimatejourney.org

John Selman – john@theultimatejourney.org

Kathie Hobson – kathie@theultimatejourney.org

Join Us For Our Upcoming Phase 2 & Phase 3 Turbos

Whether you have already made it through all three Phases of The Ultimate Journey and are looking for a refresher or you still need to complete Phase 2 or Phase 3, the turbos are extremely powerful and will help give you the boost you need.

Phase 2 will address your lies at an even deeper level helping you to see yourself the way God sees you. During Phase 3, on a very practical level, you will learn to take those truths beyond just intellectual ascent to a place where they are internalized and become your new identity. When that happens, you will have an even greater understanding of what it means to be transformed by the renewing of your mind and be equipped to live out your God-given purpose.

Phase 2
April 1-2
(Tues/Wed)

The Phase 2 Turbo will help you discover God’s solution to your guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety. You will move beyond the hopelessness of never feeling good enough as you leave the treadmill of performance or addiction. You will walk away from these two days with a greater ability to trust God in every area of your life, which will enable you to draw everything you need from Him.

Phase 3
April 3-4
(Thurs/Fri)

During the Phase 3 Turbo, you will take the love of God beyond head knowledge into the reality of your everyday life. You will leave with new or updated personal Christ-In-Me and Christ-Through-Me Identity Statements that will help set you free from the issues/lies of your past and help to improve your relationships with the significant people in your life. You will take with you a personalized plan of how you will continue to renew your mind.

Times: The sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

Cost: $100 for each Turbo

Phase 2- taught by Jim Hobson and John Selman

Phase 3- taught by Jim Hobson, Kathie Hobson and John Selman

Sign up for one or both Turbos today by clicking here. If you have questions please email info@theultimatejourney.org or call 515-251-6838.

Our turbo options are extremely powerful and will help give you the boost you need.

We Haven’t Seen Him Yet

God is Changing Lives

We just got this amazing testimonial and we had to share how God is using The Ultimate Journey to change lives like Diana’s. It’s awesome! Read her own words below:

“I love that this program is not “easy”, and it doesn’t let denial or fear slide. You rip the mask off distractions, platitudes, religion, the hiss of the serpent. You fight for us until we can fight for ourselves. I can barely wrap my brain around it. A LOT of what I lived through was abuse and I didn’t even realize it! When the facilitators pointed it out, I was flabbergasted. I thought that was a stretch. Painful, yes, but I SO didn’t want to be a whiney victim, I thought everyone dealt with this crap.

After writing my goodbye/cut the cord letters,…

…it finally hit, and I FELT the outrage of so many betrayals. How could I think any of that treatment was normal, healthy, OK?!? I guess it was so nonstop and repeated so often by different faces, it was too painful to examine as a whole. My doctor diagnosed me with PTSD just today!

The Ultimate Journey required me to stop looking at my life through a million isolated incidents one at a time and made me sit down and relive (10 year) chunks in a 24-hour period. It was BRUTAL but helped me connect the dots and see the whole picture.

You have challenged me to open my Pandora’s Box and remove every single curse, abuse, trauma, evil lie and motive; examine it, call it for what it is, remember what it felt like, allow myself to revisit that pain on a deeper level, bury it in the dirt beneath the cross and strip it of its power to scream in my tortured soul ONE MORE DAY!

God has stripped the onion down to the core this time and there is PEACE knowing that He is making me into a masterpiece. There’s peace in knowing that I’m still who He created me to be…JOY. I’ve stopped asking Him to make me who He created me to be because at week three, He showed me I already was; not finished or arrived but right where He wants me TODAY.

I said, coming into this class, that I was sick and tired of circling the drain of shame and regret. I flat out didn’t get it. I’ve been a Christian since I was seven, and I have submitted and surrendered and learned to trust Christ, love Him as my first love, dug deep and hit the ground running for most of my 72 years. Scripture was my life preserver that kept my head above water and my faith in its unchanging, eternal truth and changed me from a victim to a warrior. I forgave everyone through blood, sweat and tears many times over and continued to take every thought captive every time I thought of any of my abusers. But it wasn’t enough! I thought I did all that was required, but I realized, finally, that I never forgave myself. I was swallowing lies fed to me since conception and had only replaced SOME of what my father taught me with what my Heavenly Father says.

But the same scriptures that gave me hope at age 10 have circled back as the truths He wanted me to remember. Suddenly, they take on a whole new meaning. I DO KNOW the Truth (not just with my head, but in my heart like when I was 10), and the Truth HAS set me FREE!

I spent a lifetime apologizing to the wrong people, feeling sorry for the wrong people, striving to earn the love and approval of the wrong people. I compromised who My Father created me to BE by surrounding myself with the wrong people and keeping busy with Kingdom Business. Fortunately, God knows our hearts and although nothing in Heaven or Hell nor Past or Present could separate me from the joy of knowing that I’m HIS and He promised to never leave me. Though I have tested Him often and He has proved FAITHFUL and TRUE, I could never apologize to, feel sorry for, or forgive myself! I’m DONE wasting my potential by trying to make up for the past. It cannot be changed.

How is it that the SIMPLEST concepts are often the most PROFOUND? Not easy, but life changing, transformational and profound! I am so in love with this program that “I shared the results with a friend of mine and she signed up that very minute.”

Wow, Diana’s story speaks for itself. We want everyone to be able to find the same freedom that Diana experienced. Make a donation today, so we can continue to grow and help more people find healing and life transformation.  You can donate by clicking HERE.

We are so grateful for you!

Jim Hobson

Giving Tuesday

God tells us to be thankful, to practice gratitude, and to remember all He has done for us. We are thankful God has had your “life journey” join us on The Ultimate Journey.

This Giving Tuesday, we are particularly grateful that many of you have not only journeyed with us through The Ultimate Journey phases, you have stayed connected with us helping to make The Ultimate Journey available for others. Thank you! It is God working THROUGH the generosity of friends and partners like you that allows us to help people at their point of need experience emotional healing and life transformation so they can live out their God-given purpose.

We are currently running our year-end fundraising campaign and we could really use your help. This is one of the most important times of the year for you to give because we are closing out 2024 and preparing for the exciting ministry God has in store for 2025.

Please, will you make a generous, much-needed donation right now?

When you do, you’ll play a part in transforming lives like Jessica’s. Listen to what God has done in her life through The Ultimate Journey and through people like you:

“I have never felt such freedom! I learned so much about where my ways of being came from, why I’m wired the way I am, and how to detect the lies of the enemy. It has opened up so much communication and understanding between myself and my husband. We are able to be better spouses for each other. We are able to be better parents.”

Jessica’s story is an example of not only how The Ultimate Journey is setting people free, it is impacting their relationships with others with rippling affects for generations.

Please make a generous donation today. Your tax-deductible gift will help others at their point of need experience emotional healing and life transformation so they, too, can live out their God-given purpose.

Gratefully on this journey WITH you as, together, WE serve Him,

Jim Hobson

Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving, we want you to know we are thankful for you! By allowing God to work IN you and THROUGH you, you help to make this ministry possible . We wouldn’t be able to do this without your prayers, financial support, or volunteering.

Praying you have an amazing Thanksgiving!

Jim, Kathie, John, Thea, Roberta, Devin, and Sherri