Lighthouse Network Life Works

Mark 12:30 Project: We're in Production!

2007-07-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

The Mark 12:30 project has been production with Jay Delp (see last blog entry) for the last several days. Here are a few pictures of our production experience:

Here's Jay setting up the cameras (Victor in foreground, Jay at camera, Joan on couch):
Here are Victor and Jay checking the simultaneous computer recording set-up:

Here's Victor doing a last double-check of the cables. You know the old principle of "measure twice, cut once"? Well, Victor is doing the computer-technology equivalent of "measure twice." Jay (in the foreground) is getting ready to film (from left to right on sofa) Joan, Kathy, Victor, and Mike in a simulated small group session.
Once filming is done, Jay will put the DVD together. The following two shots capture him working on an already-recorded segment of the DVD that includes Mike and Victor.

Our production time-line for the Mark 12:30 Project is on schedule, and we're looking to release the product this fall.

Stay tuned!

LN Announces Soul Care for Women

2007-06-06T18:22:00.000-05:00

LighthouseED, the educational arm of Lighthouse Network, is pleased to offer a new ministry focusing entirely on the spiritual growth and needs of women and the men in their lives who seek to understand them. It's called SoulCare for Women.

Spearheaded by LN's Senior Writer and Editor-in-Chief, Joan Esherick, and supervised by LighthouseED Director, Victor Tarassov, this new ministry will offer a blog featuring articles, how-tos, resources, and meditations, podcasts, speaking venues, and written resources designed to nurture the inner life of women in various seasons and walks of life--all from a woman's perspective, using a woman's voice, written by and for women.

To learn more, check out the newly launched SoulCare for Women blog or listen to Victor's podcast, LifeWords, which explains (in less than two minutes) how Soul Care for Women came to be.

Lighthouse LifeWorks Has New Home Page!

2007-05-23T12:29:00.001-05:00

We're pleased to announce that LifeWorks has its own homepage. It's up and live! Follow this link to get there, then feel free to browse around!

Coming Soon to a Location Near You!

2007-05-02T18:13:00.000-05:00

Our new LifeWorks seminar entitled, How We Change: An Introduction to Biblical Reflection, is now in the final planning stages with four separate hosts and locations, all to be held in the Philadelphia region in upcoming months.

The first presentation of this life-changing seminar will, in all likelihood, be offered in June, 2007 -- that's just a month away.

We're finalizing details now with the host organization, so check back soon for specifics and registration information.

Lighthouse Network Facility: Making Progress!!

2007-05-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

DEMO DAY: A Huge Success!

Work on the new facilities for our Lighthouse Network headquarters is finally making progress. After navigating snags in the process, we were able to host a demo day last weekend during which the guts of the building into which we're moving were demo'd, and construction on the new interior was able to begin! Many thanks to the following individuals who participated as demo-day work crew members:

Bob Graham
Greg Peak
Nelson Moyer
Roger Lake
The Benzio girls
The Lewis family
Roger and Ryan Simpson
The Braun family
Stan Bauer
Brent Moyer
Troy Bell
Blaine Moyer
Don and Logan Shellenberger

And extra-special thanks goes out to Charles Lewis of CALCO, Inc. for taking over our facility project management and for organizing and supervising the work crew for our recent demo day!

New LifeWorks Seminar Workbooks Near Completion!

2007-05-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

Lifeworks Seminar

How We Change: An Introduction to Biblical Reflection

Presented by
Karl Benzio, M.D.
Victor V. Tarassov M.S.
Mike Huber M.S. M.A

What you're viewing above is the cover image of our new LifeWorks seminar student workbook for the series, How We Change: An Introduction to Biblical Reflection.

At nearly 50 pages long, the workbook provides an indispensable companion and note-taking guide to our seminar on the same subject. It will be provided to each student participating in the seminar, as well as to people ordering the complete seminar on DVD.

We're in the final editing stages and almost ready for print production. Look for this product to become available in the next few weeks!

Lighthouse Network Newsletter

2007-02-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

Did you know Lighthouse Network, of which Lighthouse LifeWorks in a part, offers a FREE bi-weekly e-mail newsletter called Lighthouse Lifestyles?

You can view the lastest issue online (February 21, 2007), view past issues, or subscribe to have it sent directly to your e-mail inbox twice a month.

We hope you'll find it helpful!

Life Works Seminar Outline

2007-01-25T10:42:00.001-05:00

Light House Life Works Seminar
Friday 5:30pm- 6:00pm Saturday

A model for understanding how life works and spiritual awaking
Developing a spiritual IQ test for yourself.
Transforming you mind to the mind of Christ

2 Day Seminar Friday and Saturday

Friday:
7:00 PM Introduction to Light House ED Dr. Karl Benzio, Victor Tarassov MS.
Mike Huber MS MDiv

7:15 PM A look into the Soul from the Mind and Heart of God
1. We are made in the image of God
a. In relationship
b. To reason, act and feel
2. The Goal is to love God and others.
3. Question how are we doing?
a. This is a life long process that we are going to call biblical reflection. What is really going on?
b. Developing the mind of Christ takes
i. Time
ii. Effort
iii. Money
iv. Sacrifice
v. Pain

7:45 Two Keys For the Night
Knowing our story -Mike Huber
A Model for Reflection – Victor Tarassov
1. My Story
“Man is created for the stars but lives in the swamp” Carl Jung
“God danced the day you were born” Mother Teresa

A. In the beginning
1. Genetic Predispositions
2. Family Structure/Alliances/Socio economics
3. Family Values/Tradition/ Trauma/Secrets
4. Family Interpretation and Clarification/Reinforcement
5. Self Concept

B. You Meets Life
1. Family You meets world:

• Primary socialize school
• Primary Clarifier the Home
• Self Concept reinforced and challenged
• Risk vs. Reward
• Trauma Web
• Adaptive strategy vs. Personal Vision and dreams

The Process of Reflection -Victor Tarassov

Biblical reflections is the process of understating our choices that we make based on our feelings, actions, thinking, motivations, and confidence.
Lets take a look at how we have come to see it this way.

1. In Gen 3:22 God is a personal being who relates.
2. In Ps 40:7 God is a rational Being who thinks.
3. In Heb 4:15 and Eph 4:29-30 God is an emotional being who feels.
4. In 1 Cor 1:27 and Jn15:19 God is a volitional being who Chooses.

Into to the Model that we will call

F
A
T
M
GPT

8:30 Overview of the Model with Mike H

9:30 A time for Personal Reflection: Homework for the night:

Saturday

8:15am Muffins and Check in

9:00am The Process and review of Reflection from the night before
Victor
The Actual Process:
(This is an example of how the model works when some one is angry)
There are some key phrases that I want to look at as well and they are
1. Trigger (what are events or things that cause us to act in a way that we don’t want to)
2. Feeling (When we are triggered what are we feeling, angry, sad, mad, hurt,)
3. Action (When we feel __________ what is is that we do behavior)
4. Thoughts (What type of thoughts go through our mind when we are acting out of our feelings)
5. Need (What do we really need air _____, ______, _______)
6. Desire (We do we want but can live with out)
7. Demand (What are we say that we need)
8. Greatest Perceived Threat (What is is that we believe we cant live with out or have to have, or that life depends on)
9. Growth Goals (What do)

How to apply this in ones life.

11:00 Break Out group into 2-3 small groups

12:15 Lunch 12:15-1:30

1:30 Review of the Model Questions

2:00 Break

2:15 The Process of Regeneration and Reconciliation in the Power of the Holy Sprit

1. What would I have to believe about God, self, others, and the world
2. I really believed these new thought how would I act differently
3. If I started to act in this new way what would I begin to feel?
Q. What would get in the way of this “New Way of Life Work” happing?

3:45 Break

4:00 Victor and Mike:
The process of the Garden

5:30 Communion and Conclusion of Life Works Seminar

6:00 Over

Mental health experts to deal with the Iraqis' "battle fatigue'

2007-01-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

Mental health experts to deal with the Iraqis' "battle fatigue'

By JOHN ANASTASI
The Intelligencer
It has been widely reported that suicide bombings, sectarian violence, kidnappings, poverty, displacement and corruption have taken a deadly toll on the Iraqi people.

But less often discussed is the cumulative psychological impact — the so-called battle fatigue — that environment has had on the country's citizens.

“Even before the last couple of years, this was a place where whole villages were being gassed (under Saddam Hussein) and people were fleeing,” said psychiatrist Karl Benzio, executive director of Doylestown Township's Lighthouse Network. “In this country there is a dire need for mental health assistance. There is addiction, physical and sexual abuse, child abuse, depression, suicide...War and terrorism throughout life brings mental health woes.”

So the Lighthouse Network, a nonprofit Christian ministry, is sending Benzio and two colleagues in the behavioral health field to Iraq to lead a series of conferences to help the country's healthcare officials provide services for those people.

On Sunday, Benzio, psychologist Jeff Black and therapist/social worker Leslie Vernick will fly to the Kurdish city of Ebil in northern Iraq, where they will spend five days at the invitation of the Kurdish Regional Government's minister of health.

In a country that is 95 percent Muslim, the three Christians — Black is assistant pastor at Philadelphia Biblical University and Vernick is an Allentown-based Christian author and therapist — will speak to audiences of Iraqi psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, medical students, counselors and doctors. They will cover how to listen to and communicate with families whose children are ill and couples with marital and parenting issues.

“I'll lecture on topics related to psychotherapy and diagnosis,” Black said. “They'll probably want us to talk about trauma-related things, marriage and family things. We're going over there with a lot of knowledge, but I'm not sure we'll know how to apply it until we get there.”

The trip was funded by a group of Christian businessmen and arranged with help from T.H. Properties' co-founder Todd Hendricks, who is a member of the board of trustees at Philadelphia Biblical University.

“My first thought was "I'd better ask my wife,' ” said Black. “Really, I think it's a phenomenal opportunity. For me, it's a first.”

Benzio stressed that while the Sunni-Shiite violence has been prominent in the southern section of Iraq, Kurdistan has been relatively peaceful. Still, they will have their work cut out for them as Iraqis struggle with hopelessness and despair, which can lead to anger, abuse and addiction.

“Take Katrina and imagine 24 years of it,” said Benzio, who recently co-chaired the Bucks Mont Katrina Relief Project's mental health subcommittee. “That's how it is there, the sense of battle fatigue.”

The group will also speak at a few of the local Christian churches, which have seen a small resurgence since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

For now, the group is reviewing some cultural materials covering how to interact with the Iraqi people and what to wear. Benzio also learned to leave a little bit of food on the plate at the end of each meal. If they do not, their hosts will keep providing more. That was good advice for Benzio, who grew up doing the opposite.

“I come from an Italian family, where you're supposed to clean your plate,” he said.

John Anastasi can be reached at (215) 345-3079 or janastasi@phillyBurbs.com.

What Lighthose ED does

2007-01-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

LighthouseED is the educational arm of Lighthouse Network. Using the LN’s spirit-mind-body approach, we provide a practical understanding about how people are wired, how we function, and the means for developing basic life skills and sound decision-making practices.

We also work toward expanding and promoting mental health awareness within the institutional church, parachurch ministries, and other faith-based organizations.

To accomplish these ends, we partner with other major national ministries; we offer training programs and workshops; we provide printed resource materials; we offer on-line interactive educational opportunities; we develop age-and-setting-appropriate curricula (Christian and secular), and we offer a full-service speakers’ bureau to cover a spectrum of educational needs.

The staff of LighthouseED is available to train pastors, church leaders, congregations, the staffs of Christian organizations, teachers, and business leaders, in understanding how people think and function, and how to successfully manage and mentor those looking to grow more or who struggle with addictions, mental health issues, life management issues, and life-controlling behaviors.

Welcome to Lighthouse Network Life Works Blog

2007-01-25T08:34:00.000-05:00

Lighthouse Network will soon be delivering its first seminar “Life Works” where our team of Dr. Karl Benzio MD, Victor Tarassov MS, and Mike Huber MS, MDiv will present a workshop that will equip the individual to begin to reflect and uncover blocked goals and strategies that all of us have that get in the way of reflecting the love of God in ourselves and to others. This will be a two-day workshop Friday night and all day Saturday. You may call 215-340-2686 for more information. More information will be posted shortly. Thank you for visiting.