• My Story in a Nutshell
  • Resources
  • Traumatic Stress Recovery of CNY

Stacey L. Lacik

~ Common Sense Christian Counsel

Stacey L. Lacik

Monthly Archives: March 2011

Urim and Thummim, Part Three

29 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Wisdom, mural by Robert Lewis Reid. Second Flo...

Image via Wikipedia

The Urim and Thummim were stones kept in the breastplate that covered the ephod, which was a vest worn by Aaron, the High Priest of Israel. The breastplate was encrusted with twelve stones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  David requested the ephod to be brought to him, when he needed to inquire of God which decisions to make concerning his enemies.

For a long time, I have been going along with the current thinking that God has a specific plan for my life, and if I miss it, it’s all over.  It’s an awful lot of pressure.  What if I take the wrong job?  Marry the wrong person?  Buy the wrong car?  Go to the wrong school, get the wrong degree, and spend the rest of my life not doing the absolute perfect will of God?  Does it matter?  If it does, then I could so totally screw this up.  And how far do I carry this?  Should I have the eggs, or the pancakes?  Hot tea, or iced tea?  Wear red, or yellow today? And the most culturally relevant question in the church today:  whether to go to church at all, and if so, which one?  Saturday, or Sunday?  Is it more spiritual to go to first service, or third?  What if I go to third service, but the person God wants me to marry only goes to first?

What if, after all these years of studying scripture, and spending time with God, I can make a choice based on wisdom and personal preference?  What if God really cares about whether or not I learn anything from my mistakes (or from the mistakes of others) or just by the normal process of growing and maturing, and choosing, or not choosing, and observing the fruit, or lack thereof, and deciding differently next time?

What if?

Urim and Thummim: Part Two

25 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Old Testament, Religion and Spirituality, Urim and Thummim

"Kirche Gröben" (big church), Brande...

Image via Wikipedia

For those unfamiliar with the Urim and Thummim, I was thinking that a little background might help.

Urim comes from the Hebrew uwriym, which is the plural of uwr, meaning light, flame, or fire.  Uwr is from the root word owr, which means:  ‘to be or to make luminous; break of day; to give or show light; to be enlightened; to shine, or to set on fire.’

Urim literally means lights.

Thummim is from the Hebrew Tummiym, which is the plural of tom, meaning: ‘completeness; innocence; integrity; perfect, or uprightness.’  Tom is derived from the root word tamam, which means: ‘to complete in a [positive or negative] sense; to be perfect.’

Thummim literally means perfections or complete truth.

The words are translated various ways in different versions of scripture:  ‘Lights and Perfections’ ‘Light and Truth’ ‘Manifestation and Truth’ and ‘The Sacred Lots.’

The Urim and Thummim represent counsel, guidance [to determine order of priests] decisions, to receive answers.  The use of them were a right of the priesthood, to give counsel and direction from God.  They also represent judgement.

(See Exodus 28:30)

Urim and Thummim: Part One

22 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

David the Shepherd Boy

Image via Wikipedia

The year of my divorce, I rented an office in the city for six months.  I desperately needed a place of my own, to hear from God.  And because my pain was great, my hearing was acute…

I painted, and prayed, and cried and sorted out my life’s work.  Was the focus of my attention to be psychology or ministry?  As I made two piles of years of writing, research and study, it became clear that first and foremost, I love ministry- teaching, writing and counseling.

After the six months, with a deep sense of both purpose and loss, I gave back my key and emptied the office, and moved everything back into a room at home.  I have many times wondered if maybe I should have continued there, and ministered to whomever God sent.  But all He has required of me is to minister to all that He sends to me, regardless of whether it’s in an office, or at my kitchen table.

“The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.”  Psalm 32:8

“Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.”   Proverbs 3:6

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

“My sheep recognize (hear) my voice;  I know them, and they follow Me.”           John 10:27

All’s Well that Ends Well

19 Saturday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Sunrise in the fog, near Horicon, Wisconsin.

Image via Wikipedia

By the time my marriage ended, I had fully fledged Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Learning about it, and how to recover from it, has left me with piles of information, books, and other resources that I am trying to organize into a usable format so that I will be able to help others.

My marriage took a serious turn for the worse in 1997.  It was an abusive marriage from the beginning, but it took me a long time to realize it.  We tried marriage counseling (NOT recommended for marriages where there is abuse!!) but nothing helped.  It was impossible to explain what was going on at home; I felt completely alone except for God.  One day after a particularly upsetting counseling appointment (about ten years ago), I was flipping through a magazine and came across an article on PTSD.  I had never heard of it.  At the bottom of the article, there was a number to call for more information.  I had every symptom on the list! One thing led to another, and eventually I found resources, agencies, websites, and training that I want to use in my own work with people.  I know that God has led me this far, and He will continue to lead me along the path He has ordained for me to walk in.

So Blessed…

18 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Common Sense Christian Counsel

Zion Canyon at sunset in Zion National Park as...

Image via Wikipedia

I went to church tonight, and was so blessed by my friend, who reminded me of how faithful God has been to me on this journey. Through all of the nightmare years of  horrific abuse,  infidelity, and divorce, to the long and lonely path of single-parenting,  God was there.  So close at times, that the awareness of angels was more real than the circumstances.  His Word  never failed; regardless of the terrifying mess that was my life.   Scripture was my constant source of strength and comfort; it kept me from losing my mind during the mind-bending pain of learning about my husband’s long affair, and the ensuing drama that played out in the church we attended at the time.  Verses were everywhere:  over the kitchen sink, in the medicine cabinet, on the refrigerator.  My husband would rip them down; I would put them back up.  They weren’t for him, they were for me.

When nothing makes sense, and I’m in over my head, I go all the way back to the beginning, and start with what I know to be Truth as defined in Scripture: that God loves me; that I belong to Him; that nothing and no one can change who I am; that God will help me, and deliver me.  And He did.

My friend has also been through her own trial, and come out with a heightened awareness of the love and care God has for her. I read somewhere recently that true evangelism is not  leading people to invite God into their life, but to help them see how God was involved in their life from the beginning.

It was so good to talk with her, and share what we’ve been learning about ourselves in this process of healing.  So, Georgia, if you’re reading this, know that you were a blessing to me tonight.  And you are dearly loved, my friend.

.

Pain

13 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Common Sense Christian Counsel

fresco at the Karlskirche in vienna (by Johann...

Image via Wikipedia

“Pain has an element of blank;

it cannot recollect

a time when it began or yet

a time when it was not.

It has no future but itself

its infinite realms contain

the past, enlightened to perceive

new periods of pain.”

Emily Dickenson

Grief is a funny animal.  Just when it seems to have subsided a bit, it raises its  ugly head and makes itself known again.  Grief comes in waves and spasms; it suffocates.  And yet, it is in the midst of the most painful moments that God sends  a Comforter to stand quietly by us until we can breathe again. The calming presence of the Holy Spirit envelops us as a protective covering, mitigating the damage done to our souls. Angels come to our aid, to walk with us when we can’t see, and keep us from stumbling or falling.

Pain purifies, clarifies, and penetrates our defenses, our walls, our masks. It both unifies and equalizes leaders, followers and go-betweens.

Time does not heal all wounds, but all healing takes time.  Sometimes we don’t heal.  But we can rest assured that though our outward man – our body – perishes by the day, inwardly our spirit grows ever stronger and stronger.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

08 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Stacey in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Christ, Christianity, Common Sense Christian Counsel, Elijah, God

Elijah Is Nourished by an Angel (1Kings 19:1-21)

Image via Wikipedia

But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  Psalm 13:5

It’s difficult to imagine a life without trials.  Friends fail, relationships end, bills pile up and there is no end in sight. But God...has declared that He will never leave or forsake us;  will not leave us in the pit of despair, and will actually come into that pit, and get us. Even if it is a pit of our own making, whether through lack of wisdom, or deliberate choice.  He rescues us- not because we’re perfect, or successful, or good, but because we are His.  And because He does see the end from the beginning, He never gives up on us, even when we’ve given up, and, like Elijah, curl up under a tree and pray to die.  Battles won in the past recede into dim memories when new enemies appear on the horizon.  Thank God we don’t have to fight the new battles in our own strength.  Really, literally, Thank God.

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you truly believe." -Gustave Flaubert

Calendar

March 2011
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb   Apr »

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 279 other subscribers

Topics

View Stacey L. Lacik's profile on LinkedIn

Share This Blog

Bookmark and Share

Social

  • View @sllacik’s profile on Twitter
  • View sllacik’s profile on Instagram
  • View sllacik’s profile on Pinterest
  • View staceylacik@gmail.com’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View staceylacik@gmail.com’s profile on Google+

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
Follow Stacey L. Lacik on WordPress.com

Categories

  • The Journey

Blog Pages

  • My Story in a Nutshell
  • Resources
  • Traumatic Stress Recovery of CNY

Recent Comments

John on When Pigs Fly
Memoryvictim on Have We Lost Our Minds?
Stacey on Have We Lost Our Minds?
Memoryvictim on Have We Lost Our Minds?
Stacey on Have We Lost Our Minds?
"Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." -Robert Louis Stevenson

Google Translator

Visitors

Flags Around the World

Flag Counter
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts 20:28

Blog Stats

  • 24,465 hits

Pages

  • My Story in a Nutshell
  • Resources
  • Traumatic Stress Recovery of CNY

Archives

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Recent Tweets

  • LIFETIME ACCESS to the Christian Writers Institute – The Cecil Murphey Scholarship Fund christianwritersinstitute.com/giveaways/ceci… via @cwritersinst 1 year ago
  • Leader of False Theology Movement Likens Trump to Elijah at Values Voters Summit | Susan Wright patheos.com/blogs/susanwri… 2 years ago
  • We need a little Christmas Giveaway! #giveaway #win kingsumo.com/g/gr8nmu/we-ne… 2 years ago
Follow @sllacik

Recent Posts

  • Variations On A Theme
  • Happy New Year
  • Unsettled
  • A Season of Changes
  • A Wing and a Prayer

Top Posts & Pages

Traumatic Stress Recovery of CNY
Variations On A Theme
Happy New Year
Unsettled

Top Clicks

  • None

Goodreads

Domestic Violence

National Center for PTSD homepage

Amazon Associates Store

  • Stacey's Amazon Associates Store Shop Amazon Associates

Blogroll

  • Finding Balance A Christian organization dedicated to those who struggle with eating disorders and body image.
  • Une Petite Folie

Retail Therapy

Shop Amazon Outlet - Clearance, Markdowns and Overstock Deals
Follow this blog

Hours & Info

Syracuse, N.Y.

Tags

Agnes Sanford Anorexia anxiety Bethel Bible Business Christ Christian Christianity Christian Living Christmas Church common sense Common Sense Christian Counsel Counseling Counseling and Psychotherapy counselor deliverance depression Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Divorce domestic violence DSM-5 Elijah Ephesus Epistle to the Philippians Faith False Memory Syndrome False Teaching Family Gift God Grace Grief Grief Loss and Bereavement Healing Health HolySpirit Holy Spirit Home Homer Hope Inner Healing Jesus Leadership Lord marriage Medicaid Mental health Old Testament Pastor Pastoral counseling Paul Peace Prayer Reality Recovered Memories relationship Religion and Spirituality Single-parent Sorrow Soul Healing SOZO Spirit Spiritual warfare stress Syracuse New York Syracuse University Therapy The Search for Significance Thought Tree Trust United States Word

My Photos

4824210325698
SAM_0551
IMG_50211230773907
SAM_3704
SAM_3670
2622250318074

Blogs I Follow

Blog at WordPress.com.

Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

My Only Comfort

Traumatic Stress Recovery of CNY

Faith-Based Crisis Counseling

Rooftops & Rafters

Bethel Redding in the UK

Apologetics Index

Apologetics Research Resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues

NACSW

A Vital Christian Presence in Social Work

A Cry For Justice

Awakening the Evangelical Church to Domestic Violence and Abuse in its Midst

CHRISTian poetry ~ by deborah ann

Glory To God

The Word For Life

2 Timothy 3:16-17

DestinyHighway.com

DRIVE YOUR VISION.

Which Jesus Do You Follow?

2 Cor 11:4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear {this} beautifully.

LifeCoach4God

ENCOURAGING YOU IN CHRIST CENTERED LIVING!

The Narrowing Path

walking together in truth and love.

andwearpearls

m'kayla's korner

Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. Luke 11:35

Emma Kayne

The Department of Designs

Berean Research

"Guard Yourselves in Steadfast Truth!"

Revolutionary Faith

Taking back Christianity

NAMI Syracuse

A Better Understanding

Michelle Borquez Thornton The Recipe Matters

Not just the ones you cook with but the ones you live by

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Stacey L. Lacik
    • Join 111 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Stacey L. Lacik
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...