August 9, 2012

2012 LFL National Conference Photo Gallery

Download 2012 LFL National Conference CD Order Form

Download 2012 LFL National Conference Book

Video: Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb – Encouraging the Shepherds

Video: Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb – It’s All About God

Video: Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus – All is Well

Video: Carol Tobias – Answering the Call of the Helpless

Video: Diane E. Schroeder – Being Equipped to Make a Difference For Life!

Video: Kay L. Meyer – Let’s Pray For Life

Video: Marlene Eidsmoe at Corrie ten Boom

DVD copies of the following conference presentations are available for a suggested donation of $10 each. Please call 888.364.LIFE to order.

  • Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb – Encouraging the Shepherds

  • Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb – It’s All About God

  • Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus – All is Well

  • Carol Tobias – Answering the Call of the Helpless

  • Diane E. Schroeder – Being Equipped to Make a Difference For Life

  • Kay L. Meyer – Let’s Pray for Life

ITASCA, ILLINOIS – Equipping the Saints For Life was the theme as over 200 Lutherans gathered August 3-4 near Chicago, from across the United States, for the 2012 Lutherans For Life National Conference.

In her welcoming address to conference attendees, President Diane Schroeder said, “Whether we save a million lives or only one, we know that what we do serves the Giver of Life and what we do makes a difference! … [W]hat Lutherans For Life is equipped with, that matters the most, is being equipped with the Word of God. For we know God’s Word is the most powerful weapon we have to meet the challenge of our time and save lives … Let’s go forward with joy and anticipation, eagerly embracing the opportunities God will give us to make a difference.”

Rev. Ken Klaus, speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour, said in his Friday night keynote address, “God stands solid and steadfast against anyone who would deprive the innocent of their rights—including the right to life … You have come here this weekend to say, ‘Lord, count me in as one of Your faithful servants. Use me to take a stand for life; use me to speak for those who are silent; use me to educate those who are misinformed; use me to bring comfort and direction to those who are confused and frightened; lend my strength to those who are weak. Dear Lord, use me so Satan may be forced to confess, ‘I almost succeeded in destroying a life, but I didn’t.’ You have come here to take a stand and in doing so you have been joined with 20 centuries of Christians who have, in their time, proclaimed the transforming power of the Redeemer … this is our time, our moment to tell those around us, those who are coming after us: the Risen Savior values you, your unborn, your voiceless and your elderly; He has died for you, your friends, and your enemies and He has risen so all sinful humanity might have the forgiveness and salvation He freely offers. Today we come together in convention to be recommitted to speaking on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. That is the purpose to which the Redeemer has called us.”

In her Saturday plenary address, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, thanked the attendees for spending time learning ways to help “people we will never see … you have heard the call of the helpless.” She highlighted Deuteronomy 31 in her call to be courageous in taking a stand For Life. “We need to be training the ‘Joshuas’ … the battle is going to be fierce.” Mrs. Tobias reminded the conference that “abortion is the least regulated invasive procedure in the country … an irreversible procedure … 55,000,000 babies have lost their lives in this holocaust.” In closing, she referenced Galatians 6:9 (“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”) by asking for prayer for both those in the pro-life movement and for those who promote and provide abortion.

Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, LFL executive director, in his opening worship sermon, focused on Ephesians 6:10-20. “When you read through this text, it is easy to think that it’s all about us. We need to be strong, we need to put on God’s armor, we need to take a stand against the devil, we need to pray, we need to boldly proclaim the Gospel. If we do all this then we will win the victory. We can quickly fall into that kind of thinking when it comes to this For Life battle we are in. If we just elect the right people, if we just pass the right laws, if we just get the right judge, if we just get the right constitutional amendments then we will win the victory For Life … It’s not about us. It’s all about God. It’s all about God equipping us with His strength … You know what that means? We have no excuses to offer for not being engaged in this spiritual wrestling match for truth and for life … . You can’t pull a Moses and say, ‘I can’t speak so awful good.’ You can’t pull a Gideon and say, ‘I am the least in my family.’ You can’t pull an Elijah and say, ‘Everyone is against me.’ You can’t pull a Saul and say ‘Goliath is too big.’ You can’t pull a Paul and say, ‘But I used to be such a rotten sinner.’

“We have no excuse, because it’s not about us and our power. It’s all about God and His power, the strength of His might. It’s all about God and His power at work in us. It’s all about God and His power being perfected in our weakness … It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about God. He equips you with His armor. And this armor, as precious as it is, does not come to us with fanfare and flourish, but in rather simple and ordinary ways—some ink on page, water in a font, wine in a chalice and cardboard-tasting wafers on a little plate.”

Dr. Lamb also shared that we are in a spiritual battle with Satan who is attacking, through various means, God’s truth, our faith, God’s plan for marriage, God’s plan for purity, God’s plan for human sexuality, God’s gift of life and the value He gives to life. “You don’t have to travel to some foreign battlefield. Satan attacks you, your congregation, your fellow Christians right where you are, right there by your section of the wall. Daily, as we wrestle and struggle and battle against these attacks we each need to be equipped with God’s strength and with God’s armor.”

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12 ESV).