February 16, 2012

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

As a parent of teenagers, I have come to realize the great responsibility there is to teach the youth about the life issues. Our children and grandchildren are being attacked on every level by peers, the media—and, in many cases, their own family members. The culture of our day glorifies that which is ungodly. After having a conversation with my 16-year-old about the important issues among her peers in relation to the life issues, I realized many of our youth only hear the untruth our culture revels in.

The need to hear how the life issues are connected to God’s Word of life is greater than ever! These topics are discussed among peers, but who is guiding those conversations? Where are the facts coming from? Are we hearing the message of Truth when it comes to the life issues, in our congregations, in our homes? Are our youth hearing this in the pew? We have a responsibility to lead the way for the young—they are the future!

At Lutherans For Life we have recognized how overwhelming and daunting this can be for the local congregation and for parents. Our three initiatives, Teaching For Life®, Renewal For Life®, and Generations For Life are in existence to help equip the Church, Christian schools, and parents educate and fully inform their members, including youth, about the connection between God’s Word of truth and the life issues.

Our desire for your congregation is to use the resources available on a regular basis. The best way to begin is by becoming a part of Renewal For Life®. Once RFL is established in your church, integrating Teaching For Life®, for example, will flow naturally from there. The Renewal For Life® website has numerous resources for parents and youth workers. Our helpful hints and tools, such as the monthly e-newsletter Paraclete, will keep you informed of what’s in the news and up to date with For Life information.

Through working with RFL leaders in congregations we have recognized the importance of a mentor to help support, guide, and inform congregations on the life issues. We have developed a new position to help accomplish just that! We would like to congratulate and welcome our first LFL Regional Director, Jean Amundson from Texas! Jean has taken in-depth and rigorous training to prepare for this position. She will focus on helping pastors, Life Advocates, and Life Teams fully implement the life issues that fit their ministries’ unique mission in the Texas area. Please keep Jean in your prayers as she begins this new mission in Texas.

We also have new Life Advocate training to help you become equipped and ready to take on the life issues in your congregation. For more information please call the Life Center at 888.364.5433.