Friends For Life — LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: S3Ep5. Motherhood Matters | Kelly Liefer
A lot of motherhood involves learning from other mothers. Join Steph and her friend Kelly as they talk about the unique role that moms play in the family and why every part of motherhood – even the mundane, monotonous, and messy – matters.
Bio: Kelly has a passion for kids and teaching and teaching kids about Jesus! She has worked as a Lutheran elementary school teacher, a Sunday School director, a stay-at-home mom and now currently serves on the NextGen team at Hales Corners Lutheran Church, Hales Corners, WI. In her role, she works with families and kids of all ages and stages of life including leading Sunday School, VBS, large kid & family events, and assisting in the middle school Confirmation program.
Kelly is married to an energetic pastor and is often on some sort of adventure with her three super-awesome kids!
Commended by the 2019 LCMS convention, this paper examines the many subtle ways that American culture rejects life as a fundamental gift of God and instead sees “having a baby” as a human accomplishment.
The Social Doctrine of the Augsburg Confession and Its Significance for the Present
In this essay, Hermann Sasse describes the theology of the “two regimens” (more commonly called “two kingdoms”) of the state and the church. Sasse addresses the widespread misunderstanding of the kingdom of God.
Christian Citizenship
We are all citizens of two kingdoms. One is the kingdom of this world. Christian citizenship will advance the cause of movements that strengthen the guarantees of order and law, keep separate church and state, keep sacred the institution of marriage, and protect the morals of youth.
The Christian: A Citizen of Two Kingdoms
Every person is a subject of two kingdoms — one spiritual, the other earthly. Both the godly and ungodly are citizens of an earthly kingdom or country. However, Lutherans are not always as great a blessing to their country as they should be.
Vocation: Fruit of the Liturgy
In Martin Luther’s teaching on the dual existence of the Christian, we observe a connection with the teaching of the two governments or two kingdoms. The Christian does not seek to escape or withdraw from the world as in monasticism, but rather he lives out his calling in the particular place where God has located him.
Masks of God
Luther puts it strongly: Vocations are “masks of God.” On the surface, we see an ordinary human face — our mother, the doctor, the teacher, the waitress, our pastor — but, beneath the appearances, God is ministering to us through them. God is hidden in human vocations.
Your Family Vocation
Every Christian — indeed, every human being — has been called by God into a family. Our very existence came about by our parents. Martin Luther said, “God has given this walk of life, fatherhood and motherhood, a special position of honor, higher than that of any other walk of life under it.”
God at Work
Every Christian has a particular calling from God. With the doctrine of vocation, ordinary relationships, the 9-to-5 routine, taking care of the kids, the work-a-day world — the way we spend most hours of the day — become charged with the presence of God.
Wages for Sin
Marriage benefits are starting to go to those who are “shacking up.” As marriage becomes unnecessary — not just for job benefits but for adopting children, inheriting property, and being socially acceptable — the whole nation will be “living in sin.”
Tossing the Last Taboo
Christians dare not opt out of the culture wars, especially while influential culture makers are trying to normalize sex with children. If Christians let the world go its merry way into the black hole of depravity, we will be putting their children in genuine danger.
Homosexuality in Christian Perspective
We dare not permit the church’s public teaching on the matter of homosexuality to be taken over and determined by a desire to “affirm” every person in whatever state he or she may be. That is not the gospel.
God and the Gay Lifestyle
Homosexual behavior, like any sin, can be forgiven. That’s quite a different thing, of course, than to say that such behavior is OK.