Reflecting on Our 2nd Legislative Academy

by Jacob Thomsen

On October 24th, we held our second Legislative Academy. It was remarkable to see all of the legislators and candidates who came to listen and learn from our tremendous speakers. Everyone in attendance who gave us feedback said it was an incredibly valuable event. We were honored to be able to do something like this, thanks to our generous donors!

We brought in Dr. Scott Rae, a professor of Christian ethics at Biola University, who did a great job teaching us about a Biblical framework for public policy. His education and experience regarding the subject were excellent. His talk was entitled “Remembering Why You Ran.”

We also had the great privilege of being joined by media/communications expert Autumn Leva. She conducted media training for our legislators, which was an exceptional resource for everyone in the room. She also gave one-on-one media training to every attendee this year. She put the attendees in the “hot seat” and grilled them with tough questions on contemporary issues to see how they would do under pressure from aggressive media. It is incredibly valuable to be able to see what that looks like and learn how to respond.

We heard from several speakers about many other issues: family, life, education, and religious liberty. We were also privileged to learn from two former legislators, Kim Koppelman and Terry Jones. They presented some very helpful thoughts and wise advice, based upon their decades of serving North Dakotans in the state legislature.

Finally, we rounded the day off by hosting a dinner for this year's attendees as well as those who attended last year. Dr. Rae also presented during dinner, and we had a wonderful time of learning and fellowship!

Throughout the day, as I sat and listened to our wonderful speakers, I couldn't help but think about how amazing it is that we, at NDFA, have such an incredible privilege to be able to work closely with these legislators and help them get policy that honors God into law. The road that each of us has taken to get to this point is long, filled with twists and turns, and ultimately guided by God. Wherever we are called, whether we want to go or not, we ought to follow His plan for our lives, for it is most certainly greater than our own.

We are blessed to have numerous Christians serving as legislators within North Dakota’s Capitol. While many of them never set out to become state legislators, they all answered the call that the Lord had on their lives for our state. I admire them for this. Stepping into a calling isn’t always the easiest task. I’ve seen the legislative process in this state and know for a fact that this calling is not for the faint of heart, so whenever you get the chance, please thank your legislators.

NDFA is blessed to be uniquely positioned to serve as a valuable educational resource to our legislators and candidates. We can help prepare them for their work in the state legislature with an event like the Legislative Academy, and God willing, we will continue to prepare Christian legislators for years to come.

This was a remarkable event, and we would not have been able to do it without you, so thank you so much for your financial support!