David and Goliath
Guess which one we are. That’s right, we are once again getting the short end of the stick in a society that seems bent on eliminating -- or at the very least, suppressing -- our values. The latest assault comes from our sister state of South Dakota. The Goliath is Sanford Health.
Let me begin by saying I greatly appreciate Sanford Health and the care they provide. They are the provider of choice for many of us, and I daresay most of us have at least an acquaintance or perhaps family member who is part of their institution. They are effectively our friends in health care. However, sometimes it is our responsibility to speak up when friends are headed in the wrong direction.
Sanford Research Center, located in Sioux Falls, SD, has for the past couple of years, cohosted a conference on gender identity. Once again, on January 13th, they will cohost the 3rd Annual Midwest Gender Identity Summit at their headquarters. As explained by Sanford, “The purpose of this event is to review the needs of transgender patients in healthcare. This includes inter-personal communication, as well as physical and mental health needs.” The organization partnering with Sanford to host this event is called The Transformation Project. Here is the root of the problem.
The Transformation Project’s stated mission is to, “support and empower transgender individuals and their families while educating communities in SD and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression.” I have no issue with supporting and empowering individuals, but for what reason is the critical question, particularly for kids (yes, they are individuals too). I am happy to support and empower children to stay in school, not use illegal drugs, or attend their church youth group; not so much to buy into the concept that they need to decide whether to take hormone blockers, when that decision can permanently affect their entire life.
Second, Susan Williams, their Executive Director, helped her 10-year-old daughter transition into a boy. Yes, the same age where top recommended toys include mosaic and clay animal sets, snail habitats, string art kits, and plush toys. There are even certain NERF™ products that aren’t recommended for children this young. So, they shouldn’t play with certain NERF™ toys, but apparently, they can make life‑changing sexuality decisions? This makes me both sad and angry.
However, their agenda goes even further. Their Reformation Project is, “is a Bible-based, Christian organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity,” and another program called Q Christian Fellowship is intent on, “cultivating radical belonging for LGBTQ+ Christians and allies.” Hmmm.
Here are other choice items on their website and in their publications.
“We believe that transgender people know what is best for them and that they are experts in their own lives.” In their world, this applies to kids as well.
“Dead naming is the act of using a transgender person’s birth name (or dead name) rather than their current chosen name, either to their face or without them present.” [Oct, 2019 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 6.] Aside from the morbid overtones, note the phrase, “without them present.”
“Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected. [Jan, 2022 issue of Transforming South Dakota, page 40]. Seriously? You’re trying to tell me that I’m effectively killing some child by using the wrong pronoun? Passing off correlation as causation can often lead to ridiculous conclusions – in this case, nicely fitting into their narrative.
Book recommendations for kids:
Jacob’s New Dress, Sarah & Ian Hoffman
Sid Doesn’t Feel Like a Boy or a Girl!, Dylan Greenberg
The Gender Identity Workbook for Kids: A Guide to Exploring Who You Are, · Kelly Storck, Noah Grigni
Those certainly don’t sound like good things, but those are South Dakota’s problems, right? However, on the summit poster it states: “Sanford Health is an approved provider by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners. 6.5 Social Work contact hours awarded (Approved Provider #56).” I guess they are our problem too.
Sanford Health has over 47,000 employees, 2,800 physicians, 5.2 million outpatient and clinic visits per year, and a presence in 8 states. They truly are a Goliath. We are kidding ourselves if even for a moment we think the impact of this will stay in South Dakota. Did you catch the word “region” in The Transformation Project’s mission statement, above?
Consider this. North Dakota has the highest number of Sanford locations, second only to South Dakota itself, and Fargo is the city with the second largest number of locations in the network. This will impact North Dakota, but the corollary is that we have influence.
We can’t leave South Dakota alone to fight this battle, but we must rise to the occasion. Please take a minute or two and contact Sanford about this conference. The conference may still take place, but let’s make sure Sanford knows that we don’t want them (or our dollars) to be part of it, and that teaming with a radical organization like The Transformation Project only promotes these dangerous and twisted procedures on children. Please ask them to just step away from their involvement in the event – that’s all we are asking.
Here is the contact information for a couple of key decision-makers within Sanford. Please remember to be respectful in all your communications, no matter how much of a lightning rod this topic may be.
Bill Gassen, President & CEO of Sanford Health
bill.gassen@sanfordhealth.org
605-333-1000
Corey Brown, Vice President of Government Relations
corey.brown@sanfordhealth.org
(605) 312-6540
Thank you for stepping up and protecting our children, not just in North Dakota, but in our family of states here in the Midwest. If we don’t try to make a difference in our own backyard, it will be a sad day indeed.
SAVE THE DATE: Mike Huckabee is Coming to North Dakota!
We are excited to announce that Governor Mike Huckabee will be the featured speaker at NDFA’s 2023 Faith, Family, and Freedom Dessert Banquet. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Fargo.
Table sponsorships are available now by calling 701-355-6425. Individual tickets will go on sale in February, based on availability.
About Governor Huckabee
Mike Huckabee is the host of the TV show "Huckabee" on TBN each weekend and is a Fox News contributor, NY Times best-selling author of 14 books, and a frequent speaker for corporate, civic, and non-profit groups all over the world. He also hosts the podcast "Huckabee" on Quake Media. He was the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007, becoming one of the longest serving Governors in his state's history.
Governor Huckabee left a legacy of tax cuts, job creation, the reconstruction of his state's road system, K-16 education reform, and a nationally heralded and duplicated health initiative that focused on prevention. His administration fought long-standing corruption in the state's political machine, resulting in numerous indictments and convictions of powerful legislators and other elected officials. He ran in 2008 and 2016 for President, finishing 2nd in the Republican primary in 2008. He is also an ordained Baptist pastor and has been a frequent visitor to Israel since 1973, including leading groups to the Holy Land since 1981.
Governing Magazine named him as one of its "Public Officials of the Year" for 2005, and Time Magazine honored him as one of the five best governors in America. He served as the Chairman of the prestigious National Governors Association as well as the Education Commission of the States, the Southern Governors Association, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Commission.
Governor Huckabee, an avid musician since age 11, is a bass player and often joins guest artists on his weekly television show, having played with Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toby Keith, the late George Jones, and many others. He owns radio stations in Arkansas and Missouri and has been nationally recognized for his advocacy of the arts in education, including raising money to provide musical instruments for children. His other hobbies include hunting and fishing,
The former governor and his wife, Janet, spend time in Arkansas and have three grown children - John Mark Huckabee, David Huckabee and his wife Lauren, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her husband, Bryan – as well as seven grandchildren.
We look forward to welcoming Governor Huckabee to North Dakota, and hope you’ll make plans to join us!
Living in the “in between”
This past Sunday, our pastor (Josh Skjoldal, Evangel Church) preached a message on the last phrase of the Apostle’s Creed, “…and the life everlasting”. It was a great message and got me thinking about eternity, our resurrected life with God, and our role right now as Christians.
The concept of eternity is difficult for us to grasp as humans, since we think in linear time. In fact, I recall reading somewhere that doctors claim individuals can’t fully grasp even linear time until age 25. I’m definitely not 25 and still have the common experience of time “speeding up” or “slowing down,” as I’m sure you do, so I’m not sure we entirely get it either. If we can’t seem to even have a complete sense of linear time, how can we possibly understand eternity?
The most vivid and helpful explanation for me came from something I read years ago. I don’t remember the author (C.S. Lewis?), but it described our physical life right now as a ruler, which makes sense to all of us thinking in linear time. However, it then asked you to imagine that the ruler was sitting in a puddle of water, which surrounded the whole thing. That puddle touched all stages of our linear life simultaneously and extended forward and backwards beyond the linear part represented by the ruler. In fact, if the puddle was to become a lake or ocean, it would touch all of our life in an almost infinite way.
While the metaphor has its limitations, as do all metaphors, we might be able to think of ourselves as having existed before time “in the puddle,” then becoming part of this linear timeframe (the ruler), and eventually passing onto glory as we become part of the puddle extending beyond the ruler once again.
OK, enough of this philosophical musing – what do I mean by the “in between”? I am referring to your and my lives here, right now, as living human beings on earth. We are in between what we were before birth and what we will be after death, but does it really matter? Think about Ecclesiastes if you want a rather depressing take on this.
I believe that our goal as Christians in this life is to become more Christ-like and thereby glorify God to the greatest extent we can in all we do. For some of us, this takes the shape of raising our children in the faith or preaching the Gospel. For others, it means doing our accounting the best we can or perhaps raising crops or cattle according to God’s calling on our life. For me, it means working in the policy world to glorify God by trying to ensure that our society is grounded in biblical values. All of these matter because He who created us did so for an express purpose – to glorify Him.
Eternity is a tough concept, and I have to admit that if I turned in the above thoughts as a college paper, I’d be lucky to get a B grade. However, let me leave you with this. Notice that even when bound within the linear time constraints of the ruler, we are still living as part of eternity, surrounded by the puddle. So, we are both in the “in between” and in the infinite. It matters. We have been, are right now, and will in the future be eternal beings, not unlike our Creator. Let’s make the most of it as we dwell in the “in between.”
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty/Stuart Townend
Caution: Ovens are Really Hot!
Thanksgiving can be quite the event. I don’t know about your household, but our Thanksgivings are marked with funny, heartfelt, and sometimes comically strange moments. Read on.
The tradition in our family is that I make most of Thanksgiving dinner. As a result, this includes many Jorritsma traditions such as never timing the turkey correctly with other dishes (the solution involves lots of aluminum foil), at some point burning myself on the oven or stovetop, the traditional groans and moans when we need to put up the Christmas tree on full stomachs, and so on.
My daughter recently reminded me that a couple years ago, Mom asked me where the potatoes were and my reply was, “on top of the Christmas tree.” The looks I got from everyone are hard to describe. Ironically, I was actually correct, but my answer was comically strange when taken out of context. You see, I had put the potatoes in the garage to keep them cold, and for some reason chose to put them on top of the box holding our artificial Christmas tree. Context is everything.
This got me to thinking about what our FPAND/NDFA Thanksgivings have looked like over the past few years, so I dug up my old emails and this is what I found.
2016: “Those opposed to our values are going to be fighting even harder than before; in the media, legislatures, Congress, and the courts. While we are tempted to rest on our laurels, they are right now regrouping and planning the next round of battles.”
2017: I apparently forgot to do a Thanksgiving email. My belated apologies.
2018: I talked about the challenges we were fighting for, “parental rights in health care for minors, school choice, and the rights of preborn children…the freedom to exercise your faith in your place of business…”
2019: Things to be thankful for “could be gone far faster than you or I can imagine. We see girls on sports teams competing with boys who ‘identify as a girl.’ The news broadcasts almost daily how another company, public figure, church, or other entity has sacrificed biblical values on the altar of political correctness. We see bakers, photographers, and other business owners taken to court over their religious freedoms… Hard work no longer guarantees commensurate rewards you can keep. The Left and the Right bicker on seemly every issue.”
2020: “I really don’t need to list the mess that 2020 has become – you all know it. From riots to political hate on a grand scale, and of course our ever-present COVID virus. We even hear health experts suggesting that we have family members use something like Zoom to be part of our Thanksgiving celebration, instead of coming over in person.”
2021: “That was before the fateful Presidential election of 2020, before COVID and vaccine mandates, before riots in our cities, before CRT became an abbreviation we recognize.”
Honestly, even I’m getting a little depressed writing these. So, what’s my point, other than highlighting the sad states of affairs over the past few years? I just gave you one side of the events from this time period, but now for the “rest of the story” from these years.
“May you celebrate the great blessings God has given to us as a nation and as individuals. Let’s thank Him for all those wins, and pray for his continued blessings on the work that lies before us.”
“I am personally thankful for many things. First and foremost, I am thankful for salvation in Christ. I am very thankful for a loving wife, amazing kids, and for living in this wonderful state, in spite of the winters. I am also thankful for Godly men and women who serve us in the state legislature and Congress.”
“We still have much to be thankful for. We live in a country where freedom is still greater than nearly every other country on earth. We have a definite majority of state legislators who respect biblical values and will defend them. Our country has never been more assertive to reclaim our conservative Christian values, meaning that many have been woken from their comfortable slumber and are now engaging in the fight.”
“He [George Washington] knew what mattered: that God was the source of his nation’s thanksgiving.”
Do you see the thread? The thing consistent across all these years was thankfulness for God’s provision and care of us. No matter what the problems were each year, the answer and reason for Thanksgiving was always the same.
Perhaps 2022 has been a good year for you – perhaps not. Maybe you identify with some of the anxiety found in the above quotes. Possibly you lost a loved one this year and are still mourning their passing.
I am here to assure you that the answer is still the same as it was in 2016, 2017, 2018…and indeed much further back: God watching over His people. As you know, we did not manage to dodge all the bad things that occurred over these past years, but the solution hasn’t changed.
North Dakota Family Alliance wishes you and your loved ones a blessed Thanksgiving and encourages you to remember the source of our thankfulness – God our Father. Oh, and on a side note: watch out for those ovens – they’re really hot!
And the Votes are in...
It’s over, the votes are in, and we North Dakotans have spoken. Before going into the results, just think about the fact that you voted. You had the opportunity to directly elect federal and state candidates to office, vote on important ballot measures, and make your voice heard on local issues. It’s a privilege that billions of people around the world do not have. We need to thank the Lord for the privilege to guide our country through this democratic process.
The Results
The following table summarizes results for candidates who were on the Nov. 8 ballot and who our sister organization, North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action (NDFALA), endorsed or publicly supported.
Election Results for Endorsed/Supported Candidates
Endorsed/Supported Candidate and OfficeResultJohn Hoeven, US Senator for North DakotaWONJason Dockter, Representative for District 7WONMatt Heilman, Representative for District 7WONCole Christensen, Representative for District 24WONDwight Kiefert, Representative for District 24WONKelby Timmons, Representative for District 26WONJeremy Olson, Representative for District 26WONKeith Boehm, Senator for District 33WONLarry Klemin, Representative for District 47WONMike Moschenbacher, Representative for District 47WONKathy Skroch, Representative for District 25LOST
As you can see, of the eleven candidates we endorsed or supported, ten won their races.That represents a 91% win rate!In addition, we came out against Measure 2 that would have legalized recreational marijuana, and that too was a win, with the measure going down to defeat.
In all these cases, thank you for making your voice heard.We didn’t get these legislators elected, you did.We simply did the research and made recommendations to help identify candidates with your values. Aside from these candidates, there were many other candidates elected to office who are God-fearing men and women and who will stand firm on their values, and we are very thankful for them as well.
The Future
As the legislative session begins, it will be all about integrating faith into public policy for these successful candidates. NDFA/NDFALA will continue to prepare for the 2023 legislative session. We already hosted two groundbreaking meetings to discuss legislation for this session: one with the major ND nonprofits that undertake policy work and the other with legislators.
There are going to be good and bad bills for families introduced into the legislature. We are committed to fight for your deeply held beliefs on all of these bills. We will pro-actively find sponsors in the legislature who will introduce and shepherd bills, and we will work with Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle to get the bills signed into law.
Your Role
As with the election, we will need your help accomplishing all this. You can help us in many ways.
Pray: We need your prayers to sustain our work and the work of legislators who will often come under attack for standing firm on biblical values.
Respond: If you are on our email list, you will receive important notifications concerning bills. When you see our action requests, please respond and contact your legislators. It only takes a few minutes and we promise to ask for this type of help on only most critical bills (no “crying wolf” on every bill). If you have friends who are unfamiliar with us but share your values, feel free to send them to our website to also sign up for emails.
Support our Work: Right now we particularly need your generous support to fund our activities during the legislative session. It is an enormous amount of work to analyze 1,000+ bills, identify those that most impact biblical values, strategize how best to act on each bill, coordinate with legislators, keep you notified on developments, and ask for your help on only
the most critical bills (i.e., no “crying wolf” on every bill). Please prayerfully consider helping underwrite our work and support our legislative efforts on behalf of your values. This year, generous donors have pledged matching funds, so that donations up to $25,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar from now until the end of this calendar year, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to “give twice”.
Thank you again for voting yesterday. This election was a shining example of how Christians in North Dakota can make a difference for pro-life and pro-family biblical values!