Take My Hand
Last Friday was the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. It was well attended, as usual, and I would like to thank Alan Klein for once again organizing a great event. Our speaker was former Congressman Mark Siljander, who had an amazing story of Christ’s love and grace in the difficult circumstances of his life. In addition to his keynote address, Governor Burgum spoke, there were various legislators who read passages of scripture and prayed, and much more. However, for me, while the whole morning was very meaningful, the part of the event with the greatest impact was not any of these. It was the choir.
I like almost all types of music, from hymns to rock, Country to EDM (those over 50 are excused from not knowing what this is), RAP to Gospel, and Alternative to Pop. Nevertheless, there is just something about choral music that seems to speak to me more than other types. Perhaps it’s from singing in various choirs over the years, or maybe because I have a wife and children who have a similar history of choral participation and who love the music.
The choir was made up primarily by legislators, but there was even a member of the Governor’s staff who participated. The group was directed by Senator Robert Erbele, who did a great job conducting them.
So why my fixation on the choir, particularly when there were arguably other very laudable parts of the prayer breakfast? Because of what I saw, what I heard, and what they embodied when combined.
If you look at the picture of the choir, above, you’ll see men and women, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, freshman legislators and those who have held their seats for decades. The choir was a melting pot of North Dakota political leaders. From my perspective, it represented the very best of who we are as a state. It gave a voice to all. That was the first part – what I saw.
Then there was what I heard. One of the songs they sang was "Take My Hand Precious Lord", a familiar gospel hymn for most of us. It is a very moving song and speaks to life’s hardships and how we long to rest with our Lord.
Now combine what I saw with what I heard. There you had legislators singing the same song, many of whom were about as politically different as you can imagine. Yet, there they stood, side-by-side singing:
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I'm weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord
Lead me home
Chorus, Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Thomas A. Dorsey
While this song is often used at memorial services, I think it also in a very real way described what those legislators were likely feeling.
After three months of unbelievably long days, intense analysis into hundreds of bills, innumerable debates and hearings, and being tested spiritually every day, I know with certainty that they were justified in saying, “I am tired, I'm weak, I am worn”. However, more importantly, they were asking in one voice for the Lord to take their hand and lead them. Despite all the differences, debates, or political leanings, they wanted the same thing; the Lord to help lead them.
And I have seen the Lord leading them; leading to shape the future of our state. He is helping them to see the right courses of action to ensure that His will is done, sometimes in amazing ways. Whether or not they always recognize it or even like it, God is giving them what they in some way are asking for in the song – direction in how to lead all of us.
I would ask that all of us pray for our legislators as they embark on this final leg of the legislative session. Let’s ask God to continue to lead them and keep them strong. Let’s also pray for Governor Burgum. He has many important decisions to make in the next few weeks, and we need to keep him and his staff in our prayers, so that they may make the right decisions for North Dakotans, and honor God in the direction our state should move.
ND Legislative Session: Lessons from a Hamster
We have just started the second half of the 2023 legislative session and we hope that this part of the session is as fantastic as the first two months have been. During the first half of session, we worked with the legislature to pass bills protecting parents’ rights, helping mothers and young children, preventing “gender wokeness” from spreading, preventing obscene materials in public libraries, and much more.
We testified on roughly 50 bills, and of those, 86% passed in their initial chamber. God is blessing our work in protecting and advancing your pro-life and pro-family values, and we couldn’t be happier. Thankfully, we’ve also had a few slower days during this crossover recess, so I’ve taken a little time to contemplate the significance of everything, and a mental picture came to mind.
Years ago, when I worked for World Vision, I was asked (more like voluntold) to lead an organization‑wide project to replace all the IT infrastructure. It was not an enviable task, but the person asking me was Rich Stearns, the CEO of World Vision. It’s kind of hard to say no to the CEO of a billion dollar organization when he personally asks you to help.
The project was brutal, to put it mildly, and stretched for the better part of a year. It included negotiating with the vendors, supervising a team of roughly 140 employees from all parts of the organization, and making the hard calls when needed. From an operational standpoint, it was both one of the most difficult things I’ve ever undertaken in my career and one where I grew an enormous amount.
So, what’s with the hamster? A month or so before the end of the project I was starting to feel pretty burned out and Rich could tell. A day after one of our meetings I found an envelope from him in my company mailbox. Inside was a picture he had ripped out of a magazine showing a hamster on a wheel with the words “Finish Strong” penned across the bottom. Ironically, it was precisely what I needed. We finished the project, it was an amazingly smooth go-live, and in the end it helped save lives around the world, which was really the whole point. I still contemplate that goofy picture of the hamster on the wheel sometimes when things are busy and I need that boost to the finish line.
NDFALA can feel a bit like the hamster on a wheel during a legislative session – running like crazy and trying to finish the session strong. However, here’s the difference between that picture 25 years ago and the work we’re doing right now. The hamster running on that wheel was engaged in a futile effort; the work we accomplish is far from that. It shapes our state for years to come and is the foundation upon which our children and grandchildren will grow. I guess the point is that it’s ok to feel like the hamster sometimes, but don’t ever be the hamster.
Please continue to pray for us, respond to our Call-to-Action alerts, and if possible, support our legislative work financially. In addition, remember to pray for your legislators, House and Senate leadership, Governor Burgum, and others involved in the session.
We all sometimes feel like we’re the hamster on that wheel, however, we should never be the hamster. There’s a lot riding on the next two months, and unlike our friend the hamster, it really does matter where we’re going and whether we finish strong.
Giving Hearts Day is almost here!
Dear Friends,
Giving Hearts Day is almost here! For those of you not acquainted with Giving Hearts Day (GHD), it’s an event hosted by the Dakota Medical Foundation and allied organizations that allows people to donate to causes doing good work in areas they are passionate about. This year, Giving Hearts Day is on February 9, and I’m happy to report that North Dakota Family Alliance is once again a full participant.
One reason many people give on this day is that all donations are matched! The good news is that we have once again raised matching dollars, thanks to generous donations by ministry partners. All gifts will be DOUBLED, up to our challenge match threshold of $20,000!
Over the years we’ve raised funds for advocacy, education, and our vital work during legislative sessions, and my hope is that we can raise even more this year. This event represents one of our major fundraising opportunities and allows you to support an organization that stands for your most deeply held values.
In the days ahead, you will see communications from us on social media, on our website (ndfamilyalliance.org), and in emails about our participation in Giving Hearts Day. To give on Feb. 9, simply click on this link (GHD for NDFA) and you’ll be taken directly to our GHD donation page. It’s that easy. Note that you can always go the main GHD page and search for “NDFA” and we’ll pop up.
Giving Hearts Day only lasts for 24 hours, from midnight on February 8 through midnight on February 9, so don’t hesitate. However, I’ll let you in on a secret. You can actually schedule donations right now to be given to us on GHD! It’s a nice way to donate and not worry about forgetting on February 9. Click on the link, above, and it will let you schedule your donation right now.
We’re very excited to be participating in Giving Hearts Day once again. When you give, you can be confident that your donation will go to represent and advance your pro-family and pro-life values right here in our own state. Thank you in advance for your participation. Together, we can make a difference for Faith, Family, and Freedom.
Blessings,
The View from the Balcony
Dear Friends,
As a member of the public, you can view floor sessions (when a chamber votes on bills) online for both the Senate and House, which is really convenient. You can also be there in person and sit in the back of the chamber floor as they debate and vote on bills and resolutions. However, sitting in the balcony is different.
Sitting in the balcony allows you to see everything happening on the floor, whether they are in a floor session or simply working. You may not know this, but North Dakota legislators do not get offices like members of Congress or legislators in some other states – their floor desk is their office. As a result, sitting in the balcony provides a bird’s eye view of the political process in action.
When not in floor session, you can watch them talking, discussing the merits of various bills, trying to garner support for their bills, strategizing about amendments and other changes that may make their sponsored and co-sponsored bills more likely to pass, and I suppose even occasionally talking about NDSU’s football team. They are still human.
These men and women take four months out of their year and spend it full time on crafting laws for you and me. And these are not 9-5 days. They start before the sun comes up and then work until late into the night. They need to study and understand the many bills that will come before their committees daily, every bill that will be up for a floor vote the next day, work on their own bills, etc. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it, but I do know why they do it.
When I look from the balconies, I see 141 people like you and me who are committed to making North Dakota a better place for us, our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. I see many viewpoints, from far liberal to far conservative, and honestly, while NDFALA may vociferously disagree with some of them, I still respect their commitment to their principles. I can personally attest to the fact that these legislators work very hard, so please don’t ever underestimate what they do.
The view from the balcony shows a hive of activity, and some may say it’s inefficient. I don’t see it that way. I see a living organism composed of many different parts that are working together. Some parts are like the heart, some more like an arm or foot, but all are needed and part of this body.
Please pray, support, and provide feedback to your legislators on bills. They actually want to hear from you! Bills are rarely black and white, so your call or email may help them decide which way to vote on a tough decision they’re wrestling with.
When NDFALA loses on a particular bill we backed (rarely, thanks to your support), I like to go up to the balcony. It puts things in perspective. It makes me realize that we’re all part of something larger than ourselves; in fact, we’re all part of something designed by God. That helps make those long days and nights all worthwhile.
Blessings,
...and here we go
The 2023 Legislative Session started in full swing this past Tuesday, and we are once again honored to be at the Capitol representing you and your values.
Tuesday was an exciting day, with a number of presentations by various groups to the entire legislative body, including the Governor’s State of the State Address. All the presentations were informative and very positive about where North Dakota is headed. However, more than these presentations, Tuesday was about relationships.
Like most of life, including the work environment, it’s all about relationships. The start of the new session was the first time since the 2021 session that I had a chance to catch up with many legislators. This included both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, those with perceived influence and those who “fly under the radar”. It also included many first-time “freshman” legislators, who I’m happy to report overwhelmingly support your and my values. However, regardless of where legislators stand on issues, they all have something important to add to the legislative process, and we’re more than happy to work with any of them, whenever we can agree on supporting pro-life or pro-family values.
I was also able to introduce our new Policy Analyst, Jacob Thomsen, to the legislators and others in state government. It gave us a chance to let them know that NDFA/NDFALA was going to be amongst them in an even more prominent way, advocating for your values.
Perhaps most importantly, Tuesday gave us a chance to connect with legislators and other like-minded organizations about specific bills. Hundreds of bills had been prefiled already by Tuesday, and hundreds more have been filed since that time. Tuesday gave us a chance to further talk with legislators about particular bills, strategize how best to move them through the legislative process, and determine how we can help support them.
Nearly everyone we spoke to commented that this session will have a higher-than-normal number of bills on social issues. That’s code for bills about your and my values. We have our work cut out for us, but we’re energized. With God blessing our efforts and with your support (e.g., financial, prayer, Call to Action Alert responses), we are optimistic that we can get much accomplished this session.
On a final note, if you’re reading this, you are already on our email list and will get legislative updates on a regular basis. If you know of someone who does not get our emails, but would like to stay updated on important bills and legislative news, feel free to direct them to our website (ndfamilyalliance.org), scroll to the bottom of the page, and enter their email. It’s that simple.
As we kick off this session, I want to thank each and every one of you for your faithful support of our organization. It’s only through your support that we can represent you in the halls of Bismarck. May God bless you and all our efforts to further His kingdom this legislative session.