Lutheran Family Service News
Posted on July 1, 2025
by Rev. Nathan Grewe, tLMHC
Meet Rev. Nathan Grewe, tLMHC, a mental health therapist serving clients in person in Bettendorf, IA and throughout the state of Iowa via telehealth. Having 15 years of experience as a parish pastor, Nathan is keenly aware of the joys and challenges of ministry life and brings that unique perspective to his clients.
Church Worker Wellness
Posted on June 25, 2025
by Angela Kollbaum, LIMHP, CPC, DCE
Summertime is a time of change for some churches and church workers. Graduations, ordinations, installations, commissions, moves, and missions. Whatever season you are in your calling, the Lutheran Family Service Church Worker Wellness Team (including Pastor Dave Gunderson) is here to serve you because you do not have to do it alone!
Adoption
Posted on June 21, 2025
by Kimberly Laube
At Lutheran Family Service, we believe adoption is a sacred journey guided by faith, wisdom, and compassion. Whether you’re just beginning to explore adoption or are actively looking for an agency to walk alongside you, these questions will help you in choosing an adoption agency that is Christ-centered, ethical, and compassionate.
Godly Living
Posted on June 9, 2025
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Your body has a divinely-given purpose. What you do with your body matters for your identity, your purpose, and for the sake of your eternity. As followers of Jesus, we need to adopt certain behaviors and habits of the body that will enable us to appreciate, even to celebrate, that purpose in our embodiment.
Giving
Posted on June 2, 2025
by Wanda Pritzel, LISW
In death as in life, my mother made everything easy for us. She had her funeral planned, dishes and books labeled, and family photos sorted into boxes. But most importantly, she had written a statement of her faith which leaves a testimony to us of what was most important to her in life. Do you?
Church Worker Wellness
Posted on May 28, 2025
by Rev. Dave Gunderson, tLMFT
Most church workers would say, “All members in the church are important to God.” However, for the pastor or church worker who is married, that the most important member in the church might be narrowed down to one specific person.
Adoption
Posted on May 17, 2025
by Sue Shields, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC
As children grow and understand more about their adoption story, it’s natural for them to have questions about their birth parents.
Whether your adoption is open or closed, how you speak about birth parents — and how you frame your child’s story — plays a vital role in building their confidence, identity, and emotional security.
Adoption
Posted on May 15, 2025
by Sue Shields, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC
Adoption, while beautiful, can also stir up feelings of loss, confusion, or sadness alongside love and belonging. Children need the freedom to express these feelings without fear or judgment.
In this article, we’ll explore how to handle tough conversations about adoption in a way that honors your child’s heart and strengthens your family’s bond.
Adoption
Posted on May 12, 2025
by Sue Shields, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC
As children grow, so does their understanding of the world around them — and their own unique story. Adoption is not a one-time conversation but a journey of ongoing dialogue, growing deeper and more meaningful over time.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to talk about adoption at each stage of your child’s development, offering simple tools to help you build connection, identity, and trust at every age.
Adoption
Posted on May 10, 2025
by Sue Shields, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC
The truth is, having open and loving conversations about adoption from the very beginning is one of the most important ways to build trust, security, and a strong family bond. As Christian families, we are called to walk in truth and love — reflecting God’s steadfast love to our children through every season of their lives.
