Lutheran Family Service News
Posted on August 14, 2023
by Mark Vande Braak, Ph.D, FT, MT-BC
Dr. Mark Vande Braak comes to Lutheran Family Service with decades of experience walking alongside those experiencing trauma, loss, and grief. Read on to learn more about his professional roles, the personal connection that brought him to LFS, and even how he takes his coffee.
Adoption
Posted on July 31, 2023
by Kim Laube
Many women find themselves in dangerous situations during an unexpected pregnancy, especially if there are people in their life who are violent. Safe Haven relinquishments allow the birthmother, birthfather, or a designee to bring the child to a safe location and never reveal any information about themselves or the child without being prosecuted for abandonment.
Godly Living
Posted on July 24, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
This post is the second in a two part series: A Way to Think and a Work to Do; Processing and Responding to Bad News. Click here to read part one: A Way to Think; Processing Bad News. Do Promoting and protecting human flourishing Now, what should we do? How should we as a people, […]
Godly Living
Posted on July 17, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
This post is the first in a two part series: A Way to Think and a Work to Do; Processing and Responding to Bad News. School shootings. A war in Ukraine. Rumors of war between China and Taiwan. A drug overdose crisis in America. The news hasn’t been good lately. On the one hand, the […]
Adoption
Posted on July 1, 2023
by Lutheran Family Service
Baby Vinny had been residing at the hospital with no visitors for over a month; his mom and dad had not made contact in the 40 days since his birth in February 2022. A University of Iowa hospital social worker knew Vinny needed a loving family and knew who to call to find him one […]
Mental Health
Posted on June 16, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Engage in the battle against anxiety, confront radical misbeliefs and find freedom and peace in God’s promises. For many people, anxiety is not a word; it’s a malevolent monster, a monster with an icy claw that clutches their hearts, leaving them paralyzed. If you battle anxiety, you know this reality all too well. And you, […]
Lutheran Family Service News
Posted on June 5, 2023
by Ruth Barz, tLMHC
Ruth Barz is a counselor, wife, mom, and one of the newest members of the Lutheran Family Service mental health counseling team. With a deep love of God’s Word and His truth and master’s level training as a mental health counselor, Ruth brings vast experience and insight to her practice. Read on as we discuss navigating life transitions, the power of relationships, different types of trauma, when to seek counseling, and the healing and hope found in Christ alone.
Church Worker Wellness
Posted on May 24, 2023
by Rev. David Gunderson, tLMFT
Find strategies to create more margin in your life. After hearing the words, “Dust you are and dust you shall return” during an Ash Wednesday service, Billy, a four-year-old boy asked his mother “what does that mean?”. His mother explained that God created people from the dust of the earth, but when they die, they […]
Mental Health
Posted on May 12, 2023
by Rev. Jonathan Conner
Build your life on right thinking and ordered passion. Mental health involves many things, with a life built on right thinking and ordered passions foundational to it. Before we go any further, please understand that the words in the preceding sentence are deeply significant. To be mentally healthy, we must aim for lives established on […]
Mental Health
Posted on April 23, 2023
by Ruth Barz, tLMHC
We were made for connection in relationship. Most of us, at one time or another, have run out of gas in our car. We meant to fill the tank yesterday, but we were too busy. Or we drove just a bit farther in search of the lowest gas prices, but our tank was empty before […]
