why titus 2 - 4 life?

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TITUS 2 - 4 LIFE

  • I dragged my feet when I was invited to your Titus 2 Retreat.  I've been a Christian all my life and thought I pretty much knew everything.  But, I'm so glad I came!  No one ever told me what I've  learned this weekend about my identity.  My connection to Eve.  My role as "helper."
  • Titus 2 for Life is so needed, especially in the culture in which we live.  Trust and finding one's identity in Christ is essential to freedom as God desires for His creation.  Thank you for following His leadership when you began Titus 2 for Life.
  • I didn't know what to expect at this retreat.  But, I left with a new way of looking at myself as a woman and a child of God.  The world's ways have deceived me.  My prayer is that I better trust God's Word for my life and the mercy of my Savior.
  • There was so much information!  So much upon which to reflect!  Even so, the Study Guide is easy to understand and will be helpful in days to come.  I see Genesis -- and my connection to the Creator -- in a whole new way.
  • I have been frustrated in my role as a woman, wife, and mom . . . but you have spoken the things on my heart. You pulled them all together and brought sense from them.
  • You've helped make me more aware of the abortion issues. Most of my friends are older women. Before this retreat, I wasn't aware of times when I might have offended one of these hurting women with words carelessly spoken.
  • Most important to me is that your materials and commentary are based on Genesis. Unless we begin at the beginning, we don't know who we are or how to live in today's world.
  • As a college student engaged to a pre-seminarian, I am especially grateful for what you've shared. I see so many opportunities to use this Word-based message.
  • These are issues of the heart and ones that God's Truth needs to answer . . . I appreciated what you had to say to single women and women without children - that we, too, have a role in nurturing others and making a home.
  • You are so calm and loving as you discuss God's Word - what He says - without lecturing. That Word turns, changes, and heals hearts. You helped me realize I must set boundaries for my child and family . . . but, like Eve, I've been deceived.
  • Thank you for helping us to ask the right question. While it is true that women can do almost anything, the question is: Should they? Women do well to ask: What is God's purpose for my life as the woman He created?
  • How thankful to know I'm not alone!
  • It was hard to hear other wives of pastors not agreeing with your presentation of Biblical Truth, but I learned much from witnessing your gracious responses . . . I learned more from your example this weekend than your words. Thank you for being firm, but gentle and respectful. You have given me a model . . . you created an environment with candles and photos that helped women better receive the ideas. You allowed yourself to be vulnerable by admitting you don't have all the answers, yet you remained posed and calm.
  • Thank you for stepping away from the trends of society to say "Stop! . . . there is something better!"
  • You helped me understand that I can do something in my little corner of the vineyard to make a difference for Jesus' sake.
  • How differently the world looks when I see through Titus 2 eyes!
  • I have been deceived. I am a product of the "girlhood project" of which you spoke. I was raised in a secular world, attended secular schools and organizations, but as a person of faith, have struggled with God's views versus the world's views. I appreciate your clear view on what is worldly. This will help me even more . . . I appreciate the love and grace that was constantly woven into all you said.
  • It was great to have a forum to discuss these personal, yet foundational issues. We lack models of femininity, grace, and motherhood. Most enlightening was your mention of woman being a "pillar."
  • It was nice to hear that women don't have to "do it all." After college, I would like to be a homemaker. I would like to continue in Bible study with women from this retreat.
  • I was deceived as a young woman of the 70s . . . I felt I could "bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan!" My oldest son had to endure those early years of my wrong thinking . . . Thank you for helping me see the order of God's design.
  • The friend I brought with me to the retreat was happy to come, but I don't think she realized we'd be talking about abortion. She's had one. I sensed her agitation when we discussed the media's influence on our minds . . . thank you for sharing Truth with my friend in a careful, respectful way.
  • Thank you for not walking on my feelings, but validating them . . . thank you for reminding me that I play a valuable role in mentoring the next generation in my family.
  • During the discussion time, something happened that illustrates how we Christians are too easily tempted to remain silent. When one of the other retreat participants confidently proclaimed a view based on worldly trends, several of us who disagreed based on God's Word were intimidated into silence. We spoke of this on our drive home.
  • I was surprised at some of the revelations about modern sex education . . . I didn't realize so many barriers had been stripped away.
  • The Study Guide allowed me to follow along as you spoke. It also offered a vast array of resources and ideas for mentoring in large and small ways.
  • The most valuable information you shared was gleaned from chapters 1-3 of Genesis . . . I had never thought about the fact that man and woman were created at different times, in different ways, and for different roles.
  • I've had an abortion, so I know all too well the need for Titus 2 mentoring . . . it was important for me to host not one, but two retreats in my home . . . I believe a door was opened for continued accountability as Christian women.
  • The retreat was invaluable to me in my role as a woman, but I must admit that the whole event was worth it just to watch how my friend was impacted by certain realities. Although a Christian, she had no idea what organizations like Planned Parenthood are doing to our daughters and granddaughters.
  • I saw the woman glance through your materials and then, for some reason, she disappeared during the first session. When she returned for the second session, she seemed prepared to take issue with you. She said she had some statements of her own to make, so I began praying. After you let her speak, I think she was ready to defend herself, but you surprised her by validating her. You assured her that what she was sharing was based on her own life-experiences. Then, instead of giving an opinion of your own, you returned to God's Word and . . . her body language changed.
  • Our retreat was scheduled over two nights. I appreciated having time to think about the discussion topics during the day at work.
  • How thankful I was that this was an overnight retreat. Not only could we ponder on what we had heard as we quietly fell asleep, we had opportunity to grow more comfortable with one another and begin to develop relationships.
  • You talked about "social experiments" . . .which really caught my attention . . . I think the fact that there are so many troubled and broken marriages demonstrates the failures of these experiments that took us away from God's design for the family.
  • You caught me off guard when I asked the question about women in the workplace   . . . I expected to discuss the ways we women have impacted men for good or for bad, but I didn't anticipate that the conversation would lead to examples of how moms influence their daughters to be more aggressive and assertive not only in the workforce, but on the ball court or playing field.
  • After our discussions, I'm motivated to encourage my husband to speak to our daughter about her choice in clothing . . . he can offer her a man's perspective that may be more insightful to her than anything I can say. I believe fathers are truly called to protect their daughters and, therefore, help them to wait for real love.
  • Please don't stop sharing the Titus 2 message . . . so many young women don't realize their value comes from being adopted daughters of God through Christ.
  • I have been mourning my mother. I grew up on the reservation where life was hard . . . but my mom taught me about Jesus. You have shown me that other women can fill the empty places with God's Word of hope.
  • Although I hadn't attended a Titus 2 Retreat, I visited the web site and ordered everything I could get my hands on that Linda has written on Biblical manhood and womanhood. My husband and I have a ministry to Hispanic singles and families in the inner city. These people are hungry for Truth that shows them who they are and how to live. Then I had opportunity to attend a retreat in Linda's home.  Wow!  God is good!  Now, I am more encouraged and better equipped to develop mentoring opportunities in our congregation and community.

WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING
AFTER ATTENDING A TITUS 2 RETREAT

  • I started a "Positive Parenting" class for members of our congregation because there is a need to mentor parents in their culturally-impacting role.
  • I returned home to help our congregation honor the gender-specific instructions in God's Word found in Titus 2. My husband took the boys and I took the girls to talk about issues of purity, modesty, and life choices. We plan to offer the Bible study "Men, Women, and Relationships" for adults.
  • After attending the Titus 2 Retreat in my friend's home, I was motivated to host a retreat for women of my congregation in my own home.
  • After hosting a Titus 2 Retreat in my home, my husband and I scheduled and hosted a Titus 2 Retreat for the wives of pastors in our district.
  • My mom hosted a Titus 2 Retreat in her home when I happened to be home from college. I asked Linda if she would train me to be a facilitator, too. A year later, I led a retreat for some of my friends at Concordia University. LFL of Wisconsin helped fund this event at a local B&B. A year after that while enrolled in the deaconess program at Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne, I co-hosted another retreat. During my deaconess internship, my goal is to develop a program for middle-school girls by incorporating some of the Titus 2 material together with Linda's "Dressing for Life" Bible study.
  • After co-hosting a Titus 2 Retreat, I used the "Dressing for Life" Bible study for the girls at our summer volleyball camp.
  • My mom and I organized a "Dressing for Life" modesty life-style show. Before the event, I invited the models to our house for a "sleep-over." We used portions of the "Dressing for Life" Bible study and discussed ideas that were "strange" and "new" to some of my friends.
  • The discussion of abortion and the choices that lead up to it prompted continued discussion by the women who traveled with me to the retreat. We recognized a connection between childhood sexual abuse, promiscuity, and abortion. This motivated me to do some research which I later shared with Linda. She wove some of the material together into a two-part article for LFL's LifeDate journal (Spring & Summer 2009). I am assisting Linda in writing a brochure we hope will be helpful for women and the pastors and counselors who care for them.
  • Our women's ministry has been looking through some mentoring programs . . . this is what we've had in mind. Having this opportunity to attend this Titus 2 Retreat has been a blessing to me . . . my goal is to attend a training retreat and then facilitate Titus 2 mentoring in our congregation.
  • I attended a retreat in Linda's home.  It was exactly what our congregation's women were looking for.  We hosted a retreat of our own with Linda presenting to 43 women.  Next, we scheduled a series of lunch-studies using Linda's "Dressing For Life: Secrets of the Great Cover-up" Bible study.