Reflecting on our first Legislative Academy

by Jacob Thomsen

This past weekend we held our very first Legislative Academy. It was remarkable to see all of the legislators and candidates who came to listen and learn from our fabulous speakers. Everyone in attendance who gave us feedback said it was an incredibly valuable event. We were honored to be able to do something like this, thanks to our generous donors!

We brought in Dr. Mark David Hall, who did a great job teaching us about our founding and its true Christian roots. His education and experience were second to none. His talk was entitled “Did America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth.” We recorded his talk for all of you and it is available at this link.

We also had the great privilege of being joined by Autumn Leva, Senior Vice President of Strategy for Family Policy Alliance and media/communications expert. She conducted media training for our legislators, which was an exceptional resource for everyone in the room. She also gave one-on-one media training to multiple attendees, and I had the opportunity to experience that as well. She put us all in the “hot seat” and grilled us with tough questions to see how we would do under pressure from aggressive media. I regret to inform you that I am no Ronald Reagan in front of the camera, but the good news is that I know what not to do!

We heard from several speakers about many other issues: family, life, education, religious liberty, agriculture, and energy. We were also privileged to learn from two former legislators, Kim Koppelman and Terry Jones. They presented some very helpful thoughts and wise advice, based upon their decades of serving North Dakotans in the state legislature.

As I sat in the back of the room, listening to the speakers and watching our legislators and candidates take it all in, there was a verse that came to my mind. When Kim and Terry spoke, they both mentioned that it was never their goal to run for office. They were called to it. I know that is the story for many of the people that were in the room as well. The verse that came to mind is from Isaiah 6:8. “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’”

We are blessed to have numerous Christians serving as legislators within North Dakota’s Capitol. While many of them never set out to become state legislators, they all answered the call that the Lord had on their lives for our state. I admire them for this. Stepping into a calling isn’t always the easiest task. I’ve seen the legislative process in this state and know for a fact that this calling is not for the faint of heart, so whenever you get the chance, please thank your legislators.

NDFA is blessed to be uniquely positioned to serve as a valuable educational resource to our legislators and candidates. We can help prepare them for their work in the state legislature with an event like the Legislative Academy, and God willing, we will continue to prepare Christian legislators for generations to come.

This was a remarkable event, and we would not have been able to do it without you, so thank you so much for your financial support!