About Us
Mission Statement
Titus 2 – 4 Life encourages men and women to live in this present age eager to glorify God and mentor generations of hope.
Worldview
Two worldviews exist:
God’s and others.
Titus 2 – 4 Life is built upon
God’s worldview:
Creation, The Fall, Redemption.
Using this worldview, we can
answer the questions of life:
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Who am I?
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From where do I come?
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Where am I going when I die?
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How shall I live while I’m here?
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Why do bad things happen?
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Is there hope?
The Team
Linda Bartlett is a former President of National Lutherans For Life, co-founder of Lutherans For Life (LFL) of Iowa, and co-founder of The Lighthouse Center of Hope in her hometown of Iowa Falls, IA. While serving on the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Sanctity of Life Task Force, Linda helped initiate the post abortion ministry called Word of Hope. Linda has been a keynote and workshop presenter, edited magazines and newsletters, appeared on radio programs, and authored numerous publications including Into His Loving Care, Not Alone, and No More Weeping. In 2014, Titus 2-4 Life published Linda's book The Failure of Sex Education in the Church: Mistaken Identity, Compromised Purity (Amazon). Linda blogs at Ezerwoman and After The Abortion, "speaks" through the websites of Titus 2 for Life and Our Identity Matters, and posts regularly on the Facebook group pages Book News & Reviews, Christian Citizenship, Titus 2, and a private group Emperor's New Clothes. Linda and her husband, Paul, are the parents of two sons and daughter-in-laws. They are the grandparents of six grandsons and three granddaughters.
In the early years of Titus 2-4 Life, Linda led retreats in homes, on campuses, and for pastors' wives. Those retreats would not have been possible without the help and encouragement of Judy Hayen who affirmed the need for this mentoring outreach by working with Linda in a number of ways. She hosted several Titus 2 retreats and events. After attending the Titus 2 modesty “lifestyle” show written by Linda, Judy suggested that the show “go on the road.” She assisted Linda with the “Dressing for Life: Secrets of the Great Cover-up” events in Oklahoma, Missouri, Michigan, South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois and throughout Iowa. Judy printed and compiled the Titus 2 – 4 Life Study and Leader’s Guides before each retreat. She maintained the mailing list and offered good counsel.
After attending a Titus 2 clergy wives’ retreat, Jill Botsford offered to develop Linda's written work and resources into a Study Guide. What a positive difference the user-friendly guide for a number of years across the country.
Joan Buchhop partnered with Linda in a “home ministry” called Paper Treasures. Linda designed Christian cards and booklets, including Into His Loving Care and Not Alone. Joan printed and mailed them. After both women "retired" from Paper Treasures, Joan constructed the first Titus2-Life web site.
Why Titus 2?
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come … For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe
(1 Timothy 4:7-10).
We are in need of a model for life. We are in need of hope. The model for life is found in Titus 2:1-8 where we learn that God's gender-specific model honors His created order. Our hope is revealed in the promise of Titus 2:11-14.
History
In 2002, Linda Bartlett stepped down from the presidency of Lutherans For Life to begin the grassroots outreach of Titus 2-4 Life. But why? For two decades, she had been sharing the pro-life and family message in congregations, schools, and communities across the country. Linda was often privileged to speak to mothers and daughters, but also to encourage fathers and sons. The speaker became the listener and observer.
Linda was motivated to start Titus 2-4 Life because of all the pro-life Christian girls and women in their sensual dress, or who live with their boyfriend, or who were sexually abused as a child, or who harbor resentment against being female. It was 26 Christian friends, relatives, pastor's wives, and acquaintances who confessed their abortions to Linda. These women defended abortion as a "necessary evil." It was the "sacrifice" they had to make for themselves.
These women gave Linda reason to dig beneath the symptom of abortion to learn why so many Christian women become sexually intimate and pregnant outside of marriage. Abortion becomes thinkable only after men and women are deceived about their identity and purpose.
It was the voices of women feeling separated from God that encouraged Linda to begin leading Titus 2 Retreats using the model of Titus 2:2-8 and the life-changing truth of 1 Peter 1:14-16: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" God the Father ransoms His sons and daughters from "futile ways" of the world, "not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (v. 18-19).
The world distorts what God has made. The world claims that to be "equal" means that male and female are the same. Titus 2 for Life rejects the lie of the enemy who first deceived Eve (Genesis 3:1) and now us. Instead, we rejoice in the truth that male and female were not created at the same time, in the same way, or for the same purpose (Genesis 2:7, 15-23). We are not interchangeable!
Titus 2-4 Life understands that without God's Word we are vulnerable targets in the battle for our souls and easily led into despair. It was the birth of her first grandchild, however, that helped Linda better understand the value of biblical mentoring on the journey of life.
See to it that
no one takes you
captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to
human tradition, according to the elemental spirits
of the world,
and not according
to Christ
(Colossians 2:8)
Sara Nispel re-designed the website in 2009 and her daughter, Becca, later joined the team effort to make the site easier for Linda to manage. Sara and Becca are a beautiful illustration of Titus 2 mentoring.
Beth (Dittmer) Warner imagined a new generation of Titus 2-4 Life. She and her mentor-mom, Sandy, co-hosted a Titus 2 Retreat and then asked to be trained as facilitators. While a student at Concordia University in Mequon, WI., Beth led a Titus 2 Retreat for a group of her peers. Later, as a student in the deaconess program at Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN., Beth co-hosted a Titus 2 retreat together with members of Lutherans For Life. Beth is a full-time wife and mom of three but, seeing the need for a "Titus 2 Tweens, "she organized and facilitated a mini-retreat in her community.
Titus 2 women fear the Lord and are to be praised for not being deceived by the world.
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