The Defender Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Unstoppable: The Bamberg Sisters' Journey from China to Auburn Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Rick Morton sits down with sisters Ava and Lily Bamberg, both adopted from China and now students at Auburn University, home to the nation's only collegiate power soccer team. Ava and Lily share how they found their way to Auburn, what power soccer looks like on the court, and what it took to become one of the most dedicated teams in their division, including a championship season that moved them up to the sport's top competitive tier.

The conversation turns to their adoption story, and their mother joins in to describe the unmistakable moment she knew God was calling their family to bring each daughter home. Ava and Lily also open up about what they've learned growing up with disabilities, how their faith and family have shaped their sense of purpose, and what they wish local churches understood about welcoming and including people with disabilities well.

Learn more about Lifeline Children's Services at lifelinechild.org.

140 Million Orphans: Inside Lifeline's Global Network Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

This episode features Herbie Newell, Ken Norwood and Ford Reasons with guest Miguel Zayas, Senior Director of Global Orphan Care at Lifeline, to unpack how Lifeline serves orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide without exporting an American model. Miguel explains the GOC network's three pillars (biblical foundation, clinical best practices, organizational strategy) and how in-country facilitators run monthly trainings and coaching calls across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Herbie shares the network's origin story, from the 2008 Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine trip through a Sui Xi, China orphanage rescue, to how COVID proved the model's sustainability since local believers didn't depend on North American travel. The episode closes with a lighter segment on Lifeline's Run for One event.

Real Church, Real Gospel: A Ugandan Pastor's Journey from Prosperity to Truth Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Rick Morton sits down with Pastor Rafael Kajjubi of King Jesus Church in Busega, Uganda, a longtime friend and ministry partner of Lifeline Children's Services. Rafael shares his story of growing up in the aftermath of civil war and the AIDS crisis, his early exposure to the prosperity gospel, and the years of searching, from Dubai to London to the United States, that led him back home with a conviction to build something real.

That conviction took root in Busega, a forgotten community on the edge of Kampala, where Rafael and King Jesus Church began reaching children who were deaf and had been cast aside by their families and culture. What started as a school for four children grew into a thriving church and community, built through an unlikely partnership with Lifeline's founder, Herbie Newell, who asked Rafael one simple question that changed everything.

This conversation is a picture of what it looks like when a local church and an outside partner walk together with humility, patience, and a shared commitment to the gospel.

Learn more about Lifeline Children's Services at lifelinechild.org.

Why Do We 'Run for One'? Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

In this lighthearted episode of The Defender Podcast, the team shares the heart behind Lifeline’s annual Run for One, a fundraising event supporting global orphan care and mobilizing the Church to care for vulnerable children around the world. Along with plenty of humor, they encourage listeners to join in person or participate virtually, emphasizing that every step can help bring hope, care, and the love of Christ to children in need.

The Heart Behind Domestic Adoption Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

In this episode Lifeline Children’s Services Vice President of Domestic Programs Christy McSegers shares her personal journey to adoption ministry and provides an overview of Lifeline’s domestic adoption program. Listeners will hear how Lifeline supports women facing unexpected pregnancies through compassionate, non-coercive options counseling, while also equipping adoptive families to serve both children and birth mothers with a gospel-centered approach. The conversation explores the connection between adoption and the pro-life movement, the importance of caring for vulnerable women, and the lifelong support provided to adoptive families. The hosts conclude with practical ways individuals, families, churches, and ministries can get involved in supporting domestic adoption and pregnancy decision-making.

We Visited 19 States in 19 Days-Here's What We Learned Part 2 Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

This episode of The Table by Lifeline Children's Services serves as Part 2 of the team's reflection on their 19 States in 19 Days journey. While sharing some funny, some behind-the-scenes or just a few favorite memories from the road, the hosts focus primarily on how they witnessed churches and individual believers caring for vulnerable children and families across the country.

The conversation highlights powerful examples of Lifeline's mission in action, including adoptive and foster families whose lives have been transformed through the work of the body of Christ, children adopted from difficult circumstances who are now thriving, and churches actively serving families through ministries like Families Count. A particularly impactful story comes from a church in Pensacola, Florida, whose partnership with Lifeline has grown into a broader community effort to support families and prevent unnecessary child removals.

Through it all, Herbie, Rob and Ford emphasize the mission of Lifeline in equipping the body of Christ to bring the gospel to vulnerable children and encourage listeners to get involved.

Lifeline's 19in19 Recap Part 1 Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Herbie Newell, Rob Ingram and Ford Reasons reflect on their recent 19-day road trip through 19 states, where they visited Lifeline ministry partners and pregnancy resource centers across the country. They share memorable and humorous experiences from the journey, including racing across a Colorado ranch, driving through severe storms and tornado warnings, and enjoying countless laughs together on the road.

They discuss the impact of visiting pregnancy resource centers, with the hosts expressing gratitude for the organizations' work and how they were impressed by the dedication, compassion, and consistency of the staff despite differences in location and culture. They also note how the trip helped them better understand the needs of these centers and inspired new ideas for how Lifeline and EveryLife can support them.

She Was Adopted and Called—Now She's Helping Thousands of Foster Children Heal | Anna Leah Jolly - The Table, Ep. 9 Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Miss Mississippi Anna Leah Jolly (Part 2): Adoption, Emotional Intelligence Tools & Gospel-Centered Connection | The Table

In Part Two of The Table (Lifeline Children’s Services), host Rick Morton continues his conversation with Anna Leah Jolly—Miss Mississippi, dance studio owner, author, and adoption advocate—about using her adoption story and the Miss Mississippi platform to point to “God confidence” and share the gospel. Anna Leah describes creating LimitlessPower2Connect.com and a children’s book on emotional intelligence and the emotion wheel, supported by a CASA grant to distribute resources to kids in the court system. She and Rick discuss pressures adoptive families feel to perform, the importance of prayer and community, and how the gospel fosters connection and transformation from the inside out. Anna Leah shares why therapy felt scary at first and how her tools help parents and children talk safely about feelings and trauma, and she highlights her books available through Barnes & Noble.

00:00 Welcome Back and Setup
01:07 Tools for Connection
01:28 From Trauma to Resources
02:25 Limitless and Miss Mississippi
04:09 Scholarships and God’s Provision
06:12 Using the Platform for Gospel
06:55 Pageants and Legacy
07:44 Proving Yourself Pressure
10:45 Parents and Performance Anxiety
12:38 Spotlight Myth and Endurance
15:09 Pain in Adoption and Prayer
17:28 Privacy and Boundaries
18:43 Trauma Bonding in Adoption
19:54 Faith Lived Not Forced
21:12 Courtroom Misconceptions
23:48 God Is Limitless
25:00 Love and Attachment
29:04 Advice to Adopted Kids
30:12 Resources and Books
32:12 Therapy Without Fear
33:47 Bible as the Manual
34:20 Closing Thanks and Wrap

3 Guys, 19 States, and 153 Million Reasons! Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

How an epic road trip is helping 153 million orphans!

Thats what happens when 3 guys try to visit all 19 states where Lifeline has a physical office in just 19 days!

On this episode of the Defender Podcast, Herbie and the team pull back the curtain on the most ambitious road trip in Lifeline's history.

It all kicks off June 7th at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, the very church where Lifeline's ministry was first birthed. From there the team flies to Washington State (Lifeline's second-ever licensed state back in 2004), then on through Wyoming and South Dakota before picking up a van and driving across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan, landing back home in Birmingham for Giving Day on June 26th.

Along the way you'll hear about the partnership with EveryLife to bless a pregnancy resource center in each of the 19 states with free diapers, a key to the city in South Dakota, a clean stand-up comedy night in Kansas, and a Braves game in Atlanta with more than 200 alumni families. The team also shares the heart behind it all: growing Lifeline's following so more people learn about the ministry, more funding flows in, and more of the world's vulnerable children find their way home.

This is real life on the road, nothing staged, as the team trusts the Lord to open doors with new and existing church partners across the country.
In this episode:

How "19 in 19" came together and why these specific states - The EveryLife diaper partnership and what a pregnancy resource center actually does
Event highlights from South Dakota to Atlanta

The Giving Day goal of $700,000 to $1 million and how you can be part of it

A special scavenger hunt for pastors at the SBC in Orlando and the PCA General Assembly in Louisville on June 23rd

Follow the journey:
Visit 19in19.org to see what day we will be in your city or state

Text the word LIFE to 79819 for all the updates

Mark your calendar for Giving Day on June 26th and the Run for One on August 29th

Lifeline Children's Services is a Christ-centered ministry serving orphans, vulnerable children, vulnerable families, and vulnerable women across all 50 states and in 47 countries.

If this episode encouraged you, smash the like button, subscribe, and ring the notification bell so you never miss a Defender Podcast drop.

The Bold Movement to Bring Hope to Vulnerable Children Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Summer is here, and Lifeline has a full lineup of ways to engage, serve, and celebrate what God is doing on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children. In this episode, host Ken Norwood is joined by Lifeline President Herbie Newell, Ford Reasons, and Rob Ingram to walk through everything you need to know to make this the most meaningful summer yet.

They cover the China Reunion on June 27th in Birmingham, a celebration of the thousands of children placed in missional Christian homes since 1999; the Colombia Orphan Hosting program bringing 18 children to the Southeast starting June 29th; summer teen support groups for adoptees ages 12-16, including the online Anchor Group and an in-person therapy cohort; the 19 in 19 road trip, visiting all 19 Lifeline-licensed states in 19 days leading up to Giving Day on June 26th, with a goal of raising $700,000 in matched funds; the Run for One 5K on August 29th at Veterans Park in Birmingham (and Run Where You Are for supporters across the country); and how to join Lifeline Frontline, the on-ramp for volunteers, givers, and advocates.

Whether you're an adoptive family, a church partner, a supporter, or simply someone who wants to engage this summer, this episode is your guide.
Register for the China Reunion, Colombia Hosting, and Run for One at lifelinechild.org.

Follow the 19 in 19 road trip and give at www.19in19.org.

Join Lifeline Frontline at lifelinechild.org/serve.

Chapters:
0:00 — Introduction & Welcome
0:38 — China Adoption Reunion (June 27, Birmingham)
3:00 — Colombia Orphan Hosting (June 29)
5:07 — Teen Summer Support Groups (Anchor Group & In-Person Cohort)
7:26 — Run for One 5K (August 29, Veterans Park)
9:44 — 19 in 19 Road Trip & Giving Day (June 7–26)
12:00 — Fundraising Goal & Matching Gifts
14:17 — Closing Reflection with Herbie Newell

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