The Defender Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Best of 2020: The McKinney Family Brings Their Son Home during COVID-19 Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

Lifeline International Adoption - https://lifelinechild.org/international-adoption/

GUESTS
Jana Lombardo is the Senior Program Director of International Programs. She has been with Lifeline since 1992 after she graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She worked for six and a half years as a domestic social worker/ birthmother counselor until the birth of her first son Eli. She became a TBRI Practitioner in 2017. Jana and her husband, Luke, are also proud parents of another son, Gideon. Jana has been serving Lifeline for over twenty-two years and serves Lifeline as the program coordinator for Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Kyrgyzstan. She helps to oversee the Bulgaria and Hungary programs as well. This encompasses all of Lifeline’s Eastern European Countries and Kyrgyzstan.

Brianna Thomas works as a social worker on Lifeline’s Eurasia team. Brianna graduated from the University of Montevallo in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and received her Master’s in Social Work form The University of Alabama in May of 2018. She has always had a connection to Lifeline and was excited to join the team in January of 2016. Six years ago, the Lord confirmed her outlook on caring for orphans around the world and international adoption when close family friends adopted from Uganda and brought home a very special little boy that changed her life and heart forever. Brianna is thankful to be a part of the Eurasia team to serve families throughout their adoption journey! She is grateful for Lifeline and the opportunity to work for a gospel centered ministry who cares for vulnerable children all over the world.

Brian and Sarah McKenney live near Chattanooga, Tennessee with their seven children, two of whom are adopted. Sarah homeschools their children and is acting ringleader of their family circus and Brian serves on the staff of Calvary Chapel Chattanooga as the Communication Director and hosts their weekend services. Brian and Sarah have a passion for God's Word and absolutely love their wonderful, difficult, crazy, blessed life with a family of 9.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

The mission of Lifeline Children’s Services is to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children. Our vision is for vulnerable children and their communities to be transformed by the gospel and to make disciples.

Web: lifelinechild.org
Email: info@lifelinechild.org
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @lifelinechild
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Giving Your Time, Talents and Resources with Brittney Gilbert Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Brittney Gilbert: She is a dentist in Alabama, specializing in pediatric dentistry and is on our Alabama board.

RESOURCES
Another free weekly resource podcast for you – led by a Lifeline staff member. Featuring an in-depth study either on a portion of Scripture, or a book like “Plain Theology for Plain People” or “New Morning Mercies,” etc. Listen wherever you find your podcasts.

T-shirts That Make An Impact
Christmas is a great time to buy a loved one a cool new T-shirt. Check out our online store to purchase. Proceeds for our shirts go to further Lifeline’s mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children.

How can you make an impact, one life at a time? Help us Change One Life this year and Donate Today!

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Generosity with Anna Brooke and Cooper Johnson Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Cooper and Anna Brooke Johnson have been loyal partners of Lifeline. They have 5 children, one of whom joined their family through adoption. Cooper works at Valent group and has been in the insurance business for 15 years. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from The University of Alabama in 1998 and an MBA from The University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2002. He previously served on Lifeline’s Junior Board. Anna Brook graduated with a nursing degree in 2000 from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

RESOURCES
T-shirts That Make An Impact
Christmas is a great time to buy a loved one a cool new T-shirt. Check out our online store to purchase. Proceeds for our shirts go to further Lifeline’s mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children.

How can you make an impact, one life at a time? Help us Change One Life this year and Donate Today!

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

What Does the Bible Say about Generosity? Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Brad Evangelista, lead pastor at CrossPointe Church in Columbus, Georgia and church partner with Lifeline Children's Services.

RESOURCES
Parent Coaching is a service available for any parent who needs additional insight into their child’s behavior. Tailored to each family and each child. These are 45-60-minute sessions filled with proven tools and techniques to use in building additional strengths in parenting.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Autumn's story of Hope through Foster Care and Adoption Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Autumn Millett: After experiencing a difficult childhood characterized by homelessness, poverty, abuse, and involvement with the foster care system, Autumn Millett was adopted into her forever family at the age of 17. It was there that she found her identity in a personal relationship with Christ. She is now a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and Stetson University and is married to her sweetheart, Corey.

Chris Johnson joined Lifeline in March 2020 and serves as the National Director of Church Partnerships. He previously served as a pastor for 24 years and as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Governor’s Office of Faith and Community Based Initiatives. Chris has also served as a consultant and has been a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences, churches, and community gatherings, sharing his family’s story and challenging others to answer the gospel call to care for vulnerable children and families. He was born and raised in metro Atlanta, GA and currently lives in Birmingham. Chris attended Regent University and studied Educational Leadership and also Trinity Baptist College, where he studied Church Ministries. He has an amazing wife named Alicia and they have 10 children (3 biological and 7 adopted from foster care). They have also served as foster parents to more than 40 children.

Watch Autumn's 60 Minute Interview. Learn more about her story.

RESOURCES
As you settle into this Thanksgiving break, you may want to make good use of our Resources Page. We have hundreds of helpful articles, activity ideas, and other materials there. Topics covered include: adoption, attachment, siblings, medical needs, children’s behavioral challenges, birth parents, how to address grief and trauma, and more. Visit www.lifelinechild.org/resources or see our show notes for more details.

Interested in learning more about adoption? For those seeking to adopt, we have recently produced a free eBook to help you financially prepare for the journey. Filled with tips, resources, contact information for grant organizations, and more.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

The Connected Parent Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Lisa Qualls, and her husband, Russ, are the parents of twelve children by birth and adoption, and sometimes more through foster care. She is the creator of the One Thankful Mom website and a popular speaker at events for adoptive and foster parents. She is also the cofounder of The Connected Parent, a podcast and resource site for adoptive moms. Using her training as a TBRI Practioner and her Enneagram certification, Lisa coaches and encourages adoptive parents so they can find courage and hope in their journeys of loving their children well.

RESOURCES
Journey Alumni Family Magazine arrives in mailboxes this month!

Do you know about our free Lifeline alumni magazine, Journey? It’s specially crafted for our alumni families and this fall’s issue focuses on pregnancy counseling and how Lifeline started.
If you’re an alumni family and don’t already receive this publication, email us at milestones@lifelinechild.org to sign up, or see the show notes.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

A Biological Child's Perspective on Adoption Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Boyd Christenberry, biological child's perspective on adoption.

RESOURCES
Image Bearers: Shifting from Pro-Birth to Pro-Life

There are many books about being pro-life and combatting abortion, but this book seeks to bring awareness that the pro-life ethic is so much bigger than just being pro-birth.
Includes prayer guides, tips to care for the fatherless, discussion/thought-provoking questions.
Purchase your copy here https://lifelinechild.org/image-bearers/

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Sharing Gospel Hope to Birth Mothers Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Christie Mac Segars, VP of Domestic Programs
holds a Bachelors from Samford University and a Masters in Social Work from The University of Alabama. She has been the Domestic Director at Lifeline since March of 2013. She is passionate about taking the gospel to hurting families and the ministry of reconciliation and redemption that exists in the various domestic programs. She and her husband Croft have three daughters, Ila, Elizabeth, and Harris.

Christy Harmon, Pregnancy Counseling Program Director
holds a Bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama. She has enjoyed being on the Lifeline team since October of 2013. She is thankful to be a part of the amazing work that God is doing through Lifeline, and especially enjoys sharing the hope of the gospel with women facing an unplanned pregnancy.

RESOURCES
It is not too late to participate in Orphan Sunday 2020 (global day of observance is November 8, but your church may choose to recognize the day on a different Sunday).

Check out our free downloadable resources to allow your church to learn about the orphan crisis, advocate for vulnerable children around the world, and be moved to action.

Resources include prayer prompts, bulletin inserts, videos to use in services or in classroom settings, small group Bible lessons, and more. Visit lifelinechild.org/orphan-sunday/ or click the link in the show notes.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Answered Prayers: Funding an Adoption Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Craig Slay is a lawyer in Brandon, MS who assists clients with the concerns they face every day, from unexpected personal and family circumstances to business or government matters to general uncertainties about the best way to handle situations or conflicts. He graduated from Mississippi State with two degrees. After a brief time in corporate sales, he went to law school at the University of Alabama, to earn his Juris Doctor. He loves spending time with his wife Anita and children Caroline and Anna Beth. He also enjoys trail running, hiking, college sports and muscle cars.

Josh Caldwell, VP of International Ministries
Josh is passionate about Christ’s name being made known among the nations. Josh’s desire in ministry is to share the name of Jesus, disciple others, and care for the fatherless around the world. He invests his life in families, church leaders and others who are passionate about the Gospel and the fatherless.

RESOURCES
Orphan Sunday - November 8
We want to walk alongside you and your church as you seek to care for the orphan in your community, state, nation, to the ends of the earth. Lifeline’s free resources include: graphics/slides for presentations at church, small group lessons, bulletin inserts, opportunities for guest speakers Visit https://lifelinechild.org/orphan-sunday/

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Healing through Theraplay and Counseling Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

GUEST
Kemonia “Mo” Brown joined Lifeline in January of 2020. She is from Hoover, Alabama and serves on our Counseling Team as a Family Therapist. Kemonia attended Troy University and received her Bachelors in Science. She majored in Psychology with a minor in Leadership Studies. She also attended The University of Alabama at Birmingham and received a Masters in Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has three sisters and a sweet dog named Shakespeare! Kemonia loves going to church, hiking, jogging, cooking, art, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. Her 3 simple joys are: Drinking coffee in the morning, smelling candles, and walking her dog. “I love the wonderful community at Lifeline and the opportunity to share the gospel with every family I work with.”

RESOURCES
For those seeking to adopt, we have recently produced an eBook to help you as you financially prepare for the journey. Filled with tips, resources, contact information for grant organizations, and more. To receive this free eBook or to learn more click the link in the notes below. Contact info@lifelinechild.org for the ebook.

HOST
Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms.

LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICES

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