The Empowered Advocate

Latest Episodes:

E015: Adoption, Abortion, and the Impact of Both Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

Why would it seem better to choose abortion over adoption? The answer is more complicated than you might think, and today we discuss this and other tough questions with volunteer Andrea Johnson. Andrea serves as a peer advocate, and was herself adopted. She shares her story and talks about how adoption impacted her. She also has experience with a past abortion, and shares how both these experiences have affected how she relates to clients walking through an unplanned pregnancy.

Timestamps

0:38 - Andrea shares her motivation behind getting connected at GPCC

2:45 - Finding out that she was adopted

5:00 - How did her adoption affect her relationships with her adoptive parents

6:35 - The moment when Andrea became interested in finding out who her biological parents were

8:30 - How the news impacted Andrea

12:15 - How does your experience with adoption affect the way you relate to women at GPCC?

14:00 - How has your experience with both adoption and abortion allowed you to speak truth to women who are undecided?

17:05 - Is there a more negative connotation associated with adoption from the African-American community? If so, why?

20:00 - What is the difference between placing for adoption and a child being placed in foster care?

23:55 - Why would it seem more ideal to have an abortion than to place for adoption?

25:15 - How did your abortion experiences affect you?

26:40 - What would you say to a person who has experienced an abortion in their past?

28:25 - What would you say to a person who is struggling with the reality that she has been adopted?

E014: "When You're a Baby, You Don't Have a Say" - Taking the Abortion Debate to UNCG Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Summary: In this episode, we once again take the abortion debate to the local college campus. Some of the key topics discussed: Should abortion be permissible in cases of rape? What is the difference between ending the life of an unborn child who is a result of rape, and ending the life of a toddler who is a result of rape?

Links Mentioned:

SLED Test for defending the pro-life position: str.org

A doctor explaining abortion procedures: https://youtu.be/CFZDhM5Gwhk

Time Stamps:

0:00 - Intro to a conversation on college campus, using SLED.

2:50 - Erin shares her views on abortion by answering a few questions.

5:55 - "I'm really not sure what I stand for." Preparing to ask good questions.

7:00 - If a toddler's father were a rapist, would it be right to execute that toddler because of his father's crimes?

8:56 - Setting up the transition: What is the difference between a toddler and an unborn child?

9:35 - "Now that I think about it...there is no difference. It's still a child…I don't know."

11:05 - If there is no difference between a born and unborn child, should abortion really be permissible for any reason, even for rape? Does the location of the child matter?

12:35 - Shift in justification: it's up to the mom.

13:05 - "At what point does a woman no longer have the right to end the child's life?" Drifting into the Level of Development argument.

15:45 - Why does development matter? What's important about the heartbeat?

17:40 - Clarify. Repeating back to others what we're hearing.

18:15 - Drawing another example. Why is it wrong to kill an adult, but not that same person as an embryo? "When you're a baby, you don't have a say."

21:22 - Progressing to Degree of Dependency

22:15 - What if a toddler were dependent on the care of doctors or machinery to be kept alive for a period of time - would it be right to end the life of that child?

25:00 - The core issue: She believes it would be wrong, but the choice is up to the woman.

26:45 - Shedding light on abortion procedures.

30:20 - Have your views changed on abortion throughout this conversation?

E013: No Uterus, No Opinion? - The Role of Men in the Abortion Issue Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

Josh Kappes from Love Life joins host Carter Mundy for a discussion about the role of men in the issue of abortion. Is abortion strictly a women's issue? By removing men from the conversation, are we actually absolving them from taking any responsibility for their children and families? What is the appropriate biblical perspective, and how can men take practical steps to speak up on abortion while also empowering other men to do the same?

Links mentioned:

Love Life: LoveLife.org

Sidewalk advocacy: YouTube video

Time Stamps

0:50 - Josh Kappes shares about how he got involved with Love Life. What is Love Life and what is its purpose?

12:15 - Men have no uterus - so how can men have anything to say about abortion?

19:20 - Sure, men can and should have an opinion. But how can men take it further? What should their response be?

22:45 - Josh shares a story from outside the abortion facility.

27:55 - How can we sum up what God's design for manhood is?

29:00 - What deeper issue is at the heart of abortion?

31:20 - Carter and Josh discuss some of the recent laws passed in states like Georgia and Alabama, and how our culture is responding to it.

35:30 - To be consistently pro-life, what should we say to the argument that laws should provide an exception for situations involving rape and/or incest?

38:35 - How abortion is more than just a procedure. Abortion devalues not only the unborn life, but also the life of the mother.

39:15 - How is abortion like a modern day holocaust?

42:20 - "We've got to get over our addiction to being liked by everybody."

E012: Fake Nurses or Fake News? An Interview with a Pregnancy Center RN Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

"It's a pretty awesome thing when a baby goes from being a problem to fix to a gift and a blessing to its own mother."

In this episode we interview Lauren McClure, a Registered Nurse at the pregnancy center. She gives an insider's look at her role within GPCC and addresses many of the misconceptions about nurses within a PRC.

0:00 - Welcome to Lauren McClure, RN

1:45 - Lauren's work history and how she got started at GPCC

4:35 - Many people assume that PRCs have "fake nurses." Where does this idea come from, and is there any truth to this claim?

10:50 - Have you personally experienced any negative feedback about your involvement with a pregnancy center?

12:10 - What are the differences between working as a nurse in a pregnancy center and working in a hospital?

15:00 - Lauren shares about the relationships she's able to build with clients.

16:45 - Lauren discusses her role as a nurse and what that looks like at GPCC.

20:20 - What are the primary purposes of ultrasounds at a PRC?

23:00 - Lauren shares about the relationship of the PRC with local OB/GYN doctors, and how they oversee and sign off on every scan from the pregnancy center.

25:30 - What are the most common emotions clients experience within the ultrasound room?

26:45 - Do ultrasounds still matter? What role does an ultrasound play in helping women make fully informed decisions?

30:45 - Lauren shares how being on the sidewalk outside the abortion center brings with it a whole different set of challenges than being within the walls of the pregnancy center.

37:45 - What are clients saying about the pregnancy center?

39:50 - Lauren shares her favorite part of working at GPCC.

E011: Taking the Abortion Debate to a College Campus Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

Summary: What does it look like to put S.L.E.D. in practice? In this episode, we head out to the campus of UNC Greensboro to talk with students about their views on abortion. Mary Holloman talks with one student, 'John,' and takes time to break down how to talk about this issue by asking purposeful questions and engaging in a respectful and logical dialogue.

S.L.E.D. is a method used to defend the pro-life position. You can read more about this method at str.org, or listen to episode 4 on our podcast, How to Defend the Pro-Life Position. You can also read this article on the topic, Preparing Your Heart & Mind to Defend the Pro-Life Position.

E010: The Advocate and the Appointment Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

The idea of "peer advocacy" is intimidating to some, and confusing to others. What do we really mean when we talk about peer advocates, and what actually happens inside an appointment with clients at the pregnancy center? We cover all that and more in this episode, an interview with volunteer Stacy Helt.

Links Mentioned:

Open House - Register to attend the next Open House and take your first step toward becoming a volunteer. Volunteer Opportunities - Scroll through the current volunteer opportunities to get an idea of GPCC's needs.

Time stamps

0:00 - Introducing Stacy Helt, peer advocate at GPCC.

2:10 - What is a Peer Advocate?

3:30 - Stacy describes what an appointment looks like for an advocate

4:55 - What made you want to become a Peer Advocate?

6:53 - What were you most nervous or apprehensive about when you got started?

9:00 - How does someone become a Peer Advocate?

12:50 - What tips or strategies can you give for how to connect with clients in the first moments of an appointment?

15:38 - Why it's important to us as an organization to share the gospel message

16:30 - How do you naturally transition into talking about the gospel with clients?

21:10 - What has been the most challenging part of being a Peer Advocate?

23:00 - What has been the most rewarding part of being a Peer Advocate? Stacy shares a story of when a client chose life.

24:55 - Stacy shares about the moments when a client chooses abortion, and how we can respond to it as Peer Advocates.

29:20 - The do's and don'ts of communicating with clients.

33:55 - How can a Peer Advocate provide tactful and gentle constructive feedback when a client expresses a viewpoint that is incorrect?

39:25 - How do advocates go about following up with clients post-appointment?

43:20 - Stacy shares how advocacy has impacted her personally.

45:34 - What advice would you give to someone who is interested in becoming a Peer Advocate?

E009: The Impact of Adoption, Part 2 - Q&A with Chad & Holly Cooke May 20, 2019

Show notes

Chad & Holly Cooke talk about their professional and personal experience with adoption. Holly has a masters in Marriage and Family Counseling, and Chad has his doctorate in counseling and is a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina. The Cookes adopted their first son from Ethiopia, had two biological sons, and are currently in the process of a domestic adoption. The Cookes share about the impact of adoption on the family.

0:30 - What are some of the differences between pursuing an international adoption vs. a domestic adoption?

1:35 - Chad and Holly share about how their second adoption has been an eight year process

2:48 - How involved have the boys been in this adoption process, and what are some ways that you have been preparing your family for a new brother or sister?

5:00 - What strategies do you have for adopting another child into the home when there are already children in the family?

7:41 - How has your extended family reacted to the adoption(s)? What advice would you give to people on how to prepare their families for the transition?

9:25 - What should people NOT say to someone who is in the process of adoption?

12:32 - Any last insights you'd give to those who are contemplating adoption?

13:45 - When adopting transracially, should you still celebrate/recognize that child's culture/ethnicity, treat them as if they've always been a part of your family culture from birth, or is it a balance between the two?

Recommended Resources from Chad & Holly:

The Whole-Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

The Connected Child by Karen Purvis

Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

The Empowered Parent Podcast The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing Trauma by Bessel van derk Kolk M.D.

E008: The Impact of Adoption, Part 1 - Q&A with Chad & Holly Cooke May 20, 2019

Show notes

Time stamps:

1:00 - Meet Chad & Holly Cooke

2:30 - The Cookes share their motivation behind pursuing adoption

4:18 - How do I get started with the adoption process?

7:58 - What were some of the challenges you faced in the adoption process (prior to bringing you son home)?

10:15 - How were you challenged in your faith during this process?

11:30 - What challenges did you experience as a mom and dad after you brought your son home?

13:28 - What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to adopt transracially but is apprehensive?

15:10 - The impact of adoption on the child who comes home

21:45 - How to combat the mentality of "We are rescuing this child."

24:36 - How do you handle the dynamics of having two biological sons and one adopted son of a different ethnicity? How have your sons handled this dynamic?

27:27 - At what point did you share with you son that he was adopted?

28:59 - How have each of you grown spiritually after bringing your son home?

32:17 - What advice would you give to someone who is considering adoption?

Recommended Resources from Chad & Holly:

The Whole-Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

The Connected Child by Karen Purvis

Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

The Empowered Parent Podcast

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing Trauma by Bessel van derk Kolk M.D.

E007: Sidewalk Advocacy - An Insider's Look May 01, 2019

Show notes

Carla Stowers, team leader for the GPCC sidewalk advocacy team, gives an insider's perspective on what actually takes place on the sidewalk outside of Greensboro's abortion facility. Carla shares her story about how she got involved as an advocate despite initially saying there was "no way" she'd ever serve in such a role. Carla talks about the dynamics between pregnancy center volunteers and abortion facility volunteers, the strong community she's built with her fellow advocates, and shares a story of a woman who chose life.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

Register for the next Open House event
Short video about sidewalk advocacy
Love Life Triad - prayer walks weekly outside abortion facility
'Fighting for Women Through Sidewalk Advocacy' - a story from the sidewalk

--------------

0:00 - Intro

0:40 - What is sidewalk advocacy?

1:50 - Meet Carla, Team Leader of Sidewalk Advocacy

3:08 - How Carla became a sidewalk advocate

6:30 - The first day: expectations vs. reality

9:43 - What is the atmosphere like out on the sidewalk?

11:57 - What does an advocate actually do when a woman comes to the abortion facility?

16:15 - Carla shares a story about a client who chose life

22:54 - The community of sidewalk advocates

25:45 - Interacting with abortion facility volunteers

27:50 - What should someone do if he/she is interested in sidewalk advocacy?

E005: God & Sex Forum, Part 1 - Transgenderism, with Keynote Dr. Neil Stewart Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

We live amidst an age of tremendous confusion— confusion about the most basic questions of life. Who am I? What am I? What defines my existence? Am I more than a soup of chemicals wrapped up in a sack of skin, and the dancing of my genes? In this lecture, Dr. Stewart explores these and other questions from the perspective of man made in the image of God. Here is the only foundation on which to build a cohesive understanding of the identity, dignity, responsibility, and glory of human beings. Although this image has been shattered by sin, Christ alone can put the pieces back together again.

About the Keynote:

Neil C. Stewart, is the pastor of Christ Covenant Church (ARP) in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has also pastored congregations of the Presbyterian Church in America both in Savannah, Georgia, and rural Mississippi. Neil holds a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Catherine, grew up in Northern Ireland, and have six children.

Before moving to America in 1999, Neil worked as a pediatrician at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. He studied medicine at the Queens University of Belfast (1990-1995), and was elected a member of the pediatric branch of the Royal College of Physicians in 1998.

Neil has addressed numerous conferences throughout the United States and Canada, most recently The Reformation Worship Conference in Powder Springs, Atlanta. One of his papers from that conference appears in Dr. David Hall's recent book, On Reforming Worship. He also writes for Tabletalk magazine and their website

About the God & Sex Forum:

The annual God & Sex Forum helps clarify the historic view of Christianity on sex and sexually related topics. Our over-sexualized culture has made it difficult to understand God's original design for sex according to the Bible. Join us at this event to hear a speaker lecture on topics related to sexual ethics. Also have your questions answered by a panel of people from our local community who all share a common Christian perspective.

You can find out more at https://gsocarecenter.org/community/godandsex.

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