Advertise on podcast: The Table Podcast

On this episode of The Table, host Dr. Rick Morton and the full panel, Chelsea Sobolik, Emily Chapman Richards, and Herbie Newell, welcome Lauren McAfee, founder and CEO of Life Collective, PhD student in ethics and public policy, and adoptive mom of three. Lauren shares how her passion for life and adoption began at a family birthday dinner, where an empty seat at the table prompted her and her sister to ask their parents about adopting. That prayerful nudge led to her youngest sister joining the family from China and eventually to Lauren and her husband, Michael, adopting three daughters from China, India, and the U.S. She also recounts how the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case drew her into national pro-life leadership and inspired the founding of Life Collective. The panel explores the power of collective impact, why unity among like-minded ministries matters, and how churches can build networks that wrap holistic support around vulnerable women, children, and families. Lauren unpacks the Imago Dei as the foundation for both human dignity and our need for community, and she challenges Protestants to think more carefully about the ethics of reproductive technologies. With the State Department reporting intercountry adoption at an all-time low of roughly 800 in FY25, the group tackles the "PR problem" facing international adoption. Drawing on Chelsea's perspective as both an adoptee and adoptive mom, they discuss how Christians can hold grief and hope together, honor adult adoptee voices, and advocate well ahead of the 2027 Hague Special Commission on intercountry adoption.  Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and panel introductions 03:40 Lauren's story: adoption, Hobby Lobby, and Life Collective 12:40 Collective impact and unity in the pro-life movement 17:14 The church as a community that lives out the call 21:50 Bioethics, reproductive technology, and the Protestant church 28:01 Intercountry adoption hits an all-time low 34:46 International adoption's PR problem 41:23 Laying down agendas for the bigger vision 47:18 Adult adoptee voices and the 2027 Hague Special Commission 49:51 Closing thoughts Pull up a chair, and subscribe, rate, and review The Table wherever you listen or watch.

Simon Benn was adopted at five weeks old in 1967 and grew up in England always knowing his story. At 40, an unexpected burst of anger during a horse whispering course brought buried feelings about his birth mother to the surface. Nine years later, a letter in his adoption file changed everything. Rick Morton talks with the founder of Thriving Adoptees about the primal wound, why adoptive parents should never dismiss relinquishment trauma, and why the adoption community needs to move from trauma obsessed to thriving obsessed. As Simon puts it, the past is a place of reference, not a place of residence. Find more at thrivingadoptees.com.

Katie Adams, manager of Lifeline's expat adoption program, joins Dr. Rick to trace her path from a childhood on Fort Benning through a faith awakening in high school, a major shift from nursing to social work at Samford, and a season of service with kids with special needs. She shares how a global pandemic redirected her toward Lifeline, how she fell unexpectedly in love with India's adoption program, and how she now helps missionary and military families overseas navigate the practical, financial, and emotional sides of adopting internationally.

In this episode of the Defender Podcast, Executive Director Herbie Newell and Ford sit down with Tommy DeRamos of Shades Mountain Baptist Church to talk about Heritage Builders, a Lifeline-created, church-run mentoring program for teens in foster care. Tommy shares how a small monthly meeting with fifteen kids grew into a five-year ministry teaching life skills like budgeting, job interviews, and car maintenance, all wrapped in biblical teaching and steady adult presence. The conversation lands on the real stakes: without mentors and a faith community, kids aging out of foster care face staggering odds of homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration, and why churches, not just agencies, are positioned to change that outcome.

On this episode of The Defender, Rob, Herbie, Karla, and Ford unpack the newly released 2025 intercountry adoption numbers, down to 973 children from 1,172 the year before. They break down why the drop isn't about declining need but about a harder process: older kids, sibling groups, more complex needs, and mounting bureaucratic delays. The team talks through what Lifeline is doing in response (focusing on smaller emerging programs, hosting initiatives, and advocacy), and makes a direct call to action: pray, advocate with your representatives, consider hosting, and if you're ready, take the next step toward adoption. A candid, hopeful conversation about a shifting landscape and the families and children still waiting.

Vikram grew up in a leper colony in Rajasthan before being taken in by a Christian orphanage that eventually became home to over a thousand kids. On this episode of What's Your Story, he shares his journey from orphan to Bible college graduate to houseparent over 450 children, and how a wandering season away from faith ended when God put a church next door to his home. Today Vikram serves as Lifeline's India program coordinator, helping adoptive families navigate the hardest first days of bonding with their new child, a role families affectionately call him "the baby whisperer" for. Listen to hear how God used every part of his story, even growing up without a family, to prepare him to help other families find theirs.

This summer Lifeline had sixteen kids come to the US for two weeks through the international hosting program, most of whom had already been passed over by families both in Colombia and abroad. On this episode of The Defender, Karla shares what happens from the airport arrival to the hard goodbye, including the story of two brothers where the older boy gave up his own shot at adoption so his little brother could find a family. Six of these sixteen kids still need forever families. Watch the full episode to learn how you can advocate for them, even if adoption isn't the next step for your family.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Setup01:07 Tools for Connection01:28 From Trauma to Resources02:25 Limitless and Miss Mississippi04:09 Scholarships and God’s Provision06:12 Using the Platform for Gospel06:55 Pageants and Legacy07:44 Proving Yourself Pressure10:45 Parents and Performance Anxiety12:38 Spotlight Myth and Endurance15:09 Pain in Adoption and Prayer17:28 Privacy and Boundaries18:43 Trauma Bonding in Adoption19:54 Faith Lived Not Forced21:12 Courtroom Misconceptions23:48 God Is Limitless25:00 Love and Attachment29:04 Advice to Adopted Kids30:12 Resources and Books32:12 Therapy Without Fear33:47 Bible as the Manual34:20 Closing Thanks and Wrap