Called to Love: An Adoption Podcast for Christian Parents - Christian Adoption, Trauma and Healing, Foster Care, Parenting Adopted Children (Somer Colbert and Christian Parenting)

Summer is a busy season for all families, including my own! That's why I thought this would be a great opportunity to refresh our memories with this incredible series, "Mindful Parenting" featuring my special guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of "The Connected Life." She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome back to Called to Love!

Adoptive parents, through no fault of their own, only have one side of the story and experience. Oftentimes it can be difficult to understand the struggles our adopted children experience.

Today we have the honor of hearing from Andrea Lennon. Andrea is an adult adoptee and as she will share in today’s conversation, her journey has not always been easy, but God has written her story in a beautiful way and I know she is going to bless you today in part 1 of this uplifting and informative conversation!

Andrea is the Women's Ministry Specialist for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, speaker and author for Andrea Lennon Ministry and host of the Inspire on the Go podcast. Andrea was called to ministry as a teen and has a passion to see women experience an authentic faith walk with Jesus. 

Thanks for listening!

If you are enjoying Called to Love, please leave a rating and share with your adoption community!

If you have questions or specific topics you'd like to hear covered on this show, SEND ME AN EMAIL - I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I discuss the complex and multifaceted issue of trusting God in the face of abusive situations within the foster care system. This episode topic was inspired by a listener’s question - this is a very real issue that so many foster parents face. That is why this episode is focused on some practical advice and how to lean into the Lord when we don’t understand the “why” behind these situations. I emphasize the importance of focusing on what can be controlled, such as prayer and education, while advocating for children's rights and safety. 

It is incredibly important that foster and adoptive parents provide a safe environment, create a safety plan, and be a voice for the children in their care. Empower these children beyond their trauma and trust in God's sovereignty over their circumstances. 

Here’s a few key takeaways you’ll find in this episode: 

-Focus on what you CAN control (Like prayer! Specific prayer!)

-Teach your children proper body anatomy, safe touch, and boundaries with adults 

-KNOW your rights as foster and adoptive parents! 

If the children in your care do not have a history of sexual abuse, it is still super important to stay informed and create a safety plan to prevent it. I hope this episode has been empowering and informative. 

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

What do you think of when you hear the term spiritual warfare?

When you said “yes” to foster care or adoption you agreed to step into something the enemy of our souls delighted to break and when you did,  the enemy said “this means war” 

Where there is declaration of war, especially when it comes to our families, we have no choice but to stand up, armor up and fight - but how? 

In today’s episode we are going to focus on the spiritual warfare adoptive and foster families face.

We are going to talk about:

• Who is the enemy?
• What is his goal?
• What is his "why?"
• What are his tactics?
• What can we do?

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

People experience spiritual warfare in a variety of ways - some are oblivious (especially if they are not a child of God yet) others brush it off as irrelevant and not a part of their daily life, others still blame satan for everything and don’t take the fair share of the credit for their own sin nature and sanctification process.

The battle can be fierce at times but we know as believers that we have been given the authority and power in Jesus’ name to reject, rebuke and resist the enemy.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, our special guest is an attorney to help us answer all the legal and financial questions: Lucrece Bundy. Lucrece always had a passion for helping children but didn't expect God would call her to helping children and parents from a legal perspective. Now, she is not only a lawyer advocating for families but has a YouTube channel dedicated to advising parents wanting to answer the call.

In this episode, we cover all those sticky questions: How much is this going to cost? How long is this going to take? How do I jump through these hoops I didn't even know existed!?

We had an incredible conversation and I hope you find it helpful and insightful!

Link to:

Lucrece's YouTube channel

Website

Instagram

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. This is a new series I'm titling Listener Q & A, where I respond to a question or comment from a listener sharing a piece of their story that may be super relatable to this calling... and super relevant to you listening at home!

This question is a big one: Am I really called to adopt or foster? It is such a big commitment and there's a lot we can dive into, from the family aspect, spouses being on board, and finances...

And if I am being honest, it's a bit hard to talk about because on the one hand I don't want to scare you away from this calling but I also want to be honest about the reality of challenges you will face when you do answer the call. I am reminded of the story of Moses and how he responded to his calling and now we see him as one of the fathers of the faith. His story is super encouraging and applicable I think to what we face when we may hear God's voice beckoning us to this journey.

Not only do I offer you some encouragement, but in this episode I offer some practical information on the different types of adoption and ways to help finance the process, and how seeking God's wisdom is the most important part.

Thank you so much for listening!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am joined with author, professor, speaker, and mother of three precious adopted children: Dr. Laurel Shaler. Laurel has co-written a book with Dr. Gary Chapman titled "Loving Adopted Children Well: A 5 Love Languages Approach" which has sparked today's conversation.

Laurel and I discuss some of her unique background with adoption which includes a snowflake adoption (where the adoptee mom carries an unwanted embryo to birth herself). We also discuss the ways to love our children when adoption comes inherently with loss and pain.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Navigating the holidays can be overwhelming for foster and adoptive families. As parents we can feel pressure to curate magical experiences for our kids but those may not always be best. Depending on your child, many common expectations and events may be difficult for your family to take part in due to overstimulation and social anxiety.

In today's episode I discuss how to navigate the holidays as foster and adoptive families, how to safeguard from unnecessary frustrations, how to prepare extended family and friends if your family needs to pivot the plan and the reality of "trauma-versaries."

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. Joined with me on this very important episode is Hillary Morgan Ferrer of the Mama Bear Apologetics.

Hillary is the founder and President of Mama Bear Apologetics. She feels a burden for providing accessible apologetics resources for busy moms. She is the chief author and editor of the bestselling books  Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies, Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality: Empowering Your Kids to Understand and Live Out God’s Design, and the soon to be released Honest Prayers for Mama Bears. Hillary has her master’s degree in biology and loves helping moms to discern truths and lies in both science and culture. She and her husband, John, have been married for 16 years and minister together as an apologetics team. She can never sneak up on anybody because of her chronic hiccups, which you can hear occasionally on the podcast and in interviews.

Somer asks Hillary "Where do we start?" when it comes to talking about healthy, God-created sexuality with our children and there is so much to unpack. They discuss the many categories we can use to approach addressing sex with our kids, they discuss the importance of naming body parts and not being ashamed to have honest conversations, and they discuss the current climate with sexuality and gender issues.

This topic is so important and as we open up our homes to foster kids or adopting kids, it can be so hard to address but let's talk about it. Thank you so much for being here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. 

In this powerful episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Bradley Pierce, attorney and co-founder of Abolish Abortion Texas, to discuss the church’s role in addressing the issue of abortion. We explore the challenges faced by pro-life advocates, the importance of equal protection legislation, and how the body of Christ can truly step up to make a difference for the unborn.

Bradley unpacks the resistance to equal protection laws, even within pro-life circles, and shares insights from his experience drafting and advocating for abolitionist legislation across the U.S. We highlight practical ways Christians can engage, from educating themselves and influencing legislation to supporting families and fostering meaningful conversations within their communities.

This episode is a call to action for believers to live as "living sacrifices" and step boldly into their role as defenders of life. Whether it’s advocating for change in the legal system or offering tangible support to families, everyone has a part to play in this fight for life.

Let’s move from simply saying we are pro-life to living it out with conviction, compassion, and purpose.

You can watch the "Abortion-Free" docuseries here to learn more about the current state of abortion, biblical perspectives, and actionable steps for individuals and churches.

Learn more about Bradley Pierce and his work at Abolish Abortion Texas or Foundation to Abolish Abortion. 

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, my special guests and I are talking about our adopted child's experience from their perspective. They are going to have a lot of questions about their identity and who they are, and as parents we need to help them navigate this. Joined with me on this are the authors of the book "Whose Am I" Jackie Darby and Axia de Lopez.

Jackie Darby and Axia de Lopez have an incredible story, both in their own journeys to adoption, and how they came together and eventually made this book. Jackie was adopted and Axia is an adoptive mother. Their story is incredible and their insight is eye-opening.

You can learn more about the book by clicking here!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Summer is a busy season for all families, including my own! That's why I thought this would be a great opportunity to refresh our memories with this incredible series, "Mindful Parenting" featuring my special guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of "The Connected Life." She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

In this first part of our conversation, we are tackling the definition of "mindfulness" and why it is so important for our parenting, especially when it comes to adoption and foster care where kids are entering our homes with intense emotions. We have to be able to regulate and demonstrate that regulation to these kids, help them build healthy, secure attachments, and be purposeful (not reactive) in our parenting.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am focused on talking about how to help our kids with holiday anxiety. Christmas is quickly approaching and maybe you've already experienced some the holiday stress with this past Thanksgiving. There is so much overstimulating our kids, from school activities, sugary sweets, family and friends gathering, and so much more... and with all this stress, anxiety and overstimulation can come the fights, tantrums, and big feelings that can even cause us to burst out in anger. So, how do we manage all of this? In this episode, I offer my recommendations from my personal experience and research. I hope you greatly benefit from what I have to share!

And please reach out to me with your questions, comments, and especially your "lies" that you've experienced as an adoptive or foster parent, for a series I am doing in the New Year.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. In this episode, me and my special guest Darby Strickland are navigating how to talk to your child about trauma.

Darby is a counselor, speaker and author with a specialization in trauma and domestic violence. One of her recent books is called "Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims."

Together, we talk about having those tough conversations with our kids, whether biological, adopted, or in foster care, who've experienced trauma. Often these kids grow up into adults, and go through therapy wondering why no one ever talked to them about these things that happened. These conversations are important to the healing process but at the same time uncomfortable and hard to navigate. Darby equips us with some practical tools and information to help us tackle this important area of parenthood.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined with two amazing guests who are on the other side of their adoption journeys: Jodi Jackson Tucker & Lisa Qualls. They each share their stories and how they ended up adopting and all the ups and downs along the way, and they emphasize the need for healing when it comes to this calling.

No matter which way you look at it, adoption is traumatic. While it is beautiful and sanctifying to open up your home and heart to a child in need, it doesn't mean there isn't heartbreak in the fact the child could not be with their biological parents. As Christian adoptive parents and foster parents, we especially need to acknowledge this heartache which can help us better understand what our child is experiencing. There is also so much healing, redemptive, and sanctifying power that comes with this calling... but it's also hard and we need Jesus every step of the way!

To learn more about Jodi Jackson Tucker, click here!

To learn more about Lisa Qualls, click here!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Adoption Wise ministry, including free Blocked Care Webinar:

Second Mothers ministry with bookshelf of resources:

Pre-Order/Order: Healing for Every Heart in Adoption

Buy the book now!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

November is Adoption Awareness month and to celebrate and bring awareness, I am welcoming my husband Corey to the show to have a candid conversation about our 10 year adoption journey.

We hold nothing back as we share honest and raw stories from the many experiences both beautiful and hard and offer insight into how God’s calling doesn't always turn out as we planned but it is always as He ordained. 

It's not always easy to answer God's call to love when God's calling isn't clear or results are far from what you expect, but this is what inspired this ministry and we hope it inspires and encourages you in your current season. 

If you have questions or topics you'd like to hear discussed on this podcast, SEND ME AN EMAIL and I'd love to devote episodes to come to serve you and your family.

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Whitney Newby, author of the new book “Lift Your Eyes: Daily Invitations to Behold Christ in Motherhood”, founder of Brighter Day Press, and a homeschooling mom of four. Whitney joins me to talk about the challenges and beauty of motherhood, particularly in the context of foster care and adoption. 

Whitney shares insights from her upcoming devotional based on Psalm 121, emphasizing God's attributes as a source of comfort and strength for mothers. Our conversation highlights the importance of relying on God for help and rest amidst the demands of parenting. Together, we explore the challenges of motherhood, emphasizing the importance of faith in God's provision, overcoming feelings of failure and comparison, and finding stillness amidst the chaos. We also offer practical ways to lift our eyes to Christ and incorporate biblical truths into daily rhythms, encouraging mothers to trust in God's promises and create an atmosphere of worship in their homes.

Here are a few takeaways: 

-Psalm 121 is a comforting scripture for mothers.

-God's attributes provide strength and reassurance in motherhood.

-Jesus invites us to find rest in Him amidst our weariness.

-God's grace is sufficient for us in our weaknesses.

-We need to lean on God as our helper and provider. Leaning into faith in God's provision is essential for mothers.

-Comparison can lead to feelings of isolation and guilt.

-Living out our faith in front of our children is impactful.

Connect with Whitney: 

Website

New book

Instagram

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined with Rachel Wojo for this discussion on the desperate prayers we have as adoptive parents. Rachel's story is full of grief, trauma, love, loss, and Christ holding her together tenderly. In this conversation, Rachel shares her story and how we can pray when we don't even have the words...

You can buy her book "Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments" by clicking this link.

You can learn more about Rachel from her website!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Today’s topic is Remember Your Why. And this is an important one because, it can be really easy to get caught up in the emotions, the excitement and the overall Hallmark idea of it. But the truth behind adoption is there is loss, grief and sometimes trauma and we as parents need to balance our perspective between the beauty and the loss to help us discern how to best love and guide our children. There is more to this calling than just the Insta-worthy arrival pics…much more - and today we are going to go deep as we examine God’s heart for the family, His heart for adoption and why there is a need for adoption. And I want to leave you with a challenge, wherever you are in your journey - so, let’s get started!

To understand God's heart for adoption we first have to understand His heart for the family.

God designed the family before He even established the Church. This speaks volumes about the importance of family in His eyes!

The need for adoption exists because of the brokenness of sin. God’s original design for the family did not include death, divorce, abuse, neglect, poverty or addiction. Just like with Eve, the enemy is constantly and relentlessly inserting himself into the relationships between men and women. He delights in disrupting and destroying God’s perfect design for the family. 

Families who say yes to adoption are willingly stepping into brokenness, assuming a battle on behalf of another, dodging fiery arrows of lies and warring to overcome darkness with the light and truth of God’s love.

Regardless of how He designs your family, God’s heart is for your family and all families to love, serve and be in relationship with Him for generations.

This is something the enemy of our souls despises and will seek to disrupt at any cost, especially for adoptive families. Therefore, we are in a battle with him for the very legacy God desires for our children and families. 

Download Your FREE guide to this series HERE!

Jep and Jessica Robertson, most well-known for being part of the Duck Dynasty Robertson Family, have joined me on this episode to share their adoption journey. Like many beginnings to the adoption process, it was the wife's idea. Jessica wanted to adopt but Jep was hesitant, and Jessica thought it made sense. They already have four biological children, were super busy in the successful business, homeschooling, and part of the reality TV show! But after Jep experienced a mission trip in the Dominican Republic, he realized he wanted to adopt.

Adoption, however, is not as easy as it sounds, and even after you bring home that child there is still a lot of trauma to walk through and challenges ahead. Jep and Jessica share their story and offer encouragement, and share how having a strong support system and a strong marriage make all the difference.

Plus, Jep and Jessica want to share this amazing resource for you and your family! A brand new, interactive book about a tiger named Valor who's adopted. Learn more about the book by clicking this link.

You can also learn more about the organization Jep works for called All God's Children.

And you can follow them on social media!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

Joined with me today is the author and mom of both adopted and bio kids: Sara Hagerty. Sara recently published a book titled "The Gift of Limitations" which sparked this raw conversation about dealing with disappointment in this season of motherhood, naming our emotions, and working through grief.

One thing that resonates is how we can't skip steps to reach contentment. Being content with where we are means truly reckoning with the discomfort and heartache of where we are.

Another powerful reminder is that Jesus was never in a hurry. Jesus was on mission but he also rested. He became flesh here on earth and limited His own power. With limitations, He saved the world...

And finally....Friend, you don't have to be everything. There is so much hope we can find as we surrender all our grief to Him.

Thank you so much for listening!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

This episode features a special guest: Laura Kuehn. Laura is founder and owner of Cornerstones for Parents, where she combines God’s word, writing, and supporting parents. She is a licensed therapist and author of More Than a Conqueror: A Christian Kid’s Guide to Winning the War on Worry.

Together, Laura and I discuss trauma behaviors and responses in children, the relationships between the body and brain, and practical ways to help calm a child before the anxiety takes over. Laura also brings up the role model Jesus presents to us for how to navigate these hard feelings which can be overwhelming.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This is such an important episode because there is such a stigma around adopting older children. Joined with me on this important conversation of breaking-down, understanding, and destigmatizing the need for older child adoption is an amazing expert from the field, Dr. Kimberly Offutt.

Dr. Kimberly Offutt is an adopted mom herself who's first adopted child was eight years old, and has welcomed more children since then. She has been a part of Bethany.org for years and shares her experiences with the organization along with her personal stories. Here's the truth: adoption will break you, but it's also a sanctifying process where God refines you. It is hard and that is why it is so important to be aligned with your spouse and surrounded by a support system.

Dr. Kimberly Offutt's resource: Bethany.org

The book she continued referencing in the episode, "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog"

The podcast episode Somer references: "Safeguarding What is Sacred: Keeping Your Marriage Strong as Foster and Adoptive Parents"

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Today on the podcast we are continuing on with Reframing Your Mindset as a Christian Adoption parent...

Today’s topic is Establish Your Expectations. It is so easy to begin to craft our expectations for who our adopted child will be, how fast the process of completion will be and what family life will look like when your child comes home. 

Without realizing it, many of the struggles adoptive parents face with their journey and with their child are the result of unrealized expectations that haven’t been met. So I want to speak into this today and offer perspective from both Scripture and personal experience. I have had a lot of “aha moments” since our daughter joined our family and one of the biggest aha moments I have experienced had everything to do with my expectations and my response to…well, how nothing happened as I planned.

It's not too late to grab free download I have created to walk you through this series. Use it to refer back to the scriptures mentioned as well as journal and prayer prompts shared at the end of today's episode.

GRAB YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD HERE!

Favorite Takeaways:

Adoption rarely turns out the way we expect.

The adoption journey is filled with messy circumstances, unpredictable timing, and constant detours. And once your child comes home, things rarely unfold the way you imagined.

The truth is, the expectations you set for your adoption journey will determine your mindset and how well you walk through it.

Expectations can be a slippery slope and cause well-intended parents to trip up and focus their time, effort and energy toward an ideal that is different from what God has planned.

Adoption is not about getting “a” child for your family, it is about walking a journey of obedience as God leads you to “the” child He has for your family.

Welcome to the Called To Love Podcast. 

In this powerful episode, I am fortunate enough to welcome back advocate, speaker, author, and foster mom Tori Hope Petersen. Drawing from her journey through foster homes, aging out of the system at 18, and overcoming labels like "self-sabotager," Tori shares how destructive patterns rooted in past trauma can be recognized and broken.

This conversation dives into the challenges of foster and adoptive parenting, offering encouragement to love and guide children in survival mode with grace and perseverance. Tori emphasizes the importance of living with integrity, proclaiming biblical truth over oneself and others, and trusting God’s timing for healing. We also explore why dysfunction often feels familiar, the power of rewriting personal narratives, and how to embrace healthy relationships with resilience and faith.

Whether you’re a foster or adoptive parent or navigating personal challenges, this episode offers wisdom, practical tools, and faith-filled encouragement to break free from cycles that hold you back and embrace a life of hope and healing.

To learn more about Tori, her work, and her resources click here. 

You can also purchase her book Fostered or preorder her upcoming book Breaking the Patterns That Break You.

She is on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok with the handle @ToriHopePetersen. 

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Joining me on this episode is animator, author, and father of four adopted children: Tim Wolkiewicz.

Tim is a very talented animator who has worked on Veggietales, Hasbro’s “Transformers Rescue Bots,” Warner Brother’s “Green Eggs and Ham,” and Disney’s “Monsters At Work." He is also passionate about adoption and foster care. Him and his wife both fostered and adopted children, two of which internationally. With this passion, he created a children's activity book specifically for adopted and foster kids called "The Flock."

In this episode, Tim and I discuss:

• His family's story and how they came into this calling
• How important it is for both husband and wife to be on board for this calling
• How this calling doesn't just impact the child you're adopting or fostering, but it has an impact on the bio family and social workers and more.

Tim also encourages us to find support groups, trust God, and be in a church body that raises you up in this calling, "it takes a church."

There is a lot on the plates of foster and adoptive parents. In many ways, they take on several hats, becoming therapists, lawyers, taxi drivers, just with all the appointments and paperwork to navigate... and with this stress comes burn out and with burn out comes tension in the household. That is why it is so important to be supported by family, friends, and church.

Through all of it, God is at work: you are not alone.

Check out Tim's new interactive comic book: The Flock here on his Etsy store.

You can also connect with him about the book via email: theflock127@gmail.com

Or connect with him on social media or his website.

So glad you're here to join us!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. Joined with me this topic which resonates so deeply with foster and adoptive parents is Nicole Unice.

Nicole Unice is a bivocational leader, serving both in the ministry and in the marketplace. As a pastor and community leader, Nicole is the author of several books on healthy faith, honing in on the connection between our emotional and spiritual life. She’s the host of How to Study the Bible, a popular weekly podcast that reaches people in 188 different countries in the last year alone, and preaches frequently for conferences and churches.

Her recent book is the catalyst for this conversation, "Not What I Signed Up For." Together, Somer and Nicole discuss the very real and hard feelings you go through in this journey but also the incredible transformation and beauty along with it.

Nicole says when the calling is loud, it's almost always a hard one--just part of how God seems to work! And this calling is hard but it is so powerful, and if we're honest... if you knew how hard it would be, would you have been brave enough to accept the challenge? It's almost a blessing in that way to be ignorant of the storms to come and just trust God will get you through it.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Joining me on this episode is author, podcaster, and foster-mom: Bethany Adkins.

In this two-part series, Bethany shares part of her story with foster care and the heartache that comes with it... but also the incredible God-filled joy. They also discuss the need for not just people who "love you" but people who "get you" and what the difference is. They also the discuss the refining power of this calling and how it changed her and her husband.

You can learn more about Bethany on her website or Instagram, and check out her podcast and YouTube channel!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

I am so excited the time has finally come and grateful to be with you as we kick off this brand new podcast highlighting what it means to be called to love as adoptive and foster parents and right from the beginning I want to establish the framework and the mindset through which we will discuss every topic….and trust me, we are going to dive into many different topics during our time together from attachment, trauma, post-adoptive depression, how to love your kids when they rebel, how to navigate relationships with bio families.

Honestly, more than I have time to list, so I am going to begin our time together with a 5 part series I am calling: Reframing Your Mindset as a Christian Adoption Parent

All throughout scripture we see adoption - the first account being Moses then other heroes of the faith like Esther all the way to Jesus Himself being adopted by His earthly father, Joseph.

Scripture is clear that God has a heart for those in need of forever families but I want to try and help you avoid, or at least navigate better, some of the struggles my family and I personally experienced as well as common pitfalls adoptive and foster parents can face. The truth is, we simply didn’t know any better, so my hope with this series is to, right off the bat, help you establish a healthy mindset wherever you are on your journey of adoption. And if you are currently serving in foster care, this absolutely applies to you as well!

I have created a FREE download for you to utilize as a guide through these first 5 episodes and would love for you to grab it over at christianparenting.org/calledtolove.

Check out the photo mentioned in today's episode HERE!

Favorite Takeaways:

• Each of us are called to love God, love others and share Jesus.
• For those of us who are called to adoption and foster care, that calling takes on a whole new meaning as we run a very unique and beautiful race. 
• It is not healthy to look back on things God called you away from ( aka Lot’s wife), but it is healthy to look back and remember what God called you toward. 
• Ebenezer - (stone of remembrance) a place of remembrance for a time when God clearly spoke and gave direction or came through for His people. (1Samuel 7)
• Adoption is not a process, it is a journey.
• You’ve heard it said many times but it bears repeating: God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
• Let me share something I wish I understood much earlier in my journey - because God has called you to this, your journey of being qualified for this will carry on for the rest of your life.

Called to Love is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Billie Jauss who sparks today's conversation with the release of her new book: "Baseball Family: The 9 Core Qualities for Developing Healthy Relationships." Billie shares her story of raising her three boys in a busy season of being married to a professional baseball coach and on top of it all -- fostering! Billie has a lot of stories and experiences that she shares in this episode along with those nine core qualities for developing healthy relationships.

Click here to check out her book!

Click here to follow her on Instagram!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am joined by author "M is for Mama" Abbie Halberstadt. Abbie is the busy mom of ten kiddos who also finds time to encourage Christian mamas in their calling of motherhood. As moms, we are laying the foundation for our kids to know Christ; it is a heavy responsibility but one we can do with God on our side.

In this conversation, we talk about the hardship of parenting, and how that relates to adoption and foster care. Whether you're parenting adopted, foster, or your own biological children, its all hard! And hard is where God grows us.

So glad you're here to join us!

Link to:

Abbie's Instagram

Abbie's website

Abbie's new book "Hard is Not the Same as Bad"

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome back friends - today I am talking about Parenting Your Foster and Adoptive Kids with Confidence

Have you ever struggled with the feeling of not being qualified to parent your adopted or foster child? 

Do you struggle with the fears that you are irrevocably messing up your child because there were and are things you simply didn’t know…until you learned them - sometimes through messy trial and error?

I think all parents feel that way to some degree, even with their biological kids -but there can be a heavier weight to that term adopted in front of your child’s description that leaves you wrestling with whether you are either qualified to say yes or qualified to keep going.

In this episode I am going to talk about 5 responsibilities of parenting based on scripture and talk about why you are qualified to parent the child or children God has called you to love.

Scriptures mentioned:

Psalm 4:8 -  In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Col. 3:20-21 - Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Proverbs 1:8 - Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

Proverbs 22:6 - Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 13:24 - the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 -

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

Our children receive a birthright when they become a part of our families - and even if you are fostering right now, they are still under your umbrella protection, guidance and spiritual authority.

God has given you the children, He’s given you the how-to manual and He has given you full access to Him through the Holy Spirit to seek Him every step of the way as you parent these unique and beautiful lives He has entrusted to your stewardship.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Courtney Seibring who sparks today's conversation with the release of her new book, "Every Body Wonderfully Made: God's Good Plan for Boys and Girls." Together, Courtney and I talk about how our adopted kids may recognize how different they look from the rest of the family and we need to remind them of how wonderfully they're made!

A resource from Courtney, click here!

A link to Courtney's website, click here.

You can follow her on social media.

And here's her brand new book!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

In this second part of our conversation,  Kelly Hamilton and I are tackling the attachment styles. Being aware and mindful of our own attachment styles and the styles of our children make a big impact on that growing connection with our child, whether they're biological or adopted. Developing your relationship with your child is a lifelong commitment and there is so much hope for reconciliation and healing, even if its hard and ugly.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of “The Connected Life.” She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am focused on talking about our neurodivergent kiddos, whether they're our biological ones, adopted, or being fostered. "Neurodivergent" has been a popular term in the past few years but what does it mean? And how do we love our kids well when we struggle to understand them? I explore all of this and other ways to regulate the big feelings and much more in this episode.

And please reach out to me with your questions, comments, and especially your "lies" that you've experienced as an adoptive or foster parent, for a series I am doing in the New Year.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Summer is a busy season for all families, including my own! That's why I thought this would be a great opportunity to refresh our memories with this incredible series, "Mindful Parenting" featuring my special guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of "The Connected Life." She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. In this episode, me and my special guest Cynthia Yanof are helping you unpack what it means to say "yes" to that God-sized calling.

Cynthia is an author, podcaster, busy adoptive mom who raised kids in foster care after having her own kids and being a lawyer. Her new book is called, "Life is Messy, God is Good."

Foster care changes you. It is beautiful and it is painful, all at the same time but Cynthia says she can't imagine who her family would be without this in their story. Some people think fostering or adoption is a mighty spiritual and noble thing, but it is very messy and doesn't feel very spiritual in the hardship. It can often feel like you're standing alone, because you have friends and family members asking "Are you sure?" with concern on their faces. You find yourself reluctant to say "yes..."

Cynthia and I also discuss the lies we often combat with giving our reluctant yes to God. There's the constant comparison game and feeling unimpressed with the ordinary, but God is the one who determines success, not the metrics of this world.

Cynthia encourages us to be intentional about the story of our life that we are writing, because it is the story our kids grow up seeing play out: what kind of story do you want them to see?

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

Christmas is quickly coming around the corner which is why I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk with Donna Amidon about the connection between Jesus and the Old Testament, how God is the same through all the ages and the promise of Jesus is woven throughout scripture.

As foster and adoptive parents, the holidays can be challenging and one thing that can be stabilizing is having some family traditions. One thing that Donna talks about is the Jesse Tree, something she didn't realize was having an impact on her daughter. We can plant seeds in our kids and not see the fruit till years later which is why it is so important to persevere and keep planting!

Here's a link to Donna's book: Tracing His Promise: Understanding the Bigger Story of Jesus and What That Means for Us

Here's where you can learn more about Donna: her website, click here!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. I think as parents, we can feel like we're not enough and we're limited by so many things: time, money, energy, etc. And it's true. We are limited, but it is in those limits that God makes up the difference. It is through God's unlimitedness, that we are able to overcome those challenges in parenthood.

In this episode, I am joined with pastor, author, and busy mama to five: Jessica Hurlbut. Her new book is, "Unlimited Motherhood: Overcome 12 Limits that Overwhelm and Conflict Our Hearts"

Jessica and her husband Greg are herald as adoption advocates across New York State. After adopting a sibling group of two from foster care in 2015, they discovered the massive need for foster and adoptive parents.

They founded All 4 One Adoption Awareness, an organization focused on highlighting the 110,000 children in foster care who are freed to be adopted and need a forever family. For three years straight, Jessica has promoted and organized a 110 mile run across St. Lawrence County which is held on National Adoption Day to raise awareness for this need.

In today's conversation, we talk about the challenges of motherhood, caring for special needs children, foster-care, adoption--all of the things! Jessica helps us realize the beauty in those hardships and gives us some practical ways to counteract the Enemy's methods of attacking us in these challenges: he isolates us, gets us to resent our spouse, and try to "fix" our kids.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

As 2024 comes to a close, Somer wants to highlight one of the best episodes from this year -- in case you missed it!

Often people think infertility leads to adoption. It isn't always the case, but it can be for some. Joined with Somer on the podcast are authors Jenn Hesse and Kelley Ramsey who were connected from miles apart thanks to social media. They both share similar infertility stories which is what dawned their friendship and eventually collaborating on this book, "Waiting in Hope: 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertility"

In this episode, they tackle the emotional rollercoaster that is infertility. There is hope and there is pain, and it can be isolating. Kelley and Jenn remind us how important marriage is, community, and leaning into God who has the plan we may not understand.

Something beautiful can come from this grief, and something beautiful can also be different from what we expect.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

Somer would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you a monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Summer is a busy season for all families, including my own! That's why I thought this would be a great opportunity to refresh our memories with this incredible series, "Mindful Parenting" featuring my special guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of "The Connected Life." She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

In this second part of our conversation, Kelly Hamilton and I are tackling the attachment styles. Being aware and mindful of our own attachment styles and the styles of our children make a big impact on that growing connection with our child, whether they're biological or adopted. Developing your relationship with your child is a lifelong commitment and there is so much hope for reconciliation and healing, even if its hard and ugly.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am joined by Dr. Gary Chapman. Gary is an author, speaker, and counselor— and he has a passion for people and for helping them form lasting relationships. He is the bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages® series and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary Travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio programs air on more than 400 stations.

In this conversation, we talk about how important it is as adoptive and foster families to build these strong, healthy families. Notably, it's important for the mom and dad as a married, united couple to remember their family started with them and their sacred covenant, and they are modeling behaviors to every child in their home. Dr. Gary has a lot of wisdom for us!

So glad you're here to join us!

Link to:

Dr Chapman's Facebook

Dr Chapman's book, "5 Traits of a Healthy Family"

Dr Chapman's website

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This is a special episode where Somer shares clips from the five most downloaded, most popular episodes from Called to Love thus far:

1. Reframing Your Mindset As A Christian Adoptive Parent: Reflect on Your Calling
2. Lessons Learned in Our Adoption Journey with Somer & Corey
3. Everything You Need to Know from an Adoption Attorney (featuring Lucrece Bundy)
4. Listener Q & A: Am I Really Called to Adopt or Foster? 
5. Understanding God's Heart for Adoption and Foster Care with Tim Wolkiewicz

As the year closes, it is the perfect time to reflect on everything God has done and God has done great things for this podcast. Somer hopes and prays this show has been a blessing for you and a valuable resource! She is crafting a series for 2025 titled, "The Lies Adoptive and Foster Parents Believe" and she needs your help! Submit that "lie" the enemy is whispering in your ear so Somer can help point you towards God's truth.

You can email your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

Somer wants to connect with you on Instagram or send you her monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

On the last episode we talked about the reality of spiritual warfare as foster and adoptive parents.

The reality is, when you said yes to this calling a war cry was issued against you by the enemy because you stepped into something he delighted to destroy - to take part in the ministry of reconciliation.

Oftentimes the attack is aimed at your marriage because the enemy knows a husband and wife unified in their obedience to their calling is a force to be reckoned with. 

Therefore, we need to be aware, know how to identify and understand the enemy’s tactics and take action.

In today's episode I will share 5 ways to safeguard what is sacred - your marriage!

Thanks for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram, Facebook or JOIN MY EMAIL LIST for weekly episode reminders and free resources!

Favorite Takeaways:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~ Ephesians 2:10

Every day we are putting our energy toward something - those relationships that matter most deserve our most intentional effort - do the work to safeguard and maintain it, or do the work to repair it later.

During your prioritized time together, establish phrases or words to communicate a need for help or reprieve during high stress or exhausted situations - do the work on the front end to prevent hurt in the moment.

Be ready to throw the first punch because it is not a question of “if” the enemy attacks your marriage, but when.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

It's been a while since it's just been you and me on the podcast. We've had a lot of incredible guests over the past several weeks and I just wanted to take a moment to pause and get into a common struggle with adoption and foster care, and that's how to raise all the siblings together.

I offer you some practical advice, my own rough experience, and hopefully some information with strengthens and encourages you in this calling!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am tackling a question submitted from a listener. I am unpacking what certain behaviors mean, how to tell if its "trauma or drama." Let's be honest, kids can act out for a number of reasons and we need to know how to respond appropriately.

In this episode, I go over a variety of behaviors, signs, things for you to look out for, and give you some tools for your own responses to these situations with your child. I hope to empower you with this insight so you can continue serving this calling well!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined with the amazing author and adoptive mom, Dorian Stewart. Dorian has written the “Promise Pals” series, which was envisioned when she realized there weren’t many resources and books out there for adopted kids. Adopted kids are just as much chosen and wanted as biological children, especially since we are all adopted by our Heavenly Father. This is something Dorian and her husband wanted to strongly emphasize with their daughter. In our conversation, we discuss exactly how they enforced positive messaging for their child, how they prayed for their daughter’s biological family, and how to answer the hard questions their child asks. 

Here are a few takeaways: 

• The journey of adoption can be seen as God's divine blueprint.
• Positive affirmations are crucial for building confidence in children.
• Infusing God's truth into daily life helps children understand their identity.
• Creating safe spaces for children to ask questions is essential.
• Adoption should be framed as a loving choice, not a rejection.

You can learn more and connect with Dorian Stewart on social media and find her books! 

https://www.facebook.com/dorian.mcdonald.90/ 

https://www.instagram.com/de_stewarts/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dorian-Stewart/author/B08WM36MJP?ref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share%3Flanguage%3Des&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=0127f328-2b6f-40e9-8dfc-6321bf6506c9 

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

I hope you enjoyed the Refresh episodes with Kelly Hamilton as much as I did! If we're being honest, the summer season is not always full of fun and relaxation... in fact, it can be hard, lacking consistency, and stressful! That's why I wanted to pause and remind myself of those tools for behavior and emotional regulation, and these tools have been personally helpful for me in my family as I get overwhelmed.

In this episode, I talk about some resources which I have found extremely helpful during this season and I am encouraging you to find rest, find margin for God, and remember that God is in this with you.

The Colbert family has recently experienced a failed placement, and that is something I also share with you in this episode. God's faithfulness with us in this season has been so powerful and I hope this encourages you, in whatever stage you're at in this calling...

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Amanda Erickson. Amanda and her husband Dr. David Erickson are the founders of Flourishing Homes & Families. They equip and empower Christian parents to lead their families with grace and gentleness through parenting principles that are rooted in the teaching of Jesus and backed by modern neuroscience. Along the way, they have cultivated a community of parents in the trenches, guiding them towards being peacemakers in their home, and offering practical tools for parenting with Jesus at the center.

Together, Amanda and I talk about the power of neuroscience and how God has made our human bodies and minds to work. Understanding how we process our emotions, how our kids process them, makes us better parents!

Amanda and David's new book: The Flourishing Family: A Jesus-Centered Guide to Parenting with Peace and Purpose

You can follow them on social media. Click the link.

And you can check out their website!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Sally Clarkson. Sally has written several books and her most recent release is titled, "Well Lived: Shaping a Legacy of Gratitude and Grace" which sparks today's conversation on how to live well as adoptive and foster parents.

Let's be real... this calling is a hard one, there are tons of challenges, stressors, and things which make us feel defeated and deflated. How do we live well in this calling? Sally shares some of her story and experience with living well while caring for her children with special needs. She encourages us with knowing there is so much love and grace from the Father and it's okay to be human...

Click here to learn more about Sally from her website!

Click here to follow her on Instagram!

Click here to buy her new book!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called To Love Podcast. 

In this powerful and heartfelt episode, I get to dive into a topic of deep significance: the sanctity of life and the journey of redemption after abortion. I am joined by Robin Gerblick who is the founder of the Exodus Women’s Retreat, author of Giving Up Grace, and an adoptive mom. 

Robin candidly shares her journey from a point of crisis, navigating feelings of abandonment and loss, to finding profound healing through faith, grace, and forgiveness. We discuss the emotional, physical, and spiritual consequences of abortion, shedding light on the real struggles women face and the importance of creating a safe, grace-filled space for them to heal. Robin also shares practical insights for adoptive and foster parents seeking to minister to women in crisis and children from difficult backgrounds.

This episode is a call to Christian parents to understand the complexities women face in times of crisis and explore how to extend grace-filled support. Whether you carry abortion as part of your story, or you're parenting children touched by these realities, Robin’s testimony is a beacon of hope and a reminder of the redemptive power of God’s love.

You can learn more about Robin and her work here. 

Her book Giving Up Grace: A Spiritual Rebranding of the Soul can be found on a wide variety of sites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Redemptive Press. 

Other resources mentioned include the Exodus Women’s Retreat and Focus on the Family Post-Abortion Resources. 

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Brandon Stiver. Brandon has worn many hats but has one vocation: to see God’s Kingdom come to Earth through proclamation and demonstration. A respected leader in the field of global care for children, Brandon is a professor, a podcaster and has led in nonprofits based in the US and in Tanzania. A community builder at heart, he has collaborated with organizations from Central America to Southeast Asia.

Together, we unpack some of the ways people can get involved with foster and adoption without necessarily adopting or fostering. We are all called to love the widows and the orphans, but there are different ways God can use us to do that work. Also, Brandon tells us about the struggles of international adoption and what is the definition of an orphan.

You can connect to Brandon on LinkedIn and learn more about him here!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. Joined with me on this episode is Brent Dusing, creator of TruPlay which sparks today's conversation about screentime for our kids.

On average, children spend 52 hours per week on a screen, and approximately 30% of kids in the U.S. today are believers... those are staggering statistics and the harsh reality is kids are being exposed to poison from the big media outlets or from predators online.

If you're welcoming a new child into your home, you may have no idea what they've been exposed to or what their norms are with screen time. As Brent says, it's no different than if a kid comes into your home who had candy bars for breakfast every morning, but laced with arsenic. Screentime isn't just addictive, which science proves, but it is filled with toxicity.

But Brent also cautions us that this doesn't mean we throw all the screens out the window. Kids still need to engage in our world, but in a safe and healthy way. That's why he and his team created TruPlay.

Thank you so much for listening!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

As 2024 comes to a close, Somer wants to share the best from this year. This episode is a 2024 highlight, to make sure you didn't miss it! The conversation is about how hard isn't the same as bad, and we all know how hard adoption and foster care is.

Joined with Somer on this insightful conversation is the author "M is for Mama" Abbie Halberstadt. Abbie is the busy mom of ten kiddos who also finds time to encourage Christian mamas in their calling of motherhood. As moms, we are laying the foundation for our kids to know Christ; it is a heavy responsibility but one we can do with God on our side.

Somer and Abbie talk about the hardship of parenting, and how that relates to adoption and foster care. Whether you're parenting adopted, foster, or your own biological children, its all hard! And hard is where God grows us.

So glad you're here to join us!

Link to:

Abbie's Instagram

Abbie's website

Abbie's new book "Hard is Not the Same as Bad"

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

Often people think infertility leads to adoption. It isn't always the case, but it can be for some. Joined with me on the podcast are authors Jenn Hesse and Kelley Ramsey who were connected from miles apart thanks to social media. They both share similar infertility stories which is what dawned their friendship and eventually collaborating on this book, "Waiting in Hope: 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertility"

In today's conversation, we tackle the emotional rollercoaster that is infertility. There is hope and there is pain, and it can be isolating. Kelley and Jenn remind us how important marriage is, community, and leaning into God who has the plan we may not understand.

Something beautiful can come from this grief, and something beautiful can also be different from what we expect.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am sharing what I have learned and experienced with blocked care. Blocked care is a physical reaction our body undergoes when it is enduring too much stress. It's something God has designed in us as a self-protective measure. But when we are in the adoption and foster care journey, we are often over-taxed and stressed... so how do we cope with blocked care when we're fulfilling God's calling in our life?

I share more information about blocked care, what it means to have a blank slate, white space, anchors, self-regulation, and more so you can feel more equipped to handle this burden.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Whether you seek to add to your family through foster care, private domestic adoption or you are called to travel internationally, every adoption story is uniquely beautiful. Yet, each shares a common language of calling, loss, and hardship.

As Christian parents we have a deep desire to love and shepherd our children well, but it can be challenging to navigate loss, trauma and how to best love and guide our adopted children. One thing is for sure, adoption is more than a process, it is an invitation to go on a holy journey with the Lord and with your family. Like any journey, there will be valleys along with mountain tops and battles along with the beauty. The good news is, what the Lord calls you to, He will equip you for.

Wherever you are in your journey, Called to Love is here to bring you a weekly dose of encouragement from the practical, clinical, and Biblical perspective along with personal stories from adoptive parents, adult adoptees and advice from various experts to help your family thrive in your journey and continue to say “yes” to your own call to love.

Called to Love is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Joining me on this episode is author, podcaster, and foster-mom: Bethany Adkins.

In this two-part series, Bethany shares part of her story with fostercare and the heartache that comes with it... but also the incredible God-filled joy. They also discuss the need for not just people who "love you" but people who "get you" and what the difference is. They also the discuss the refining power of this calling and how it changed her and her husband.

You can learn more about Bethany on her website or Instagram, and check out her podcast and YouTube channel!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined with an incredible guest: Lisa C. Qualls. Lisa is the proud mother of both biological and adopted children, twelve in fact, and is an accomplished author, speaker, and Enneagram coach with TBRI training. Together, we focus on the concept of 'blocked care'—a self-protective mechanism that can hinder emotional connection between parents and children. 

Lisa shares her personal journey into adoption, the challenges faced, and the development of her ministry aimed at supporting adoptive and foster families. We discuss the neuroscience behind blocked care, signs to recognize it, and the importance of acknowledging these feelings to begin healing and reconnecting with children. Our conversation helps explain the concept of blocked care, its effects on parents, and practical strategies for overcoming it. We discuss the importance of understanding the nervous system, building supportive relationships, and finding hope through simple practices like breath prayer. We emphasize the need for self-care and the significance of recognizing beauty in everyday life as a means to combat feelings of overwhelm and despair. A great and practical technique is “YAHWEH” breathing, because sometimes we simply don’t have words when we are so depleted. 

Here are a few takeaways: 

• Blocked care is a common experience among adoptive parents.
• Parents often feel shame for not feeling the love they expected.
• Acknowledging blocked care is the first step to healing.
• The Connected Child was a pivotal resource for many adoptive parents.
• Parenting children with trauma requires ongoing support and education.
• It's important to find community and resources to navigate the challenges of adoption. 
• Caring for the nervous system is essential for recovery.
• Simple activities like walking can help regulate the nervous system.
• Sleep is crucial for managing stress and blocked care.
• Negativity bias can hinder our ability to see joy and beauty.

You can learn more and connect with Lisa C. Qualls with these resources:

https://www.lisacqualls.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lisacqualls/?hl=en

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Joining me on this episode is a sexual abuse survivor and author: Ben Locke.

When Ben Locke was in his darkest valleys, he was determined to tell God exactly what he thought. He poured out his agony and anger--and was met with God's grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy. He discovered in those moments that God can handle it. All of it.

In this episode, Somer and Ben discuss how the church should handle sexual abuse, some of the signs to watch out for as parents, and the deep hope there is in Christ through this suffering.

You can get your copy of Ben's book here on Amazon or wherever you find your books!

So glad you're here to join us!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

This episode features a special guest: Tori Hope Petersen. Tori is the best selling author of "Fostered" and is a sought after public speaker and advocate for those whose stories need to be told, such as the survivors from human trafficking, kids in foster care, and others abused and needing hope.

Tori shares her foster story with me, how she was removed from her mother not just once but twice, and went through several foster homes. Tori talks about the good and hard parts of foster care, how it shaped her, and how it brought her to Jesus. Tori's story helps us better understand the experience of foster kids and equip us better with how to approach these kids, share the love of Jesus, and model what a life of hope looks like.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, my special guest and I are talking about addressing the tough questions our adopted kids ask. Common ones can be "Why are you my parents?" "Why am I not with my real parents?" and "Why don't I look like you?" "Why am I different?" and so many more. We need to welcome these conversations so our kids feel safe and seen in their own journey which had a challenging start.

Joined with me for this amazing and practical conversation is author Carey Koenig. Her recent book is titled "Do I Belong?" which is the catalyst for this conversation. She has two adopted children who asked her these many questions and she was passionate about creating a resource to help others in this calling.

Click here to learn more about her book!

Click here to check out her online resource for adopted kids!

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am joined with the incredible Jennifer Kritner who shares her powerful story of foster care and adoption.

Jennifer had a difficult time having her two biological sons but then due to some medical challenges, she was given the devastating news that she could no longer have children. Through this heartbreak, God led her to foster care, which was not an easy yes for their family. Through foster care also came adoption, and their family is even more beautiful than ever.

Jennifer and I discuss her story and experience plus practical things you can do to help those in your circles that have said yes to this calling, or what resources and steps to take if you're looking to say "yes" too.

Jennifer's Facebook & Instagram and Unclaimed Baggage organization.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. Joined with me on this episode is Adam Holz from Focus on the Family's Plugged In where he oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. Here we discuss the need as parents to be screen-savvy!

We talk about establishing healthy boundaries as partners with our spouse, to be united on this front. We discuss the need for these boundaries for our kids to be not just protected but to prepared for when certain things come up. Additionally, its critical for our kids to become critical thinkers! "Uncomfortable" conversations are a must, and sometimes those talks happen in the car rides, which could be great opportunities.

When you're watching a movie or TV show as a family, ask those critical-thinking questions... which character did you identify with and why? Did they do the right thing? What did you like in this story? And more...

Thank you so much for listening!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to this fourth part in our mindful parenting series with our amazing guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of “The Connected Life.” She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

In this fourth part of our conversation, we are tackling reactive parenting. Let's face it, we've all done it: responding disproportionately to your child's actions, and this can happen for a variety of reasons as Kelly explains. We are likely dysregulated or triggered for some reason, and need to follow these 3 steps:

-Get curious: Am I thirsty, hungry, tired, or overstimulated?

-Make a plan to meet that need: Talk to your husband, friend, family member, to help get what you need in the moment, like a 5 minute break.

-Be consistent and keep trying. Changing habits doesn't happen overnight.

Our goal should be to build trust with our children and that comes through humility and apologizing when our actions go out of line, which in turn gives our kids an example for how they should act when they've messed up. We should be continually working towards a healthier place and acknowledge it won't be easy or perfect.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

In this second part of our conversation, Kelly Hamilton and I tackle the attachment styles. Being aware and mindful of our own attachment styles and the styles of our children make a big impact on that growing connection with our child, whether they're biological or adopted. Developing your relationship with your child is a lifelong commitment and there is so much hope for reconciliation and healing, even if its hard and ugly.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of “The Connected Life.” She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I discuss what it means to trust God with what we cannot control when it comes to adoption and foster care. I am honest with you, sharing my personal journey through failed adoptions, especially my emotional struggles. I wrestled a lot but also learned about control, God's sovereignty, and the importance of relationship over results. Even when you succeed in adopting your child, it isn’t a fairytale “...and they lived happily ever after…” Part of my story is how I cared for a traumatized baby who screamed every single night because she was separated from her birth mama. 

Here’s a few key takeaways you’ll find in this episode: 

-Failed adoption is NOT cruelty or punishment from God! 

-Failed adoption does NOT mean that God isn’t in control! 

-Failed adoption does NOT mean you have missed your calling! 

-To walk through failed adoptions, can teach you a lot about the adoption system, yourself, and God. 

-This is about a relationship, not a result. 

Ask yourself this as you wrestle failed adoptions:

*Am I closer to God because of this? 

*Have I grown in Biblical wisdom and knowledge because of this? 

*Do I have new insight and opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t said “yes” to this calling? 

*Has my understanding of God’s ultimate fulfillment to His plan changed? 

I hope this has been an encouraging episode! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by a very special guest! I first met Allison when she taught at an adoption support group last Fall, and I just knew she had to be on the podcast! Allison is a trauma informed sleep expert, something which did not exist when she was raising her adopted son who struggled at night. Needless to say, sleep is crucial for everyone’s health–physical, mental, and emotional! Yet sleep is not something we as parents fully understand and that is why this episode is so important. 

Together, Allison and I emphasize the importance of understanding the emotional and psychological aspects of sleep, shifting parental mindsets, and providing children with tools to help them feel safe and secure at bedtime. We discuss the complexities of parenting, particularly in the context of sleep issues faced by children. We explore the importance of consistency in parenting, the need for trial and error in finding effective strategies, and the significance of creating a safe and comforting sleep environment. We also address the impact of sleep deprivation on both children and parents, emphasizing the necessity of community support and self-care for caregivers. We highlight the emotional challenges faced by parents, particularly those in foster care and adoption, and offer practical advice for building confidence and reframing expectations in the parenting journey. 

I learned so much from Allison and I know you will too! So many eye-opening points which help me reframe my understanding of sleep and trauma, and how the two are connected. Here are a few key takeaways: 

-Sleep is a vulnerable act for children, especially those with trauma.

-Understanding the emotional triggers around sleep is crucial.

-Parents should shift their mindset from discipline to support during sleep struggles.

-Adding tools to a child's sleep routine can help them feel more secure.

-It's important to view sleep as an opportunity for bonding and connection.

-Children need time to adjust to new environments and routines.

-Parents should approach sleep challenges with compassion and understanding.

-Building trust takes time and consistency in sleep routines . 

I am so glad you’ve decided to join us today! Below are ways to connect with Allison:

https://www.dwellpediatricsleep.com/about-me 

https://www.instagram.com/dwellpediatricsleep/ 

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I discuss the challenges and realities of waiting for adoption. The most important thing is trusting God during this process and part of that is managing expectations and actively engaging in the waiting process through praise, seeking God, and serving others. Throughout today’s conversation, I want to encourage you with scripture and my own experience as someone who struggles to wait. 

Here are a few takeaways: 

-Waiting is a part of life and a valuable experience.

-Impatience is a common struggle, not limited to modern society.

-The average wait time for adoption can be lengthy and unpredictable.

-Adoption often involves the reality of broken families.

-We can control our expectations, how we wait, and what we do while we wait.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome back to Called to Love!

Today we will conclude with part 2 of my conversation with adult adoptee, author, speaker and Women's Ministry Specialist, Andrea Lennon.

I pray you have been encouraged and learned much through her perspective and experience.

If you have questions or specific topics you'd like to hear covered on this show, SEND ME AN EMAIL - I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for listening!

Did you feel like an expert when God called you to adopt or foster?

I sure didn't.

While we learn along the way, it's always helpful to have an experienced and expert voice to speak into tough topics like trauma, child development and mental health.

In this episode I sat down with author and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Travis Thompson.

Travis brings clinical expertise to today's conversation with extensive experience in addiction therapy, mental health and outpatient clinics with a family-centered focus. He and his wife have fostered kids from hard places and have a heart to see families say yes to the calling of foster care and adoption.

Travis and I discuss attachment, how trauma affects development and behavior and what foster and adoptive parents can do to help a child heal and thrive.

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

If you're working from an incorrect lens you are going to be addressing things that are not there or you are going to be missing things that are readily apparent.

One of the most helpful things you can do is learn.

One of the key components to successful parenting is self-regulation.

God gives grace where you haven't learned yet

Learn more from Travis at:

https://www.travisthompsoncounseling.com/

To Those Left Behind: Helping Partners and Families Understand and Heal from Addiction

YES! Send me the BONUS EPISODE with Travis Thompson!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. 

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Nicole Wilke, author and director at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families. Nicole helps to explore the powerful intersection of scripture and science in building resilience in children and families.

Her passion for helping vulnerable children and connecting research with frontline practice shines through as she discusses her new book, Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience. We discuss practical ways for parents, caregivers, and communities to become agents of change and support children through adversity.

Nicole's books are available for purchase from Amazon or the Christian Alliance for Orphans page. 

Here's where you can learn more about Nicole and the Christian Alliance for Orphans. 

She is also present on Linkedin and Instagram. 

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. In this episode, me and my special guest Nick Connolly encourage you not to give up just yet!

Nick is the founding and lead pastor of Bright City Church, and he is the author of a book titled "Don't Give Up Just Yet" which sparks today's conversation.

It feels like these days we're all struggling so hard to get through life. Add the calling of adoption or foster care on top of it all and it can feel like too much. When we face resistance in our callings, it may seem like a sign that it wasn't meant to be... but as Nick points out, it could be that the resistance gets stronger the closer we are to the finish line. In our conversation we talk about the struggles we face, the need for true rest and sabbath, and expectations verses expectancy.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast. In this episode, we are unpacking a movement that is shaking up our nation: the deconstruction of faith. As foster or adoptive parents, we may have kids walking in our door who have never heard the true Gospel or have negative preconceived ideas of what Christianity looks like... And no matter if our kids are biological, adopted, fostered, all of them are being exposed to the deconstruction movement, especially on social media.

Here to help me unpack this are the authors of the new release, "The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond" by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett.

Alisa Childers is a wife, mom, author, and speaker. She was a member of the award-winning CCM recording group ZOEgirl. She is a popular speaker at apologetics and Christian worldview conferences. She is the author of Another Gospel? and Live Your Truth and Other Lies. She has been published at the Gospel Coalition, Crosswalk, the Stream, For Every Mom, Decision Magazine, and the Christian Post.

Tim Barnett has worked as a speaker for Stand to Reason since 2015. He is a dynamic speaker who provides a perfect blend of expertise and humor in each talk. Using easy-to-follow and visually engaging presentations, Tim trains Christians to think clearly about what they believe and why they believe it.

The deconstruction story is powerful. It's like a testimony, except instead of a non believer sharing how they came to Christ, it's the reverse: a Christian turning away from the faith. These people's experiences are often heartbreaking, stories of abuse and misconduct in the church, but then there are those who simply don't like the idea of sin and find it offensive. Instead of deconstruction our faith when we have questions and negative experiences, we should be reforming our faith.... not unlike Martin Luther and others who held the church to the standard of Scripture, which is not what deconstructionists are doing...

There is so much to unpack, so let's dive in together.

Thank you so much for listening!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Cynthia Baker. Cynthia is life-coach, speaker, and author, and sparks today's conversation on being a helipad parent as opposed to a helicopter parent.

You're probably familiar with the term "helicopter parent." A parent that is always "hovering" over their child, anxiously trying to control everything around them so nothing "bad" happens. But the truth is bad stuff is going to happen to them, the question is are they prepared to handle it? Being a helipad means being there for them when they need it.

When it comes to fostering and adopting kids, they especially need us to be safe spaces that let them feel all the feelings (good and bad). Cynthia shares her insight as both a life-coach but also someone in a unique situation raising a child that isn't hers biologically.

You can learn more about Cynthia from her website!

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome back to Called to Love - today we are finishing out our intro series: Reframing Your Mindset as A Christian Adoptive Parent and I pray you have been encouraged so far - 

As we consider everything we have discussed so far in this series, notice the action words…reflect, remember, establish, surrender. Saying yes to adoption or foster care requires intentional and ongoing action and for our last episode in this series I want to add one more word to that list of intentional actions…embrace - God’s call to love.

When God speaks to your heart about adoption, He gives you a choice to say “yes” but what I didn’t understand and have since learned is He’s also issuing an invitation and a choice to learn to love in an entirely new way. I was all in and committed to the warm-fuzzy, instant connection, this-is-going-to-be-a-fairy-tale kind of love. But love in the trenches? Yeah, it wrecked me. Why? Because to love in this way meant I had to change.  

What does it mean to love in this way?

Let’s dive into that together today…

Connect with me on Instagram or Facebook!

To dive deeper Into this series, grab your FREE GUIDE at christianparenting.org/calledtolove

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

Ahavah = Hebrew word for love.

The root word is "ahav" which means "to give"

Love isn’t an emotion at all, true love is action.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Without patience and kindness, children’s brains cannot begin to heal, and their hearts cannot begin to trust and therefore, they cannot learn to receive or give love.

It can be difficult not to judge or even celebrate the removal of a child from hard places due to the nature of their former life situation, but as Christians we are called to show grace even in the worst of circumstances.

The old adage is true, “actions speak louder than words.” You can tell your child you love them all day long. But the truth of your devotion will be established and proven by your reliable presence and display of love through the way you meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Welcome back friends! Today on the podcast we are continuing on with Reframing Your Mindset as a Christian Adoption parent...

Today’s topic is surrendering your fears - this is such a big one because, no matter where you are in your journey - there is always something you can choose to be fearful about. And usually our fears are expressed through the questions we ask.

Adoption comes with countless questions, unsettling risks and a good amount of fear. Once you sense the Lord’s prompting to take steps toward adoption, a flood of worst case scenarios aren’t too far behind.

So what questions can we ask and which questions are the right ones?

Let's dive in and see what God's Word says!

Download your FREE guide HERE!

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

Behind every question concerning adoption there is a heart crying out for a guarantee.

As much as we all desire that fairy tale ending, what we really want is to dodge those worst case scenarios. This is very normal and nothing to be ashamed of because we have an innate tendency to self protect.

When God prompts you to do holy work, the enemy is always standing at the ready to whisper lies that will sabotage the whole plan.

God is not frustrated by your questions. He welcomes the wrestling as long as you do it alongside Him and with a “thy will be done” mindset.

Am I called?

What step is God asking me to take?

Our God is infinitely patient and when He wants you to do something, He doesn’t leave you alone about it.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined with Brandie Thomas who shares her incredible story about the unique relationship her family has with her adopted son's bio mother. Adoption is an inherently painful and beautiful process; beautiful in how we are able to give a child a loving home and painful in the separation of a child from their biological family. Brandie talks honestly about this pain and what she would have done differently in another open adoption and shares a lot about her experience in this process.

You can follow Brandie on Instagram, check out her website, or the new book she's a part of, "Restore My Soul: Stories of Redemption, Deliverance, and Hope."

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I discuss what to do and how to respond to the choices our adopted or foster children make. This topic is one of the first inspirations for this podcast as many families have asked me what to do when a situation arises where your child is making problematic, concerning, even destructive and harmful choices.

It is important to always remember that God is in control and we cannot control our children. Even in the most loving Christian homes, children will be led astray and make bad choices. The question in this episode is how do we respond to it in a loving and protective way. I encourage you to acknowledge your weakness, embrace your role as the parent, and understand that your child’s choices do not define you as a parent, nor do they define your child. 

Here’s a few key takeaways you’ll find in this episode: 

-Trusting God is essential when facing challenges in parenting.

-Parents should not lose confidence in their role due to children's choices.

-Love should be confident and not fearful.

-It's okay to acknowledge weaknesses and seek support from God.

-Perfection in parenting is unrealistic; mistakes will happen.

-Children's identities are not defined by their parents' successes or failures.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

This episode features a special guest: Nikki Hertzler. 

Nikki is a teacher, foster mom, and author of the book "Help! I'm a Foster Parent!" Nikki and her husband decided to accept the call to foster after becoming empty nesters, and it has been a long, hard and beautiful journey to pour into these kids and lift them up to become healthy adults.

Nikki and I talk about the reality of fostering, the challenges it can bring, but also the beauty of it, how God uses this to refine our weaknesses and depend totally on Him. Fostering is a ministry but its in our very homes. There are over 400,000 kids in the U.S. foster system, but there are over 300,000 churches. If the Church steps up in this ministry, we could possibly reach every child who needs a home and needs hope.

Accepting the call doesn't mean God asks you to become a foster parent. There are many ways to be involved from providing meals to babysitting and more. If you're wrestling with this call, know that we are strongest on our knees in prayer.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the second season of Called to Love, Episode One! I am kicking off this new year and new season with an amazing four-part series with a very special guest: Kelly Hamilton.

Kelly is the Founder and Executive Director of "The Connected Life." She helps people build healthy connections to God, themselves, and others. She is a speaker, trauma-informed life coach, and podcaster. She and her husband serve foster and adoptive families in their home in Kentucky. You can find all her links here!

In this first part of our conversation, we are tackling the definition of "mindfulness" and why it is so important for our parenting, especially when it comes to adoption and foster care where kids are entering our homes with intense emotions. We have to be able to regulate and demonstrate that regulation to these kids, help them build healthy, secure attachments, and be purposeful (not reactive) in our parenting.

Thank you so much for listening!

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome back to Called to Love!

Closing out our highlight of Adoption Awareness for the month of November - let’s talk about 5 practical ways you can support those who are called to love in the areas of foster care and adoption.

Whether you are waiting for your child or first foster placement or in over your head and have no idea how to answer when someone offers help - today’s episode is for you!

FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS:

I have such a passion to see the big C church step in to this area of service beyond calling people to adopt - there are many practical ways they can do this

Oftentimes foster and adoption placements happen with little warning but always with much disruption to their normal rhythms of life

Check out my latest article on Christian Parenting and share this podcast with a friend!

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Della Lago, an adoptive mom and  advocate for how Christians everywhere can play a role in supporting teens in the foster care system. Della shares her personal journey of adopting a 17-year-old girl from a group home, discussing the challenges and triumphs of building trust and connection. Our conversation highlights the realities faced by teens aging out of foster care, the importance of community support, and the need for a safe space for these youth to dream and thrive.

 Della emphasizes that every child deserves a family and encourages listeners to step up and make a difference. She also shares the importance of understanding trauma, the need for community support, and the role of faith in the healing process. Together, we provide practical advice for families considering foster care and highlights the significance of being open to unexpected joys and connections that come with this journey. 

I am so glad you’ve decided to join us today! Below are resources from Della to learn more:  

https://nationalcasagal.org/ 

https://bethany.org/

https://enotahcasa.org/ 

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This week, I am joined with a special guest who has an incredible story that needed sharing. Rebekah Finney has had a long journey to finding God's goodness in adoption and foster care, a story which many of us can relate to or understand how beautiful yet painful this calling is. Rebekah's story is exactly that, full of the pain of miscarriages and yet the beauty of a family in their three adopted children which they fostered.

Join me on this journey as Rebekah shares how God moved in her life through every heartache, the dying to the self, the developing relationships with biological parents, and the sorrow with rejoicing.

You can reach out to Rebekah via email: mattandrebekah654@gmail.com

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!