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

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This is a part 1 of an amazing conversation with my special guest. She is an author, foster and adoptive mom: Kim Patton. What if the door that seems permanently closed is actually leading somewhere beautiful? Kim’s decade-long infertility journey became the unexpected pathway to adopting two biological sisters and working with teenage girls in foster care. Additionally, she writes and speaks about her experiences, showcasing how pain can be used for purpose. 

I am so glad you’ve joined me for this episode. Let’s dive in! 

Key...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

For this episode, I am joined with an incredible guest who offers us a lot of hope as adoptive and foster parents, trying to help our kids heal from trauma… but this story does come with a trigger warning for those who’ve experienced domestic violence or assault, and this is not an episode for little ears. However, it is an episode of hope! These events did not define my incredible guest: Kimberly Haar. Kimberly said what the enemy meant for evil, God used for good! 

Kimberly is a writ...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

My special guest is a recent author: Bethaney Wilkinson. Bethany is a coach, spiritual director, and passionate about holding spaces and creating experiences to nourish the inner lives of everyday people, leaders, and organizations. She experienced immense healing and transformation when people held sacred and thoughtful space for her evolution. She wants to do the same for others. In our conversation, Bethaney discusses ways for us as busy and overwhelmed foster and adoptive parents to slow down and enjoy life more beautifully.  

I am so glad you’ve joine...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Pastor Steve Larson. Steve is the author of a new book about mental health, a book where he shares his story as a pastor who struggled with depression and felt utterly alone. As an adoptive mom, this felt incredibly relevant to me. After I brought home my adopted daughter, I struggled with post-adoption depression and immense shame from this. How could I feel like this when I was doing God’s calling? A lot of us in the foster and ado...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Evan Marbury for a conversation about trauma. Our foster and adoptive children have all experienced some level of trauma – yes, even if we adopted our children from birth! Believe me, I am speaking from experience there. All children separated from their biological families, whether permanently or temporarily, are experiencing a trauma which we should aim to understand. We are not the healers of their trauma – God is – but by understanding trauma, we are better equipped to love and serve these kids. 

Dr. Ev...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

Callie Priest is the director of strategic partnerships at WinShape Homes, a foster agency and resource based in Georgia that partners with churches to help foster parents. WinShape Homes was established more than 35 years ago by S. Truett Cathy and his wife, Jeannette. They place hundreds of children in need with families who are guided by Christ. WinShape families are connected to an unparalleled network of care designed to ensure that children are restored in mind, body and spirit.

In my conversation with Callie, we discuss ways churches c...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

As adoptive and foster parents, we know our child faces many emotional hurdles and these can often lead them down some dark paths towards unhealthy coping mechanisms, finding worth and validation in the wrong places, and even succumbing to addiction or other destructive life choices. It isn’t just adoptive and foster kids who experience this but we know because of the trauma they endured, it happens often. Even if we did “everything right” by bringing them to church every Sunday, praying over them every night, and talking to them about G...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

My special guest today is someone who I respect and admire a lot in the foster and adoption advocacy space, as he is the Founder and President of CarePortal. CarePortal is an app and online resource designed to, “help mobilize action neighbor-to-neighbor; to connect vulnerable children and families with caring neighbors in their own community. For both prevention and protection, the ultimate goal is for children and families to build a meaningful connection that can lead to on-going supportive relationships.” On the app, as someone who wants to help those in cr...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

Welcome to part two of this amazing conversation! We are continuing where we left off, talking with the amazing couple: Michael and Kimberly Klokus. 

Both having lost a parent as children and a child as parents, they gained a unique insight into grief. Their shared experiences fueled a commitment to dedicating their lives to providing hope and a second chance at childhood for children whose futures would otherwise be uncertain. That is the topic of our conversation today: offering a second childhood to these kids from hard places. 

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by an amazing couple: Michael and Kimberly Klokus. Both having lost a parent as children and a child as parents, they gained a unique insight into grief. Their shared experiences fueled a commitment to dedicating their lives to providing hope and a second chance at childhood for children whose futures would otherwise be uncertain. That is the topic of our conversation today: offering a second childhood to these kids from hard places. 

Over the past two decades, Mike and Kim have cared fo...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by the amazing comedian, Tim Hawkins. Tim Hawkins is a big name in my household! In case you have never heard of him, he is a Christian family-man who does clean, family-friendly comedy shows and tours across the country. We have loved and enjoyed his comedy specials and songs as a family for years, so this is a special gift to have him on the podcast. Together, we are talking about the healing power of laughter. Family is not easy but laughter can get y...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by a woman who I wish I knew 20 years ago - or at least, had her book 20 years ago! Her name is Janel Breitenstein and she’s the author of, “How to Stop Yelling Up the Stairs: Keeping Your Cool While Raising Your Kids” which is the topic of this episode. 

Long-time listeners may know some of my story and how I truly struggled as a mom with my littles and especially after adopting my precious little girl. The adoption-reality was completely differen...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by the amazing author and parenting coach, Mary Van Geffen. Since 2011, Mary has coached over 1,700 moms of “Spicy Ones”, walking with them through the same struggles she once thought would break her. She now has a book titled, “Parenting a Spicy One: A Compassionate Guide for Raising a Deep-Feeling and Wonderfully Strong-Willed Kid” which prompts today’s conversation. 

As parents of foster and adoptive kids, sometimes we have a “spicy” child - a child who is very emotional, passionate, strongwilled, and maybe labeled as “chal...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by a mom who’s message spoke near to my heart and I believe many parents in this calling: Jamie Erickson. Jamie is the busy mama of five kiddos, ages ranging from college to 8th grade, and she also homeschools. She is also an author with a recent book that speaks to my heart, “Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again.”

As adoptive and foster parents (and even just biological parents, of course!), we are carrying a very...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by Dr. Kelly Flanagan. Dr. Kelly Flanagan is an award-winning author, international speaker, personal and relationship coach, and licensed clinical psychologist with two decades of expertise in interpersonal relationships. His thought leadership has been featured in The 5 Love Languages, the TODAY Show, Reader’s Digest, HuffPost, and Success Magazine. Kelly’s two non-fiction books, Loveable and True Companions.

He has recently released The Road Less Triggered which is the topic of our discussion as foster and adoptive parents. Dr. Kelly discusses what it me...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I chat with the amazing Abbey Wedgeworth and through our conversation we promise you: you are not ruining your kids!

Abbey is a wife, mother, bible teacher, and writer. She's the author of the Training Young Hearts children's book series, Held, a resource for women who have lost life in the womb, and most recently Help! I’m Ruining My Kids: A Gospel Guide for the Mom Who’s Desperate for Change. Abbey and her husband, David, live on the South Carolina coast, where she homes...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I was joined by the amazing author, mother, and ministry warrior Blair Linne. Blair recently wrote a children’s book called, “Yara the Brave and the Swirling Worry” and any time we have a resource for our adopted and foster kiddos, I want to talk about it! This children’s book is all about anxiety which sparks my conversation with Blair - what is anxiety, how does it manifest physically in us or our kids, what are some techniques to cope or calm down? Those are just a few of...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest is so full of energy and passion for uplighting you as a prayer warrior: Shellie Rushing Tomlinson! Shellie is a multi-published author, speaker, and farmer’s wife known for saying “Life can be hard when it’s good, but it’s always better when you’re laughing.” She joins me today for a conversation about prayer, and specifically Shellie says, “Don’t pray like her!” It is easy to compare ourselves to others at church, in bible studies and such, thinking “Oh, she’s got it all together, he...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest is a children's book author, public speaker, and a busy biological, adoptive and foster mom: Beth Guckenberger. Beth is someone I have seen speak in sessions at Christian conferences and my daughter loves her latest book! I am so grateful she is my guest today to speak into the lies our kids believe and even ourselves, and how we can combat this with God’s truth to build emotionally stable homes. 

Deception, manipulation, triangulation, aggression, even violence, these are just some of the...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest is an unusual one for this show but still speaks relevant truth to us as adoptive and foster parents–especially fathers. My guest is Trey Tucker, the founder and owner of Rugged Counseling, known for providing therapy without the fluff. He is a mental health expert and social media influencer, specifically targeting young men to help them live out their God given purpose. His counseling and videos resonate because they challenge passive, surface level advice and speak honestly about responsibility, identity, boundaries, and purpose. He...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! This is part two to an incredible conversation…

In this episode, my special guest is an adult adoptee named Niemah Scherlacher. Niemah is currently working on a book detailing her incredible adoption story, but we are honored to hear her share pieces of this story on the podcast. She is now a retired and happy grandma, but her story begins in Israel, after being born to a fifteen year old Palestinian girl. As Niemah describes, God protected her mother and her during this tumultuous time between Israel, Palestine and even th...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! This is part one to an incredible conversation…

In this episode, my special guest is an adult adoptee named Niemah Scherlacher. Niemah is currently working on a book detailing her incredible adoption story, but we are honored to hear her share pieces of this story on the podcast. She is now a retired and happy grandma, but her story begins in Israel, after being born to a fifteen year old Palestinian girl. As Niemah describes, God protected her mother and her during this tumultuous time between Israel, Palestine and even th...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest and friend is Cynthia Yanof, who has been featured on this podcast before. Cynthia is the biological mother to two kids who have flown the nest, one graduated from college and one just starting, and her family also adopted a son who is in third grade. Cynthia stays busy not just as a mom but as a podcaster, speaker, and author. Her latest book, “How’d I Miss That?” sparks a lot of today’s conversation. 

It is so easy to get distracted...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest and friend is Christie Erwin! Christie is an author, adoptive and biological mother, and Founder and current Executive Director of Project Zero. Christie’s deep love for children led her and husband, Jeff, to become foster parents in 1993, for a private, non-profit adoption agency. It was there that the foundation for Christie’s passion and driving concern for children in foster care was laid. After fostering for eleven years with the private agency, the Erwin’s became foster parents for the Arkansas Department of Childre...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my guest is Pastor Andrew Hopper. Andrew serves as the lead pastor of Mercy Hill Church, launched in 2012. He is the father of three biological children and one adopted daughter with downs syndrome. He is also a recently published author of the book, “Chosen: Building Your Family the Way God Builds His.” 

In our conversation, we talked about the theological foundation of adoption. We, as Christians, are intimately connected to adoption because God has adopted us. This should highly motivate us, if not compel us, to sup...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest is the amazing Nicole C. Mullen, a Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning American Christian singer, songwriter, actress, and author of the new book, “It’s Never Wrong to Do the Right Thing: Courageous Stories to Inspire Godly Decisions”. She also has an incredible story of overcoming domestic abuse, adopting her two sons, choosing life for her daughter, and a story of choosing life from her grandparents. 

Our conversation spans stories of the Bible to Nicole’s own personal journey to how it is relevant for us as...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

Thank you for joining me on the very first episode of Season 4! It is a privilege and gift from God to be able to share the practical, clinical, and Biblical information with you every week about adoption and foster care, which is a calling so near to our Father’s heart. In this episode, I am sharing with you the power and significance of praying for your child, whether they’re with you for a brief season or a long one, and a list of prayers you can use. 

Here...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This is the end of season three. The team here at Called to Love are so grateful for you joining us every week to learn practical and Biblical tools and knowledge for adoption and foster care, a calling which is so reflective of God’s adoptive love for us. As we look forward to another year and a new season, we wanted to share with you the five top moments from 2025.

#1 is from “Trusting God With What We Cannot Control: Waiting for Adoption” released on February 25th. The clip ch...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This is the second part to my special episode where my husband, Corey, and I reflect on ten years as adoptive parents. We share stories from when God first placed this calling on our hearts, the messy beginnings to bringing our baby daughter home, the changes in our marriage, and how God always had a plan. 

Corey shares valuable insight from his perspective as the head of our household and a calming technique he uses in his practice as an occupational therapist. Corey says you will never be re...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This is a very special episode, split into two parts, where my husband Corey and I reflect on ten years as adoptive parents. We share stories from when God first placed this calling on our hearts, the messy beginnings to bringing our baby daughter home, the changes in our marriage, and how God always had a plan. 

Corey shares valuable insight from his perspective as the head of our household and a calming technique he uses in his practice as an occupational therapist. Corey says you will never be...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, my special guest is the founder of The Mission Driven Mom and creator of the MDM Academy: Audrey Rindlisbacher. Audrey’s world was turned upside down when she, at the time a mother to four kids herself, decided to foster her cousin’s four children, ages ranging from twelve years old to newborn. In this conversation, we unpack her story, this incredible experience, and how God led her to utter faithfulness. 

Specifically, I ask Audrey how to cope with the weariness that comes from this callin...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, Jill Marier joins me on the podcast to discuss the need for fostering medically fragile children. Jill has a rather unique family, and in her words she says “we get stares.” They have a large household full of children that are adopted, biological, and fostering, many of them are medically fragile. Jill’s heart was moved to medically fragile kids after her biological son JoJo was born with cerebral palsy. He is non-verbal and confined to a wheelchair. Going through this experience, Jill’s heart broke for all the k...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am helping you better understand embryo adoption. IVF treatments have risen in popularity as desperate families seek to get pregnant, but the process comes at a great cost— and not just financially, but also emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually as families navigate what to do with excess embryos. Because the success rate is so small, facilities will create more embryos than a couple may necessarily want to carry and raise. There are a few options for these embryos: adoption (which I highlight) or termination or scientific exp...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by a joyful and light-filled author, speaker, and mom: Alice Matagora. Alice shares her story about a painful waiting process, depending on God’s promises. Inspired by this waiting journey, as a new mom Alice wrote the book, “You Are My Miracle”. All children are a miracle from God and this book helps us affirm this truth over our children. Through our conversation, we discuss the miracle it is to be a parent, to raise our kids, and the challenges of the waiting process till th...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by the amazing and inspiring Jamie Finn. Jamie is an author and busy mom to both biological and adopted children, and their family has been fostering for years. She is also the founder and president of Foster the Family, a national nonprofit that serves vulnerable children and the families welcoming them, as well as the founder of the Filled Gathering, the largest gathering of foster and adoptive moms in the world. 

Together, we discuss adopting children from foster care. There is a hu...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Leah Brandon Akannam and Brian Murphy from the Gift of Adoption Fund. One of the biggest things stopping people from pursuing adoption is the cost. Resources like the Gift of Adoption Fund are here to bridge the gap and take down this barrier to a child finding their home. 

We discuss the different ways the fund helps various circumstances from traditional adoption to kinship, foster-to-adopt, and even adult adoptees. Leah and Brian also share stories from the families impacted by this re...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by the founder of Finally Home: Kristin Orphan. Finally Home exists to walk alongside foster, adoptive, and kinship families with faith-rooted resources that bring hope, healing, and strength. They are a national non-profit that provide tools, courses, resources and community to families so they can find connection and confidence every day. 

Kristin was inspired to start Finally Home after her own adoption journey and being devastated by the calling. God called her and her family to this but that didn’t make it e...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

In this episode, I am joined by Hally Wells. Hally Wells is speaker, author, and mental health advocate. After struggling with infertility, Hally and her husband had their biological child, but following a miscarriage she felt God place adoption on her heart. She is now the mother of bio, step, and adopted children, and advocates for their mental health and the mental health of parents too. 

Hally discusses what things to look out for in our adopted and fostered kids, some of the warning signs, and unique struggles th...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This week I am fan-girling out just a little bit because my special guest is Dr. Kathy Koch. Dr. Kathy has a PhD in reading and educational psychology from Purdue and is a former university professor now turned child advocate who founded Celebrate Kids. She has written several books, and her latest one (co-written with Dr. Jeff Myers) is called “Raising Gender-Confident Kids: Helping Kids Embrace Their God-Given Design”. This is the topic of our conversation, as many foster and adoptive parents may find their children especially vulnerable to the gende...

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

This week I am joined with Bill High. Bill is the CEO of Legacy Stone and the author and co-author to many books. He is a counselor and public speaker, passionate about empowering families to leave a legacy for generations. 

In our conversation, we explore the importance of building a lasting family legacy through faith, family values, and purposeful living. Bill shares practical steps for families to create structure and stability, emphasizing the power of repetition in instilling values. We hope this offers encouragement for parents navigating the ch...