No matter where you’re from or how you’re wrestling through your faith, you belong here. This space is meant for wrestling. If you've been forced to reconcile new ideas or deconstruct some acquired knowledge, just know I’ve been through the same process. It is painful and challenging and we all hate it. But don’t give up - you will like yourself much better on the other side, I promise. Hosted by the Kindred Exchange Podcast Network
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33. A Holistic Theology Leads us Vulnerable Children (and Their Parents, too) with Dr. Krish Kandiah
51:20
51:20
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This episode may be the most spiritually rich conversation to date on the Upwardly Dependent podcast. Dr. Krish Kandiah, and Officer of the British Empire and long-time advocate for refugees and orphans, shares incredible stories and deep reflections from his love for God’s word. As the last guest in this series on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, …
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32. Tell Compelling Adoption Stories, but First Make Sure They’re True with Nick Runyon
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46:40
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Lauren was first introduced to Nick and Whitney Runyon a decade ago, and was drawn to their videography and storytelling across the globe. Both the Pinkstons and the Runyons entered into their own adoption journeys soon after, and as Lauren’s mind has expanded on the issue of orphan care, so has the work and advocacy of the Runyon’s organization, T…
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31. The Failures of U.S. Child Protection, and What Christians Should Know About Safe Families with Sarah Winograd-Babayeuski
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As Lauren says again and again, if you want to see less human trafficking in the USA, start by surrounding vulnerable families while children are young. The majority of domestic trafficking cases involve children who have aged out of or who have interacted with the U.S. foster system. Lauren was eager to interview Sarah because of her extensive exp…
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30. To the Women who Mother the World's Children with Kayla Craig
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43:46
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Kayla and Lauren have been online friends for 10 years, writing and mothering in similar spaces. This conversation takes a deep dive into the relationships parents have with others who mothered our children both before and after they joined our families. Kayla writes heartfelt prayers for parents who are in need of a ministry of words in seasons of…
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29. Helping Organizations Transition to Better Care with Brent Phillips
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34:35
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Once you see how institutionalizing children can be harmful to their development, how do you continue to be involved with the care of orphans and vulnerable children? Brent Phillips, CEO and Programs Manager at Cherish Uganda, shares how this organization has evolved over the years to best center families within their care strategy. Brent speaks ca…
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28. The Other Side of the Story: Caregivers & Residents Share Their Experiences with Orphanage Tourism with David Sanon & Steph DeLuca Robinson
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It is critical to center the voices of lived experience experts in any human rights conversation. This episode is sure to give you pause at different moments, as David Sanon shares his experience growing up in a boarding school in Haiti, where American donors sponsored his education. After meeting Steph DeLuca Robinson and other trusted partners, h…
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27. Effective Environments for Care in Therapy, Parenting, and Churches with Eric Gott, LPC
2:56:03
2:56:03
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Eric Gott began working with kids who hold difficult narratives as a play therapist in Nashville, Tennessee. He then became a foster dad, and after 3.5 years of courtroom appointments, he and his wife, Leah, became the legal parents of four young children. Eric now serves as a Children’s Minister in Birmingham, Alabama, where he has brought trauma-…
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26. Normalizing the Attachment Journey with Jamie Finn
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46:56
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Jamie Finn is no stranger to the attachment journey for children and families. Having shared her life as a foster mother for a decade, Jamie knows the beauty and the sorrow of loving kids with difficult beginnings. In this episode, you’ll hear Jamie share the ways her heart posture has changed over the years. If you’re considering becoming a foster…
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25. How Should Foster Care and Adoption Policies Evolve in a Post-Dobbs United States? with Elizabeth Kirk, JD
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In a law-oriented society like the United States, it is critical to engage legal professionals who frame our understanding of adoption and foster care policies in the field of child advocacy. Elizabeth Kirk, who holds a doctorate in law from Notre Dame, is passionate about adoption policy because of the way her own life started and the way she and …
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24. Theological Frames, Medical Ethics, & Embryo Adoption with Dr. Nicholas Darby
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51:12
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Dr. Nicholas Darby obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and is a distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is a managing partner of Florence Medical Associates, where he practices primary care in Florence, Alabama. He served as chief resident during his time at Cahaba-UAB Fami…
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23. A Mother’s Ethical Journey to IVF with Ansley Smith
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42:53
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As medicine continues to advance, reproductive technologies provide more options to hopeful parents. Lauren’s sister, Ansley, shares her journey to motherhood with great vulnerability. This episode provides a frame for those who have wandered through ethical questions of in vitro fertilization. The things Ansley discusses here offer both challenge …
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22. Forming Our Theology as we Form our Families with Shannan Martin
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51:08
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As the mother of four children who joined her family through adoption, Shannan Martin shares how loving and walking alongside the marginalized of her community not only revolutionized her faith, but also made her an unapologetic ally with those who are negatively impacted by the U.S. prison system. Shannan, whose husband is a chaplain in their loca…
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21. Reimagining the U.S. Justice System Informed By Survivors of Childhood Trauma with Cyntoia Brown Long
57:41
57:41
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Since her release in 2019, Cyntoia Brown Long has been able to travel the U.S. speaking about her experience within the criminal justice system where she was tried as an adult and placed in a womens’ prison at the age of 16. Her story started long before her arrest, however, and long before she found herself fearing for her life in the home of a ma…
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20. Stories from Death Row: How ‘Criminal Justice’ is Failing Adult Children of Trauma with Patti van Eys, PhD
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In this episode, Dr. Patt van Eys provides an incredible foundation of understanding about psychiatric illnesses and the U.S. system for diagnosing and treating mental health concerns. Listeners will find this conversation SO helpful as Dr. Patti connects child development, attachment, and dissociation to the critical ages of neurological growth fo…
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19. Understanding the Power of Racial Identity for Transracial Adoptees with Angela Tucker
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Angela Tucker has been a long-time trusted voice in the space of transracial adoption. As an advocate for children growing up in foster and adoptive homes, she shares her own experience of finding her safest place amongst others who were raised apart from their birth families. Angela facilitates the connection of a vibrant adoptee community full of…
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18. Understanding the Power of Racial Identity for Transracial Adoptees with Milton Washington
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***This episode contains themes of self harm, some mild language, and other concepts that may be sensitive to listeners.*** ... Milton Washington leads a number of ventures as he shares a powerful narrative of an identity formed through transnational and transracial experiences. In this episode, he sheds light on the unique origin to his story, and…
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17. How might the American Church Apologize for Institutionalizing Children? with Kimberly Quinley
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Kimberly and Lauren discuss the particular landscape of orphanages in Thailand, where $40M is donated to homes in 2 of the 76 provinces alone. Kim, a veteran advocate for reformed care led by Thai churches and families, shares how she’s seen practices shift over the years, and where donor churches still need to evolve in their understanding of chil…
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16. Caring for Vulnerable Families Demands a Church-Wide Response with Jedd Medefind
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As the President of CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans), Jedd Medefind invites people with any skill set or particular burden to care for the needs of vulnerable children and families. Whether that is through offering prepared meals, financial support, intercessory prayer, physical space, or emotional respite, there are things anyone in the Churc…
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15. Shouldn’t we be Qualified Before We’re Called? An Academic Approach to Reforming Care with Dr. Kristen Cheney
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1:11:48
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When Lauren was in graduate school, she committed herself to bringing research and data to inform the ways Christians engage with humanitarian issues. Dr. Kristen Cheney is an incredible resource for Churches to understand the psychology of attachment, best practices around child protection, and the need for excellent qualifications in the field of…
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14. Family Preservation and the Complications of International Church Involvement with Megan Boudreaux
36:30
36:30
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Like many guests on this season, Megan Boudreaux found herself swept up into the church industry or orphanages. The longer she stayed in Haiti, the more she noticed that something was awry with the North American approach to placing children in institutionalized care. Megan and Lauren discuss the crisis of children aging out of orphanages with no c…
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13. Why Revisit Orphan Care? with Brandon Stiver
40:26
40:26
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If there is a good place to start this conversation for our season on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Brandon Stiver is the right person to set the tone. With years of experience in this space, Brandon helped Lauren curate this episode through his knowledge and his connections to voices in this space. He is a co-host of the Think Orphan podcast, a…
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Lauren is back with another season exploring the complexities of a global issue that engages many churches, but not always with a cohesive impact. As we follow the mandate of ‘pure religion’ outlined in James 1:27, what does it really mean to care for orphans and widows? What is the invitation to this work, and why isn’t it as simple as a few words…
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For this episode, Lauren spills her heart (and a bit of her life history) to explain the purpose behind this season’s episodes. She discusses how her biblical worldview has changed over time, shares stories from experiences with churches spotted across the world, and offers a hope for a future faith community that stewards responsible Gospel messag…
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11. Good News Must Answer to Bad News (Part 2) with Dr. Aaron Wheeler
55:49
55:49
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Dr. Aaron Wheeler, the Director of Missional Development for Kindred Exchange, chats with Lauren about four different frames through which people see the world and their place in the Story of God. Too often, he says, our evangelism problem is rooted in a limited theology–we have a “good news” that doesn’t match people’s bad news. This two-part epis…
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10. Good News Must Answer to Bad News (Part 1) with Dr. Aaron Wheeler
48:04
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Dr. Aaron Wheeler, the Director of Missional Development for Kindred Exchange, chats with Lauren about four different frames through which people see the world and their place in the Story of God. Too often, he says, our evangelism problem is rooted in a limited theology–we have a “good news” that doesn’t match people’s bad news. This two-part epis…
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09. Power Dynamics in African Aid with Jeje Godfrey Nzirimu
59:14
59:14
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Lauren talks with Jeje Godfrey Nzirimu, President and Founder of East Africa Energy Solutions, about the many complications of mobilizing both aid and religion across cultures. Jeje highlights concepts of power dynamics, and explains why so many development efforts fall flat or cause unintended harm. With loads of generosity and grace, he shares wi…
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08. Vocation as Mission with Rob Touchstone
55:09
55:09
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Rob Touchstone, the Director for the Center for Vocational Discovery at Lipscomb University, shares his journey through different jobs in formal church-based ministry to social enterprise. He and Lauren discuss the Hebrew concept of Avodah, or the convergence of our work also becoming a form of our worship. In this episode, you will hear some new s…
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07. Helping, Hurting, and Questioning the American Dream with Dr. Brian Fikkert
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48:40
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Dr. Brian Fikkert and Lauren discuss what has changed in missional movements since publishing his monumental book, When Helping Hurts. The two have a riveting conversation about economic structures, how financial capital can work against mental health, and how the Western world can learn some of its best lessons from the Majority World. In this epi…
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06. Rethinking Community Development with Derran Reese
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Derran, a long-time acquaintance of Lauren from working in Southeast Asia, tackles some big questions around systems of community development. The two take a critical look at recent trends in social intervention, and ask where our best-laid plans for developing communities outside of the West have failed and how we can be more curious as we seek ne…
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05. Business as Mission with Mats Tunehag
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44:20
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In this episode, Mats shares the history of the Business as Mission (BAM) Global Movement. He and Lauren discuss why business is an authentic way to connect across cultures, how business has been used to unethically enter different countries, and what the future of the BAM Movement entails. From human trafficking to economic justice, this conversat…
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04. The White Savior Industrial Complex with Rachel Pieh Jones
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41:04
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Lauren and Rachel Pieh Jones discuss what years of living in a different context teaches us about agency, story, and power. Rachel shares how her Djiboutian neighbors respond to short-term interactions with foreigners who assumed charitable roles, and the long-term rebuilding that was sometimes required after Western travelers disrupted social norm…
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03. Building Cross-Cultural Bridges That Last with Craig Greenfield
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37:15
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In his new book, Subversive Mission, Craig Greenfield invites his readers to consider their spiritual gifts in ministry in the way they partner with God’s justice. This episode specifically tackles a critical analysis of Jesus’ ministry tools and the subversive manner of teaching. Craig and Lauren talk about the ways culture impacts our understandi…
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02. Colonialism & Missions with Mekdes Haddis
42:33
42:33
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As the author of A Just Mission, Mekdes Haddis identifies the history of colonialism in evangelical missions and invites Christians to wrestle with contextualization of their faith. Haddis, originally from Ethiopia, describes her experience assimilating into American churches and the racism she experienced attempting to appropriately inform mission…
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01. Is Jesus Even Good News? with Sara Billups
39:28
39:28
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Lauren talks with Sara Billups, author of Orphaned Believers, about the current state of evangelicalism and what remains to hold onto for Christians today. They discuss major events of the 1980s that led to the current polarization of politics and faith, and point to the future of the American church, casting hope for a changing religious culture t…
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Welcome to the show where we talk about topics in modern Christianity that are so challenging, they require us to be grounded in something much bigger than ourselves. If you’re here, you’ve likely found yourself hungry for something deeper. You want to find answers for how to hold onto your faith after seeing religion be twisted in a way that has s…
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