Newborn Promise Podcast

Amy Ezell became a Christian in college and the first in her family to come to faith in Jesus. As she went on to start her own family, Amy had questions about how to share her faith with the next generation. Although starting from scratch, Amy embraced a life of voracious seeking and decided to learn alongside her children. Today, she shares tips and encouragement for families new to the faith and ideas to help them flourish, despite any background.

After their children grew up, Dale and Tami Heim started volunteering to help orphans in Haiti. They never imagined they would be adoptive parents themselves! Hear their story—the struggles, doubts, and hurdles they faced, and learn more about international adoption. Today, Tami serves as a board member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

Worship leader, recording artist, and Grammy nominee Kari Jobe shares about her first year as mom to her son Canyon, spiritual lessons she’s learned along the way, and how motherhood shaped her album The Garden.

Dr. Tim Kimmel, founder of the non-profit ministry Family Matters, shares the heart behind his book "Grace Based Parenting" and why the gospel of Jesus Christ should compel our everyday parenting and help us meet our child's deepest core needs.

Songwriter and recording artist Brandon Heath shares the excitement surrounding his wife Siebe's pregnancy with their daughter and how expecting their first child has shaped his newly released album Faith Hope Love Repeat. Brandon also talks about replacing fear with faith and how he plans to let God's hope and love shape his growing family.

Dr. Tedd Tripp expands on his teachings about the heart of our children and how the world around them has defining and shaping influences. Dr. Tripp also shares about the importance for parents to check their own heart motivations and how to make sure they are setting godly goals for the time we have with them in our homes.

Real testimonies from parents who discuss why and how they adopted, with great advice for prospective adoptive parents. Hear from Julie Russi on open adoption through a private Christian agency, and Chris & Shauna Stockhaus who participated in the Foster-to-Adopt Program in Contra Costa County, CA.

Great parents want the best for their children. From the very start, we  are constantly looking for ways to protect and nourish their physical world, social development, and cognitive growth. But, how prepared are we to invest into a human heart? Today, Dr. Tedd Tripp gives the Biblically sound teaching about the importance of the child's heart and how to lead and shepherd the little lives God entrusts to us for a short time.

For many, starting a new family can bring up unexpected memories from the past. For Jill Cooper, trying to get pregnant in her 30s reminded her of the decision she made to have an abortion in her 20s. Today, Jill shares about how facing shame and anger head on, confronting the lies she believed about God, and running to a relationship with Christ ultimately healed her spiritually.

Do you come from a broken family? If you are a living, breathing human, the answer is "yes." Listen as Dave Brandolini, the executive pastor of Austin Ridge Bible Church, in Austin, TX talks about his early life growing up with divorce and how the Gospel matured him into a Dad who could lead a thriving, faithful family. Dave gives practical advice for moms and dads that will break the cycle of despair, benefitting generations to come.

Miscarriage is not often talked about, even among friends. But it is an all too common experience for many couples, and they never forget the pain of loss.  Several women share their stories, which include touching discoveries of God’s personal care for them in their grieving.

If laughter is humanity's most effective weapon, as Mark Twain said, then Holly Mackle wields a powerful force to help parents cut through the everyday messes of life. In this episode, host Audra Haney and Holly discuss her new book "Same Here, Sisterfriend: Mostly True Tales of Misadventures in Motherhood," and how to keep a lighter outlook because, "We might as well laugh!"

The Newborn Promise Project is designed to help husband and wife spiritually assess for the exciting new season of building your family. This major life transition can be the perfect timing to permit God to heal and transform you in the most beneficial way. Meet the lead developers—Callie Grant, Audra Haney, and Charissa Kolar— and special guest host Rusty Shelton to discover the Newborn Promise Project resources for you and your church.

Bluebonnets are radiant wildflowers that grow from the poorest of soil. Hear Meg Calvin describe how she came up with the analogy for the children she serves who come from troubled homes. Meg offers practical steps that anyone can take to help such children, and shares how the local church can be a supplemental family that showers them with God's grace as they grow.

With more than 400,000 children in the foster system nationwide, more couples are stepping up to meet the need to care for them. In this episode, Chrystal Smith, founder and executive of Foster Village in Dripping Springs, Texas, explains the process, the challenges, and the measures her own family took that made all the difference. Chrystal's advice relates to families already having children, couples who have been through infertility, and those just starting out. She discusses one common factor that is vital to success for all.

Grow in your prayer life as a parent by growing your understanding of what prayer means to God. As the author of Praying the Scriptures for Your Children, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens, and Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children, Jodie Berndt has learned that, "Each age and stage lets me know I'm not finished praying. We say, 'You never stop being a parent and you never stop praying.'" Through her personal experiences and her travels speaking nationwide, Jodie has assembled vital biblical knowledge about prayer, which she tenderly—and often humorously—shares in love with others. This is our most foundational Newborn Promise Podcast episode.

With more than 31 million views of his amazing You Tube video "How to Calm a Crying Baby," Dr. Robert C. Hamilton, creator of the Hamilton Hold, must be one of the most well-known pediatricians in the world. Now, he has a new book offering even more wisdom and practical advice: The 7 Secrets of Newborns, which includes many surprises for moms and dads about pregnancy and the first year. In this Newborn Promise Podcast episode with Callie Grant, Dr. Hamilton shares his seasoned perspective as a Christian physician, parent, and grandparent on the most important thing moms and dads need to hear.