Hope for the Home with Jerry and Becky Drace

Content note: this episode continues detailed discussion of a proposed movement to criminally charge women for abortion — including in cases of miscarriage — and includes statistics on teen suicide, gang involvement, and substance abuse linked to single-parent households.

In what they describe as her last week with them for now, Lisa Reasons returns to close out Jerry and Becky Drace's series on abortion, adoption, and single parenting.

They continue unpacking the "abolitionist" movement, with Jerry and Becky wondering aloud whether it might actually originate from abortion pill manufacturers themselves, given the lack of informed consent or medical oversight women receive. They discuss how the movement's logic could theoretically implicate women who've had miscarriages, and note that a proposed law along these lines was recently introduced and killed in Tennessee's state legislature. The conversation turns toward grace and the church's responsibility, with Jerry stating plainly that abortion is not the unpardonable sin and that God's forgiveness supersedes the shame many women carry silently because their churches never address the issue. Lisa shares statistics from her adoption-agency work, including how many women who arrive "abortion-minded" change course toward life or adoption, and the biblical example of Moses' mother placing him in the Nile before Pharaoh's daughter adopted him. The episode closes with sobering statistics linking single-mother households to higher rates of teen suicide, gang involvement, and substance abuse, alongside a preview that next week's series will shift focus to single fatherhood.

Topics discussed:

• The "abolitionist" movement and questions about who may be funding it
• Legislative attempts in Tennessee to criminalize abortion for the mother
• Why the movement's logic could implicate women who've miscarried
• Abortion as not the "unpardonable sin," and the church's silence on the issue
• Statistics on women who enter counseling "abortion-minded" and choose life or adoption
• Moses' mother and Pharaoh's daughter as a biblical picture of adoption
• Statistics linking single-mother households to teen suicide, gang involvement, and substance abuse
• Preview of next week's shift to single fatherhood

Content note: this episode includes detailed discussion of a proposed movement to criminally charge women for abortions — including in cases of miscarriage — as well as discussion of the abortion pill and its accessibility.

Lisa Reasons returns to continue Jerry and Becky Drace's series on single parenting, this time tackling a controversial legal movement that would charge mothers with homicide over abortion.

They open by previewing next week's topic — single fatherhood — after a listener from North Carolina asked why the series had only addressed single mothers, and share a statistic that 81% of single-parent households are headed by mothers versus 18% by fathers. Lisa then unpacks the "abolitionist" movement within the pro-life space, explaining how it seeks to criminally charge women who have abortions, and why she believes this approach — despite sounding pro-life — actually further victimizes women who were often misled by abortion providers with no informed consent or medical oversight. The conversation covers the legal double standard between abortion and adoption (where fathers must sign away parental rights for adoption but not for abortion), the risk that criminalization could wrongly implicate women who've had miscarriages, and the importance of churches removing shame and stigma around unplanned pregnancy so women feel safe pursuing adoption. Lisa also shares candidly about her own journey as a single mother of four, including the challenges of co-parenting, returning to graduate school, and the therapists and pastoral counselors who helped her heal. The episode closes with statistics on communication as the greatest co-parenting challenge and a promise to continue the series next week.

Topics discussed:

• Preview of next week's topic: single fatherhood (81% of single parents are mothers, 18% are fathers)
• The abortion "abolitionist" movement and proposals to criminally charge mothers
• Legal double standards between abortion and adoption regarding fathers' rights
• The abortion pill's history, accessibility, and lack of medical oversight
• Removing shame and stigma around unplanned pregnancy in church communities
• Lisa Reasons' personal story of single motherhood, co-parenting, and healing
• Statistics on co-parenting communication challenges
• The value of biblically grounded Christian counseling and therapy

Jerry and Becky Drace open a new series on single parenting, digging into how people become single parents in the first place and the surprising statistics behind it.

They walk through the three main paths to single parenthood — never marrying, divorce, and the death of a spouse — and share a statistic that the first divorce in the U.S. typically occurs around age 30. The conversation turns candid about why marriages fail, with Becky pointing to premarital counseling that skips hard compatibility questions, and Jerry sharing a story about a young man convinced he was "in love" based purely on physical symptoms. They cite data showing 40% of single-parent households are headed by a mother who is the sole breadwinner (compared to just 10% of two-parent homes), and discuss the added strain when an ex-spouse remarries and shifts financial priorities to a new family. The Draces also touch on grandparents and au pairs stepping in as caregivers, share a story about a waitress working multiple jobs as a single mom, and reference Psalm 10:14 and Psalm 146:9 on God's care for the fatherless. They also take a moment to announce the show's newly launched podcast, encouraging listeners to find the full back catalog and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the website. The episode closes with a preview: next week they'll welcome a guest with personal experience as a single parent.

Topics discussed:

• Roughly 24 million U.S. families are headed by a single parent (34% of all families with children)
• Three main paths to single parenthood: never marrying, divorce, and the death of a spouse
• The typical age of first divorce and why "falling out of love" isn't the real cause
• Premarital counseling and the compatibility questions couples skip
• Statistics on single mothers as sole breadwinners
• Grandparents and au pairs stepping in as caregivers
• Psalm 10:14 and Psalm 146:9 on God's care for the fatherless
• Announcing the show's new podcast and how to subscribe
• Preview: next week's guest, a single parent sharing their story

Content note: this episode discusses abortion and sexual coercion in detail, including a specific criminal case.

In the final episode of this five-week series, Lisa Reasons returns for a frank conversation about the abortion pill: how it works, who can obtain it, and its effects — including “abortion pill reversal.” The conversation includes real-world cases of coercion and abuse, and Birth Choice's own research into how easily the pills can be obtained with no age or identity verification.

Jerry and Becky close out the series with a call for churches to address unplanned pregnancy and abortion with more compassion and less stigma.

Topics discussed:

• How the two-pill abortion regimen works, and how "abortion pill reversal" can intervene
• Birth Choice's own test-ordering of the pills to demonstrate lack of age/ID verification
• A Louisiana case involving a father, his pregnant daughter, and the abortion pill
• The lack of medical oversight and informed consent compared to other medical procedures
• The "abolitionist" movement within the pro-life space, and Lisa's critique of it
• A call for churches to create safe, non-judgmental support ("life share") for women healing from abortion
• Series wrap-up: reflections on five weeks of conversation about adoption and life

This week's conversation opens with a reading of Moses' story in Exodus 2, then turns deeply personal as Lisa Reasons shares her own adoption story in detail.

Lisa and Becky discuss attachment disorder, bonding, and the training that helps adoptive parents build secure attachment with a child. The episode also touches on the surprising family connection between Lisa and Becky, discovered by chance at a funeral, and closes with a transition into next episode's topic: the abortion pill.

Topics discussed:

• Reading and reflection on Exodus 2 (Moses' adoption story)
• Lisa's personal history: foster care placement, an infancy health scare, and being adopted at age two
• Attachment disorder and attachment styles (secure, avoidant, disorganized)
• TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention), a researcher-developed framework
• How Lisa and Becky discovered they were distant cousins
• Transition into the abortion pill discussion (continued next week)

Week three with Lisa Reasons digs into how adoption actually works: the legal process, how long it takes, and the difference between private adoptions, for-profit agencies, and non-profit Christian agencies like Birth Choice.

Lisa and Becky recount the true story of a Memphis-area social worker whose mid-20th-century adoption practices still shape public perceptions of adoption agencies today. The conversation covers the sharp decline in international adoption over the past two decades, Birth Choice's eligibility criteria for adoptive parents, and Tennessee's “safe haven” baby laws, which allow a parent to safely surrender a newborn with no legal consequence.

Topics discussed:

• The legal definition and timeline of an adoption
• Private adoption vs. for-profit vs. non-profit agency adoption
• The true story of the Memphis "baby brokering" scandal (also covered in a popular historical novel)
• The ~95% decline in international adoptions over the past two decades
• Birth Choice's eligibility criteria for adoptive parents
• Tennessee's safe-haven surrender law (recently extended from 14 to 45 days) and safe-baby drop boxes
• A preview of the following week's continued conversation

Lisa Reasons of Birth Choice returns for week two of the adoption series.

This episode turns to a candid discussion of the abortion pill — how accessible it's become, and the existence of “abortion pill reversal” for women who change their minds. Jerry and Becky also explore how Birth Choice's client advocates walk alongside women considering abortion, using the biblical story of Moses' mother as a framework for talking about adoption without fear. The conversation turns to the often-overlooked role of birth fathers in the adoption process, the tens of thousands of children waiting in foster care, and why churches need to engage more directly with the hard realities of adoption and trauma.

Topics discussed:

• The abortion pill: how it works and how easily it can be obtained
• "Abortion pill reversal" and the medical work behind it
• How Birth Choice's advocates present adoption using the story of Moses' mother (and a parallel with Mary, mother of Jesus)
• The legal requirement for birth fathers to waive parental rights before an adoption can proceed
• Foster care statistics — roughly 125,000 children nationally awaiting adoption
• The extra layers of support older/waiting children need (trauma, attachment)
• A call for churches to take more ownership of adoption and foster care

Jerry and Becky Drace welcome Lisa Reasons, director of adoption services at Birth Choice in Jackson, Tennessee, to open a series on the beautiful, biblical word “adoption.” Lisa shares her own story — adopted as a toddler, and later an adoptive mother herself to a son from South Korea — and explains how she came to lead Birth Choice's new adoption agency.

The conversation moves between the practical (the different kinds of adoption: domestic, international, foster care, and embryo adoption) and the spiritual, grounded in Romans 8 and the idea of being adopted as “Abba Father's” child. Lisa also opens up about the grief and healing process for birth mothers, and the importance of open adoption relationships.

Topics discussed:

• Introducing guest Lisa Reasons and Birth Choice's new adoption agency (one of only six pregnancy-medical-clinic-plus-adoption-agency organizations in the U.S.)
• Lisa's personal adoption story and her son's adoption from South Korea
• Spiritual adoption — Romans 8:15, the meaning of "Abba Father"
• Different types of adoption: domestic, international, foster care, embryo adoption
• The realities birth mothers face and why "open adoption" matters
• The story of a couple whose birth mother changed her mind — and how that grief is handled
• Preview: next week's episode continues the series

Content note: this episode includes discussion of emotional abuse within marriage and guidance for spouses navigating an abusive relationship.

Continuing their series on the biblical core values of marriage, Jerry and Becky Drace turn to the topic of submission, examining Ephesians 5:21-33 and clarifying that biblical submission is meant to be voluntary, not coerced.

They explain that a husband's call to be the spiritual leader of the home only functions rightly when he himself submits to the lordship of Christ, and they share a story of a husband who demanded submission through control and meanness rather than love, discussing when a wife may need to seek help or leave an abusive situation. Becky recalls how their longtime family mentor modeled family devotions and taught their children to pray for Jerry by phone during his travels using a globe to locate him. The couple discusses the importance of fathers leading family Bible reading and prayer, drawing on Becky's own experience growing up with a father who was a faithful "server" in church but not a spiritual leader at home. They also address how wives can pray for unbelieving or spiritually distant husbands rather than nagging them, citing Colossians 3:12 and 1 Corinthians 7:13-14, and offer parents and grandparents "red flag" indicators for evaluating whether a child's romantic interest is spiritually grounded, such as whether he prays over a meal.

Topics discussed:

• Continuing the marriage series with the core value of submission (Ephesians 5:21-33)
• Biblical submission as voluntary, not coerced or authoritarian
• Recognizing and responding to emotional abuse in a marriage
• Fathers as spiritual leaders of the home versus being merely a "server"
• Praying for a spiritually distant or unbelieving spouse instead of nagging
• Their mentor's globe prayer tradition for children while Jerry traveled
• Red flag indicators for evaluating a dating partner's spiritual maturity

Jerry and Becky Drace begin a new series exploring what the Bible—apart from outside commentary—says specifically about marriage, starting with the core value of oneness.

They open by contrasting marriages sustained by feelings versus those sustained by choice and commitment, sharing the story of a woman who chose to stay married out of commitment even in an unfulfilling marriage. Turning to Ephesians 5:31-32, they discuss achieving oneness through communication, shared spiritual values, and unified decision-making, and Becky recounts the difficult months she spent surrendering to Jerry's call into full-time evangelism early in their marriage. They emphasize the importance of seeking wise counsel from older, spiritually mature couples when spouses disagree, and Jerry recalls beginning full-time ministry with only one meeting booked and two hundred dollars in the bank. The couple examines Genesis 1:27's charge to "be fruitful and multiply," addressing both couples with children and couples without, and encourages investing in the lives of others regardless. Referencing Ecclesiastes and Psalm 133:1, they discuss how marriage priorities can shift after children arrive and the importance of returning to the original commitment between husband and wife. They close by reaffirming that successful marriages, contrary to popular culture's portrayal, are built on daily choices rather than fleeting feelings, encouraging listeners to reaffirm their commitment to their spouse and children.

Topics discussed:

• Launching a new series on biblical core values of marriage
• Marriages sustained by choice and commitment rather than feelings alone
• Achieving "oneness" through communication and shared decision-making (Ephesians 5:31-32)
• Becky's story of surrendering to Jerry's call into full-time evangelism
• The value of seeking counsel from spiritually mature older couples
• Genesis 1:27 and being "fruitful," with and without children
• Refocusing on the marriage relationship as priorities shift after children (Psalm 133:1)