The title may cause some to question this episode or simply not listen to it. I chose the topic out of deep respect for Herbie's beliefs and because I know a lot of adopters are religious too. I was also curious as to where we'd go. I'm not a religious person but my own healing experience appears to be more spiritual than psychological. More magic than logic. That's why healing can't be set out in a step by step rational process. Rewiring our brains isn't like rewiring a plug. It's magical. I would suggest that from a religious perspective God is the source of the magic.

Perhaps our kids trauma happened before they came into our homes. Perhaps it happens in trying to figure it out. Herb talks about how God's grace helps us heal. We take a deep and religious dive that's all about everyone's intrinsic value. Hugely profound, we explore humility and self awareness. The better we understand ourselves the better able we are to help our kids understand themselves. The clearer we can see our own worth, the more clearly we can point our kids towards their own worth. The worth that lies underneath the trauma waiting to be revealed.

Here's a link to the last interview with Herbie https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/herbie-newell-president-executive-director-pYbKfULK

Herbie is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Samford University. He worked with WAKM Companies, LLC, a prominent accounting firm, for several years as an independent auditor before being led to Lifeline in 2003 as Executive Director. From January 2004 to December 2008, he served as the president of the Alabama Adoption Coalition and was chosen as a Hague Intercountry Adoption evaluator and team leader by the Council of Accreditation. Under Herbie’s leadership, Lifeline has increased international outreach to 25 countries through adoption and strategic orphan care, obtained licensure in 12 states, attained membership into the ECFA (Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability), and established the foster care arm at Lifeline. Herbie has spoken at many events concerning adoption and the Church’s response to orphan care, including the National Council for Adoption, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Together for Adoption, Care Net and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Having witnessed the plight of older orphans on many international trips, Herbie’s burden for the fatherless was a catalyst for forming (un)adopted in 2009, Lifeline’s strategic orphan care ministry focused on equipping orphaned and vulnerable children with life skills needed to bring about community transformation. During Summer 2013, Herbie and his family traveled for seven weeks throughout China, working with (un)adopted and orphanage partners. In Summer 2018, he and his family served for five weeks in Colombia with Lifeline’s adoption and orphan care partners.

Herbie and his wife, Ashley, live in Birmingham, Alabama, and are parents to son, Caleb, and daughters, Adelynn and Emily. Following her graduation from Samford, Ashley worked as Assistant Director of Sav-A-life, a Birmingham-based crisis pregnancy center, where she counseled hundreds of women on life-giving options for their babies.

Herbie and Ashley share a passion for the unborn, life, and adoption and desire to spend their lives advocating for the least of these.

Connect with Herbie at:

https://twitter.com/Hmnewell

https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbienewell/

Here's a summary from Lifeline's website 

"With a mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children, we know we cannot do this without one another. Whether through adoption, foster care, orphan care, or education and counseling, the mission is accomplished when churches live out James 1:27 in their communities and to the ends of the earth. Lifeline’s four decades of experience serves to assist families with international adoption in all 50 states, each of the U.S. territories and with U.S. citizens living abroad. Lifeline also serves women in unexpected pregnancies and families through domestic adoption."

More at:

https://www.facebook.com/lifelinechild

https://lifelinechild.org/

https://www.instagram.com/lifelinechild/

https://twitter.com/lifelinechild

https://vimeo.com/lifelinechild

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.