The Defender Podcast

Join Rick as he sits down with the Huff family to discuss their family's international adoption story. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Image Bearers dives into what it means to be pro-life, not just pro-birth, and add...

Join Herbie and Rick as they sit down to talk with the Luttrell family, long-time friends of Lifeline, to discuss their story. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Parent Coaching is a service available for any parent who...

Herbie and Rick are joined by Petry Groza, a Lifeline partner in Romania, for an update on the work of REGEN in Eastern Europe. GUEST Petry Groza of REGEN Foundation in Romania talks about the work the foundation in the local community. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of En...

GUESTS The Ross Family, Lifeline adoptive family. The Hamn Family, Lifeline adoptive family.  Jana Lombardo, Senior Program Director of International Programs, has been with Lifeline since 1992 after she graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She worked for six and a half years as a domestic social worker/ birthmother counselor until the birth of her first son Eli. She beca...

GUEST Billiance Chondwe, Executive Director of Together Africa. Billy founded Orphan Sunday to mobilize the church to care for orphaned and vulnerable children around the world.  HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services . RESOURCES Vesse...

HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Families Count is a family restoration and preservation ministry that provides a platform for ministry for the local church. Interested churches receive training and become certified to...

GUEST Pastor Raphael, pastor of King Jesus Church in Busega, Uganda. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Vessels of Hope is our faithful community of monthly donors. This ministry to orphaned and vulnerable children is on...

GUESTS Karla Thrasher, Director of International Adoption, is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a licensed social worker. She is also a TBRI® Practitioner, certified by the TCU Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development. Karla has been on staff at Lifeline since 2001 and currently serves as the Director of International Adoption. In her role, Karla is privileged to manage...

GUESTS Jana Lombardo is the Senior Program Director of International Programs at Lifeline. Lynn Beckett is an Education Specialist at Lifeline. Laura Armstrong is a Social Worker at Lifeline. Traci Newell is the Education Specialist and National Program Director of Families Count at Lifeline. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its minis...

Herbie Newell is joined by his wife Ashley, who helped their children found Stand for Orphans, and Jenna and Mary Beth Brown, a mother and daughter duo that have participated in Stand for Orphans for years, for a discussion about the impact of this initiative. Hear about the heart behind Stand for Orphans and how to engage your children in orphan care from a young age. GUEST Ashley Newell is the w...

GUESTS Karla Thrasher, Director of International Adoption, is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a licensed social worker. She is also a TBRI® Practitioner, certified by the TCU Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development. Karla has been on staff at Lifeline since 2001 and currently serves as the Director of International Adoption. In her role, Karla is privileged to manage...

GUEST Ann Maura Hinton is the Director of BRIDGE Educational Services. She joined the Lifeline team in August of 2017. She brings with her over 25 years of teaching experiences in a variety of different settings and with a variety of different abilities.  She loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to help build a bridge from frustration to hope alongside families in need.  She is a...

GUEST Lynn Beckett, Education Specialist at Lifeline Children's Services, received her bachelor of social work from the University of Georgia in 1981. She worked in the area of foster care and adoption in Georgia and Virginia before joining Lifeline staff in 1989. She became a TBRI® Practitioner in 2016. Lynn feels that it is an incredible privilege to be able to be a part of this ministry that is...

HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Parent Coaching is a service available for any parent who needs additional insight into their child’s behavior. Each 45-60 minute session is tailored to each family and child. These sessions are filled with proven tools and techniques to help parents build additional strengths in parenting. Visit lifeli...

HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES For those seeking to adopt, we have produced an eBook to help you as you financially prepare for the journey. This resource is filled with tips, resources, contact information for grant...

HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Stand for Orphans is our kid-initiated, kid-run opportunity to make a difference in the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children around the world.  There are many ways to utilize Stand...

GUEST Lauren Eddie joined the Lifeline staff in January of 2018 as a pregnancy counselor. She’s originally from New Orleans, LA. She got her undergrad in social work at Mississippi College and then continued her education by attending The University of Alabama for grad school. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOS...

GUEST Julie Adams, Arc Stories Speaker. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES Parent Coaching is a service available for any parent who needs additional insight into their child’s behavior. Tailored to each family and each...

GUEST Shane Etheredge joined Lifeline in September of 2019. He is from Birmingham, Alabama and serves on the Marketing Team as the Creative Director. Shane received his BA in Graphic Design at Auburn University. Shane has been married to Brandi since 2005 and they have two boys keeping them busy and two girls adopted from Ukraine. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lif...

GUEST Mckinley Landen serves on the Education team as a Family Therapist.  She received her Bachelors in Human Development and Family Sciences and her Masters in Social Work from Samford University. McKinley primarily works with attachment and trauma in adolescents, adults, and couples, as well as helping people with anxiety, grief, depression, anger, marriage and parenting support. McKinley utili...

GUEST Dr. Walt Mueller, the Founder and President of Parent Youth Understanding. It helps provide parents with an understanding of the culture that  kids are living in, and how to respond to conversations through a gospel-centered perspective. HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice Presiden...

GUEST Jessie Jacobs , is a social worker in the Huntsville office on the Foster Care team. Jessie received her BS in Psychology at Blue Mountain College and her Masters of Social Work from Auburn University. Carrie Dean , is a mom through Foster Care. Carrie has brought two generations home. Chris and Alicia Johnson are bringing the Church to bear in child welfare. They are adoptive and foster par...

GUEST Ed Litton is the Pastor of Redemption Church in Mobile, Alabama and nominated as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention HOST Herbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. CO-HOST Rick Morton is the Vice President of Engagement at Lifeline Children's Services. RESOURCES We house hundreds of helpful articles, activity i...

GUEST Aren Williams joined Lifeline in October 2020.  She is from Birmingham, Alabama and serves on our Foster Care Team as the Older Youth & Independent Living Transitions Coordinator.  Aren attended Baylor University and received her Bachelors in Business Administration and later her Masters of Science in Health Administration and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ala...

GUEST Ann Maura Hinton is the Director of BRIDGE Educational Services. She joined the Lifeline team in August of 2017. She brings with her over 25 years teaching experiences in a variety of different settings and with a variety of different disabilities.  She loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to help build a bridge from frustration to hope alongside families in need.  She is a...