Show Notes
This episode is an invitation to rethink what we mean by orphan care and how Christians can best support vulnerable children around the world. I sat down with Elli Oswald, Executive Director of Faith to Action, for a conversation about orphan care and global missions. Elli brings over a decade of experience in global child welfare and shares why many organizations are shifting focus from institutional care toward strengthening families. Key takeaways: The majority of children in orphanages worldwide have living family, poverty separates them, not death Children thrive when they stay with family or in family-based environments Elli's story of Knabs shows how family tracing efforts reunited nearly every child in a Sierra Leone orphanage with their families The church's role is ensuring our giving creates the best outcomes Strengthening families before separation happens is more effective than caring for children after crisis This episode isn't about criticizing generosity, it's about channeling our compassion toward lasting stability, healing, and belonging. Whether your heart is for international missions, foster care, adoption, or serving vulnerable families, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what effective compassion looks like.
More from The Speakeasy
In this episode, I sit down with Carl and Laura Lentz to talk about infidelity, betrayal, forgiveness, and what it takes to rebuild after everything falls apart. Their story isn't about why every woman should stay. It's about why every person deserves the chance to heal. I ask Laura why she stayed. Her answer was a day-by-day decision built on evidence. Carl didn't just promise to change, he showed it through consistent action, accountability, and counseling. Laura also shares why it took three years before she could truly say she forgave him. This conversation isn't about minimizing infidelity or saying every marriage can be saved. It's about taking responsibility, finding healing, and letting God into the most painful parts of our stories. Resources Carl & Laura Lentz — Lights On Explore Carl and Laura's conversations about healing, accountability, relationships, and life after public failure through their Lights On podcast and their book about overcoming infidelity. Their book addresses ten practical conversations surrounding betrayal, rebuilding trust, personal healing, and the difficult decisions couples face after infidelity. Sponsors Live Action Network Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, resources, and hope. Blake is partnering with Live Action to raise $10,000 to help reach approximately 200 women with life-affirming support. According to Live Action's estimates, a $50 gift can help reach one woman, but gifts of any amount can make a difference. To support this effort, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake. Steward Have you thought about who would care for your children if something happened to you and your spouse? More importantly, have you made those wishes legally clear? Stored is a self-directed estate-planning platform offering state-specific, attorney-drafted document templates to help families prepare essential documents, including wills, advance directives, and financial powers of attorney. Plans start at $199, and you can save 10% using code SPEAKEASY10 at withstored.com. Follow the platform's signing, witness, and notarization instructions to complete your documents. Join the Conversation What does genuine repentance look like to you? Have you ever experienced a season when healing took longer than you—or the people around you—expected? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. #TheSpeakeasyPodcast #CarlLentz #LauraLentz #LightsOn #MarriageRestoration #HealingAfterBetrayal #InfidelityRecovery #ChristianMarriage #Forgiveness #RebuildingTrust #FaithAndHealing #ChristianPodcast #LiveAction #Stored
In this solo episode, I'm getting honest about friendship, discernment, and boundaries. I knew what the Bible said about boundaries, but I wasn't always putting that wisdom into practice. And the red flags I ignored? They were there all along. I spent years understanding Jesus' warning about judging as a reason to never make any judgments. But Matthew 7 also tells us to recognize people by their fruit. Jesus calls us to make wise judgments without becoming judgmental. Loving someone doesn't mean trusting them. Forgiving doesn't mean ignoring their behavior. And extending grace doesn't require pretending the red flags aren't there. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is recognize the fruit, establish the boundary, and trust God with the rest. Wisdom isn't cruelty, and boundaries aren't the opposite of love. Scripture & Resources Matthew 7 — Judgment, discernment, removing the plank from your own eye, pearls before pigs, and recognizing people by their fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 — The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I encourage you to study Matthew 7, spend time in prayer, and ask the Lord for wisdom about the relationships and boundaries in your own life. Sponsor Live Action Network Live Action works to reach women facing unexpected pregnancies with life-affirming information, practical resources, and hope when they need it most. Blake is partnering with Live Action to raise $10,000 to help reach approximately 200 women with life-affirming support. Live Action estimates that a gift of around $50 can help reach one woman, but every contribution matters. To support this effort, text BLAKE to 70723 or visit LiveAction.org/donate/Blake. Join the Conversation Have you ever confused extending grace with ignoring red flags? What has God taught you about friendship, discernment, and healthy boundaries? Share your thoughts in the comments. #TheSpeakeasyPodcast #ChristianPodcast #ChristianFriendships #BiblicalDiscernment #ChristianBoundaries #Matthew7 #FriendshipBreakups #HealthyBoundaries #ChristianLiving #Faith #Wisdom #Relationships #LiveAction
In this episode, Angie Smith and I talk about moving beyond a faith that puts Bible-verse Band-Aids over our struggles into a deep, honest, surrendered relationship with Jesus. The shallow end can look like white-knuckling, performing, using perfectionism for control, or ignoring painful patterns. Angie encourages us to go underneath: Where did I learn this? What am I afraid of? What does this reveal about what I believe about God? I got personal about my own perfectionism and realizing it was an attempt to control outcomes and stay worthy of God's favor. But our coping mechanisms aren't our identities. As Angie puts it, you're not a perfectionist as an identity. You're a daughter of God who may have learned perfectionistic tendencies that once served a purpose. Recognizing those patterns isn't an invitation to pile on more shame. It's an opportunity to bring them into the light, hold them against truth, and let God begin changing them. Resources Angie's new book, Into the Deep, explores the intersection of faith, psychology, learned patterns, identity, surrender, and what it looks like to move into a deeper and more honest relationship with God. Learn more on Angie's website: https://angiesmithministries.com/ Follow her on Instagram @officialangiesmith Sponsor CrowdHealth CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support. Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com. CrowdHealth is not insurance. #TheSpeakeasyPodcast #AngieSmith #IntoTheDeep #ChristianPodcast #ChristianLiving #Faith #Surrender #IdentityInChrist #Perfectionism #Healing #RenewYourMind #TrustGod #CrowdHealth
Erin and I are talking about the hardest question: what do you do when God asks you to lay down something you worked hard to build? We're both walking through seasons of transition, so this is less "here's how to do it" and more "me too." Erin spent over a decade building businesses and finding success as an entrepreneur before God asked her to step back to homeschool her family. We get honest about the hardest part: identity. When you've spent years becoming known for something, suddenly losing it feels like losing yourself. The questions start: Who am I without this? What if I'm giving up too much? Sometimes what feels like losing everything you've built is actually God making room for what He's going to build next. You can be scared and still obey. You can ask God what He's doing and still end with, "I will trust You." Connect with Erin Follow her on IG @erinmeinel Visit her website at https://erinmeinel.com/ Sponsor CrowdHealth CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support. Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com. CrowdHealth is not insurance. #TheSpeakeasyPodcast #ErinMeinel #ChristianPodcast #ChristianWomen #Faith #TrustGod #Obedience #Surrender #Calling #ChristianLiving #HomeschoolMom #Motherhood #LifeTransitions #CrowdHealth
Content Advisory: This episode contains a respectful but direct conversation about pornography, sexual content, and protecting children from exposure. Parents may want to listen with headphones when little ears are nearby. In this episode, Kristen A. Jensen, founder of Defend Young Minds, and I talk about something every parent needs to consider: preparing our kids for pornography exposure. I was scared talking about pornography would take away my daughters' innocence. But Kristen helped me rethink the goal entirely: innocence isn't the ultimate goal, preparation is. Our kids need to recognize harmful content, understand why it can hurt them, know what to do when they encounter it, and most importantly, know they can come to us without shame. You can't bubble-wrap your children from everything. But you can prepare them. You can give them language. You can give them a plan. And you can make sure when the world tells them about pornography, it isn't the first voice they've heard. Resources Learn more about Kristen's work, Good Pictures Bad Pictures, the new guide for girls, and free resources for parents at DefendYoungMinds.com/Books. Connect with Kristen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefendYM/ Instagram: @defendyoungminds X: @defendYM LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/defend-young-minds Sponsor CrowdHealth CrowdHealth is a community-powered alternative to traditional health insurance. Members receive access to resources including bill negotiators, lower-cost prescriptions and testing, vetted doctor lists, and healthcare support. Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at JoinCrowdHealth.com. CrowdHealth is not insurance. #TheSpeakeasyPodcast #KristenAJenson #DefendYoungMinds #GoodPicturesBadPictures #Parenting #ChristianParenting #ParentingGirls #OnlineSafety #DigitalSafety #ProtectingKids #Motherhood #CrowdHealth