His Hands His Feet Podcast

Dave felt God's challenge to at least look into the idea of international adoption. He easily could have responded by thinking he was too busy, it wasn't what he and his wife had planned, he had already had his hands full with three young children, etc.  I began the Dad to Dad series (thank you Amy […]

Youthful offenders, as Chris Haskins refers to these young people, need someone to be the hands and feet of Christ to them in a moment of brokenness. However, many times no one is there to fill that void except someone who uses them in the name of community which only deepens and continues the cycle […]

One of the hardest things to do for a foster parent, for anyone for that matter, is to stay in the moment. God uses all kinds of circumstances and experiences to teach me this discipline, and yet I still struggle with it. When I wrote my first book, Adopting the Father's Heart, I knew I needed […]

Every adoption story has its ups and downs, and Brett and Melissa Millican's story is no different. In this Dad to Dad episode, I ask Brett to tell the story of how he went to Ethiopia uninvited almost two years ago to bring home his daughter.  Then we spend the second half of the episode talking […]

I recently met Paula Freeman who is an author, speaker, and adoption advocate. She graciously sent me a copy of her book, A Place I Didn't Belong - Hope for Adoptive Moms.  After I read through her book, I knew that many of you would want to hear from Paula, so I invited her to do […]

Many needs around the world go unmet simply because people think that someone else more qualified will respond to that need. I appreciate how Jeff Jenkins and his friends saw a need and didn't walk away thinking someone else would meet it. Even though Jeff and his friends knew nothing about drilling wells, they began […]

Time to celebrate a milestone for His Hands His Feet podcast! In this 50th episode, I want to say thank you for listening and sharing the podcast with those you think will enjoy its content.What You Will Hear on the Podcast check Why I began His Hands His Feet podcast check The top 5 downloaded […]

Often things happen in our lives that at the time don't seem that important. Later, sometimes many years later, we can look back and see God's hand in it. He knows the plans He has for you, and He is at work at making them come to fruition even when we do things to hinder […]

I love what Kevin says, "God equips the called." I completely agree with him. In today's world, we place a lot of emphasis on education and training. I do think these are important. But a calling outweighs both. When God calls you to a mission, regardless where or what it is, He will equip you.  As […]

I invited Jason Johnson back onto His Hands His Feet podcast so we could talk about his two new books, Reframing Foster Care and Everyone Can Do Something.  Jason and I discuss why he wrote these books (how he published two in a short window of time) and who the audience is for each book. Jason […]

In this episode, I dive into what my worldview is and how it impacts my mission and purpose in life. I share how you can discover your mission and live it out.I shed light on why I choose to write and podcast about topics such as foster care and adoption, international missions, non profit ministry, […]

Imagine bringing a 12 year-old boy into your family. How would he fit in with your other two teenage sons? What about the first 12 years of his life that you missed as a father, how do you recapture those years? These were questions that my friend John Alger had to face as an adoptive […]

How self-aware are you as a parent? Do you know what your expectations and motivations are, both before you foster or adopt and after? What about your emotional needs? Can you recognize when your emotional cup is full? How about your attachment style? Do you ever consider how it interacts with your child’s attachment style? […]

How far would you go to try finding a better life for your family? Thousands of women and girls in Thailand leave their homes and families to look for work in the larger cities. Many end up trapped in jobs either directly or indirectly linked to the sex trade. […]

My mom retired several years ago, but she didn’t stop working. She has volunteered in many ways over the past 15-20 years, so I asked her to join me on His Hands His Feet podcast and share with us what she is doing and why. As you can imagine, I enjoyed asking my Mom about […]

We send missionaries all over the world, many into locations that involve danger or at least extreme isolation. Even missionaries in places they can serve openly face challenges that we might not understand. The truth is those of us who “send” missionaries don’t always do a good job of it. We act as if we […]

I know that children shelters and orphanages serve a purpose, but we all need a family to help us heal and be the best we can be. In today’s episode I refer to a story a friend told me about their daughter that they adopted from Ethiopia. My friend’s daughter didn’t cry when she hurt […]

Do you like to hear a good story? Does your family tell the same stories over and over even passing some down from generation to generation? Since the beginning of time, people have learned by hearing stories. Although many people groups formed an alphabet and a written language, to this day around 80% of the […]

I invited my friend Marshall Lyles over to record a podcast as a part of the Dad to Dad series. To remind you, this series is me and another adoptive or foster dad talking about being a dad to a child from a hard place. We share the joys and challenges hoping that our conversation […]

When a preschool told a local foster family that their foster daughter could not attend, this family decided to create a solution not only for themselves but other families. From that experience the idea for Petra Preschool evolved. I interview Phil and Christal Murray, founders of Petra, and Mindy Lee, director of Petra as they […]

We make a big deal out of finding our purpose in life. We want to have significance and do something great. But we can easily overlook what is right in front of us. God created all of us with talents, and He promises to give us gifts meant to accomplish His purpose. In today’s podcast, […]

Joe Elliott knew that he needed to do something different if he were to reach young adults. During a brain-storming session with several other youth pastors, many great ideas rose to the surface. But they all knew that if they began doing much of what they put down on paper, they all would get fired. […]

Amy Curtis and Jennifer McCallum work with Buckner Children and Family Counseling Resources. Amy leads the counseling staff, and Jennifer is a post adoption counselor. I heard Amy speak about helping families in crisis at a break out session at a conference, and I reached out to her to come onto my podcast so we […]

I am revising my first book, Adopting the Father’s Heart, for two reasons. Reason number one is I think I am a better writer than I was four years ago (at least I sure hope so). I have wanted to rewrite some sections of the book to make it better. Reason number two I want […]

Colby May is the founder and president of Lit International, a company that works with local churches to leverage energy savings, energy management, and sustainable principles in order to capture savings that these local churches can then redirect into world missions. In this podcast episode, Colby goes into depth behind why he began this company […]

Adoptive and foster families often complete tens of hours of required training in order to have a child placed in their family. Foster families continue required training in order to keep their license. However, once a family adopts a child, often they no longer continue training since it isn’t required. It isn’t uncommon for adoptive […]

In this Dad to Dad episode I interview Danny Cook, pastor of Legacy church in Round Rock, Texas. He and his wife, Rachel, have fostered 20 kids over about seven years, adopting one. I know you will appreciate Danny sharing his story in an authentic, vulnerable, even raw at times, way. Below you can see […]

Yes, if you caught the last name, Carey is my brother. Over the past few years, he shared several cool stories about a small group of guys that began meeting in his home about five years ago to study God’s word. That grew into three different groups meeting in different homes on different nights. I […]

I am introducing a new podcast series I am calling Dad to Dad. While attending the CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) Summit earlier this year, Amy Holman, who ran the bookstore at the summit, suggested that I create some podcast episodes directed toward other foster and adoptive dads. I loved the idea. Our wives tend […]

In this episode I share my thoughts about this book, The Key to the Missionary Problem that I first read as I rode in the backseat of a small van traveling around a sub-tropical island in the South China sea. Even though this book was written over 100 years ago by Andrew Murray, it is […]

Mike and Terri live in the mountains of Guatemala where they have raised all their children. As Mike says in the interview, he has lived longer in Guatemala than he lived in the U.S. I enjoy hearing stories like their’s. I am sure you will too. See below for some of the nuggets from the […]

In today’s episode, I interview Matt and Julie Kouri about their adoption journey. They have three children that came to their family through adoption. Below you can see in the show notes some of what we discuss.     Show Notes Here is an idea of what you will hear on the podcast interview: We […]

Are you like me and most other people? You kind of know your neighbors, well, at least you wave at them as you come and go. I might know their first names, but don’t ask me the names of their kids. If we aren’t intentional about not just meeting our neighbors, but getting to know […]

In today’s episode I interview my friend Joel who along with his wife, Leah, and young family serve in a country in South Asia. In the interview I ask Joel to take us through the process of how his they mad the decision to serve as foreign missionaries. Joel shares many nuggets about the process, […]

In this episode I expound on a blog post—3 Takeaways from the Future and A Hope Conference. I focus on the first takeaway…God sees brokenness and leans into it. Here are a few things that you will hear… Two insights: Adoption reflects God’s redemption story. God ordains adoption at just the exact time He intends […]

Sometimes something triggers a fear or anxiety response in our children so strongly that it impacts how they interact with their environment. They can respond with uncontrollable anger, paralyzing fear, or an urge to run. We might not always know what triggers that response, but we can know how to respond to the behavior. When […]

In today’s podcast episode, I interview Ashley Redburn, Stateside Operations Director for Sole Hope. In the episode you will learn about a ministry that meets a physical need of Ugandans. The jigger parasite burrows into its hosts feet causing pain, and if untreated, deformity. Even though the medical procedure to remove the jiggers is relatively […]

In today’s podcast episode I interview John Palmieri with World Orphans. I met John a few months ago through a mutual friend. What I learned about World Orphans impressed me. If you are like me, you probably think that World Orphans is another organization that helps families adopt internationally. However, World Orphans, as you will […]

Hard to believe I am already on episode 16! That is four months of podcasting already. In today’s episode I share that a mission needs to be something that transcends your home and family. I picked up this thought from a study I am doing with a group of men. The study is a video […]

If you google, “How many people want to write a book?”, you will see survey results of 80% plus say that they want to write a book or think they have book in them. That means odds are great that you are one of those people. What do you think is the reason you haven’t […]

Far too often we send missionaries into a foreign culture without adequate preparation. The result is the missionary returning home long before they had any impact. The causes include lack of financial resources, poor team dynamics, limited knowledge of how to accomplish the mission, marital issues, personal character challenges, and so on. My friend C […]

I began following Jason Johnson’s blog a few years ago when a mutual friend told me about his site. I appreciate Jason’s practical approach to foster care and adoption. His communication style cuts straight to the heart of the matter whether you are considering becoming a foster or adoptive parent or if you already have […]

Attachment between a child and his or her parents is powerful. How healthy that attachment is will determine how healthy all other relationships are and will be. Usually when a child comes into a family from foster care or through adoption, they aren’t able to attach easily. This is true regardless of their age. In […]

My path has crossed many times with Matt Peacock over the past several years. One of those times happened in 2011. As Matt and I drove back from a conference in South Texas, he began sharing a vision he had about a non profit ministry that went out and found those in need in his community […]

You ever know someone that every time you are around them you leave feeling better? That is how I feel about Fred and Dianne Doell. Whether it was when we lived in Thailand, were back on a visit, in an email, or like the privilege I had here to talk to them on Skype, I […]

I talk a lot about attachment in my book, Foster and Adoptive Parenting: Authentic Stories that Will Inspire and Encourage Parenting with Connection. One of the best models I have seen is called the Circle of Security (COS). In today’s podcast episode, I interview Suzette Lamb who is a trained COS lecturer. I have had the […]

I didn’t know that sensory processing disorder existed until I began fostering my son. I noticed that some of his behavior was strange, such as, licking all kinds of surfaces like table tops, blankets, even the top of my bald head.   I also wondered why in some environments he spun completely out of control, […]

All too often a parent gets so focused on the well-being and health of their children that they neglect themselves. A parent feels that the needs of their child is more important than their own. They fail to recognize that taking care of themselves will ensure that they have what they need to parent their […]

Have you ever tried to get out the door in a hurry then your child has a total meltdown because they don’t want to stop what they are doing? The harder you try to help them transition the worse it gets, so not only are you late, but the family is in total chaos. We […]

In this interview Marshall Lyles and I talk about how the attachment style of a parent impacts a child. This episode is imbedded in the chapter—”Pay Attention to What You Bring” in my book, Foster and Adoptive Parenting: Authentic Stories that Will Inspire and Encourage Parenting with Connection.   Often we as parents get so […]

In today’s podcast I share some excitement about my new ebook, Foster and Adoptive Parenting, that launches on November 13. For three days you will be able to grab a free copy! So share the love with everyone you know.   In the podcast episode I share what you will find in the book and […]