Joining me on this episode is a sexual abuse survivor and author: Ben Locke.

When Ben Locke was in his darkest valleys, he was determined to tell God exactly what he thought. He poured out his agony and anger--and was met with God's grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy. He discovered in those moments that God can handle it. All of it.

In this episode, Somer and Ben discuss how the church should handle sexual abuse, some of the signs to watch out for as parents, and the deep hope there is in Christ through this suffering.

You can get your copy of Ben's book here on Amazon or wherever you find your books!

So glad you're here to join us!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Joining me on this episode is animator, author, and father of four adopted children: Tim Wolkiewicz.

Tim is a very talented animator who has worked on Veggietales, Hasbro’s “Transformers Rescue Bots,” Warner Brother’s “Green Eggs and Ham,” and Disney’s “Monsters At Work." He is also passionate about adoption and foster care. Him and his wife both fostered and adopted children, two of which internationally. With this passion, he created a children's activity book specifically for adopted and foster kids called "The Flock."

In this episode, Tim and I discuss:

• His family's story and how they came into this calling
• How important it is for both husband and wife to be on board for this calling
• How this calling doesn't just impact the child you're adopting or fostering, but it has an impact on the bio family and social workers and more.

Tim also encourages us to find support groups, trust God, and be in a church body that raises you up in this calling, "it takes a church."

There is a lot on the plates of foster and adoptive parents. In many ways, they take on several hats, becoming therapists, lawyers, taxi drivers, just with all the appointments and paperwork to navigate... and with this stress comes burn out and with burn out comes tension in the household. That is why it is so important to be supported by family, friends, and church.

Through all of it, God is at work: you are not alone.

Check out Tim's new interactive comic book: The Flock here on his Etsy store.

You can also connect with him about the book via email: theflock127@gmail.com

Or connect with him on social media or his website.

So glad you're here to join us!

If you're new to this podcast, I just want to say welcome!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

I hope you enjoyed the Refresh episodes with Kelly Hamilton as much as I did! If we're being honest, the summer season is not always full of fun and relaxation... in fact, it can be hard, lacking consistency, and stressful! That's why I wanted to pause and remind myself of those tools for behavior and emotional regulation, and these tools have been personally helpful for me in my family as I get overwhelmed.

In this episode, I talk about some resources which I have found extremely helpful during this season and I am encouraging you to find rest, find margin for God, and remember that God is in this with you.

The Colbert family has recently experienced a failed placement, and that is something I also share with you in this episode. God's faithfulness with us in this season has been so powerful and I hope this encourages you, in whatever stage you're at in this calling...

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!