Raising foster and/or adopted children is a special calling with unique circumstances to navigate. Today’s guest, Matt Lawson, was given up for adoption soon after Roe vs. Wade was legalized. His adoptive parents brought Matt home from the hospital - a long-awaited answer to prayers for a child. Never knowing his birth parents, Matt considered his adopted mom and dad his parents. His story is a picture of the grace of God in the redemptive story of adoption.

In this episode, Matt talks about

• The fears of abandonment

• What it looked like to grieve the death of his adopted dad at the age of 21

• Practical tips for fatherless young men who grieve the loss of their dad

• The importance of godly mentors, including men who step in years later

• Wisdom for adopted children

Matt is the Executive Pastor of First Baptist Woodstock and the Founding Pastor of Story City Church in Burbank, CA. He is the author of a book on leadership as well as a contributing author to four other books. Before starting Story City, Matt  served in student ministry for 14 years at First Baptist Woodstock. Matt graduated  from Clemson University with a degree in Accounting as well as a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Seminary. He has been married to his wife for 18 years and they have three children.

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website: PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

When your dad, the one who should be your protector, becomes your perpetrator, many layers are added to grief. Forgiveness is messy but necessary for freedom from ongoing destruction. And forgiveness is a choice. Understanding the Gospel and the forgiveness offered to each one of us is the model we must follow.

In part two of Whitney’s story, she poignantly discusses:

• Acknowledging the depth an offense that requires forgiveness

• Practical steps of forgiving

• What it looks like to wrestle to a place of rest

• Accepting God’s sovereignty, knowing that He could have stopped or kept us from circumstances of suffering

Other resources:

From Ashes to Beauty Episode 121 with Whitney Van Matre Part 1

Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst

Dark Clouds Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop

Whitney Van Matre is a wife, and mother, and is actively involved in her church. She enjoys encouraging women who are walking through loss, infertility, and adoption. Whitney’s life is a story of how God turns ashes into beauty through full surrender.

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Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

Some of the most amazing stories are those where beauty rises out of ashes. Isaiah 61:3 gives this hope to those in the midst of suffering. Our guest today shares her story of God’s faithfulness in using what the enemy meant for evil for good in her life when death at the hand of her father was planned.

In this episode, Whitney Van Matre talks about

• God’s protection in public devastation with Dad in prison

• The billowing role of grief. It is messy, uncomfortable, and often delayed but yields great fruit.

• Provision and the power of the body of Christ

• The coexistence of joy and sorrow and the promise of Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5-6 ESV)!

• Practical tips for mothers raising adopted children

Whitney Van Matre is a wife, and mother, and is actively involved in her church. She enjoys encouraging women who are walking through loss, infertility, and adoption. Whitney’s life is a story of how God turns ashes into beauty through full surrender.

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website: PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

Raising children happens in seasons, each one bringing joy and challenges. A common question of single moms is, “Will my fatherless children be okay?” This concern is valid, with statistics showing that the absence of an earthly father has a negative impact. However, when children look to God, who promises to be a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5), there is hope!

In this final episode of Lori’s reflections on 25 years of experiencing God as Father to her children, she shares:

• The importance of enlisting help

• How to show gratitude

• The beginning of Perspective Ministries

• Lessons learned from her journey

Other resources:

Reflections on Raising Little Kids without a Father Episode 118 Season One with Lori Apon

Practical Guidance with Raising Fatherless Teens Episode 119 Season Two with Lori Apon

Fatherless events and resources

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website: PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

Raising fatherless children is often an unexpected task for moms. Single parenting comes with challenges as well as celebrations. In this journey, we find solace in the fact that God is faithful to His promise to Father the fatherless.

In this episode, Lori continues reflecting on this season with a focus on the teenage years. She talks about how to build an important family foundation, blessing trips, the shaping of the story of suffering in our lives, and providential provision.

Other Resources:

The Value of a Mentor for Fatherless Sons Episode 49 with Evan Apon and Dave Inabnit

The Impact of a Mentor Episode 50 with Zach Garza

The Investment of a Mentor Episode 52 with Brandon Apon and Eric Helms

How to Plan a Blessing Party for Your Child Episode 54 with Lori Apon

Parenting Grieving Teens Episode 104 with Lori Apon

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website: PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

25 years have passed since I started the journey of raising fatherless kids. Remembering is important to God, and He instructs us in His word to take time to reflect on His goodness.

Lori has divided these reflections into five episodes, highlighting God’s faithfulness in each one.

In this episode reflecting on the first five years of raising small children without a dad, Lori covers the following aspects:

• The necessity of a Support system

• The importance of perspective and God’s word

• Practical ways God brought blessings in a dark time

• Scriptures to bring encouragement

7 Scriptures on Remembering:

• “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 ESV).

• “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands” (Psalm 143:5 ESV).

• “Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered” (Psalm 105:5 ESV).

• “He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful” (Psalm 114:4 ESV).

• “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2 ESV).

• “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4 ESV).

• “Tell [recount, declare, talk, take account of] your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation” (Joel 1:3 ESV).

More on Lori Apon’s story:

My Fairytale Romance Podcast Episode 2

My Greatest Fear Becomes Reality Episode 3

Psalm 68:5, My Anchor Episode 4

The Calling of God Episode 106 with Lori Apon

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website: PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

It is crucial to recognize fathers' impact on their children's lives. Positive affirmations from fathers can influence the trajectory of their children's lives. Conversely, negative responses, disengagement, abandonment, or hurtful comments, whether intentional or unintentional, can cause deep emotional wounds that may persist for years.

Many individuals grapple with the lingering pain of such "father wounds," but it is possible to find healing and prevent these issues from perpetuating across future generations.

In this episode, Bob talks about:

• Helpful tips for single moms raising children without a father

• The definition of a father wound and how to overcome the pain of these emotional wounds

• Principles on forgiveness with practical steps on how to forgive

Other resources:

Ending the Cycle of Father Wounds: Hope for healing, and preventing infections caused by relational wounds

Refuge Widowers

Trail Life

Fatherless events and resources

Bob Reccord has been a business executive and pastor, led numerous Christian organizations, and served as Executive Director of the Council for National Policy in Washington, DC. He is a popular speaker and has spoken to thousands of men nationwide. Most importantly, he has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for 52 years, is the father of three grown children, and the grandfather of five.

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website, PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.

Imagine losing your mother to death, your father to abandonment, and feeling the absence of a disengaged adopted father—all before the age of three. “When you don't have a family, you'll find the family somewhere” is one of the lures of a gang offering “family.” The temptation for children without an earthly father is to believe the lie that they do not have a family when the opposite is true. Divine intervention with God as Father will give hope to the hopeless and bring light to the dark.

In today's episode, we welcome Bob Reccord, who delves into:

• The crucial role of a mother's affirmation

• The impact of speaking positively about an earthly father, despite his absence

• The pivotal choice between seeing oneself as a victim or a victor

Join us for an inspiring conversation that explores how faith and resilience can overcome the most challenging beginnings.

Bob Reccord has been a business executive and pastor, led numerous Christian organizations, and served as Executive Director of the Council for National Policy in Washington, DC. He is a popular speaker and has spoken to thousands of men nationwide. Most importantly, he has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for 52 years, is the father of three grown children, and the grandfather of five.

Mom, you are not alone!

Join our private Facebook group for more encouragement and community: https://bit.ly/widowmom

For more information and helpful resources, check our website, PerspectiveMinistries.org & follow us on Instagram @PerspectiveMinistries.