You Were Made for More

As a former Planned Parenthood Director, Abby Johnson shares her testimony and discusses how we as a movement can better serve the needs of pregnant women amidst the new realities of living beyond Roe in America. She talks about how you can model God’s mercy to those who seem undeserving, and respond with grace when others err or offend, while bearing witness to God’s unrestrained compassion so that others may know Him.

Abby Johnson has always been fiercely determined to help women in need. This desire is what led Abby to a career with Planned Parenthood, our nation’s largest abortion provider, and caused her to flee the organization, becoming an outspoken advocate for the pro-life movement.

During her eight years with Planned Parenthood, Abby quickly rose through the organization’s ranks and became a clinic director. However, Abby became increasingly disturbed by what she witnessed. Abortion was a product Planned Parenthood was selling, not an unfortunate necessity they were fighting to decrease. Still, Abby loved the women that entered her clinic and her co-workers. Despite a growing unrest within her, she stayed on and strove to serve women in crisis.

All of that changed on September 26, 2009 when Abby was asked to assist with an ultrasound-guided abortion. She watched in horror as a 13 week baby fought for, and ultimately lost, its life at the hand of the abortionist.

At that moment, she fully realized what abortion actually was and what she had dedicated her life to. As it washed over Abby, a dramatic transformation had occurred. Desperate and confused, Abby sought help from a local pro-life group. She swore that she would begin to advocate for life in the womb and expose abortion for what it truly is.

Planned Parenthood did not take Abby’s departure sitting down. The organization is fully aware the workers who leave are their greatest threat. They took immediate action to silence Abby with a gag order and brought her to court. The lawsuit was quickly seen as the sham it was and it was ultimately thrown out of court.

The media was, and continues to be, intensely interested in Abby’s story as well as her continued efforts to advocate for the unborn and help clinic workers escape the abortion industry. She is a frequently requested guest on Fox News and a variety of other shows. She is also the author of the nationally best-selling book, Unplanned, which chronicles both her experiences within Planned Parenthood and her dramatic exit.

Today, Abby travels across the globe sharing her story, educating the public on pro-life issues, advocating for the unborn, and reaching out to abortion clinic staff who still work in the industry. She is the founder of And Then There Were None, a ministry designed to assist abortion clinic workers in transitioning out of the industry. To date, this ministry has helped over 630 workers leave the abortion industry. Abby lives in Texas with her husband and eight precious children.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Dr. Christina Francis discusses the importance and need for life-affirming healthcare for both the patient and the physician providing the care. She reviews the various ways reproductive health issues are impacted by policy, education, research, and the Hippocratic Oath, and why we must help protect healthcare providers right to conscientiously object to providing treatment that goes against their values.

Dr.  Francis is a board-certified Ob/Gyn who currently works in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Dr. Francis completed medical school at Indiana University in 2005 and completed her Ob/Gyn residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis in 2009. She is chair of the board of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and a board member of Indiana Right to Life. As a professional speaker, Dr. Francis offers her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics, and pro-life reasoning both here in the U.S. and around the globe. She has always had a passion for human rights, spending a significant portion of the past 10 years in various countries working tirelessly on behalf of women and children. Dr. Francis spent time working with orphans in Romania and Burma, discussing the importance of life issues with university students in Israel, and working for three years as the only OB/GYN at a mission hospital in rural Kenya. Dr. Francis left Kenya in 2014 to work on behalf of women and children in her home state and beyond who are often victims of the abortion industry, and to educate people on the greatest social injustice of our time.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

On today's episode of the podcast, we hear from Lisa Rowe as part of our first series of Summit talks from the January events that Anglicans For Life puts on in conjunction with the March for Life! Stay tuned for all of them - seriously, I know they will bless you and educate you - and hopefully inspire you - in the next few weeks! 

One in four women and one in five men experience abortion by the age of 45, and more than half identify as Christians. Both may experience grief, depression, and other painful emotions after abortion, and both can find healing and forgiveness when they are understood and have help navigating their feelings. Churches can help by focusing on the individuals who have been impacted by abortion, being the compassionate heart of Jesus for them, and connecting them to healing, so they find hope and forgiveness. Lisa will share a simple four-step process for compassionately and effectively talking with someone who has experienced or been impacted by abortion. She will also discuss who has abortions, risk factors, and lived experiences that often play a role when facing unintended pregnancy.

Lisa Rowe, who is at the forefront of the Abortion Healing movement, is a LCSW in private practice, co-author of Unraveled Roots, and CEO of Support After Abortion.  Lisa has spent the last two decades equipping and empowering thousands of at-risk children, hurting adults, and broken families to find hope, healing, and restoration. Her areas of expertise include healing from foster care, teen parenting, unexpected pregnancies, abortion, addiction, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, codependency, and divorce. Lisa's passion for revealing the root of dysfunctional behavior and helping people find freedom from early childhood trauma is evident in her own life, the lives she helps lead, her public speaking engagements, and the program model she has and continues to build to serve clients. Her clinical experience, coupled with her organizational leadership, has assisted government, nonprofit, and private organizations to grow their impact, increase their sustainability, and leave a national imprint.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Less than five years ago, questions like; What is a Woman? or What Does it Mean to be Human? had obvious and easy answers. But with the advent of artificial intelligence, abortion through birth, technology, the right to euthanasia, and a plethora of genders – defining and understanding the truth that human beings are sacred and made in the image of God got more than complicated! In this keynote address, Dr. Trueman will trace the evolution of the sexual mores and psychological identities that got us to where we are today.

Carl Trueman is a Christian theologian and ecclesiastical historian. He was Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he held the Paul Woolley Chair of Church History. In 2018 Trueman resigned his position at Westminster to become a full-time undergraduate professor at Grove City College, serving as Full Professor in their Department of Biblical and Religious Studies.

Among Trueman's books are John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man, The Creedal Imperative, Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone, and Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative.In 2020, Trueman published what is probably his most popular and widely read book: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. His most recent book, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, is a condensed version of his previous book. He contributes to First Things (Journal of Religion and Public Life) blogs regularly at Reformation21 and co-hosts the Mortification of Spin podcast.

Trueman is also an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Once we understand the depth and breadth of the problems we face as the Church in defining the value of humanity, Dr. Trueman will share strategies and tools he believes the Church can employ to respond to the cultural upheaval we encounter daily. He will discuss how understanding what it means to be a created human being, and employing the creeds, the Anglican Catechism, and the counsel of God can equip believers to respond with love to our neighbors with different worldviews.  Both Keynotes will feature time for Q & A.

Carl is a Christian theologian and ecclesiastical historian. He was Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he held the Paul Woolley Chair of Church History. In 2018 Trueman resigned his position at Westminster to become a full-time undergraduate professor at Grove City College, serving as Full Professor in their Department of Biblical and Religious Studies.

Among Trueman's books are John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man, The Creedal Imperative, Fools Rush in Where Monkeys Fear to Tread: Taking Aim at Everyone, and Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative.In 2020, Trueman published what is probably his most popular and widely read book: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. His most recent book, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, is a condensed version of his previous book. He contributes to First Things (Journal of Religion and Public Life) blogs regularly at Reformation21 and co-hosts the Mortification of Spin podcast.

Trueman is also an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In today's episode, we talk to our friend Graham Zeiders about why he has chosen to make the trip the National March for Life for several years and how the March has inspired him to be active in his own community since returning home from the January pro-life events last January!

Graham's dad is a Rev. in the ACNA at a church in Virginia and he is a 17 year old senior. Graham is a competitive equestrian who was born into a Christian family - since he has gotten older, he's become more active in the pro-life movement, volunteering and becoming involved with his local pregnancy center.

We encourage you to follow our website https://www.afllifesummit.org/ for all the information on our January pro-life events and plan to join us next year! There is something for EVERYONE - students, parents, youth leaders, groups, and even people who are new to learning about the pro-life movement. We'd love to have you join us!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In today's episode of the You Were Made for More podcast, Sammie chats with husband and wife duo, John and Catherine O'Neill from Students for Life! John serves as the Diocesan and Church Outreach Coordinator at Students for Life of America, while Catherine spent a few years as the Executive Assistant to the President, Kristan Hawkins, and now works in development for SFLA while pursuing her master's degree. Both John and Catherine have different stories that led them to not only be pro-life but to commit their lives to advocating for life. John and Catherine got married this past April 15th and are expecting their first baby in March of 2024! What I love about their stories is how God has woven them together - individual and unique, but yet together and one.

We talk about how to speak up about your pro-life beliefs in today's culture - all while giving you practical resources to get equipped and go have those conversations in your own communities. 

You'll hear us say this in the episode, but we truly believe it is so much more authentic to be living the Truth than to go along with what is popular or accepted - that's our hope for you after listening to this episode - that you would feel empowered to believe the Truth and communicate it well. Each and every one of you is called to MORE.

Here are some things we mentioned in this episode:

• John's Email Address: JONEILL@STUDENTSFORLIFE.ORG
• www.StudentsforLife.org/Start: This page features a step-by-step guide to starting a Students for Life group, beginning with an introductory email to Start@StudentsforLife.org.
• www.StudentsforLifeHQ.com: A digital pro-life resource library, Students for Life HQ is an excellent starting place for students and adults alike to become virtually educated on a wide range of pro-life topics. All of SFLA’s trainings, webinars, and many more videos are uploaded to this site and available by making a free account.
• www.StudentsforLifeHQ.com/FreeTraining: This is the digital form to request a free, in-person (or virtual) pro-life speaker through Students for Life.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

On this episode of the podcast, we welcome Johnston Moore, who serves at Anglicans for Life as the Adoption/Orphan Care Consultant. He joined us last year on the podcast to discuss adoption, but this year, we're going to focus more on foster care ministry.

We talk about the current state of the foster system and the heart behind why pro-life ministries and foster care should inherently be linked. We even discuss how students can become involved. 

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Johnston's Episode 2022 
• The AFCARS Report 2021-2022

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Hey, friends and listeners - we’re so glad you’re here joining us on the You Were Made for More podcast! On today’s episode, I really wanted to pop in and tell you about our January plans this year to honor and protect Life. We’re switching it up from previous years and excited for the new opportunity that we’ve been given to partner with another pro-life organization to really understand why God Himself values life. 

This year, in conjunction with the March for Life, we’re inviting youth groups and families to join us at OneVoice D.C. on January 18, 2024 at the Westin, D.C. Downtown Hotel.  Unsure of what OneVoice D.C. is? Join us on your favorite listening platform for today's conversation and learn more about how you, your family, and your youth group can get involved with The Radiance Foundation, Anglicans for Life, and the March for Life.

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• AFL Summit Website
• The Radiance Foundation
• Dr. Christina Francis' episode of the YWMFM podcast
• OneVoice D.C.'s Facebook page 

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In today's episode of the podcast, Sammie interviews one of the creators of a pro-life club on Waynesburg University's campus about what you can do to change the landscape of your school or campus. It can take courage, boldness, and perseverance to step out into the current culture (even at a Christian university!) and stand for life, and Anna Rape has done it with grace. We're so excited to hear her testimony and about how God is using her where He has placed her!

Anna is a junior at WU who is studying psychology with a minor in biblical ministry studies. During her time at WU, she helped start the pro-life club from the ground up. She is the  one of six siblings, just got engaged to her fiance, Seth, and is passionate about loving God and loving others!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

“Dating intentionally.”

If you are a single Christian, it’s something that you’ve probably heard mentioned at some point, and held up as the right way to go about dating. But what does it mean, and how do you go about dating intentionally? Even on our podcast, we talk about that phrase a lot… because as Christians, we should be super intentional - or thoughtful - about the way we interact with others. On this episode of the podcast, we're going to take the time and dissect what it can look like to be INTENTIONAL, without being INTENSE while you're navigating dating.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Anglicans For Life believes it is important to engage people (both students and adults) in educational opportunities that equip them to speak the truth about the Sanctity of Life in a culture that uses misinformation to mislead people about abortion. Today on the podcast, Georgette Forney, President of Anglicans for Life, is joining us to talk about where the pro-life movement is now, a year or so after the Dobbs decision marked the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and how you can get involved.

Don't forget to check out our Uprooting Lies and Planting the Truth initiative here!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Today's episode focuses on one of our favorite topics: motherhood! 

In a culture that continually discusses motherhood as a “less than” role in society and oftentimes makes it difficult to think of motherhood as the sacred role that it is, it can be even more challenging to truly live out the pro-life ideals that you may have. One of our staff members at Anglicans for Life, Sydney, experienced this first hand as she faced an unplanned pregnancy as a teenager; here’s what she says about how becoming a mom has impacted her life and faith: 

“Patience and understanding are mercies I experience every day as a mom. Before Lydia, I had neither, but motherhood forces you to slow down and look at all angles of a situation. My kids ( Lydia and Manny) teach me something about myself every day.

(When it comes to my oldest) The Lord has blessed me with my best friend. At the time, when I found out I was pregnant, I thought my life was over. But when Lydia came into the world — everything changed for the better. She gave me a completely different perspective on life that I am genuinely grateful for. God always knows what we need, and Lydia is proof of that.”

Sydney has years of experience within the communications and digital marketing space. She has worked in various industries such as government contracting, private security, and healthcare. She has helped organizations reach their target audiences and grow their online presence through purposeful content. In her spare time she coaches girls’ soccer and enjoys spending time with her family.

Despite all of the negative aspects you’ll hear from the culture about motherhood, our goal today is to highlight some of the positives. The organization ZERO TO THREE conducted a study with 2,200 parents and found that...

1. 91% say parenting is their greatest joy.
2. 70% say they feel their life started when they became a parent.
3. 90% of dads say being a parent is their greatest joy.
4. 73% of those men say their lives began when they became a dad.

It’s completely possible to LOVE being a mom of small children. But it takes intentionality - our prayer is that this episode would convict OR  encourage you about what motherhood in today’s world is meant to look like.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

On today's episode of the podcast, Sammie sits down with her husband to talk a little bit about what it looks like to follow the Lord in a Christian marriage. While no relationship is perfect, our hope is that by sharing our story on the podcast that it will allow other couples to apply what Scripture says about marriage to their own relationships in order to create healthy communication and systems to thrive as God intended male and female to do.

This is Ephesians 22-33. It says:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body in his himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies, he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I’m saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

"In a world where we are so polarized… We ought to be really pro-options." - Dr. John Bruchalski

Dr. John Bruchalski is the Founder of Tepeyac OB/GYN, a pro-life, faith-based practice in Fairfax, Virginia serving women in the D.C. metropolitan area for over 25 years. Tepeyac’s unique model is the first of its kind to provide patients, including those who are uninsured or low income, with quality medical care of the highest life-affirming standards.

With many patients crossing state lines to receive care from Tepeyac’s team of board-certified physicians and midwives, Dr. Bruchalski and his team at Divine Mercy Carehelped create the Pro-Women’s Healthcare Centers (PWHC) network in 2018, which now consists of 12 certtified PWHCs in the United States.

Dr. John Bruchalski received his M.D. from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile, AL in 1987. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical Center and the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia in 1991. He received board certification in 1993.

During his training, Dr. Bruchalski performed abortions believing he was helping women. After a spiritual awakening, he realized abortion was not achieving freedom, health, and happiness for women. Dr. Bruchalski stopped performing abortions, returned to faith, and felt God’s call to start a medical practice that truly helped women.

Dr. Bruchalski’s story represents the struggle many Christian medical professionals face: the decision to go along to get along or to boldly stand out. His journey reveals the dark side of getting caught up in the OB/GYN status quo, the evils hidden in plain sight, and the dangers of remaining lukewarm in your faith. His memoir, Two Patients: My Conversion from Abortion to Life-Affirming Medicine (Ignatius Press) was released in October 2022.

Dr. Bruchalski is the proud recipient of the 2017 Life Hero Award and the 2022 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal. He now believes that there are two patients in the line of work that he does, and in our conversation we'll hear how he went from performing abortions to practicing life-affirming medicine.

Here are some things we cover in our conversation:

• What is perinatal hospice and what is its purpose? 
• How do we partner with those experiencing infant loss? 
• Resources for those seeking life-affirming OB care 

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Benotafraid.net
• Sufficientgraceministries.org
• Perinatalhospice.org
• Embracinggraceva.org (VA residents)
• NowILayMeDownToSleep.org
• Perinatal hospice comprehensive care for the fetus with a lethal condition (Journal of Reproductive Medicine) 

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

"Parents have the constitutional and God-given rights to direct the moral, ethical, and religious upbringing of our children. Parents are the first and most important teachers. We simply want a seat at the table, and for our principles to be treated with the same respect as all others." - Julia Page

In this episode of the podcast, Sammie interview Tiffany Justice, one of the cofounders of the organization, Moms for Liberty. Tiffany is a wife and mom of four school-aged children. In 2016 she stepped up to serve for 4 years on the School District of Indian River County, FL School Board. She and Tina Descovich founded Moms for Liberty with the main goal of unifying parents and addressing concerning issues and hold people accountable at all levels of government. They firmly believe in fundamental rights, stand for truth, empower others, and build relationships.

You'll hear us discuss what the mission of Mom's for Liberty is, what kids are facing culturally when they're in school, and why standing up for our children is a core element that is needed to keep families thriving, as well as what to do if you want to get involved. Tiffany encourages parents listening to this episode that "love is an expertise," and we have a responsibility to stand firm in what we believe for the sake of our children and their best interest.

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Moms for Liberty Website 
• Moms for Liberty - Chapter Finder
• Clay County Case

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

This month, we're bringing you the ySUMMIT talks on the podcast! You'll hear from speakers who spoke to students who attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. in January 2023.

The second episode featured this month is surrounding a topic that is frequently used as an argument in the pro-choice movement: what if the woman who wants an abortion was raped? It absolutely should be justified then, right?

I'll admit, even for me, this is such a sensitive and difficult topic to breach because it involves real people, many times in the trenches of deep and raw pain. Rebecca highlights why babies conceived in rape are just as worthy of life as the rest of us beautifully.

Rebecca Kiessling is Founder and President of Save The 1, and co-founder of Embryo Defense. She has been an international pro-life speaker and adoption speaker since 1995. She’s helped pregnant rape victims all around the world to choose life for their children. She’s also an attorney and mother of 5 (two oldest are adopted), lost 2 additional babies to miscarriage, and her 33 day-old, adopted daughter Cassie, who was born with special needs. She’s also featured on a poster for Feminists for Life’s ad, “Did I Deserve the Death Penalty.”

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Rebecca's Website

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

This month, we're bringing you the ySUMMIT talks on the podcast! You'll hear from speakers who spoke to students who attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. in January 2023.

This first episode features Laura, whose talk was split into two parts. One about doing life our own way, and one about doing like God's way (this episode is a cohesive blend of both her talks!). The gist of what she hits on is why it is so important to think deeply and rely on God's guidance about the choices we make; without the guidance of God and the Holy Spirit in our lives, we wander into unhealthy relationships, selfish behaviors, and because of our sin nature we make choices that end up harming us more than benefiting us. The second part of her talk features the "redemption" of leaning into relationships the way God would call us to AND practical ways to do this. 

Laura was the Director of the Pittsburgh Essential Speakers program at Women’s Choice Network, Pittsburgh, PA before the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep getting the “Healthy Relationship” message out to teens during COVID, she authored the video curriculum REAL TALK, which is a video series designed to equip young people with the skills to combat relationship challenges they face in adolescence. She is a native Pittsburgher, graduated with a BS in Psychology/Business from Penn State University, and in her more ‘youthful’ days, she was a resident archery athlete at the US Olympic Training Center in CO, made the USA World Archery Team, National Team, and was Archery’s Athlete Representative to the US Olympic Committee. After raising two daughters and working in the family manufacturing representative business, she continues to be active in her church and follows closely the sexual challenges teens face in today’s culture. Her passion for the abundant life that Christ calls us to is evident in who she is AND the work that she does.

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• What is the ySUMMIT?
• Essential Speakers & Real Talk

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

"You've got fantastic intuition and need courage to act." Ashley Bush, Unplanned Mom School

I'm so excited to introduce you to my friend Ashley! Ashley is a passionate woman, mom, and business leader who wants you to know... you are meant to be here. The message that she has spent her life walking out and now spends her life cultivating within a mission of her business is VITAL if we are going to partner with moms of unexpected pregnancies. 

A little about the Unplanned Mom School:

• A new kind of mom community that is inspiring women to live their best lives
• We are building a community of unplanned moms who have embraced motherhood by surprise 
• No matter what situation you are faced with, we’re all on this journey together called motherhood!

Ashley offers coaching and guidance to walk through unexpected seasons of life because she walked through an unplanned pregnancy herself.  

Here are some things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Ashley's Website
• Ashley's Tik Tok
• Ophelia Speaks Book

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

"In all the ways that we are broken, God is not that. He is completely different and BETTER than us in every way."
- Bp. Steven

On this episode of the podcast, we get to hear a conversation with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Steven Tighe of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)! Steven was recently consecrated as Bishop in the Diocese of the Southwest. Previously he served as the Canon for Youth Ministry for the Anglican Church in North America, having been involved with youth ministry since leaving college. He graduated Rice University, with two degrees in Electrical Engineering and did computer research in Austin before attending Trinity School for Ministry (TSM) and taught youth ministry there while on staff with Rock the World Youth Mission Alliance.  Steven has an Mdiv from TSM and PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Steven currently lives in El Paso, TX with his wife, Tricia. Steven gets most of his exercise mountain biking in the El Paso hills. He reads a lot, plays computer games, writes songs, is an accomplished sand sculptor and has recently taken up kite surfing.

During the season of Advent, we're reminded of how sacred Christmas really is - Jesus, coming to earth, God with us, so that we may have a relationship with the Father. So, how do we carry that sacredness with us for the rest of the year? Steven and I chat about what holiness is and how we trust God in the midst of difficult circumstances because of who He is. We hope this episode encourages you in your own walk with the Lord!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram