Ep 970 | Katespiracy Update & Why You Can’t Have It All | Guest: Leanne Jamieson
Episode Stats
Length
1 hour and 8 minutes
Words per Minute
156.37085
Summary
In this episode, Allie talks about the Trump Bloodbath, Princess Kate has been spotted, or has she? Producer Briana and I disagree on this. Also, singer-songwriter Lily Allen says children ruined her career. What's all that about? And also, we ve got an amazing guest, Leanne Jaimison, who is the Director of a Pregnancy center. She is going to tell us what is happening across the country at pregnancy centers, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and also talk about the importance of adoption and fostering. This episode is brought to you by GoodRanchers.
Transcript
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Also, singer-songwriter Lily Allen says children ruined her career.
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And also, we've got an amazing guest, Leanne Jamieson.
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She is going to tell us what is happening across the country at pregnancy centers,
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and also talk to us about the importance of adoption and fostering.
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers.
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Had to think about what day it was for just a second.
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Hope everyone's having a wonderful week so far.
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We had to make some executive decisions right before we started taping.
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I really wanted to talk about this whole Trump bloodbath thing because even though every other
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commentator and their mom is talking about this, and rightfully so, I did want to analyze
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And I know that you've got some gals in your life who are or will sometime in the next few
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months send you the articles about Trump saying the word bloodbath at a rally to tell you why
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she could not possibly, in good conscience, vote for Donald Trump because he is calling
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And while I want to debunk that, it's actually a lot.
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Like the segment that we have in the document with all the research, all the context is a
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And because I have an awesome interview at the end of this episode, which ended up being
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longer than I originally thought that it would because my guest is just so, so amazing
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and we have so much to talk about, I don't have time to get to that today.
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So we're going to get into a couple other things that are going to be a little bit quicker,
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but we will get to that because I do know it's important and I want you guys to have
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something to fall back on, information, context, all the facts surrounding that, when that conversation
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comes up with your relative, with your friend, with whomever, so you can be armed with the
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Okay, before we get into it, I have a couple clothing related things to say.
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Now, the You're Not Enough and That's Okay, Kroonax t-shirts, hats, or not, sorry, not
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I've been wearing my beige You're Not Enough, But Jesus Is Kroonax.
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Like every chance I can get, absolutely love this merch.
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I've heard from a lot of y'all that this is like your favorite.
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So when it comes in, make sure that you post it and you tag me so I can see it.
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You're Not Enough, But Jesus Is, great conversation starter.
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It started a conversation for me just over the weekend.
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And then I got to talk about what the front says.
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Okay, also another clothing related announcement, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
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She is that amazing Olympic champion runner who is a Christian, very outspoken about her
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You probably saw her because she's like just this beautiful beacon of Christian light in
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Okay, she sent me the coolest stuff because she has a partnership right now with New Balance.
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I don't know if we can go to the wide shot and you can see these shoes, which are amazing.
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They're way too cool for me because I am not cool.
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And these shoes are really cool and they're really trendy and I love them and they're super
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She's got a partnership right now with New Balance, Sydney McLaughlin.
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She and her husband, just like amazing and beautiful people.
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You should follow them too because they're just like very encouraging, godly people.
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So she's got this new partnership out and I've got some cool new shoes.
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This is also what is taking up some of the time, not just in today's episode, but in my life.
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Kate Middleton has taken up a lot of my life over the past few days because I, like every
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other gal out there, I have just been thinking randomly, oh, oh, where's Kate?
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I think I'm taking care of some responsibility.
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We went through all the theories last week about where she is and why people just weren't
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really taking the palace's statements about what happened to her, her whereabouts, her
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recovery, why they weren't taking them seriously, why there were theories, the whole photogate
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And there, of course, if you're following this on social media, there are more theories
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But now there is another update that you think would quell all of the rumors and the conspiracies,
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So here is what TMZ is saying is Will and Kate at a farm shop over the weekend.
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Is that what the British, a farm shop, over the weekend in a video obtained by TMZ.
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That, I mean, that alone gives me a lot of just conspiracy vibes.
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I don't know if that's purposeful or not, but that just makes me think that something
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So anyway, that is, that's supposed to be Kate and Will.
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And the reason I say supposed to be is because a lot of people are saying this is not Kate
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But if we pull up some of the pictures, which we will, if you're watching on YouTube, and
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it's not the best quality because all anyone has is like a screenshot of the video.
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So people are saying that this does not look like them.
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Now, granted, maybe my eyes aren't that great because I also didn't see any of the editing
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problems and the picture that went viral and that other people caught.
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And like, why would they if they were going to put out a clone, if they were going to put
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out, you know, a stand in to try to falsely the conspiracy goes signal that she's okay to
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the world, I don't think that they would have chosen this scenario.
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They would have like at the farmer's market with them so dressed down.
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So if she really had abdominal surgery, now sources are apparently saying bowel surgery
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specifically, which was a theory that a lot of you had, by the way, that she had a bag
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It can be extremely invasive and their recovery can be really long.
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It would make sense that she had lost some weight.
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So if the palace were trying to signal, hey, everything's fine by putting in a stand in
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for the paparazzi to catch, I don't think that they would have chosen someone who looks this
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thin because her thinness also is sparking concerns, further concerns from people saying,
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I think that they would have put out someone who looks healthier, but it would make sense
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if she really did have this kind of abdominal surgery.
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I saw, I don't remember what it was, but I saw a post saying she didn't have abdominal
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So I understand why they didn't want to say bowel surgery because that's a little embarrassing
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And so maybe they were trying to protect her image.
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I don't think the palace has done a good job with PR, but I think that's what they were
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So, um, anyway, all that to say, like, it makes sense that she looks really small and
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maybe that her face looks a little bit different too, because one, when you've been sick and
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you've been depleted, your face is going to look different.
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Your bone structure is going to look different.
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And if you're really thin and she does look really thin, she was already thin before she
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looks even thinner than that, that changes what your face looks like.
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And yes, I do think this looks like Prince William, by the way, I just do.
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I think honestly, a lot of people, and I love a good theory.
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I'll even entertain a conspiracy for a sec, but I do think people, and we saw this so much
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with the QAnon stuff with Trump, like people are very addicted to fall, like continuing a
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Maybe some of the theories, there is some truth to them, uh, both, you know, before this
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and since, and since this picture and video was released, but I do think just be aware
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that there are some people who have gained a lot of viral attention, virality, if you
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will, over the past few weeks or few days because of this, that they're going to cling
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to dear, to this too, for dear life because their fame and their prominence is now dependent
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I'm not saying that there aren't questions to ask.
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I think it's all been fair, especially up to this point to ask some questions and to have
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Um, but I, I, I do think that we are probably at this point about done with the extensive
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Again, there are some questions, questions remain.
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Easter, as I have seen people say, although I said this from the beginning, but I've seen
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people say that it is interesting that she is resurrecting on Easter.
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I don't think there's like a reason for it necessarily.
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And unless there are other developments, I probably don't have that much more to say about
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I'm sure there will be other people who have commentary on this, who are much more interested
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I just wanted to make sure that our girl was okay, that her kids are okay.
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But I will say, I did not know that they went to farmer's markets casually on the weekends
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I've seen that there is not a body double, but an impersonator who-
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And she apparently has a Will impersonator also.
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If they were going to put in stand-ins to signal to everyone that, okay, we're all well
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Why would they choose this scenario with this type of clothing, this kind of weird situation
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of a farmer's market and have her look so thin?
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But isn't it, I don't know, but isn't it also weird that she supposedly is like on bed rest
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She looks very spry in this photo, in this video.
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And I'm wondering why, if she looks perfectly fine here, why they couldn't have ever-
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Or, yeah, but if she's going to go out anyway, why couldn't they just record a video of her
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And I'm just playing devil's advocate because I don't know.
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But maybe they are just trying not to, I don't know.
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I was going to say, try not to respond to what they think are ridiculous, absurd conspiracies.
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Although they did put out the picture, which I think was a response to the conspiracies.
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Is that this picture of her does make me realize that the picture that they put out
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that was so edited that they say was a very recent picture.
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I do not think it was a recent picture because she doesn't look that thin.
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She does, obviously thin, but not this thin in that picture.
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So that does make me think that they lied about the timing of that photo.
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Because I don't know why they would be together.
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I mean, unless this Kate impersonator and this Will impersonator are like together.
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Then I don't know why they would be together for this photo.
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There are questions about like, why would they do it like this?
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I also saw something on Twitter that someone like zooming in on an iPhone at a Rihanna concert
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And people are like, if you can get images like this on an iPhone now, then why can't
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Kate Middleton is actually at Rihanna concerts and everyone knows that?
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Just an example of how iPhones are so good now that really we should have a very clear
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photo of Kate Middleton if she's really walking around London, you know?
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I just think that that looks just like her and just like Will.
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But I mean, if you're telling me that this, okay, I'm looking this up because I haven't
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seen this Heidi person, Heidi, Kate Middleton impersonator.
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I don't think that the, that the Will guy looks like, they do look alike.
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Yeah, I'm full tinfoil hat at this point, but I understand the arguments against that.
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We'll keep our updates alive because I'm sure there are people that are in the camp that
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I've been wanting to talk about this, uh, Lily Allen story.
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I saw this quote from her, uh, where she said, I never really had a strategy when it comes
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to my career, but yes, my children ruined my career.
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And I thought, wow, that's such a difficult message to put out there.
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And I wanted to talk about it because I looked at the full context and I actually think that
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our response to something like that, that initially is like jolting and we understandably have
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a negative reaction to, I, I do think it's a little bit layered and nuanced and I think
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So for those of you who don't know, she is a 38 year old British singer songwriter and,
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um, she was, uh, really like topping the charts, like more of at the height of her fame several
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She's got a few good songs and on the March 12th episode, or, you know, maybe she has a
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I just am not someone who is super, super familiar with all of her music, but I know that she has
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So, uh, on a March 12th episode of the radio times podcast, she made headlines for saying
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I mean, I love them and they complete me, but in terms of like, you know, pop stardom,
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And really annoys me when people say you can have it all because quite frankly, you can't,
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and you know, some people choose their career over their children and that's their prerogative.
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But, you know, my parents were quite absent when I was a kid and I feel like that really
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left some like nasty scars that I'm not willing to, you know, to repeat online.
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And so I chose stepping back and concentrating on them.
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And I'm glad that I've done that because I think they're pretty well-rounded people.
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See, the context completely changes the quote that has been extracted from that episode
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And I have no idea if this bothers her, but if I were her, it would really bother me.
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But, um, Cosmopolitan Lily Allen says having kids ruined her career.
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But then the person goes on to say, the author of this, as a mother, I think she has a point.
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Um, and then there are several other headlines who said this, who say the same thing, who
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And I saw a graphic, I don't know if it was entertainment tonight.
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I don't remember who, uh, originally posted it.
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Lily Allen says that children ruined her career.
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But as you can see from the context, like, first of all, she's saying it tongue in cheek.
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It's said, she uses the word ruined, which I don't think is like the best word to use,
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And she makes a point that I think is really important for us to hear is that you really
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Like, this is another lie that we're told in addition to you are enough.
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In addition to you're perfect, the way that you are, in addition to you're entitled to
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your dreams, like all these lies that we've talked about so many times on this show, they're
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fed to women so often from the self-help, self-love culture, um, that you really can't
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And that your happiness and your convenience and your dreams and your goals come first and
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everything and everyone else gets deprioritized and has to sacrifice on behalf of what you want.
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And at the end of it, you'll just be happy that you fulfilled all of your desires.
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And I do think that more and more women are waking up to this, but I think it's actually
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a mistake of the pro-life movement that I see a lot, uh, that you can have it all.
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No, by choosing life for your baby, you can absolutely do all of the career things that
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To me, that's like a form of the feminist deceit that we see in mainstream pro-choice secular
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I would never use the word ruined, but again, I think she's just trying to make the point is
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that there were a lot of things, uh, to say no to once I started having kids, you know,
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I was doing this for four years before I, um, had a child.
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I mean, not the podcast, but I was, you know, speaking and the social media and all of that,
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doing the Fox news interviews, uh, before I had kids and man, it was go, go, go.
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I look back at my husband's and my life back then and how much we were working, how much
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we were gone, how much we were saying yes to, because that was the season that we were
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And then once I got pregnant and once I had our first kid, there was a lot more.
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I stopped doing those Fox and friends interviews.
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I mean, I was waking up for Fox and friends or Fox and friends first, sometimes at two, three,
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I was saying yes to every interview, to every opportunity.
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Again, that was just the stage that I was at that stopped when I had kids.
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Not everything stopped, but a lot of things stopped.
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And after every child, I've said no to more and more things.
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I gave up a consistent writing gig that I was doing.
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And maybe it might seem like it's not that much to do two articles a month, but I loved
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But I had to say no to that because I no longer have that margin.
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Really, this podcast and the speaking that I do about once a month where most of my family
00:23:12.500
comes with me typically for that, that's, you know, a choice that we make based on just
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a variety of factors for every different speaking engagement.
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Very often, it just looks so different than it did back in 2018.
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All I have time for really is this podcast, which I have an entire awesome team behind
00:23:40.940
And the speaking that I do, and that is like a fraction of what I used to do.
00:23:48.280
I used to travel a lot more before I had kids, and it was easier with one.
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And then with every child, you say no to more and more that is not related to them.
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And that doesn't mean that you always, that there's, that you don't have anything.
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Like there are plenty of moms who have an Etsy shop who are, you know, influencers in some
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way and who dedicate time to different parts of their craft.
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And so there are different ways that that looks, but it is always true that when you are
00:24:22.560
prioritizing your children and prioritizing your family, that there are some sacrifices
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Again, I wouldn't use the word ruin because that sacrifice is 100% worth it.
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And I think that she did end up saying as much, but it's 100% worth it.
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The saying no to other things is 100% worth it.
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And I am very thankful for like the flexibility and the schedule that I have.
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It is totally a dream that I get to prioritize my time and my energy the way that I can.
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I understand that there are different situations.
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Now, just to be fair also to the pro-life message who they are trying to say that you,
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it's not a life ruining and it's not having a child and choosing life for your child instead
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of abortion doesn't mean that you are never going to be able to do the things that you
00:25:45.800
But it also needs to be said that there will be sacrifice.
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There will be trade-offs and that those things are actually good.
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I don't want us to feed into the culture of all sacrifice is bad.
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All dying to yourself is bad because it's actually what is life-giving.
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It is actually so much more fulfilling and so much more satisfying than just constantly
00:26:16.600
fulfilling your desires or chasing your dreams.
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Those things can be good when they are in submission to God's will, but they cannot be supreme.
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And I'm actually really glad that Lily Allen was willing to say that and that she allowed
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her childhood and the negatives that she experienced there to inform how she is parenting her children.
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When you look at the Proverbs 31 woman, it really looks at the different responsibilities that she had,
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There are different seasons for different yeses and different noes.
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And yes, as women, our families, our children, as moms and wives, that is, they should absolutely come first.
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And I think that looks differently in different stages of life.
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It looks differently based on what God has called you to do and what he has equipped you to do.
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But I do think it's clear that that comes first and there will be sacrifices in other areas, 100%.
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It is worth, they are worth every single no that I have given to other things and continue to give
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to other things, big no's and small no's so that I can be as, you know, present as I possibly can and still dedicate some time to this,
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which I love and God has called me to and in this season has equipped me to do.
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So anyway, I'm encouraged by someone kind of, I guess, in secular culture.
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I don't really know what she believes, but just talking about this, talking about the importance and the necessity of sacrifice and giving up,
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especially when it comes to raising children, just because it's difficult doesn't mean that it's wrong or that we should put it off.
00:28:27.240
Um, and also like, I do just want to say this is such a counter to the, uh, this is such a counter to Olivia Rodrigo,
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who is a singer who is giving the message to her young, young audience that yes, you should just do what's most convenient.
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You should do what's, what feels good in the moment and you should only do what you want to do.
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No matter what, no sacrifices, no commitment, no difficulty by passing out the plan B at her concert, as we talked about last week.
00:29:06.760
Um, motherhood, I will just, I'll finish on this.
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Motherhood is an extremely, extremely high calling.
00:29:16.840
Of course we know that, but also I do want to emphasize this, that, um,
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it's not just like inconvenience and dying to self and discomfort.
00:29:28.840
It's also really fun and it's really joyful and it makes you, I think it makes you a better person.
00:29:36.400
I'm not saying that people who don't have kids are not good people or that they can't be awesome and generous and joyful and all of that,
00:29:48.620
It causes you to have self-control and control your emotions and to be more patient.
00:29:55.440
It causes you to be more sympathetic and loving and compassionate.
00:30:03.520
It helps you become a better leader, a better manager of people.
00:30:06.960
It helps you understand and manage different personalities better.
00:30:10.840
Um, gosh, I can't even count all of the ways that motherhood has sanctified me, has sanctified, uh, the women around me.
00:30:23.340
Not every moment is like the most fun or the easiest, but motherhood is such a good time.
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And it is such a wonderful example of the gospel.
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And you just have a whole different level of understanding of God's love for us.
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When you have these little people who are walking around in front of you and you're like,
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Oh my gosh, I would literally die for you a thousand times.
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And the studies back up to that, um, parenting makes you happier in the long run.
00:31:04.040
As I've said many times, if you are married, have kids.
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If you can, that could mean fostering and adopting.
00:31:10.720
That could mean having your own biological kids, but have children, um, don't put it
00:31:21.920
None of those are biblical reasons to put off having kids.
00:31:27.560
And I've gotten many a sonogram picture over the years from people who, after they've, uh,
00:31:34.120
heard me or someone on this podcast say that, uh, say, okay, fine.
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We decided to have kids and I just always praise God for those messages.
00:31:43.240
Speaking of having kids and speaking of adoption and the importance of caring for children,
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She is the director of a pregnancy center in Texas, Prestonwood pregnancy center.
00:31:59.020
You guys have donated many baby items and mom items to this pregnancy center in the past.
00:32:07.020
And she'll talk a little bit about that, but she's here today to talk about, um, some of
00:32:11.960
the updates in the abortion landscape and what pregnancy centers need, what they're seeing,
00:32:19.360
Uh, but also she is going to, um, give us a whole lot of encouragement about how God is
00:32:26.920
moving through the obedience of his people, uh, by loving the most vulnerable.
00:32:33.300
And then she'll also talk about adoption and this adoption conference that's coming up,
00:32:40.420
And she will have, uh, some, uh, a convicting message for all of us Christians, as we consider
00:32:47.160
how we can help the fatherless and help the orphan.
00:32:50.340
Leanne, thanks so much for taking the time to join us again.
00:33:07.080
Um, I've already introduced you and you've been on the show before talking about your work
00:33:11.980
at the pregnancy center, uh, but give us again, just a lay of the land.
00:33:16.300
Now we are almost two years post the Dobbs decision, post the overturning of Roe, praise
00:33:22.780
God, um, working on the front lines at a pregnancy center.
00:33:28.020
Yeah, it, uh, it's interesting cause I, I mean, we all celebrate, uh, Roe v. Wade being overturned
00:33:35.220
and in states like Texas, the trigger law that went into effect making, um, abortion illegal
00:33:44.400
Uh, but I have said, and I continue to say it, it may be illegal, but it is far from unattainable
00:33:54.360
And the unthinkable part is going to require spiritual revival in our nation.
00:33:59.420
Um, and the unattainable part, that's really what we're seeing in the pregnancy center right
00:34:05.320
now, we're seeing a lot, an increase in, um, chemical abortion and women accessing abortion,
00:34:13.280
uh, online and abortion pills, the abortion pill.
00:34:24.220
And, uh, I mean, there's a website called plan C is an example, um, that for no to very
00:34:33.440
little cost, you can get those pills delivered to your home.
00:34:40.060
And, you know, uh, at the center, we, I mean, I had heard it was really simple and we have
00:34:47.400
a video coming out of us ordering the abortion pill online with little to no questions or
00:34:57.760
screening and within two days that those pills arrive.
00:35:13.440
I think it's, you know, it's a very hard thing to manage.
00:35:17.400
Um, you know, that is a question probably for our politicians as to where that all fits
00:35:23.460
in the trigger law and, you know, male order medications.
00:35:29.720
But at the center alley, what is most concerning to me is that we say, and certainly the other
00:35:37.320
side has really built the narrative around the fact of reproductive health and that we
00:35:43.620
care for the women and that, you know, we're concerned for their wellbeing with the implication
00:35:49.920
that pregnancy centers, pro-life centers do not.
00:35:55.100
And when we have women coming into the center who are bleeding or are struggling to know what
00:36:04.400
they took and what's happening and they bring in medication with the instructions in a foreign
00:36:16.680
I mean, we've had someone come in with Russian.
00:36:20.340
So where there's no, no explanation of the how, the concerns, what they should be looking
00:36:36.960
And they don't even have to get a sonogram to verify how far along they are.
00:36:40.660
And you're supposed to, supposed to take these pills within like the first six to eight weeks,
00:36:51.900
I'm pretty sure it's within the first 10 weeks at most.
00:36:55.080
So, and you know, some women, if they haven't had a sonogram, they don't know how far along
00:37:00.320
I mean, this could be women 16 weeks pregnant trying to take this pill.
00:37:07.820
We statistically, I mean, we saw in 30, almost 32,000 client visits last year at, at our centers.
00:37:15.700
And I can tell you that there is a large percentage of women that walk in our center that think
00:37:23.760
they're a certain, you know, that they're at a certain point in their pregnancy, when in
00:37:32.040
And so to, to rely on a woman saying, you know, I'm pretty sure that this is when my
00:37:41.880
last first day of last miss period is, and I'm this far along, therefore I should be able
00:37:48.280
to take the abortion pill to not even have to talk to someone, but to be able to order
00:37:53.600
this online and have it come to the privacy of your home, you know, it's, it's, it's disturbing.
00:38:02.380
So you're seeing a lot of these women after they've taken the pills, they show up at your
00:38:09.320
So yeah, I mean, we have seen, because so many of these women have gotten the, the medication,
00:38:21.840
Let's call it the abortion pills, um, through a way where they're not getting any support
00:38:29.520
with a lot of fear and shame, they will show up at our, at our center.
00:38:36.440
Um, looking to know, like they're looking for, to know, was this effective?
00:38:47.660
To the point where right now, one of our major project projects this year is trying to figure
00:38:54.100
out how we provide care to those women, um, because Jesus is about restoration and redemption.
00:39:03.080
And we know we can take care of her emotionally and spiritually.
00:39:07.820
We have licensed professional counselors on staff and medical staff, um, that, you know,
00:39:17.160
But what we want to do is be able to really care for her, um, physical needs along with
00:39:26.360
So that's just kind of a new challenge that has unfolded in the last couple of years,
00:39:30.940
probably something that was pretty unforeseen after the overturning of Roe.
00:39:35.800
I think for a little while, probably most of the pregnancy centers in states with, um,
00:39:43.520
trigger laws in place, or maybe very quickly put laws in place to eliminate abortion within
00:39:49.640
their borders, I think would tell you that we saw a dip.
00:39:53.300
We saw a different type of, we saw a different, maybe emotional state to the client.
00:39:59.000
We did a lot of education in those early months.
00:40:02.440
People did not truly understand what that meant and what it meant in their state and what was
00:40:12.820
It was a lot of just empowerment and assurance and looking at those reasons why maybe they
00:40:22.640
And we've always done this, but helped them problem solve through it.
00:40:27.120
And, uh, and then, you know, for a while we saw a dip in the abortion rates.
00:40:31.780
I think, um, I think it was just maybe the other side getting some things put into place
00:40:39.420
that we now see easily found online and, uh, and it has increased, I mean, they're now reporting
00:40:49.240
an increase in abortion, particularly a chemical abortion, the abortion pills.
00:40:53.960
And I, I kind of believe that's underreported because I don't believe that sites or foreign
00:41:03.500
I know they're not reporting the numbers that they're providing.
00:41:06.420
So, and just remind us, um, besides this kind of post-abortive care, new kind of post-abortive
00:41:26.040
care that you guys are offering, what does a pregnancy center like yours really do?
00:41:32.560
Well, certainly that's our mission is to help those that find themselves in that unplanned
00:41:43.080
Um, you know, from, um, the moment, uh, that they believe that they might be pregnant, we're
00:41:53.680
We do a lot of marketing to ensure that we position ourselves in a way that we're easily
00:42:04.560
Like we, um, contrary to news reports out there, we provide love and truth and grace.
00:42:16.060
We are there merely to help them problem solve, to rather than have them react to their situation,
00:42:22.580
we want them to respond because reaction means that things like the abortion pill, that's
00:42:29.780
what they're feeding off of is this immediate panic and the fear.
00:42:34.880
And, you know, fear is a very uncomfortable emotion and it begs to be tended to.
00:42:41.540
And so we're just there to say, okay, let's take a breath and let's look at your situation,
00:42:47.900
not just the pregnancy, but the reasons why you're finding yourself in a pregnancy center
00:42:57.500
Let's look at those reasons because here's the truth.
00:43:01.380
Abortion doesn't take those reasons off the table.
00:43:03.940
That financial situation you're in, you're still going to be in that same financial situation,
00:43:09.340
if not possibly worse, or the relationship issues, you know, the fact that you're with
00:43:15.460
a guy that you don't want to be the parent father of this baby, then we need to talk about that.
00:43:22.960
Those circumstances, they're pushing them towards abortion.
00:43:26.260
And then what we find when we really sit with her and we just love her first, because she's
00:43:32.140
as much a life that has value and purpose that God sent his son to die on the cross for.
00:43:37.960
Then when we go to talk about, okay, let's now talk about this pregnancy.
00:43:44.100
She trusts us because she knows we're not the decision maker here.
00:43:49.360
You, she is, and we know we're not the heart changer.
00:44:00.680
We're seeing him work more often through us and we see success than not.
00:44:06.720
But that means sometimes you're loving her as she walks out the door and telling her,
00:44:13.140
we know this isn't what's best for you, but we love you and we're here for you.
00:44:19.800
And I think that's why sometimes when they're struggling, even years after.
00:44:27.120
We just this week had a woman call the center that was our client years ago that chose abortion.
00:44:35.540
And she's struggling right now in life with just a whole bunch of stuff.
00:44:40.160
She's not pregnant right now, but she doesn't know where to turn.
00:44:46.780
And, um, and she wants to come in and talk about Jesus.
00:44:54.700
I'm sure that Planned Parenthood don't get me many calls.
00:44:58.760
They probably don't, um, receive a whole lot of requests for counseling years after someone got an abortion.
00:45:04.360
And even if they did, they wouldn't have any resources for them.
00:45:08.680
I would say there's a difference between being transactional and transformational.
00:45:16.360
So, yeah, we're still doing sonograms and we're doing pregnancy tests and we are growing.
00:45:29.580
In fact, actually, just to give you an update on that, because you and your, your listeners have been such an incredible support to our resource center.
00:45:40.520
One was we, um, well, we kind of made a mistake, actually, Alliebeth.
00:45:45.460
We put out just a general call of like, hey, we've got some toys used, gently used, and, you know, come in.
00:45:53.160
And we'll give you a $30, 30 point credit at the, at the resource center, because everything's free, um, there.
00:46:01.620
And you can come pick a Christmas gift for your child.
00:46:08.780
We arrive at 830, because we'd already set up and we were ready.
00:46:15.740
And we were completely cleared out of everything.
00:46:25.500
I, we were all assuming, okay, it's such an opportunity to get your little one a toy.
00:46:30.040
But they were there because it, Christmas is hard and it's expensive.
00:46:36.200
And they were needing diapers and wipes and formula and just basic items.
00:46:42.800
And that's when we reached out to you and you responded.
00:46:47.240
And I'm sure a lot of your, uh, your listeners notice our list was really just basic needs.
00:46:56.440
And again, I love that when Amazon calls us to say, okay, we've got two truckloads of items for you.
00:47:09.900
And are you capable of receiving this, that, that blesses our clients?
00:47:16.180
But I just want to thank you and your listeners because she blessed the staff.
00:47:22.900
It was probably the greatest Christmas gift I received this year was, um, getting to go over there and open boxes.
00:47:32.460
And just, I mean, I, at one point, one of my staff walked in and I was holding shampoo, like shampoo, just thinking, Lord, you know, we needed, we need shampoo.
00:47:48.640
This, um, the 27th of March, we had gotten a gift of used, um, I think they're called umbrella strollers, right?
00:48:02.480
So we had a gift of some used ones and, uh, I, I think a hundred.
00:48:09.380
And so we decided to do, yeah, they were, they were ones that were lost at the airport or left.
00:48:16.800
And so the agency that recovers that stuff and resells it, they, apparently they don't sell.
00:48:23.500
So their loss, our benefit, I'm so grateful for them, um, being pro-life and Christian.
00:48:30.960
Uh, they were able to give us a hundred of these umbrella strollers.
00:48:35.460
So we're doing something called a stroll in the park.
00:48:39.020
And so we put out the notice that we have a hundred spots and I mean, within an hour or two, it was full.
00:48:46.040
So that's going to be an exciting morning for us when we're going to make it fun and we're in the park and they're going to come pick up their strollers with their little ones.
00:48:57.940
Well, my audience really is, I can brag on them.
00:49:02.900
And all I ever have to do is post a link and say, here's the Amazon registry.
00:49:20.620
And, you know, there are a lot of bad things about technology and big companies like Amazon.
00:49:32.340
And so I just want to thank my audience for being as great and as generous as they are because they are always happy to step up.
00:49:38.980
And they love to see the pictures of the Amazon boxes.
00:49:42.620
I love when y'all send those to me, just the rooms and like rooms filled.
00:49:47.080
And I love the story, too, of a couple of years ago.
00:49:51.500
Didn't you tell me that the Amazon driver who delivered all these packages because of my generous audience that you guys share the gospel with him and he came to Christ in the parking lot?
00:50:03.880
I mean, they still, it is, that's, I mean, there's just when the Lord and his people move, the unforeseen touches.
00:50:14.940
And I mean, it is unbelievable to the drivers what is happening.
00:50:20.880
And we get to tell the story because, you know, they're trying to figure it out as they're unloading all of these goods.
00:50:29.400
But yeah, we are, and you and your listeners, we're not pro-birth.
00:50:49.140
The third installment in the Blaze Originals series is available right now only to Blaze TV subscribers.
00:50:55.340
And the series is Texas versus the feds, how the elites use the border crisis against us.
00:51:01.460
I don't know if you guys have seen, but SCOTUS has basically sided with the federal government saying that, yeah, the federal government can come in and remove the barriers on the border that Texas has tried to install and keep installed to keep illegals out.
00:51:16.680
And the federal government is saying, eh, no, just let them come in no matter what.
00:51:23.400
And if you want to know what's really going on there, why that is happening, then you need to subscribe to Blaze TV.
00:51:37.620
You can watch all my stuff, all the other stuff behind the paywall.
00:51:45.700
You know, I love to retell the story that you told on this show a couple of years ago of a woman who came in pregnant.
00:52:00.100
And she wanted someone to be with her at the birth.
00:52:07.440
She had been sent home, but the hospital told you, hey, she needs a car seat.
00:52:13.540
You showed up to give her her car seat at her apartment to make sure that she would have that to be able to bring her baby home when she really did go into labor.
00:52:22.000
And you noticed that her apartment was pretty bare, that she didn't have any of the things that she needed.
00:52:34.300
They, I believe, stocked her fridge, furnished her apartment.
00:52:41.880
She then gave her life to Christ and was baptized.
00:52:45.820
And I love to tell, I love to tell that story because, and I always, I always cry when I do, because that is such a tangible example of what pro-lifers everywhere, not just y'all.
00:53:00.120
That happens regularly among pro-life Christians in every city, in every state across the country.
00:53:06.980
And we were talking before the camera started rolling, just a few updates from her in that particular story, if you want to share that.
00:53:17.860
One was, the second part of that story is, I think it's just a lesson for the church.
00:53:34.060
When her daughter was, I guess, about a year and a half old, it was time for baby dedication at the church that we took her to, Prestonwood Baptist Church.
00:53:46.120
And the pastor that was doing that dedication that day knew her story.
00:53:52.680
And I had really, you know, brought him into her life as well.
00:53:57.160
And so she, she loved him, listened to his sermons and, you know, really had connected with him.
00:54:03.640
And so he, he called her and called me and said, do you think she'd be willing to have me during the dedication share just a little of her story?
00:54:26.360
And so she asked us to be her people on the front row, her family.
00:54:31.420
And it was just such a moment, just, oh gosh, God's grace to, you know, pregnancy centers could be a really hard place to sometimes be and work and be called to.
00:54:41.720
But these are the moments, these are just God's, you know, just, you can feel his joy.
00:54:50.500
And so it's her turn and she walks in with her little one and my heart is just like beating.
00:54:58.480
And the pastor has them turn on his mic and he says to the church, introduces her and says, I just want to let you know that she came to us through the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center and just how brave she is and the decision she made.
00:55:19.180
And we are, he just looked at her and said, we are so proud of you.
00:55:21.980
And I, I could, I was sitting in the front row, but I could feel it.
00:55:28.080
The whole congregation rose to their feet and started, I know her story, and started to clap.
00:55:36.620
And I watched the shame fall off of her in that moment.
00:55:43.020
And I thought to myself, if this was the way the church responded to every young person that finds themselves in an unintended or in a circumstance like a crisis pregnancy, an unplanned pregnancy.
00:56:07.400
If we were the type of pregnancy, if we were the type of people that always celebrated the, the decision for life, I'm not saying that we have to celebrate how that situation came to be, but we can celebrate her and the brave decision that she made that might help eliminate abortion in our nation.
00:56:28.800
But I just watched, so anyways, the other day I was, um, you know, we probably, I get to touch base with her now, um, every, maybe every few months, maybe every six months.
00:56:41.580
And, um, but I hadn't seen her in, it was probably six or seven months.
00:56:46.100
Her daughter is now in elementary school and she's doing awesome.
00:56:50.800
She's awesome and yeah, she's creative and just beautiful.
00:56:55.920
And, you know, she showed, she came to my office about a year ago with her mama and, um, just so smart.
00:57:07.760
So, um, but the other day I had to go to the doctor's appointment and so I valeted my car.
00:57:14.940
And, um, so I pull up and I didn't realize, I didn't notice the valet driver and I come out and it's the client and she just yells and screams and runs over to me and she's hugging me and she's crying.
00:57:29.360
Now there are people that are busy downtown hospital lining up for their cars and she's telling them that her whole story and she's crying and she's saying, you don't understand.
00:57:42.320
And I'm like, no, no, no, no, it's not because of me.
00:57:48.580
Like they're all just crying and they're like, it's okay.
00:58:01.080
She's working valet to try to support her daughter in a way that she can be at home as much as possible with her.
00:58:10.700
And that gives her flexibility, but it's certainly still tough.
00:58:16.760
You know, that reminds me when you're talking about the congregation standing up and clapping for her.
00:58:22.240
It's just an earthly reflection of what the angels do when a sinner repents.
00:58:27.320
That's what Jesus says that the angels rejoice when a sinner repents.
00:58:32.860
And that is such a beautiful earthly example of that celebration.
00:58:38.780
We celebrate the affirmation of life and choosing life that God puts before us.
00:58:46.800
That's a tiny snippet of what Christian pregnancy centers do across the country that God is doing through them.
00:58:52.520
And it's so encouraging because if we were to get all of our news or our understanding of what's happening in the world from Twitter, from social media, from the headlines, we would just think that everything is exclusively bad, that the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
00:59:10.500
And as you've articulated, like things are hard.
00:59:24.300
Greater is he that is in us than is in the world.
00:59:29.280
And I love that about pregnancy centers across our nation.
00:59:34.280
I get to spend a lot of time with pregnancy center directors.
00:59:37.900
I get to go help now across this nation and I get to see the incredible work, the incredible people that the Lord has called to do this work.
00:59:51.740
And they're not there for the pay and they're not there for the accolades.
01:00:01.100
In fact, so many centers in parts of this nation are actually under attack.
01:00:07.000
It's getting and going to get harder to be a pregnancy center in America unless we see some changes in the federal government.
01:00:18.920
The current administration does not love us and are not supportive of us and see us as I think the word hate speech has been used and just don't get us.
01:00:34.220
But when I walk into a pregnancy center and I watch the love and the care, they're the ones that are problem solving the situation, that are reaching out to other ministries and other nonprofits, that are going the distance, that are not giving up, that are not transactional.
01:00:53.220
I think, thank you to the Lord, that there are pregnancy centers across this nation doing such incredible, powerful work.
01:01:02.860
And again, I challenge your listeners to find that local center, to go ask for a tour and to support them with their time, their resources, and most certainly their prayer.
01:01:16.440
Tell us about the Chosen Conference that's coming up.
01:01:21.020
Well, talking about the church and the opportunity to be the church.
01:01:26.420
I am on a steering committee for the Chosen Conference.
01:01:30.940
It is really the first type of conference like what I'm about to describe in our nation.
01:01:38.660
The plan is that this will be offered in other churches around the nation.
01:01:44.120
But what it is, is it is an opportunity for the church to come together and to be equipped, to be enabled, to be empowered on the issues of adoption and foster care.
01:02:02.420
In our nation, Allie Beth, there are over, I believe the last statistic I saw was over 400,000 children in foster care.
01:02:24.160
Three in every 1,000 children will end up in foster care in our nation.
01:02:30.000
Just like the congregation that stood in that moment and provided such incredible healing, this is an opportunity for the church to do this again in a tangible way, to stand up and to provide for these children.
01:02:48.680
An opportunity for them to feel seen and loved and cared for.
01:03:00.000
And, I mean, it's an opportunity for us to bring the mission field into the four walls of our home.
01:03:08.140
And so this is a conference that is going to engage.
01:03:14.620
There will be educational opportunities for churches from anywhere that wants to come.
01:03:20.420
To be able to learn about starting their own adoption and foster care ministries.
01:03:29.080
It's going to be an opportunity for people to come.
01:03:32.180
Whether or not you've ever thought of adopting or fostering, I would ask that you just pray,
01:03:47.120
And we don't care just about babies at the point of conception.
01:03:54.400
We care for people right through until the Lord decides it's their time to go home or the end of their life.
01:04:05.820
And so this is an opportunity for us as a church to come and to say, Lord, what do you want me to do in this arena?
01:04:13.880
I know my husband and I right now are praying about that very issue for our own family.
01:04:32.600
Am I supposed to support families that are fostering?
01:04:37.820
So we will be there not only because I'm on the steering committee, but also to learn about what's next.
01:04:43.700
And there will be things like a resource fair there where there will be adoption agencies and funders and lots of people from different areas of the pro-life world that will be able to also help equip those in attendance.
01:05:00.480
So they can register at prestonwood.org forward slash chosen.
01:05:06.040
And the speakers at this are Sadie Robertson Huff and her mom, Corey Robertson from Duck Dynasty fame.
01:05:25.340
We have, oh my gosh, there's just so many incredible and many, many breakouts sessions as well.
01:05:34.620
I'll be speaking on how you evaluate a good adoption agency.
01:05:40.880
And so, yeah, God tells us, James 1, 27 says that our faith, it's purest when we are taking care of the fatherless and the widow in their greatest need.
01:06:00.380
And, you know, he tells us all through his word that he is a father to the fatherless and a defender of the weak.
01:06:10.920
And I think we reflect his character when we're willingly stepping out and trying to figure out how do we fit in this?
01:06:22.900
So everyone, you already said the link, but we'll put it in the description on this episode, too.
01:06:32.740
Come, it's, you know, $25, but it starts at 830 in the morning.
01:06:40.360
We are not necessarily will you come for the whole day, but you might, you know, you might choose which workshops and which speakers that you want to hear.
01:06:54.360
So they can look at the workshops and kind of plan out their time.
01:07:01.120
The goal is, like I said, for the church to step in.
01:07:04.940
And I think I told you over 400,000 children in foster care, children who need someone to love them.
01:07:18.900
The government does a great job of removing kids from harm and providing resources, but they don't do,
01:07:26.660
and nor should they do, the job of personal care and compassion and community and family.
01:07:43.760
I really appreciate you taking the time to come on.