Welcome to the defender podcast, a resource to help mobilize and equip the body of Christ to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children. This podcast is a ministry of Lifeline Children Services, and I'm your host, Herbie Newell.

Hey. Welcome back to the Defender Podcast. This is Rick Morton, and I've got a special treat for you today. Gonna be sharing with you an interview that I did actually last year, at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting with a friend of mine, Jeremy Carlson. At the time, Jeremy was, with an organization called WTA Media.

He's now the president and owner of Arrow Media, but, he works in marketing for faith based media. We've gotten to know each other through a few projects. We met a couple of years ago in connection with the movie Lifemark by the Kendrick Brothers. That, was a great depiction of adoption and love for a birth mother and just some themes that we're incredibly passionate about here at Lifeline. So Jeremy and I met, got to know each other through that, but really bonded over his love for, kids from hard places.

And so, Jeremy's family, welcomed 13 children over a seven and a half year period, and adopted his brother Matthew, from foster care. And so he is deeply connected to his brother, Matthew, as you'll hear, to his family, to a commitment to vulnerable children. And, and we're just really excited to share this story with you. I'm excited to introduce my my buddy Jeremy to you and for you to hear a little bit of his story and for you to get a little bit of an insight into, the the world of Christian media. One of the things that he's been working on recently is the movie Unsung Hero.

And so he was a big part of the, the production and also the marketing of Unsung Hero. Worked really incredibly hard on that project. And, and it's a great movie. If you haven't seen it, I wanna encourage you to go out and, and have an opportunity to see that. Because as we consume faith based media, one of the things that happens is when when we see the gospel portrayed, on shows and movies and we support those things, it just encourages, media makers to make more of that kind of content, which we love to consume.

And so it's a, it's a great thing. Before we get to that interview with Jeremy, I want to talk to you about Giving Day. Mark your calendars for Lifeline's Giving Day. It's gonna be a 24 hour period dedicated to raising crucial funds to support more vulnerable children and more families. The orphan care crisis never takes a break and so neither can we.

And together we can make a lasting impact and change the lives of vulnerable children and vulnerable families. But here's the really exciting part for Giving Day. You have the opportunity on June 21, 2024, that's a Friday, to have your donation doubled. That's right. We have a generous donor who will match donations up to a $100,000, which will magnify your contribution.

And so let's work hand in hand to bring hope and transformation to those who need it most. If you wanna learn more, or pledge your support, you can do that at lifelinechild.org/donate. But together we can make a difference here in a few days on, on this Friday, June 24th. And so, we pray that you'll, you'll prayerfully consider what it is that you might give, and that we might be able to maximize this $100,000 matching contribution. And so, so now let's turn our attention to the conversation that I was able to have with, with Jeremy Carlson of Arrow Media.

Alright, everybody. I'm really excited today to be sitting down with a friend, Jeremy Carlson. Jeremy is, is is with WTA Media, and we're gonna talk about that and talk about his professional world. But Jeremy and I actually got a chance to to get to know each other through the the movie Lifemark and and work that that we did around that and in ways that we were able to come alongside that the Lifeline was able to be a small part of that project and and some things that God had him into. But the the cool blessing of that has been, not just an opportunity to work on a project, but really to form a friendship and and to to get to know Jeremy at at a much deeper level.

And and so today we're gonna we're gonna spend a little bit of time and talk about the story of his family and kind of how he got here and why some of the things we do are important to him and and why we're connected in that way, and then also talk a little bit professionally about what it is that that God's called him into. And so Jeremy, welcome. Yeah, thanks for having me, Rick. Yeah, yeah. This is pretty cool.

It's a great opportunity here at the SBC in the midst of the chaos. And so you know, the background noise gives it away that we're sitting here in the booth at the at the SBC. But, and and you're here, representing your company and and putting, some of the things that you guys do out in front of folks here. And it was just a great opportunity for us to be able to sit down.

Yeah. When I got an email, I was like, absolutely. I'll sit down and let's let's have a chat. So

Well and, you know, man, I one of the things that I've that I've loved about getting to know you is is hearing the story of your family, and you know what what you guys as a family have walked through in foster care and adoption and and your perspective as a sibling, in, you know, 2 kids that have, you know, come from hard places but have become a part of your family. And so I'd love for you just to kind of tell a little bit of, you know, of your story and your journey and and kinda help everybody know a little bit about your family.

Okay. So I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was born in Southern California, but I've lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Most of my formidable years, moved there when I was 11. Yeah. And so shortly after, I am the youngest of 3 biological siblings to my parents.

My parents got married young. They had 3 kids in three and a half years with the idea being when they hit 40 years old, their kids would be grown and moving out of the house and they'd be able to enjoy their life and travel and do all the things that people would want to do when their kids aren't having to be shuttled back and forth. And what they saw when they got I got a sister that's 3 and a half years older than me, a brother that's 11 months older. But when I got to middle school, my parents, kinda opened their eyes a little bit and said this isn't what we thought it was gonna be. Yeah.

That they weren't done being parents.

And that

they saw us being more individual and they saw us being able to launch well. And so we started on the path as a family, in the foster care system in the state of Tennessee. So I remember being 12 and 13 and 14 and going to different having to go to classes and having people in our house to do home studies and us having to make sure that everything was on the up and up. And, when I was a freshman in high school, we started being a foster family. My parents my mom worked in the medical field.

She wanted to have infants.

Yep.

That was like, hey. Babies go sleep at some point, so I don't have to worry about them. And so we started with having babies in our house. And for years years years, we'd have infants in our house for 6 days. We've had infants in our house for 13 months.

Yep. And it just was whenever the phone would ring, my mom and dad's answer was always yes. Yeah. Because if there was a child that needed some place to go, our house was gonna be a place that they could go.

That's awesome.

So we walked that path, and I had a bunch of as a kid, you deal with emotions that go along with that. Because you have a kid that comes a baby that comes into your house, and they're there for 6 months and then they go away.

Yeah.

And so it was super emotional for me as a kid just trying to navigate that. But I had parents that supported the idea that, you know, this is God's calling on our family. And so for whatever season it is, we are gonna love these kids like they're our own. And whatever that looks like for them after Yep. That's in God's hands.

Yep. And so we had 13 different foster kids over the course of about seven and a half years. Number 10 was adopted by my dad's distant cousin Yeah. That lived 8 states away.

Wow.

It was just a story of a family that they couldn't have their own kids and they had followed our journey and there was a child that, the rights were being terminated on and they were needing a forever home for, and my parents weren't looking for that Yep. At that point.

Right.

And so she went and lived with them. And then when we got to the 13th child, he came home to our house from the hospital. He tested positive for drugs

Yeah.

At birth. And so we knew there'd be some other challenges that went along with that.

Yep.

And, he came home. His his name is Matthew. And couple years later, about 2 years later, my parents sat us down. At this point, I'm 24. So my sister is 26, brother's 25.

And they said, what do you guys think about us adopting Matthew?

Yeah.

They sat us down. I remember vividly. It was the week before Thanksgiving. I remember the table we were sitting. I can tell you exactly where at that table we were sitting.

And the long and the short of it was they gave it to us 3 kids who were adults, whether we wanted to adopt him or not. And our answer was an emphatic yes.

Yeah.

That he had been part of our family since he was born, and that, of course, we would want to have him be a part of our family for the rest of our lives.

Yeah.

So it was interesting because the 10th foster child that got adopted by, a family that we're relatives with, my parents both independently had struggled with wanting to adopt her. But when they started this journey, it was, oh, no. We're not gonna adopt. We're gonna love these kids.

Yep.

And then we're gonna move them on to the next home for them. And so when it came to this child with Matthew, they wanted to have they had the conversation, and they wanted to make sure that what they were feeling was right.

You know, it it's interesting just hearing you tell that story again. First of all, I think of you know I think of Ecclesiastes and you know for everything there's a season. And and the fact that just the seasons that your your family walked through, the season that your parents walked through, and the commitments that they made. And there was this season where their their commitment to foster care was temporary care. And you know and I think I think we have we say it kind of often here on you know on the podcast, but the reminder for for the church that foster care first and foremost is about temporary care.

And I and I think sometimes we get that a little bit mixed up and messed up in the church that we we equate foster care with adoption, But most of the kids that are that are in the system, most of the kids that are in need of care, aren't in need of care, that that ends in in a forever family and adoption. They they need care in temporary settings, you know, so that they can can have an opportunity to be, you know, to be sent home and to be, you know, to be reunited and and reunified with their parents. And just one one of the pieces of your story that has always resonated with me is, is the part that you talk about about about the emotional toll of having kids come into, you know, come into your home and and then leave. And your parents commitment to, you know, to love them like they were never going to leave with the with the knowledge that they were going to, and opening themselves up and and opening y'all up to to hurt. Right?

Like it it's it's painful. And and I think sometimes we avoid talking about that because it's uncomfortable and because we just want to avoid pain in in general. But I think there's a there's a, although that's hard and it's it's real and it's and it's a beautiful part of the story of you know like being willing to sacrifice. And I I just, you know, I I would love to know and maybe this is a maybe this is a tough question to ask, but like what did what did God teach you through the process of being in a home where you were where you were being asked to open your heart and to love fully, but in in a home where you knew that like that was probably going to end up in in some hurt and and in some pain, you know, and that was going to be part of the story. I mean that like how how how has how has god kind of, you know, used that investment, I guess, maybe?

Yeah. For me, honestly, what it did is it broke down the barriers of what you think a traditional family is.

Yeah.

It expanded that circle, instead of just the the core unit of the 5 of us that were in that family. Mhmm. It expanded it to the reach of anybody that comes into this. And it allows me still to this day, I'm 42 years old.

Yep.

I hold anybody that needs that love and attention, and they're not getting it somewhere, they're they're gonna get it from me. Yeah. I'm a relationship person. That is who God formed me to be. And I am who I am today because my parents were a foster family growing up.

Yeah.

It has it allowed me to not, man, I if there is a vulnerable child, like, that needs something, my family is there for them.

Well, you know, I it it's even hearing about things that you and your wife are doing today in, you know your wife is coaches a softball team and you're a volunteer coach right in the midst of and and so that's a that's a team full of girls and connections with families and people. And as you and I talked, the way that you guys lean into those kids and the way that you pour into them, from from the from the 50,000 foot level as your friend, I can see the the kind of home you grew up in and how that characterizes the kind of life that you guys are living today and and what the kind of, you know, the kind of home that you're that you're raising, you know you're raising your girls in. And and and so it's as an encouragement for some of those families that are out there that are in the midst of that journey right now, and they're, you know, they're fostering and they're looking at the temporary nature of placements and and asking if it's worth it, asking if they can do it. People that are out there feeling called to foster care and and you know we hear all the time that I think I don't think I can let them go you know in that struggle.

I love the fact of how the story that the Lord has given you and that testimony really validates that it not only is it worth it, but, man, God can really reshape your worldview, as a result of it.

Yeah. It is 100% worth it. Yeah. It is always worth it. It's, it doesn't mean the heartbreak wasn't there, but looking back at it now, the breaking stage was the blessing stage.

Yep.

Like, we were blessed because we got those kids, and we're able to pour into those kids for a season.

Yeah.

I don't know where any of them are. I know where one of them is, and I know one of them is my brother who's 21 years old, and he's 21 years younger than me.

Yeah.

And he has a different complexion of skin than I do, and he is 100% my brother.

Yep.

And it's it's the most amazing thing in the world, that we get to walk that way.

Yeah. It's it's awesome. I, I love, yeah. Gosh, I could like we could sit here all day and just talk about the implications of that and I think I think the way the way God has you know has used that story to to impact you, to impact your brother, to but but to impact a lot of other people as a result of of the man that God's grown you up to be is just it's a it's a it's a beautiful thing.

Yeah. It really like my sister, she's she's 44 years old

Yep.

And she became a foster mom 2 years ago. Yeah. Went through the process towards the end of the pandemic because it was a matter of, hey. I I feel like this is something that was so impactful for me Yeah. As a kid, that she was ready to do that.

And just 2 months ago, she adopted her her 3rd placement that she had ever had was a was a little baby boy that came home from the hospital to her

Yep.

And just didn't have the family dynamic that there was ever gonna be a reunification.

Yep.

And so it it has left an imprint on our lives.

Yeah. It's amazing. Well, and so part of part of that story, part of part of what God unfolded, in your life was, was a a stand in youth ministry, a calling to serve kids in student ministry. And we laughed. I mean I think the number of people that work at Lifeline that used to be student pastors somewhere along the way, it's almost like a job requirement.

If you're gonna you're gonna be in a position of leadership you have to have done student ministry at some point because we just believe like youth ministers can do anything. And I think like, bro, your story is like evidence of that because what you're doing now today is not youth ministry at all, but it's one of those things that probably draws on a lot of stuff that you learned as a as a youth pastor. And so why don't you kind of like I'm not even going to try to even intro, why don't you kind of explain what WTA Media is and what you guys do and kind of where that where that fits in, in the world of of media.

Yeah. So I was a youth pastor for 10 years full time, and I felt God calling me to something else. And it was to work in faith based films and faith entertainment. I had a 150 kids I could influence as a youth pastor and it was how can I expand that reach to reach more?

Yeah.

So about 11 and a half years ago, I started working in Faith Film. And I work in grassroots marketing, and that's what we do at WTA. We find organizations and ministries that their mission and vision aligns with what the mission and vision of a film is. Yep. So last year when we got to know each other was Lifemark.

Like you and I formed a friendship around a movie that was a perfect center of the bull's eye fit for Lifeline. Right. Because it was what Lifemark was. Right. And so we try to do that every day.

So I work on film. 70 10 Media, we're a division of K LOVE and Air 1 Radio Networks. Yep. And so I'm part of a larger organization. We're kind of a small business inside that larger organization.

I guess EMF, which owns K LOVE and Air 1 and WTA has about over 500 employees. WTA, we have 8.

Yeah.

So we are a small But

you're a scrappy 8, man. We are. You guys you guys do a lot of work and a lot of, a lot of incredible ministry from, from a shop with, with 8 people.

Yeah. So I worked I've worked on about 35 different theatrical films. Those are films that are released in theaters from God's not dead to I can only imagine to War Room to Lifemark last year. Last year, I worked on 9 different projects over the course of about 12 months, and that was a lot. So we have different roles in different projects.

Like, Lifemark was a movie that we, helped come to bring to theaters. So we were involved in that for a long time before it came to theaters. We led the marketing. I led the ministry outreach efforts. Yep.

So working with you in Lifeline, working with Students For Life, working with March For Life and other organizations that really believed in the sanctity of life, and wanting that story to come to be, that's what I did. Now I'm working with freaking country.

Yep.

They've got a movie about their family story of immigrating from Australia all the way over to the United States. It's called unsung hero. It's a beautiful story about their mother and how she held their family together. So that one I've been able to be involved in for a while. It's gonna come out sometime next year.

I can't tell you exactly when, but sometime in 2024. Working on another, like I work in a bunch of different random things. So it's like right now, I'm working on a stage play of The Hiding Place.

Yeah.

The Corrie Timboom book and her story. And it's a stage play that was captured on film that is gonna be released in theaters in August. Working on a movie called Ordinary Angels, which will be out in, October, the middle of October. And that's a movie about a family, a true story, about a family that needed a transplant and just the local community and the church rallying around that family to support them.

Well you know it's it's interesting, I mean as somebody who knew nothing about the film industry at all coming into the the process and and the things that we did in Lifemark. It was it was hugely eye opening to me. The number of people and and the the interesting kind of way that people and groups and companies come together to bring a project from from conception all the way to, you know, to the theater. But but also how important it is that if we if we as believers believe in art that reflects kingdom values, that that has, you know that that has that aroma of Christ, if we want to be we want to participate in those things, if we want to be entertained by them, if we want to see those things be influential in culture and create evangelism opportunities and all that, that it really does come down to, like, we have to we have to participate in those things. And and I love the role that you get to play in that of of kinda calling the body of Christ to support and to to be part of those initiatives.

Yeah. We say in our industry, we say that your movie ticket is your vote.

Yep.

That is your vote to tell Hollywood that you like the product, that you want more of that to come, and that you believe in it. So Hollywood Studios, it's a business. They have a bottom line. A lot of them are publicly traded. And so you have to look at they have to spend this much money and how much money they're gonna get back.

Yeah. And so when Christians rally together and vote by showing up at the box office, buying a ticket, that lets them know that, hey. This is an audience that wants to be served

Yep.

That is willing to support well made content, and that is willing to tell their friends about it. Yep. That, hey. I saw this. It impacted me this way, and I think you should see it as well.

Well, and you know, and even even the story of Lifemark, I think is that's one of those films that quite honestly it there were a lot of headwinds even to getting that to a place to to be able to be seen. And the distribution model and the way that it came to theaters was kind of unconventional, honestly. But but what an incredible impact. What, you know, what a the that and and the fact is that Christians came out and found it and went and bought tickets and showed up and all of those things. And that's created opportunities now for other films, and it's created interest by those that are a part of the industry to do more of this.

And and so there's a reason for us to go out of our way to, you know, to participate and to and to be engaged in those things.

Yeah. Like with Lifemark, we had every Hollywood studio tell us no.

Yeah.

No one was willing to touch a pro life, and we weren't willing to dumb it down or take any of the true story or any of the like, we we had a scene in that movie where you're visiting an abortion clinic. Right. At the beginning, we have a scene where the child that was not aborted goes back to the abortion clinic with his mother.

It was

a true story.

Yep.

So we weren't willing to change that from a true story, and we weren't gonna be unapologetically anything but what that was, a pro life movie. So everybody said no, we found another path, and millions of people have seen that movie.

Yep. Yep. And and and it's and there are stories, and we know the stories out there of of people that have seen it, that it's it's literally changed the course of their life. It's it's literally, it's changed the course of of the lives of some unborn children, you know. And and so, and that ultimately happens because people take risk and build media, tell stories, but it also happens because those of us that are, you know, that are followers of Jesus get out there and buy tickets and, you know show up and tell people about those films and take people to those films and and those sorts of things.

And so I always want us to use the opportunities that we have to to tell the story of the back end of that to say it was an incredible story and it was something that illustrated so much. And like you said, it hit the bull's eye of the identity of who we are as a ministry and and you know tells a great story of of the things that we get to do every day. But part of the rest of the story is that as a successful film, it it's creating an opportunity for more successful films along those same themes to be made. And, you know, and and so, we just wanna encourage people to, you know, continue to use that as a tool.

Yeah. It's, Lifemark was a really good example of what I do. Like, I came alongside the largest child placement agency in in Lifeline. Like, I worked with a health care clinic in CareNow Yep. For their so that we wanted to provide a holistic approach to the people that experienced that movie in theaters or in their home of what are the organizations that can support them wherever they are in their journey.

Yeah. So So, Jeremy, I'm gonna I'm gonna change gears just as we as we wind up today. And if if you had an opportunity to be able to sit down next to somebody in the church that's engaged in foster care or you know or has adopted and and you had an opportunity just to to encourage them, what would you say to them? Thank you.

It's it's it's not easy And there's so many people in in in the Christian and foster care world that it has to be a calling. Mhmm. It's not a job.

Yep.

Yeah. You get a little stipend from the state to try to offset expenses. It doesn't cover expenses. Yeah. It doesn't cover time.

But what you're doing in the life of that child has the opportunity to transform them for generations to come. Loving that child for whatever that is. If it's a week, if it's 2 years, if it's forever, you are planting seeds in that child's life that for that season, they knew someone loved them, someone cared for them, someone was there for them, someone taught them a worldview that is gonna build on them for years years to come. Thank you.

Man, it's a good word. Thank you. Thanks for thanks for sharing your story with us. Thanks for for what you do in in serving the body of Christ and creating opportunities for the church. And I just, I love you my friend, I'm thankful for you and thankful that that God used something even like a movie to create an opportunity for us to get to know each other and be part of each other's story.

Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

Thanks for listening to the Defender Podcast. If you enjoy making this podcast a part of your weekly routine, we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the Defender Podcast to make it easier for more people to find. For more information on how you and your church can partner with Lifeline, visit us at lifelinechild.org. If you want to connect with me, please visit herbynewell.com. Follow us at Lifeline on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter by searching for Lifeline Child.

You can email us directly at info at lifelinechild.org. Beloved, will you allow god to use the gospel through you to impact the life of a child? Please contact us because we are here to defend the fatherless. We'll see you again next week for the Defender podcast.