Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the behavioral challenges that can come with adoption wondering if love alone is enough? 💙


When discipline feels like a daily battle and progress comes slower than expected, many adoptive parents quietly ask, “Am I doing this right?” 💭

Hi Neighbor,

Today’s episode brings you the second half of a rich and honest conversation with adoptive father, clinical psychologist, and speaker Dr. Ray Guarendi. In this practical and encouraging discussion, Dr. Ray speaks directly to the realities adoptive parents often aren’t prepared for, discipline struggles, trauma-based behaviors, attachment concerns, and the perseverance required to parent children with complex histories.

In Part One (Episode 221), Dr. Ray shared his family’s adoption journey, why he and his wife kept saying yes, and the often-unspoken realities of trauma histories, prenatal exposure, and safety concerns.

In this episode, we move into the how of parenting:
 How do you discipline a child whose wiring is different?
 How do you balance firm standards with deep affection?
 And how do you persevere when attachment and bonding don’t happen on your timeline?

Dr. Ray offers calm, confidence-building wisdom rooted in both professional experience and decades of parenting ten adopted children. This is an episode you may want to listen to with a pen and paper nearby.

Together, we explore how to:


🧭 Lead with calm, confident authority instead of power struggles and nagging


🛠 Understand why some children need repetition, structure, and perseverance not quick fixes

🤍 Balance increased discipline with increased affection, reassurance, and one-on-one time


🌱 Reframe attachment struggles by understanding trauma, prenatal exposure, and lived experience


🕊 Persevere through hard seasons without lowering standards or losing hope

Toward the end of the episode, we address common misconceptions around birth family reunions, attachment timelines, and the cultural messages that can quietly undermine an adopted child’s sense of belonging.

At the close of the episode, I share a Biblical principle that has guided my own adoption journey: Practicing Pure and Undefiled Religion from James 1:27.

If you’ve ever questioned your approach to discipline, worried about attachment, or needed reassurance that perseverance truly matters, this episode will strengthen and steady your heart.💙

Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way.

Your Neighbor,
 Tim 💙

P.S. If you’ve ever felt lost trying to connect Scripture with the realities of adoption trauma, I’d love to walk alongside you. Let’s have a one-on-one conversation where we can talk through practical tools and Biblical encouragement for your journey.

👉 Send me an email at tim@anchorsofencouragement.com to grab your spot. I’d be honored to walk with you. 💙

If you haven’t joined our private community, consider this an invitation. It’s a safe space to share your struggles and triumphs with fellow adoptive parents who truly understand what you're going through.

Connect with Dr. Ray: Website Facebook Instagram Book – Adoption: Should You, Could You, and Then What?

Have you ever wondered if you’re really attaching to your adopted child or felt unsettled by how difficult parenting feels at times? 💔


When love doesn’t seem to produce the results you expected, it can leave adoptive parents questioning themselves, their decisions, and even their hearts. 💭

Hi Neighbor,

Adoption is beautiful, redemptive, and deeply meaningful but it can also be messy, exhausting, and far more complicated than most people ever talk about. In this heartfelt and honest conversation, clinical psychologist and adoptive father of ten, Dr. Ray Guarendi, pulls back the curtain on the realities adoptive parents often face after the paperwork is signed and the child comes home.

This is Part One of a two-part conversation. In this episode, Dr. Ray shares his family’s adoption story, why he and his wife continued saying yes, and the hard realities that come with parenting children who have experienced trauma, neglect, prenatal exposure, or instability early in life. With humor, candor, and deep compassion, he normalizes the fears many adoptive parents are afraid to voice out loud.

Together, we explore:


🔍 Why adoption can be a “bumpy ride” even in loving, stable homes 
💬 Common fears adoptive parents carry 
🛑 Why safety, emotional, physical, and relational must always come first
 🤍 How challenging behaviors are often rooted in a child’s history, not parenting failure
 🌱 What it means to persevere when love doesn’t lead to quick or predictable results

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Ray reassures adoptive parents that struggling does not mean failing and that feeling frustrated, uncertain, or worn down does not disqualify you from being the parent your child needs.

At the end of the episode, I share a Biblical principle that has guided my own adoption journey: Practicing Steadfast Love.

If you’ve ever felt anxious about your child’s future, questioned your parenting, or needed reassurance that you’re not alone in the hard parts of adoption, this episode will meet you right where you are. 💙

Part Two of this conversation continues with practical guidance on discipline, attachment, and persevering with confidence.

Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way.

Your Neighbor,
 Tim 💙

P.S. If you’ve ever felt lost trying to connect Scripture with the realities of adoption trauma, I’d love to walk alongside you. Let’s have a one-on-one conversation where we can talk through practical tools and Biblical encouragement for your journey.

👉 Send me an email at tim@anchorsofencouragement.com to grab your spot. I’d be honored to walk with you. 💙

If you haven’t joined our private community, consider this an invitation. It’s a safe space to share your struggles and triumphs with fellow adoptive parents who truly understand what you're going through.

Connect with Dr. Ray: Website Facebook Instagram Book – Adoption: Should You, Could You, and Then What?

Have you ever wondered whether the Bible actually models the kind of emotional honesty you’re trying to practice—especially in the middle of adoption trauma, parenting challenges, or the everyday noise that makes it hard to hear God? 💭

For many adoptive parents, seasons of overwhelm show up quietly, and the real question becomes: How do I slow down long enough to hear God’s voice again? ✨

Hi Neighbor,

Today’s episode is a little different. Instead of me interviewing a guest, you’ll hear part two of my conversation with my friend Jenny Fulford, host of the Hearing God Daily podcast. Jenny invited me to share two things woven deeply into my story: how my son processed adoption trauma through journaling and how Scripture itself models emotional expression long before we had a word for it. ✍️

In this deep and practical conversation, we talk about:

🧠 How journaling helped my son work through adoption trauma

📖 Why the Psalms read like David’s raw, honest journal entries

💬 How Scripture models emotional processing—and why that matters for adoptive parents

📝 Simple ways to start journaling when you don’t know what to write

⏳ Why slowing down with God shifts your perspective and softens your heart

One of my favorite moments is when Jenny and I walk through Psalms 3, 25, and 77—seeing the same pattern over and over: honesty → remembrance → peace → praise. It’s a biblical roadmap for emotional processing, and it’s the same pattern that has helped both me and my son navigate some of our hardest seasons. 🌿💡

This conversation reflects the heart of our community: supporting adoptive parents with Biblical truth, emotional tools, and real stories of how God meets us in the mess. 💙

Near the end, I share a simple journaling practice anyone can start today—copying Scripture word for word as a way to “write truth on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3). It’s one of the ways I’ve learned to slow down, breathe, and connect with God again.

If you’ve been longing for a deeper connection with God, or wondering how to hear His voice through Scripture and journaling, this episode will bring clarity, encouragement, and hope. 🙏✨

Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way.

Your Neighbor, Tim

P.S.The first part of this conversation can be heard in Episode 219.

If you’ve ever felt lost trying to connect Scripture with the realities of adoption trauma, I’d love to walk alongside you. Let’s have a one-on-one conversation where we can talk through practical tools and Biblical encouragement for your journey.

👉 Send me an email at tim@anchorsofencouragement.com to grab your spot. I’d be honored to walk with you. 💙

If you haven’t joined our private community, consider this an invitation. It’s a safe space to share your struggles and triumphs with fellow adoptive parents who truly understand what you're going through.