During what had been a joyful pregnancy, doctors discovered that their son Dougie was missing much of the left side of his brain and had serious concerns involving his heart. Seth and Lauren were left facing questions about his survival, development, and future—and a recommendation to terminate the pregnancy.

They talk honestly about grief, doubt, prayer, medical trauma, and the night they had to decide what they believed when God did not provide the complete healing they had hoped for.

Seth and Lauren also share Dougie’s emergency birth, NICU stay, porencephaly and COL4A1 diagnosis, infantile spasms, seizures, surgeries, and ongoing therapies. They explain how responsibilities that once felt impossible slowly became their family’s new normal.

The episode concludes with the unexpected pregnancy and remarkable story of their daughter, Peace, as well as encouragement for parents who have received a complex medical diagnosis for their child.

This is a conversation about grieving what you expected, receiving the life you have been given, and choosing hope when there are no easy answers.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of prenatal medical diagnosis, pregnancy complications, termination/abortion, medical trauma, infant seizures, depression, and pregnancy-loss fears.

Jonathan shares what happened after Silas passed away: telling their young sons, being surrounded by their Kenyan church community, returning to the States, wrestling with anger, and learning how to grieve without easy answers. He also talks about what actually helps when someone is grieving, why presence matters more than explanations, and how therapy, faith, and community helped him keep going.

This is a deeply honest conversation about child loss, adoption, grief, faith, and finding hope when life does not make sense.

Sponsors / Partners Mentioned:

Global Creation Foundation: globalcreationfoundation.org
Jessica Chapman Art: jessicachapmanart.com

Books / Resources Mentioned:

Dying Well by Ira Byock - https://amzn.to/4oSlgro
The Bible by Various Authors - https://amzn.to/4v1YsHe
(suggested after the podcast) Experiencing Grief By H Norman Wright - https://amzn.to/4ge6sBo

This is Pivot or Die: real stories, hard pivots, and hope on the other side.

Subscribe for more honest conversations about life’s hardest pivots.

Jonathan shares about growing up as a peacemaker, getting married young, studying biology, feeling called to missions, and moving his family to Kenya. While serving there, Jonathan and his wife taught and equipped pastors, helped lead a church, raised their children overseas, and began the adoption process for a young boy named Silas.

Silas had hydrocephalus and needed serious medical care. After he was placed with their family, foreign adoptions in Kenya were suddenly frozen. If they had waited one more week, he would not have been placed with them.

This is Part 1 of Jonathan’s story. It leads into one of the most devastating pivots a family can face: losing a child and learning how to keep going after grief.

Jonathan’s story is full of faith, honesty, pain, obedience, and the reminder that sometimes getting knocked down is part of the story, but staying down is not the end.

Here are the books talked about in this podcast: 
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/4vaEKKe
Fathered by God by John Eldredge: https://amzn.to/4vtWHnv

Check out David's film work here: https://storybyimage.com/
Or on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/storybyimage/

David shares how becoming a dad at 19 completely changed the direction of his life. What first felt scary, overwhelming, and unexpected became the pivot that helped him grow up, take responsibility, and begin discovering who he really was.

This conversation moves through David’s story of growing up homeschooled, falling in love with his wife Katie, discovering filmmaking, working to provide for his young family, feeling disconnected from himself, rediscovering creativity, learning true rest, and wrestling with the deep truth that God’s love is not something we earn through performance.

For anyone who feels like they are wandering, checking out, overwhelmed, or trying to prove their worth, David’s story is a reminder that you are already loved.

Matt shares his story of growing up in Southern California, discovering film and storytelling, working at Apple, joining the anti-human trafficking organization A21, landing a dream job at RED cameras, traveling through Europe with his wife Shelby, becoming a father, walking through miscarriage, and navigating a new season of career uncertainty.

This conversation explores the tension between ambition and family, the power of community, the role of journaling and creativity, and the peace that can come from looking back and seeing how God has been connecting the dots all along.

For anyone in a season of transition, job loss, uncertainty, or waiting, Matt’s advice is simple but powerful: be patient, stay connected to your community, and trust that this season will not last forever.