Episode Overview

Podcast: Unashamed with the Robertson Family
Episode: #1232 — Jase & Lisa Harper Open Up About the Adoption Heartbreak No One Talks About
Date: December 18, 2025
Theme:
The episode features Lisa Harper, a renowned Bible teacher and author, joining the Robertson family for a candid conversation centered around faith, brokenness, personal transformation, and the under-discussed heartbreaks of adoption. With their trademark authenticity and humor, the group dives deep into stories of family, personal struggle, and experiencing God's fatherly love — especially through adoption and difficult seasons of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Lisa Harper & The Power of a Worn Bible

• Phil notes Lisa’s Bible: “I’m already liking you, Lisa, because I’m looking at that Bible and that screaming of my dad…” (01:32)
• Lisa shares about her father and Bible: Her father, hard and rough early in life, but deeply repentant later, wrote in her Bible before passing. “It's kind of a security blanket.” (01:51)

2. Humor & Christian Culture – Awards, Waffle House, and Glitter Pants

• The group exchanges stories about the K-Love Fan Awards (dubbed “Christian prom”), Lisa’s unhemmed glitter pants fixed with Gorilla Tape, and the confusion with actress Lisa Whelchel.
• Lisa’s candidness and humor shine:
  • “People get me confused with Lisa Whelchel all the time…” (06:32)
  • “Bougie camo pants… duct-taped at the bottom. Bible teacher. Just me.” (05:31)

3. Lisa’s Testimony: Brokenness & God as Father

• Origin Story:
  • Parents divorced at 5; father absent, struggles with shame and feeling “dirty.”
  • First met Jesus as a child seeking a father who’d never leave:
    • “…the pastor’s message just happened to be how our heavenly Father is a dad who doesn’t walk away from his children. And I was so desperate to have a dad.” (08:19)
• Ministry Calling:
  • Early ministry in high schools, navigating performance-based faith vs. genuine relationship:
    • “My heart was still performative… The fact that Jesus has been so patient… it’s relational, not earned.” (15:09)

4. Honest Conversation about Hitting Rock Bottom

• Lisa’s “collapse” (about 15 years ago):
  • Personal crisis: cancer scare, loss of dad and stepdad, other relationships.
  • “I was kind of shocked to find myself not able to put one foot in front of the other anymore… I heard the Lord… ‘Lisa, you’ve been running scared your whole life. I’m going to sit there with you in the dark until fear doesn’t own you anymore.’” (16:33)
• Season of Weakness:
  • Six months where she could barely get out of bed, but God’s presence became palpable.
  • “It’s always his compassion that leads to repentance… He kind of kicked what wasn’t godly out from under me.” (18:14)

5. Family Wounds & Finding Freedom

• Phil and Jase relate to Lisa’s experience, recalling childhood trauma — being kicked out of the house by their father (Phil during his years away from faith).
  • “You know, that’s probably my last memory…I was five or six. That does affect you.” (28:56)
• Jase on Outgrowing Shame:
  • Early public speaking anxieties (tearing a page out of his Bible by accident), and learning that it’s not about performance or self:
    • “The way I got over my fear of speaking is I would say this one sentence: It’s not about me.” (31:51)

6. Bible Study: From Leviticus to The Gospel’s Heart

• Enthusiastic discussion about the Bible’s depth—even the “hard” books like Leviticus:
  • “Last year I found this story in Leviticus that made me fall in love with Leviticus. There’s something redemptive on every page.” (35:23)
• Lisa’s approach: The Bible as a love letter, filled with gifts and surprise lessons.
• Women & Scripture:
  • Jesus’s radical treatment of women, and how ancient laws often protected rather than oppressed.
  • “Leviticus is an invitation to relationship… They thought the gods wanted to kill ‘em; the God of Abraham says no, I want you…” (39:44)

7. Adoption: Heartbreak, Healing, and the Gospel

• Lisa’s adoption journey:
  • Called to care for orphans, faced shaming from within the church:
    • “‘I think you’ve sabotaged your shot at parenthood, so maybe just adopt a dog’… God doesn’t use shame as a motivational tool.” (44:54, 46:41)
  • Two failed adoptions; heartbreak at the last minute; then a clear call to adopt Missy from Haiti after her mother died of AIDS.
• Emotional Highlight:
  • “I look in her face… She is tangible grace.” (51:23)
• Universal Adoption:
  • “We’re all adopted by God… That’s more than any story.” (53:02)
• Panel relates:
  • The Robertsons and Bash share their own powerful adoption and fostering stories, affirming God’s transformative work.

8. The Centerpiece: Relationship—Not Religion

• Key takeaways:
  • The heart of Christianity is presence, intimacy, and adoption rather than rule-keeping or performance.
  • The transformative power of honest, vulnerable community.
  • How suffering often draws us closest to God’s love.
  • “If we just do that linear and preach at people and they don’t feel heard, it’s a miss.” (26:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lisa Harper (on God the Father):

  “The pastor’s message just happened to be how our heavenly Father is a dad who doesn’t walk away from his children. And I was so desperate to have a dad…” (08:19)

• Lisa Harper (on brokenness):

  “He said, ‘Lisa, you’ve been running scared your whole life… I’m going to sit there with you in the dark until fear doesn’t own you anymore.’” (16:33)

• Jase Robertson (on overcoming shame):

  “The way I got over my fear of speaking is I would say this one sentence: It’s not about me.” (31:51)

• Lisa Harper (on Scripture):

  “If you get out of the Bible what you expect to get out of it, then you need to change your expectations—it’s always bigger, it’s always better.” (34:09)

• Phil Robertson:

  “He never lost the thrill of who Jesus is… what was different was that he never lost the thrill of who Jesus is.” (27:27)

• Lisa Harper (on adoption heartbreak):

  “I lost two adoptions. One at the 11th hour just broke my heart… But Missy’s 16 now… She is tangible grace.” (48:11, 51:23)

• Lisa Harper (on feeling unworthy):

  “I already thought I wasn’t good enough… God doesn’t use shame as a motivational tool.” (44:54, 46:41)

• Jase (on being adopted by God):

  “You’ve been adopted by God… Your story shows that more than any story I’ve ever heard. But we’re all adopted.” (53:02)

Important Timestamps

• 01:51 – Lisa shares about her father’s repentance and her cherished Bible
• 08:17 – Lisa’s backstory: divorce, abandonment, and coming to faith seeking a true father
• 11:24 – Early ministry challenges; mixing performance with faith
• 16:33 – Lisa’s season of collapse and personal crisis; God’s gentle restoration
• 28:56 – Jase recounts childhood trauma of being kicked out by his father (Phil)
• 31:51 – Jase’s early failures in ministry and turning point with “It’s not about me”
• 35:23 – Lisa’s love for Leviticus, finding unexpected grace in difficult books
• 44:54 – The shameful advice to adopt a dog instead of a child
• 48:11 – Details of heartbreak in the adoption process and the journey to Missy
• 51:23 – “Missy is tangible grace”—Lisa’s heart for her daughter and gratitude for redemption
• 53:02 – The connection between earthly and spiritual adoption

Tone & Style

The tone is warm, honest, and disarmingly humorous, with moments of deep vulnerability. There’s gentle teasing about awards and pop culture references, but also profound reflection on the beauty of God’s adoption, the painful realities of rejection, and the healing found in authentic faith and community.

Summary Takeaway

This episode weaves together laughter, tears, and gospel wisdom as Lisa Harper and the Robertsons reflect on heartbreak, healing, and the miracle of adoption—both earthly and spiritual. Listeners will find solidarity in stories of human weakness and hope as the hosts and guests emphasize that in God’s family, no one is too broken or too late to be fully loved, known, and welcomed.