Amanda and I didn’t start out thinking we’d ever be the kind of people who did  respite. Honestly, we assumed that was for other families,  you know, people with more margin, more energy, fewer kids, and way better schedules than ours. We were already tired just keeping our own house running. The idea of adding someone else’s needs into that mix felt… unrealistic. But something interesting happened along the way. Some of the most meaningful ministry we’ve ever been part of ha

Foster Care, Adoption, and the Gospel. Before our little girls ever walked through our front door, before they ever smiled up at Amanda, called her “mom,” or reached for her hand, my wife had already chosen to love them. She didn’t need the paperwork finalized or the plans certain. She wasn’t looking for guarantees, timelines, or assurances that everything would turn out well. She simply said, “They need love. And I have love to give.” At that moment, our girls had no idea sh

Everyone needs a heavenly home, and everyone needs an earthly home.   "When Danielle and I were dating, the subject of foster care came up. I don’t recall how it came up, but we knew that God was calling us to make a difference in the lives of children who needed a family. God designed all of us with a purpose and a mission.  He gave us all a purpose, and that purpose is to glorify Him. Our mission is to: go, win, baptize, and teach; however, I believe within that mission, Go

How Christians and churches can create belonging for children and foster care. One of my favorite sounds in our house is the laughter that fills the dinner table. I’m not sure how dinner works in your home, but in ours, everyone has “their seat.” Not because we ever assigned them but because, for one reason or another, that’s where they decided they belonged. “I sit next to Dad.” “I always sit by Mom.” It’s funny how those little habits form, but that’s part of what makes hom

What This Chart Quietly Reveals About the Church and the Sanctity of Life At first glance, this Lifeway Research chart looks like just another breakdown of abortion views by religious category. But if you slow down and really look at it, the data tells a much more sobering story that the church needs to hear. Here’s the simple takeaway: Religious identity alone does not meaningfully distinguish people from the culture when it comes to views on abortion. And that should conce

Why Many Churches Don’t Mention Sanctity of Life Sunday and Why They Should Every January, Sanctity of Life Sunday comes and goes, and in many churches, nothing is said. No prayer. No Scripture. No moment of clarity. No acknowledgment that the issue even exists. And it’s worth asking, why? Why Many Churches Stay Silent: I’ve learned that church silence is rarely rooted in apathy. More often, it grows out of tension. I’ve felt that tension myself on more than one occasion and

Sanctity of Life Sunday gives the church a moment to speak with clarity and conviction. Not political clarity. Biblical clarity. As Christians, we believe every human life bears the image of God (Gen. 1:26–27). That truth alone settles the question of value. Life is not valuable because it is wanted, convenient, healthy, planned, or easy. Life is valuable because God made it . From the womb to the grave , every person carries divine worth because every person carries divine d

Every generation of the church is given a defining opportunity—one place where theology must move from the pulpit into real life. For our generation, I’m convinced foster care is one of those moments. To be clear, your church—like mine—probably doesn’t need another program added to an already full calendar. Foster care ministry is not about creating something new to manage; it’s about responding faithfully to a need that already exists. Children in foster care are not a dist

I’ll be honest: before foster care, I was drifting toward a midlife crisis, and I didn’t even know it. Not the cliché kind: I wasn’t going to be buying a sports car or starting some weird new hobby; I didn’t have a sudden desire to get a tattoo. Mine was quieter. I was starting to believe my hobbies, my comfort, and my schedule were the most important things in my life. And look, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a hobby. But something in my heart was shifting. My world was

This year, National Adoption Day falls on November 22, a day that reminds us of the heart of God. If you trace the storyline of Scripture, you’ll find that our God delights in taking the fatherless and giving them a family. So when our nation pauses to celebrate adoption, the church should be the first to step forward with gratitude, prayer, and action. Here are six ways your church can respond today with intentionality: Invite a Foster or Adoptive Family to Share a 2–3 Minut

When it comes to foster care, many Christians feel the tension between: we want to help, but we don't always know how . Not everyone can...

A foster parent friend in San Diego put it to me this way: “Everything changes, but nothing changes.” The case can shift overnight. The...

When our family first began considering foster care, I was both excited and nervous at the same time. One of my biggest concerns was for the children the Lord had already given us. We were a busy family of six. We had three teens, and our youngest was about to enter the youth group as well. The Lord had worked on my husband and my heart, and after much prayer, we decided to ask our kids what they thought about. They were immediately on board and so excited, but my fear was st

In our culture, it’s so easy to live as if we’re the center of our own little universe. I know, because for a long time, that’s exactly...

I can still remember the first time that my parents said that they were considering doing foster care.  I was all for it, but I did not...

What I Wish I Had Known About Foster Care and Adoption in My Pastoral Ministry I’ve been in pastoral ministry for more than two decades...

Why Your Role Matters All kids, but especially foster kids, desperately need both masculine and feminine love. The Bible itself describes...