What is Kinship Placement?

The good folks at Wait No More, an initiative of Focus on the Family, asked me to write an article on kinship care. “You may have wondered before, “What is kinship care?” If you are caring for a relative’s children, you may not have heard the term “kinship placement” before you welcomed them into your home. I …

Tips for Navigating Kinship Care

Here’s a video of encouragement that Focus on the Family asked me to do for kinship caregivers. I was touched by this comment: “This was the first time in 8 years I’ve felt understood through the thoughtful statements in the video.” It’s such an honor to walk with kinship families! (And yes, I cry in …

Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

When my sister read the article that I just published at Focus on the Family, she commented, “I personally never considered how I could help youth aging out of foster care.” That’s coming from my own sister, who hears me talk about foster care all the time, who has been a dedicated aunt to 13 …

Churches Partnering Around the World

Looking for ideas about mission trips and partnerships? Over the past few years, Food for the Hungry has asked me to write a series of articles on churches who work with them overseas. These stories come from churches across the United States, partnering in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Here’s a collection of …

If You Care About Orphans, You Must Understand Poverty

Orphan care goes hand in hand with understanding poverty. Why? Many–if not most–of the world’s orphans and vulnerable children have experienced devastating physical poverty. If we tackle poverty, it’s possible to actually prevent children from becoming orphans in the first place. Here’s an excerpt from a post I wrote for the Faith to Action Initiative, …

Can a church participate in missions if they don’t have a missions pastor?

Yes, they can! Here’s an excerpt from my latest post over at Food for the Hungry. Recently, I sat down with a pastor who wasn’t sure where to head with his church’s missions strategy. “I know God is calling my church into missions, but we don’t have a missions pastor on staff,” he said. “I don’t …