May is National Foster Care Month, and the numbers are staggering — over 400,000 children are currently in foster care, many of them waiting for a family to say yes. Brian From sits down with Dr. Kimberly Offutt, Executive Branch Director for Bethany Christian Services, for an honest conversation about what foster care actually involves, why it's hard, and why it's worth it. Dr. Offutt brings 24 years of experience to the table — and a deeply personal perspective as a foster and adoptive mom who raised four children who entered the system. She breaks down what the training process looks like, why foster families are asked to care not just for the child but for the whole struggling family around them, and what it means to hold open the door to adoption. Then she closes with a direct challenge to churches: there's a church on every corner, and if each one identified just one family to step in for one child, the body of Christ could solve this crisis alone. James 1:27 was never just a verse. It's a call to action.

<p>May is National Foster Care Month, and the numbers are staggering &mdash; over 400,000 children are currently in foster care, many of them waiting for a family to say yes. Brian From sits down with Dr. Kimberly Offutt, Executive Branch Director for Bethany Christian Services, for an honest conversation about what foster care actually involves, why it's hard, and why it's worth it. Dr. Offutt brings 24 years of experience to the table &mdash; and a deeply personal perspective as a foster and adoptive mom who raised four children who entered the system. She breaks down what the training process looks like, why foster families are asked to care not just for the child but for the whole struggling family around them, and what it means to hold open the door to adoption. Then she closes with a direct challenge to churches: there's a church on every corner, and if each one identified just one family to step in for one child, the body of Christ could solve this crisis alone. James 1:27 was never just a verse. It's a call to action.</p>

The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.

<p>The idea of &ldquo;the common good&rdquo; has a rich history within the Christian church. It&rsquo;s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God&rsquo;s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God&rsquo;s design for all of us fulfilled.</p>