Life Update / Conversation Setup

This week, we sit down with Josh Cortez, pastor at Westfield Friends Church and foster dad of nearly eight years. He and his wife have had over 10 kids in their home, and their story is unique because almost every placement has ended in reunification.

That perspective shapes everything about how they approach foster care.

Big Topic: Reunification and Loving Bio Parents

Josh shares why reunification is not just something they accept, but something they actively pursue.

We talk about:

• Why reunification reflects the heart of the gospel
• How foster care can be a ministry of reconciliation
• Why bio parents are often misunderstood
• The tension of wanting what is best for a child while trusting a broken system

Even when reunification is good, it is still incredibly hard.

Personal Foster Care Stories

We get into real, lived experiences:

• Kids going home and the grief that follows
• Their biological children grieving placements for days
• Moments where reunification felt too fast and out of your control
• Stories of building real relationships with biological parents

Biblical Perspective

This episode is rooted deeply in Scripture and the gospel.

Josh talks about:

• Foster care as a picture of redemption and reconciliation
• The call to die to yourself daily in following Jesus
• Living as ambassadors of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5
• Seeing bio parents as people made in the image of God

Practical Encouragement

If you are struggling in foster care, especially with bio parents, this episode gives real, practical wisdom:

• Resentment is normal, but you do not have to stay there
• You need community to sustain this calling
• Rest is not optional, it is necessary
• You may be the only advocate that child has
• Loving bio parents starts with surrendering your own heart

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Speaking Requests

If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at:

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Music Credit

"Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons.