The More Than Enough Podcast

In our work we often have opportunities to share our personal stories — maybe from stage, maybe over coffee, or even in a grocery store aisle. However, we can’t talk for hours, and we don’t want to present a sanitized or unauthentic picture of our lives. We wonder, how can we balance the tensions between limited time and authenticity, vulnerability, and privacy? Today we are talking about telling our stories. We talk with Beth Guckenberger, an author, leader, and public speaker, about sharing stories that build connection and credibility, and still honor children’s privacy. We also talk with Tim Grissom, one of Jason’s former editors, and Mari Ramsey, a worship leader and former foster youth, about why he has chosen to travel the country, write a book, and tell his story.

Life is full of decisions. From what monopoly piece to choose to what you will be when you ‘grow up’. And when you choose a career, do you choose a future full of challenges, frustrations, and a low salary? If you choose a job in child welfare, yes.

Social workers are people who have selected a career that isn't chosen by most. By even becoming a social worker they are choosing to walk into hard situations every day, knowing they will be perceived harshly and underappreciated.

What should our response be to the social workers who have made this difficult choice? Today we talk with Rhonda Littleton, Nicole Taylor, and Joe Rogers to explore not only why we should support and encourage social workers, but what are great first steps to take when incorporating support for these vital helpers into our organizations and ministries.

Sometimes making changes in our organizations and in our families can feel a lot like wrangling goats. We worry before the changes even go into effect that they will bring anxiety and chaos - but it doesn't have to be that way. Leading people through changes doesn't have to feel like a guaranteed, chaotic, goat-rodeo.

Join us today for a conversation with Katie Casselberry, the Director of Communications for More Than Enough, about making changes - big and small - and helping the people around us embrace them.

Then, to help us all gain a little perspective on what it looks like for a state department to make changes, we talk with Gina Meier-Hummel. Gina formerly served as the Director of Children and Family Services in Kansas, and has been working on behalf of children and families for over 32 years. She has a lot to share about her experiences and shares ideas to encourage us as we come alongside child welfare workers in our own communities.

Whether you’re a foster parent attempting to build trust with the children in your home, a social worker building trust with a family, or a leader building trust among your staff, the importance of building trust in your relationships cannot be overstated.

I think we can all agree that foster care is full of hard things and hard days. We may feel like our work is full of enemies: biological families who are hurt and angry, a system that feels slow and broken, and kids we love who are struggling with hurt and trauma that feels overwhelming. How do we adjust our mindset about who we see as the enemy? And how do we love those that sometimes treat us like we're the enemy? Today we sit down with Jamie Finn, from Foster the Family, to talk about foster care, her book, and a lot of the hard moments we're all familiar with. Today we are having a conversation about how, when we face these hard things and hard relationships in foster care, scripture is always there to meet us right where we're at.

This episode is a must listen for not just foster parents but foster care leaders and advocates too.

Listening well is the vital first step in developing good relationships with donors, churches, and partners. Today we talk with Michael Mitchell, CAFO’s Director of Development and Discipleship, about listening to the beautiful birds in our own backyards and the people doing incredible work in our communities. We talk about practical ways we can all practice and grow these skills and use them to help build strong connections to those around us.

Todd Tilghman may be most well known as the winner of the 18th Season of NBC's "The Voice", but at the 2022 CAFO Summit he sits down with Jason Weber and shares about his family of 10, his faith, and what music has meant to him along his journey.

What happens when we see the problems of foster care not just as potholes that someone else should take care of, but as opportunities to create something beautiful, in the exact place that needs it most? What if instead of pointing out potholes in foster care, we filled them?

Join us today and hear stories today about Christmas parties, pancakes, prayers, mentors, and meals that became so much more. We will hear from leaders and advocates who knew that first meeting the tangible needs of children and families was important, but also imagined that meeting a tangible need didn't have to be the end of the story. A bike, a bunk bed, a prayer can lead to families being cared for, and children being loved and cared for in families.

John Buultjens shares the powerful story of his journey from enduring childhood in an abusive home, to spending time in juvenile detention and foster care, to meeting and experiencing the love of his foster and adoptive parents, and to later finding purpose and joy in his passion for BMX riding. He also discusses the newly-released film, The Ride, and shares a preview of this inspirational movie based on the events of John’s own life.