This is the third article in a three-part series on The Powerful Role of the Body in Mental Health.  For most of us, a burger and fries hold more easy appeal to our taste buds than a chef salad. Eating healthy doesn’t often come naturally. It’s all the harder because processed and fast food are everywhere and so easy! Foster and adoptive families frequently face additional challenges, whether it is a child newly entering their home with different eating habits, strong aversions to certain tastes and textures, or hoarding and overeating related to food anxiety.  We get it.  But r ..read more

This is the second article in a three-part series on The Powerful Role of the Body in Mental Health.  A rosy-cheeked child energetically playing outdoors – exploring, climbing, running – carries a vibrant look of health. It is a picture of strength and stamina, but also alertness, motivation and happiness.  It’s easy to recognize that there is something about being active – whether a child, teen, or adult – that so clearly bears profound and lingering good.  What we know intuitively is now confirmed by research. Regular physical activity is vital for healthy mental, relational a ..read more

This is the first article in a three-part series on The Powerful Role of the Body in Mental Health.  Here’s something crucial for foster and adoptive families to understand – how we routinely care for our bodies profoundly impacts mental health.  Sleep, exercise, nutrition and time outdoors all play critical roles in the well-being of every family member. But sleep especially plays an outsized role in mental health.  Children and adolescents struggling with mental and behavioral challenges often have trouble sleeping and poor sleep habits.  For foster and adoptive families ..read more

The Biden Administration has proposed new Federal regulations that would re-shape how states and counties must approach issues related to the sexuality and gender identity of children and youth in the foster system. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra described these and other regulatory changes as “game-changing,” and expressed, “This is going to change the complexion of how we view foster care treatment for our foster kids, but more importantly, how we look at the people who we rely on to care for foster kids.” The proposed rule is titled, “Safe and Appropriate Foster Care Placement Requirements fo ..read more

If you’ve ever been to summer camp, completed a ropes course, or participated in a corporate team-building exercise, there’s a fair chance you’ve done a trust fall. You know the drill. You stand on top of something with your arms across your chest. Several people – friends, colleagues or people you don’t know at all — lock arms on the ground below you. You may even be blindfolded. And then the moment comes and you slowly fall backward into a net of human arms. If you haven’t been a jerk to those folks all week, chances are the arms will hold your weight and everyone will cheer wildly. If you h ..read more

I once heard a story about a high school that invited recruiters from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to speak to the student body for a one-hour assembly. Each recruiter had 15 minutes to speak. The Army recruiter spoke boldly about being all you can be but did so for longer than his allotted time. The Navy and Air Force recruiters did the same, each taking several minutes longer than they were given. When the three of them finished with their presentations, one minute remained for the Marine recruiter to speak before the class bell rang.     Unrattled, the Marine re ..read more

Christians around the world have labored with a remarkable unity in the work of welcoming orphaned and vulnerable children for the past two decades. Together, the entire Christian Alliance for Orphans community works to see “the people of God overflowing with the love of God so that every child will experience God’s unfailing love in a thriving family.” It’s a worthy vision – worthy of my life and yours. Yet, to be a thriving family is no easy task in our day.  Reports on the status of mental health reveal a steep decline in well-being, especially among young people. Divorce, absent fathe ..read more

A Message from CAFO President, Jedd Medefind: The new edition of Evangelicals Magazine spotlights foster care and adoption from a rich variety of perspectives, including the president of CAFO-member Focus on the Family, Jim Daly, who experienced foster care firsthand as a child.  I also wrote one of the articles: “Theology of Foster Care.” An old friend shared with me this week that a couple in his small group has been hit hard by the challenges of fostering. From shortcomings of the system to the reality that a little girl they’d come to love would be leaving soon, it ..read more

Planted. Not Buried. Watch the Keynote 2,000+ participants gathered for CAFO2022 – Sept. 27-30 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. We experienced together what it means to be people planted by God Himself: People who anticipate the good God can bring from what feels like death… People who experience planting again and again in our daily lives… People who join with our good Father and one another in His planting, too. Community. We are better together. Corporate worship. Healing prayer. A united vision. Community is at the heart of CAFO! At CAFO2022, God’s people from 45 coun ..read more

To enjoy an audio version of this post read by Jedd Medefind, click below.   https://cafo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CAFO2022_BlogAudio.m4a   The Chinese government agent spoke without emotion, but his words carried electricity, “You are under investigation.” My friend Tom knew what that meant.  He and his family were being watched, closely.  Any contact with friends would land them on the government’s watch list, too – and likely in serious danger. Tom sped home.  His wife, Erika, agreed:  there was little to discuss.  They’d poured their hearts into Chi ..read more