"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1.27 NIV
James 1:27 and the Great Commandments This year, Project 1.27 is again focusing on our foundational verse, James 1:27. The more I’ve studied, the more I see how James 1:27 is a full circle reflection of Jesus' words in Mark 12. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Pure and Faultless Religion The word religion used in James 1:27 is talking about a deep faith in Christ that moves believers to a life of worship that harmonizes service of the lips with service of life. As believers seek to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we grow in our understanding of who God is and our lives overflow in worship that is service of the lips - praising God, thanking God, sharing His Word and testifying of his work in our lives. Our service of words reflects Christ to those around us. Look After Orphans and Widows in Distress Reflecting Christ goes beyond words to the service of life. Reflecting Christ’s love involves close proximity to people in distress. Pure religion is not just about meeting needs, it involves demonstrating God’s love in ways that draw other people to Him. Pure religion reflects hesed love. Hesed describes love that pursues proximity, gives sacrificially, and wraps up all of God’s attributes including lovingkindness, mercy, grace and faithfulness. In James 1:27, Paul calls believers to “look after orphans and widows” as an example of caring for vulnerable people who need the hope and healing hesed love can bring. Our service of life reflects Christ to those around us. Keep Oneself from Being Polluted by the World Sometimes believers read this as avoiding all exposure to evil and sin. Certainly believers should flee from sin, but that doesn’t mean avoiding the messy, painfilled situations that are a result of sin. Pure and faultless religion involves allowing God to purify us into a more accurate reflection of Christ as we fling ourselves into sin’s mess to care for another person. God’s purifying work in messy, painfilled situations reflects Christ to those around us. Pure Faith Project 1.27 offers Faith Class as part of our precertification training for foster and adoptive parents. We focus on scriptures like Hebrews 11, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The goal is to encourage future foster and adoptive parents to consider every fear they have around serving in foster care through the lens of God’s presence. We talk about preparing to serve in foster care through immersion in God’s Word, prayer, a supportive community of believers and other spiritual practices. Future foster and adoptive parents are encouraged to follow David’s example of living out their faith by “running towards the battle.” Over and over, I’ve been blessed to hear stories of how faith in Christ has sustained parents as they walk beside a child struggling with dangerous behaviors, profound grief, and the heart-breaking impact of physical and emotional neglect and abuse. Looking after kids in foster care deepens our faith in ways that reflect Christ to those around us. Pure Faith: Reflecting Christ. Caring for Kids. Faith is further purified as Christian foster and adoptive parents experience God’s faithfulness in the midst of the messy, seemingly impossible challenges experienced while caring for kids involved in foster care. Re-examine James 1:27 within your church community. Let’s challenge each other to a pure faith that reflects Christ and cares for vulnerable people, including kids in foster care. Pure faith will have a ripple effect in our communities, alleviating suffering, rebuilding lives, building trust, offering hope and bringing the light of God’s love into the dark places. Pure faith reflects Christ to those around us. Project 1.27 Staff is available to share about Pure Faith and topics around kinship, foster care and adoption in your church, community or support group. Topics Include
Email [email protected] for more information. By Shelly Radic, Executive Director
0 Comments
“Good Grief,” a phrase often used to express disbelief or astonishment, but can it involve something deeper, something that serves a divine purpose? Foster parents are sometimes unprepared for feelings of grief and loss throughout their journey caring for some of the most vulnerable children in our society. Grief is a process that can be intensely uncomfortable or sometimes even painful. What if, in the often unpredictable, heart-wrenching world of foster parenting, grief could actually be… good?
Grief In Fostering Most foster parents begin their journey caring for children with great love and a deep desire to provide safety and stability. What they’re not always prepared for are the sacrifices and emotional tolls that grief can involve—grief when the child they have grown to love reunifies with their family, grief over the complexities and trauma the child has already experienced in life, grief over the ambiguity of what may come in the child’s future, or even grief involving their own limitations and abilities. Sacrificing oneself for the sake of another is not foreign to those who know the love of Jesus. It appears, in the depth of sorrow, we are being transformed into the image of Christ when we sacrifice ourselves in love. If we let it, grief can deepen our understanding of God’s love. It can open windows of understanding to the deeper mysteries God intends for us to discover when we commit our minds to his mercy, grace, and unfailing love. It can clarify our purpose and remind us of how “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16NKJV. The seeds we sow in every child in our care could be the seeds that bring others to God’s truth. Every moment in love matters and God uses them to strengthen and grow his Kingdom. Approaches to letting God make sense of our grief:
Know this, you are doing Holy work—courageously, imperfectly, and beautifully. May you find the indescribable peace that only God can provide. Grief may be the thing God is using to grow your faith and to strengthen your relationship and trust in him. Because maybe “good grief” is not just an oxymoron, maybe it is part of the gift of sacrificial love. Because sometimes, “good grief” really is possible. By Lisa Marr, Family Care Manager Murdoc and his wife Megan, both dedicated medical professionals, began their fostering journey in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of the time, they began their training with Project 1.27 virtually. From the beginning, they felt drawn to open their home to teenagers and started by providing respite care. Eventually, their path led them to the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) Program, a specialized initiative that offers culturally and linguistically appropriate foster care and independent living support to refugee-eligible unaccompanied minors in the United States. When asked what drew them to the URM program, Murdoc reflected on his time in the Big Brother Big Sister program. Having benefited from the mentorship of a “Big Brother” as a youth, he later returned to the program as a mentor himself. But he wanted to do more—more than just monthly visits. He and Megan were aware that many young people who age out of the foster system face significant challenges such as homelessness, addiction, and incarceration. They wanted to be part of a solution that offered deeper, long-term impact. The URM program felt like the right fit. Murdoc shared that the first and most significant challenge in fostering refugee minors is the language barrier. Most URM youth enter the U.S. with little to no English, which makes daily communication, education, and community involvement difficult. The second major challenge is education—many arrive unable to read or write and are only familiar with basic math if that or have never had any education. The third is cultural sensitivity, as each youth brings a unique background with specific needs, expectations, and traditions. To meet these challenges, Murdoc and Megan have been intentional in their support. They’ve hired tutors from the youths' home countries to provide academic and language help. They've assisted the youth in navigating the complex process of obtaining work permits and visas. Many of their foster youth have become involved in extracurricular activities like soccer clubs and ROTC. Most importantly, they have fully integrated these young people into their family lives—sharing meals, family vacations, and holiday traditions, helping the youth feel included and supported.
As a foster father, Murdoc focuses on modeling positive behaviors: financial responsibility, mutual respect in marriage, shared household duties, and physical activity. He wants each youth who comes through their home to remember him as someone who was sincere, fair, a source of sound guidance, and a steady presence in their lives. To date, the family has welcomed seven URM youth into their home. Some have graduated from high school and are now attending college or working; others have moved on to new homes or reunified with family members. Murdoc and Megan remain in touch with many of them, continuing to mentor and support them in their journeys. Knowing that many foster parents leave the system after just one year, Murdoc shares heartfelt advice: “Adjust your expectations. Focus on the long-term rather than the short-term. Lean on your support team. You’re going to feel insecure in your abilities, and you won’t be good for a while—but it does get better. Be patient with yourself.” By Marilyn Robinson, Family Care Director Only three days after finishing their foster parent certification, Bryce and Christina Smith* were shocked to receive a phone call asking if they'd be a potential adoptive placement for a baby boy. The Smiths knew they'd eventually be open to adoption, but they didn't expect their first placement to be adoptive. Christina recalls, "I called my husband, and we prayed about it. We felt God's peace, so we said, 'Yes. '" They didn't hear anything back from their placement agency for 14 days as the agency waited to hear when the boy would be released from the hospital. Then, in a Walmart parking lot, she received a call from Hope's Promise and the child's caseworker. The baby boy, Charlie*, would be joining the Smith family. Christina and Bryce learned that Charlie was being cared for by a single foster mom who was unable to keep him at home in order to meet his medical needs. Charlie got sick easily, had trouble breathing, and had been in and out of the hospital for the first year of his life. Since Charlie's case was heading toward termination of parental rights, the foster mom knew she needed to help him find a permanent home. The foster mom was a Christian and wanted him with a Christian family willing to allow her to stay involved in his life. The Smiths coordinated with her to do a transition week for Charlie, working together to help him switch homes. The family realized this was a unique opportunity as foster parents do not usually get a week to transition. Christina was extremely sick the day Charlie officially moved in, stuck upstairs in bed and hardly moving. Bryce had to do the transition with his father-in-law, meeting with Charlie's caseworker and keeping the medically fragile child away from the germs in the home. The first few weeks with Charlie, Christina remembers thinking, "What are we doing? Are we the best fit? Can we even do this?" The Smiths also had a biological son, Jonah*, who was only eight months older than Charlie. Christina remembers Jonah struggling to share toys and share his parents with Charlie. The family needed to get doubles of most baby equipment. She remembers the difficulty of juggling naps and bedtimes with the two boys, grocery shopping, and figuring out where to put two toddlers in the shopping cart. They were extremely thankful to have family and community wrap around them in the early days. Their support team brought meals, helped care for the boys when Christina was sick, and prayed for them. They found hope through a couple at their church who had adopted, whom they could call anytime and ask questions. Once, Christina's sister came to the ER and sat with her and Charlie for 8 hours. She brought items they needed from the house and made lunch so Christina wouldn't have to worry about bringing food to the hospital and feeding the boys as they waited. Christina shares, "Bryce and I were very independent people when we started this journey, but we quickly learned we needed others. If you're thinking about stepping into foster care, pray and know that God will give you peace if it's what you're supposed to do. Know where your support is, because you can't do it without support." Charlie has now been with the Smith family for four months. Christina and Bryce can't imagine him not being a part of the family. They've loved watching him grow and watching Jonah and the rest of their community love Charlie well. Charlie's caseworkers have also been incredible in advocating for Charlie and the family.
"Through all of this, we've seen that God is faithful. He was faithful when we decided to foster, and He was faithful when we said yes. We don't know the outcome of our story with Charlie or foster care, but we know God will be faithful." By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Development *Names have been changed to protect the identity of the children and family. Mother’s Day has always felt… complicated. Not because there wasn’t love—there was. So much love. It showed up in bedtime snuggles, whispered prayers, lego towers, and the quiet moments of triumph when a hard day ended in a smile. But Mother’s Day was layered. It was layered with the ache of not knowing. Where was she now—his biological mom? What was her story? Was she thinking of him today, too? My son had asked again this morning. “Do you think she has blue eyes like me?” I smiled and looked at the picture he had drawn of us. Our eyes matched—his idea, not mine. “I think God gave you those blue eyes so I could see a little piece of myself in you,” I said, trying to answer a question far too big for a six-year-old heart. There’s a sacredness in this kind of motherhood. A sacredness that includes celebrating what is, while honoring what was—even when it’s unknown or painful. Parenting him is not always easy. His recent diagnoses have forced me to relearn everything I thought I knew about motherhood. I’ve had to search out resources, reach out for help, let go of pride, and lean into a new rhythm of grace and grit. It’s messy. It’s holy. And some days, it’s really hard. But then, there’s that picture. Two people drawn in crayon with matching blue eyes and a bond you can feel from the paper. It reminds me that even when Mother’s Day doesn’t feel like balloons and brunches, it can still be meaningful. To every adoptive and foster mom navigating this road—this is sacred work. Even when the day is hard, you are doing something beautiful. You are showing up. You are making a difference not only in your child’s life, but God is gently, steadily, making a difference in yours.
And that? That, my friend, is worth celebrating. By Lisa McGinnett, Western Slope Director On May 2nd, Project 1.27's Neighbor Program joined the COS I Love You's City Serve Day. We had 16 volunteers gather in Colorado Springs with a shared mission: to serve foster and kinship caregivers through the simple act of preparing meals. In just a few hours, these dedicated helpers chopped over 60 lbs. of ingredients and assembled 28 freezer meals, ready to bring comfort and convenience to many busy and overwhelmed families. Volunteers came from across the city, each person giving up part of their day to show up for vulnerable kids and the families caring for them. One mom and her two daughters have participated in the three CityServe meal prep events we've done so far, embodying what it means to build a legacy of compassion through consistent service. We're especially grateful to First Baptist Church for opening their kitchen to us. Their hospitality allowed us to gather, cook, and connect with purpose.
If you've ever wondered how to make a difference in just a few hours, this is your chance. Join us for the next CityServe Day meal prep event October 4th or sign up to be a Neighbor to a local family and help us fill freezers and hearts. Learn more at Project127.org/Neighbor. By Jackie Hall, Neighbor Program Manager When Stratmoor Hills Methodist Church lost its food pantry distribution ministry, it could have marked the end of their hands-on community outreach. But for Pastor Linda and her faithful congregation, it was just the beginning of something new. Refusing to let the closure stop them from caring for their neighbors, the church partnered with Project 1.27's Neighbor Program to be matched with a large local kinship family in need of support.
Since November, the church has wrapped this family in love and care, providing hearty meals during the holidays and beyond. From two 10-pound turkeys with all the fixings for Thanksgiving to ham and roasted chickens for Christmas, every gathering has been a delicious reminder that they are not alone. They have plans for a big bunny cake to sweeten the Easter celebration. Their generosity extended beyond meals, too. At Christmas, the congregation rallied to provide 27 gifts—enough for every family member to receive three presents. This was the most Christmas gifts the small congregation has been able to rally for families. A team of volunteers, led by coordinator Becky, prepares thoughtful meal packages monthly. Items are brought to the church, where Gary, lovingly known as the delivery guy, loads them up and brings them straight to the family's doorstep. Gary has become a hero to the children, so much so that they rush out barefoot when they see him pull up. On the last delivery, Kimberly gave him the biggest hug, a simple but powerful expression of gratitude. The care doesn’t stop with food and gifts. Organizer and dedicated card writer Ginny pens heartfelt notes to include with each delivery, ensuring the family knows they are seen and cherished. Pastor Linda expressed her gratitude for the congregation’s faithfulness, saying, “It’s not hard, but it takes their time and commitment.” Becky, ever the encourager, hopes more people are inspired to get involved through the Neighbor Program: “It feels good to help someone.” It's fun to serve through the Neighbor Program with friends! If you have a group at your church that would like to wrap around a kinship, foster, or adoptive family through the Neighbor Program, contact Jackie Hall at [email protected]. By Jackie Hall, Neighbor Program Manager We all know foster, kinship and adoptive families NEED help and support and we often WANT to come alongside them, but we don’t always know HOW to do it! I asked Rhonda Denison, a long-time foster and adoptive mom, about her family’s experience with their support team. Jesse and Rhonda have been married for 22 years and currently have four adopted children. Tell me about your support team.
One of the things Project 127 does best in its training is having families bring their support team to a support team training. About 10 of our friends came to that training and learned how to walk alongside our family as we welcomed kids into our home. Our family currently has a team through the organization RISE on top of our already existing friends and family. This team has served us through meals, coffee, home organization, and friendship. What are the most impactful things a support team can do, in your opinion? I think the most impactful thing a support team can do is listen and tailor how they serve according to the family's needs. For one family (us!), it may be gift cards or meals- for another, it may be coming over and folding laundry. The most impactful way to serve starts with listening. Were there any times you didn't feel supported? I think after we adopted, it wasn't clear to our community that we still needed support- like we rode off into the adoption sunset and lived 'happily ever after.' While we do love our kids so much, things actually amped up behaviorally after adoption, but we were left without a lot of the support we had prior to adoption. Were there any times were they went above and beyond? In 2024, we realized we needed to create a robust team around us, so we engaged professionals, resources, and our church community to share with them what we needed. We have been so supported through our church, friends, and RISE team ever since. One day, one of our kids injured herself, and I reached out to our support team leader to share what was happening. They rallied the team immediately, showed up at our house with dinner and a cheesecake within hours! Another time, a team of people came to our house for an entire Saturday just to serve our family- they painted a bedroom, hauled yard junk, added slats to our fence, cleaned our oven, and so much more! This was impactful because I desperately wanted to get these things done, but I know they just never would have gotten done- what a burden lifted! Have you experienced any hurtful or unhelpful actions from someone who was trying to "help" you? Occasionally, unsolicited advice can be hurtful. Our kids have big behaviors, and sometimes, well-meaning friends have 'helpful advice' that maybe isn't so helpful. I would rather have empathy than advice. What advice would you give to support team members? Lead with empathy in every way you serve. Ask questions instead of making assumptions. Instead of asking 'how can I help?', try giving options and saying something like 'I want to help. Would you like me to deliver a meal this week or can I take you to coffee?' Sometimes, foster parents feel overwhelmed, and the mental load of trying to come up with options is just too much. Even though Rhonda would say that her kid's behaviors haven’t changed much over the years and are often still extremely difficult, their family’s support has dramatically increased. She is extremely grateful that even with unchanged behaviors, their capacity has greatly increased. Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny- CS Lewis April is Child Abuse Awareness month. As a part of Project 1.27’s community, you are aware how abuse negatively impacts a child’s body, brain, behaviors and beliefs. Every single incident of child abuse is horrific, yet abuse does not have to be the primary theme of a child’s life. I’ve been reading three books by Dr. Nicole Wilke that share a different theme – overcoming! My favorite, likely because it is fun, simple and bilingual, is Caleb Koala’s Comeback Ride, A Journey to Overcoming. This is a kid’s book about how his grandpa helps Caleb Koala change his inner language from “this is too hard” to “I’m an overcomer!” Written for children ages 2-9, Caleb’s story illustrates the resilience practices in Wilke’s adult book, Overcoming, What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience. Overcoming, Wilke’s book for adults, is for anyone who cares deeply about children who have experienced significant childhood adversity. It combines God’s Word, neuroscience and everyday practices so we can provide the children we love the best opportunity to thrive. In their introduction Wilke, and her co-author, Amanda Hiles Howard, share- If we believe these children are made in God’s image – and we do – then it is our responsibility and privilege to honor that by giving them the very best we have to offer. Overcoming provides eight resiliency practices. Resiliency Practice #4: Watch What You Say and Think, addresses the powerful negative impact hearing words like “trauma kid” or “behavior problem” can have on a child. Practical tools in this chapter include leaving diagnoses to the professionals, memorizing Scripture together and focusing on life-giving language and scripts like Caleb Koala’s, “I’m an overcomer!” Wilke’s third book, written with coauthors, Caleb and Pangborn, Created to Heal, How Neuroplasticity Offers Hope for Children & Their Families, provides one of the most accessible, practical guides to understanding neuroplasticity. In less than twenty pages, Created to Heal shares how brains develop and change, respond to stress and heal from trauma! The next thirty pages provide practical principles to support healing. Bonus, there are QR codes at the end of the book which lead to additional resources.
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. It can be tempting to avert our attention from the ugliness of child abuse or feel defeated when children continue to struggle with the aftereffects of child abuse and neglect. Instead, let’s take Wilke’s advice and focus on God’s Word which reminds us, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.” (Romans 8:37) Or to paraphrase Caleb Koala, through Christ, you can be an overcomer! How can you do that? Pray Father, you grieve over children experiencing the horrors of child abuse and neglect. I ask you to provide each one with a person who can love and support them in healing. Thank you for creating our brains with neuroplasticity, the ability to change both physically and functionally so children can recover from early childhood adversity. I ask that you empower the caregivers of children who have experienced toxic stress, with the faith, strength, support and tools needed so children can be more than conquerors through him who loves us. Amen Learn Borrow or purchase one of Wilke’s books or other resources about neuroplasticity, protective factors for healing and trauma-informed parenting. Connect Connect with other kinship, foster and adoptive parents, Project 1.27 staff, or others in your community caring for children who have experienced complex trauma. You can pray, learn and connect at Hope for the Journey, Saturday, May 3. Register today. A set of Wilke’s books will be given away at each location. By Shelly Radic, Project 1.27 President Exploration and learning are vital for all children, especially those in foster care. Oftentimes, children experiencing the foster care system have had schedules disrupted by trauma or multiple moves, potentially causing them to fall behind in a variety of areas. Summer provides a fun and unstructured environment for foster children to create fun memories and catch up on their learning. Foster parents have the unique opportunity to help the child explore new things and discover new interests. Now is the perfect opportunity to invest in and explore new things together. Below are some ideas to engage your family in summer fun.
Royal Family Kids Camp: Highly trained camp staff and counselors provide individual attention and encouragement to children who have experienced abuse and neglect by participating in a variety of fun activities. https://rfk.org/locations/colorado/ Heritage Camps: These camps focus on supporting families who have adopted transculturally, providing opportunities to connect children and their families with authentic cultural experiences. The entire family can participate and includes children 3-18 years. https://www.heritagecamps.org/ Community Camps: https://denver.kidsoutandabout.com/content/guide-summer-camps-denver-co-area https://www.auroragov.org/things_to_do/recreation___sports_programs/Camps https://dreambigdaycamp.com/ https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/summer-camps https://www.coloradoacademysummer.org/ https://denverymca.org/programs/youth-programs/summer-day-camp (possible scholarships for foster families) By Marilyn Robinson, Director of Family Connections |
|