Moving From Scarcity to an Abundance Mindset (feat. Jason Weber, More Than Enough)

“When it comes to kids and families in our community, we don’t have to settle for not enough.”

National estimates show that, in recent years, roughly 300,000–400,000 children have been involved in the child welfare system at any given time. Statistics like this, while helpful, can sometimes cause us to slip into a scarcity mentality. We may worry that we don’t have enough resources to address such a large need. Or, we might assume that if we’re not able to take up the role of a foster parent, we don’t have a meaningful role to play.

Our guest is on a mission to help us understand the truth: that there is more than enough support we can offer to children and families before, during, and after foster care.

Jason Weber serves as the national director of More Than Enough for CAFO. He is also a podcast host and author. Jason and his wife, Trisha, have been helping vulnerable families and children for over 29 years, with 10 years spent as foster parents.

In this episode, you’ll hear why it’s important to focus on the statistics in your own backyard, the importance of operating as the unified body of Christ to offer support from every angle, key elements for impactful collaboration, and much more.

You can also find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.

Key Takeaways

1. Operate out of abundance. When we consider the hundreds of thousands of children involved in the national child welfare system, it’s easy to feel like there are not enough resources to go around. But this is why Jason suggests we put more stock in our local numbers. According to a recent report, in Harris County, there are currently around 1,164 children in the child welfare system. When we consider the abundance of resources our Heavenly Father has given to individuals, organizations, and churches in our county, we can see with more confidence and clarity how there is certainly more than enough to go around.
2. Consider what your community needs the most. When we’re discussing ways we can help children and families, foster parents play a central role. However, this is by no means the only role. There is so much more that can be done to make a difference. This includes hosting a parents’ night out, helping to fill a foster closet, supporting your local social workers, and ensuring there is wrap-around support for foster and biological families.
3. Collaboration takes planning, prayer, and play. This is a winning formula for collaboration that benefits everyone. It begins with planning, as this helps you discover how your unique gifts, talents, and resources can best be put to use. Prayer is also essential, since there will always be gaps that only the Lord can fill. And finally, all involved parties need to have fun together! We’re doing more than simply serving children and families; we’re building a partnership that will, hopefully, last and continue to make an impact for years to come.

Resources

• Learn more about the CAFO More Than Enough Initiative
• Discovering Your Community Course
• Jason Johnson Books
• [BOOK] Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
• [BOOK] The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
• [BOOK] Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
• Thanks for listening! Use code “TBRIpodcast” to get $5 off when you sign up for an Introduction to TBRI session. If you work personally or professionally with children who have experienced adversity, learn more about TBRI on our Trauma Training page.

Meet the Guest

Jason Weber serves as the national director of More Than Enough for CAFO. He is also a podcast host and author, and he’s helped develop several resources, including Until There is More Than Enough and Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn. Jason has a passion to live in a world where there is more than enough for children and families before, during, and after foster care. Jason and his wife, Trisha, have been helping vulnerable families and children for over 29 years, with 10 years as foster parents. They live in Plano, Texas, with their five children. When not working, Jason loves creating stuff, going anywhere with his wife, and doing whatever he can to embarrass his children in public.