Fostering Kingdoms | Faith at the Heart of Fostering | Support & CPD for UK Foster Carers

About Fostering Kingdoms | Faith at the Heart of Fostering | Support & CPD for UK Foster Carers

Fostering Kingdoms is a faith-based podcast walking alongside UK foster carers with encouragement, gentle guidance, and practical CPD support. Each episode nurtures emotional wellbeing, resilience, and sustainable fostering through a Kingdom lens. This space exists to strengthen your heart, your home, and your calling. Putting care back into the carers so you can continue on your journey as a foster carer and with God at the centre of it all.

Publisher

Jessica Smithers-Jones

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Jan 2026

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

70 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   When You Don’t Know What’s Next | Trusting God One Step at a Time

   What do you do when you genuinely don’t know what comes next? Maybe something in your fostering journey has changed. A placement has ended. Your circumstances look completely different. You're waiting for an answer. You're questioning your next step. Or perhaps you know God is calling you towards something but you have absolutely no idea how you're going to get there. That uncertainty can leave us frozen. We pray, “God, just tell me what to do next.” But what if you don't need the entire roadmap before you start moving? In this episode of Fostering Kingdoms, we're talking about trusting God through seasons of uncertainty, letting go of our need to control the outcome, and learning to take the next step even when we can't see where the whole journey is leading. God hasn't promised to hand us the complete map of our lives. Sometimes we simply have to trust Him with the step that's in front of us. In this episode, we talk about: What to do when you don't know what's next Navigating uncertainty as a foster carer Trusting God when circumstances suddenly change Why uncertainty can leave us feeling stuck or unable to move Letting go of the need to control every outcome Taking action before you have all the answers Moving with prayer, wisdom, discernment and good counsel The example of Abraham stepping out in faith Building small, consistent habits towards the things God has placed on your heart The simple Trust → Step → Repeat framework One of the questions I want to leave you with is: What do you already know you need to do that you haven't done because you're waiting to know what happens afterwards? Maybe it's sending the message. Having the difficult conversation. Asking for help. Setting the boundary. Starting the project. Ending something that needs to end. Or simply taking one small step towards something God has placed on your heart. You don't need to know what step ten looks like before you take step one. 🙏 TRUST → STEP → REPEAT TRUST — God can see what you cannot. STEP — Act on what you already know. REPEAT — Keep showing up and taking the next step. Faith doesn't always look like receiving the entire plan and then agreeing to follow it. Sometimes faith looks like moving first and understanding later. 💬 WORD OF THE VIDEO: TRUST If you've stayed with me until the end, leave TRUST in the comments and tell me: what are you trusting God with right now? ❤️ ABOUT FOSTERING KINGDOMS Fostering Kingdoms exists to put faith back at the heart of fostering by supporting and encouraging foster carers to build sustainable fostering journeys, families and homes. 🌿 THE SUSTAINABLE FOSTERING FRAMEWORK If fostering has started to feel heavy, your capacity has changed, or you know something needs to shift, the Sustainable Fostering Framework is designed to help you reflect on where you are today and intentionally build towards a more sustainable future. Visit fosteringkingdoms.com/framework (https://www.fosteringkingdoms.com/framework) to learn more. 🏡 Find more support, resources and conversations at fosteringkingdoms.com If this episode encouraged you, please like, subscribe and share it with another foster carer who might be sitting in uncertainty and wondering what comes next. You don't need the whole roadmap. Trust. Take the step. And repeat. #FosteringKingdoms #ChristianFosterCare #FosterCare #FosterCarer #FaithAndFostering #ChristianFostering #TrustGod #TrustingGod #GodsPlan #ChristianEncouragement #FaithJourney #FosteringSupport #FosteringJourney #FosterParent #SustainableFostering

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   When God Changes the Direction, Not the Calling

   What happens when God’s calling over your life hasn’t changed but the direction has? Sometimes we become so attached to how we think God’s calling should unfold that when circumstances change, things become difficult or the original plan stops working, we assume we’ve failed. But what if you’re not being called to quit? What if God is simply asking you to answer the same calling differently? In this episode of Fostering Kingdoms, I’m sharing something I’ve been learning personally: don’t confuse the calling with the method. As foster carers, our lives and circumstances are constantly changing. Our capacity changes. Our families change. Placements change. We change. And sometimes the way we have always done things is no longer the way we are being called to move forward. Pausing doesn’t necessarily mean quitting.Sometimes we need to create enough space to hear where God is leading us next. In this conversation, we explore: ✨How to recognise the difference between quitting and being redirected ✨Why changing direction doesn’t necessarily mean you have failed ✨Holding tightly to the mission while holding loosely to the method ✨Why we don’t need the entire roadmap before taking the next step ✨How our own plans can sometimes get in the way of God’s direction ✨Building a sustainable fostering journey as our lives and capacity change ✨My simple Pause → Listen → Move framework for navigating seasons of uncertainty ✨Trusting God when you don’t know exactly where He is leading you 📖 Scriptures mentioned in this episode: Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Isaiah 30:21 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” You don't need to know what the next five or ten years will look like. Sometimes you simply need enough faith and enough direction to take the next step. 💬 WORD OF THE VIDEO: DIRECTION If you stayed with me until the end, leave DIRECTION in the comments. And while you're there, I'd love to know: Has God ever redirected you without changing the calling? ❤️ ABOUT FOSTERING KINGDOMS Fostering Kingdoms exists to support and encourage foster carers on their journey while putting faith back at the heart of fostering. Our focus is not simply surviving fostering, but building sustainable carers, families and homes for the long term. 🌿 THE SUSTAINABLE FOSTERING FRAMEWORK If fostering feels heavy, your capacity has changed, or you're questioning whether the way you're currently fostering is sustainable, the Sustainable Fostering Framework has been created to help you pause, reflect and begin building differently. Visit Fostering Kingdoms (https://www.fosteringkingdoms.com/framework) to learn more. If this episode encouraged you, please like, subscribe and share it with another foster carer who may need reminding that a change in direction doesn't always mean it's time to give up. The calling may remain the same. God may simply be establishing your next step. #FosteringKingdoms #ChristianFosterCare #FosterCarer #FosterCare #FaithAndFostering #ChristianFostering #GodsCalling #TrustGod #ChristianEncouragement #FaithOverFear #FosteringSupport #FosterParent #FosteringJourney #SustainableFostering #GodsPlan

3. 

   10 Sept 2026

   When You Feel Like Giving Up on What God Called You to Do

   What do you do when you still believe in what God has called you to do… but you don't feel like doing the work anymore? I'm finally sitting back down behind the microphone at Fostering Kingdoms.And this episode is a very real conversation about capacity, calling, fostering, faith and knowing when to pause without believing that you've failed.There are seasons when God can place something deeply on your heart, yet the realities of everyday life leave you wondering whether you have anything left to give.As foster carers, we can experience this in so many ways. Our capacity changes.Our homes become stretched.Our families need more from us.Placements can become difficult.Our own needs get pushed aside.And sometimes even the things we know we're called to do begin to feel impossible. But needing to pause doesn't necessarily mean you're being called to quit.In this episode, I share some of what I've been navigating personally, including reaching the point where I knew something in our home was no longer sustainable, recognising the different capacities we have for different things, and learning not to allow guilt over what we cannot hold to make us drop everything else we're carrying.We also come back to one important question:What do you do when you still believe in the calling, but you don't feel like doing the work?Galatians 6:9 reminds us:“Let us not become weary in doing good…”Sometimes moving forward doesn't mean pushing harder. Sometimes it looks like:PAUSE.PRAY.PROCEED.Pause long enough to recognise what is happening.Pray and bring it back to God.Then proceed in the direction He is asking you to go.Because there is a difference between giving up and giving yourself the grace to pause.Whether you're struggling in your fostering journey, building something God has placed on your heart, writing a book, starting a ministry, navigating family life or simply trying to keep going through a difficult season, I hope this episode reminds you that you don't have to have everything figured out today.You can pause.You can pray. And when you're ready, you can move forward.❤️ TODAY'S WORD: FORWARDIf you've listened to the end, comment FORWARD below. I'd love to know you're here and tell me: what is God calling you to move forward with right now?🏡 THE SUSTAINABLE FOSTERING FRAMEWORKIf you're a foster carer who wants to build greater emotional, relational, financial and spiritual sustainability into your fostering journey, you can learn more about the Sustainable Fostering Framework through Fostering Kingdoms.https://www.fosteringkingdoms.com/framework (https://www.fosteringkingdoms.com/framework) Fostering Kingdoms exists to put faith back into the heart of fostering, encouraging and empowering foster carers to build homes, families and fostering journeys that can be sustained for the long term.☕ Grab your coffee, get comfortable and join me for today's conversation.Together Through Fostering. ❤️Hashtags#FosterCare #FosterCarer #FosterParents #ChristianPodcast #ChristianEncouragement #FaithOverFear #GodsCalling #TrustGod #ChristianWomen #Fostering #FosterCareUK #FosterCarerSupport #FosteringKingdoms #SustainableFostering #FaithAndFostering #ChristianFosterCare #Burnout #keepgoing #purpose Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: XWCGQ2ANDJMADO5E

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Spotify

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