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What would it take for every child entering foster care in our county to land in a safe, loving, gospel-shaped home? That question drives our conversation with Matt Stohrer of Keystone Family Alliance. Matt’s family has fostered 23 children and adopted nine, and he now helps churches turn conviction into action in caring for vulnerable children in Lebanon county. We trace his journey from military service to foster care and explore how structure, teamwork, and faith create sustainable ministry for vulnerable kids.

Matt outlines three practical pathways any church can begin right away: Gateway requests that meet urgent needs like cribs, beds, and clothing; care communities of six to eight volunteers who provide meals, rides, and consistent support to foster families; and a clear pipeline to recruit and equip new foster and adoptive homes. We also face the sobering realities—over 15,000 children in Pennsylvania foster care, and many foster parents leaving within two years without support.

Grounded in the doctrine of adoption and the call to care for orphans and widows, we discuss hospitality as mission, trauma-informed care, and how Keystone Family Alliance equips churches with training, coaching, and ready-to-use frameworks that multiply impact while lifting the administrative burden from pastors.

Learn more at keyfam.org or email matt@keyfam.org
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Start the year by aiming at what matters most. We explore the opening line of the Westminster Shorter Catechism—“to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever”—and turn it from a memorized phrase into a lived way of seeing time, work, and desire. With 1 Corinthians 10:31 as our grounding, we unpack how ordinary moments like eating, resting, and doing our jobs can be offered as worship, and we push back on the myth that joy depends on comfort or prosperity.

I share four simple practices for shaping a God-centered year: set your intention to glorify God in every place, acknowledge His gifts rather than hoard credit, trade inferior ends for the ultimate end, and learn to enjoy God even when life hurts. Along the way we revisit the often-misread Puritans, draw on J. I. Packer and Edward T. Welch to reframe worry, and consider why salvation is first about the display of God’s glory before it is about our escape from guilt. Psalm 73 helps us see that when flesh and heart fail, God remains our portion; Psalm 84 steadies us with the promise that He is both sun and shield.

Listen to reorient your goals and recover the freedom of living for God’s honor and your joy in Him. If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the conversation.

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In this episode of Catechizing Conversations, we sit down with Max Myers, Director of the Lebanon Men's Rescue Mission, to discuss gospel ministry among some of the most vulnerable men in our community.

Max shares the mission and vision of the Lebanon Men’s Rescue Mission, offering insight into how Christ-centered mercy ministry addresses not only physical needs like shelter and food, but also the deeper spiritual needs of the heart. We explore how the gospel shapes their approach to addiction recovery, homelessness, discipleship, and long-term restoration.

This conversation highlights the vital role of local ministries in embodying the love of Christ, the importance of faithfulness in ordinary means, and how the church can come alongside organizations that seek lasting transformation through the gospel.

Whether you’re interested in mercy ministry, community outreach, or understanding how doctrine and compassion meet on the ground, this episode offers a thoughtful and encouraging look at Christ’s work in Lebanon County.

For more information, visit: Men’s Programs | Lebanon Rescue Mission

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Why does the Westminster Catechism exist?

In this episode of Catechizing Conversations, Pastor Cisco Victa offers a brief and intentionally elementary overview of the historical and pastoral context that gave rise to the Westminster Assembly and its catechisms.

Set against the backdrop of the English Reformation, persecution under Mary Tudor, the rise of the Puritans, civil war, and the calling of the Westminster Assembly, this episode explains why the church needed clear confessions and catechisms—not to replace Scripture, but to confess what Scripture teaches.

This episode is designed to orient listeners before beginning a sustained study of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It is not a comprehensive or technical treatment, but a wide-angle introduction to the history, purpose, and enduring significance of Westminster.

In the next episode, we will begin where the catechism itself begins:
What is the chief end of man?

Recommended Resources for Further Study

For listeners who wish to explore the history, theology, and enduring significance of the Westminster Standards in greater depth, the following works are especially recommended:

• Contending for the Faith — Joel R. Beeke & William Boekestein
  An accessible, church-focused introduction to the history and theology of the Westminster Standards, especially helpful for families, students, and those new to confessional Reformed theology.
• Truths We Confess — R.C. Sproul
  A clear, pastoral exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith, written for the church rather than the academy, and especially useful for teaching and discipleship.
• Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith — Robert Shaw
  A classic nineteenth-century exposition that carefully explains the structure and doctrine of the Confession chapter by chapter.
• Confessing the Faith — Chad Van Dixhoorn
  A modern, historically informed guide to the Westminster Confession that combines theological clarity with deep engagement with the Assembly’s original context.
• The Westminster Assembly — Robert Letham
  A thorough historical study of the Assembly, its members, debates, and the political and ecclesiastical context surrounding the Westminster Standards.
• The Theology of the Westminster Standards — J. V. Fesko
  A careful theological analysis of the Westminster Standards, tracing their doctrinal unity, biblical foundations, and place within the Reformed tradition.
• The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly — Chad Van Dixhoorn
  The definitive primary-source collection of the Assembly’s debates, drafts, and proceedings, essential for understanding how the Westminster Standards were actually formed.

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In Part Two of our series on confessional Christianity, host Cisco Victa explores why merely identifying as a "Calvinist" falls short in today's evangelical landscape. Drawing on insights from historical Reformed theology, the episode critiques the rise of popular Calvinism as a "brand" detached from robust confessional orthodoxy. Through discussions on doctrinal consumerism, the myth of "unimportant" doctrines, and the protective role of confessions like the Westminster Standards, Cisco argues for a return to confessional fidelity. Addressing common objections to "sola Scriptura" and highlighting the dangers of individualism and private interpretations, the episode emphasizes confessions as guardians of the whole counsel of God. Join us for a call to faithfulness, with a preview of our upcoming walk through the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Learn more at victaleadership.com and lebanonvalleypca.com.

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In Part 1 of this two-episode exploration on Catechizing Conversations, host Cisco Victa delves into the challenging question: If confessional Christianity draws boundaries, is it inherently exclusionary—and is that a bad thing? We examine our culture's deep-seated aversion to exclusion, rooted in historical atrocities, and contrast it with Scripture's call to clarity and conviction. Drawing from biblical examples like John 14:6 and Galatians 1:8–9, Cisco shows how even Jesus and the apostles set firm lines. The discussion uncovers the universal truth that every belief system excludes, using real-world illustrations like Unitarian churches versus the Athanasian Creed. Finally, we confront evangelicalism's tendency to minimize doctrine for unity's sake, quoting key insights on "essentials vs. non-essentials" and using baptism as a case study for how confessions prevent theological erosion. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding boundaries as acts of faithful love, with Part 2 promising deeper insights into protection and application.

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Why do we confess the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed in worship? Doesn’t that make us Roman Catholic?

In this episode of Catechizing Conversations, we dismantle the common misconception that creeds and confessions belong to Rome. By walking through the Reformation debate on Scripture and tradition—especially Luther’s critiques—we show why Protestants have always been a creedal people.

We explore the Didache and early church catechesis, Carl Trueman’s three foundational assumptions for confessional Christianity, and the rich world of biblical creeds found in both the Old and New Testaments.

Creeds didn’t begin with Rome. They began with Moses, Jesus, and the apostles.

This episode will help you begin to understand why creeds are not optional—but essential—for the life, unity, and faithfulness of the church.

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Title:
“Why We Need Confessions and Catechisms: Everyone Has a Creed”

Brief Description:
In this inaugural episode of Catechizing Conversations, Cisco introduces the purpose of the podcast and explains why confessions and catechisms are essential for the Christian life. Drawing from the early church, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation, he shows that catechesis is deeply rooted in Christian history—and that every believer already has a creed, whether written or not. Confessions and catechisms provide clarity, unity, protection, and faithful summaries of biblical truth, serving as guardrails that keep the church grounded in Scripture. This episode sets the stage for a series exploring how the church has taught, confessed, and passed on the faith throughout the centuries.