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Oklahoma City is considering spending $50 million to build or rehabilitate hundreds of “affordable housing” units for the poor and homeless. Which raises the question: Can government housing and liberal policies fix the mess that liberal policies largely created?

At a dinner event launching the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ first J. Rufus Fears Fellowship, attendees were told the lessons of history that Fears championed, and their relevance for today’s political issues, will be the focus in the weeks ahead.

Strong families are the foundation of healthy communities, upward economic mobility, and a robust civil society. Unfortunately, Oklahoma families aren’t flourishing the way they once were.

Smoking and second-hand smoke are health risks. So are many other behaviors.

At any given time, there are several thousand Oklahoma children in foster care, often due to abuse or neglect.

Two years ago this summer, I resigned my position as a director of communications to become a so-called “stay-at-home mom.” At eight months pregnant with my first baby, I knew I wanted to devote myself full-time to civilizing my children and to ordering my household.

The Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan came about as a result of the settlement of a class action lawsuit in 2012.

Oklahoma has made a substantial and wise investment over the past four years in improving its child welfare services. I have the privilege of leading the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the opportunity to see and hear stories every day that demonstrate why we do this work with such passion. This work isn’t just about following sound and effective policies and practices; it’s about people—children, families, foster parents, and case workers.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “pinnacle” as the point of greatest success or achievement. Pinnacle is the word used to describe the aspirations of Oklahoma’s child welfare system as published in the “Pinnacle Plan” by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). The Pinnacle Plan is the response to a federal lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma alleging chronic maltreatment of the more than 10,000 children in state custody in the child welfare system. The settlement agreement to end the lawsuit required the state to undertake extensive reforms to improve the child welfare system.

It started with a tug on our heartstrings. A few years ago, my wife and I began to feel called to foster after being challenged by our pastor, Craig Groeschel, and his wife, Amy. Life.Church consistently reminds its members that we’re called not to be spiritual consumers, but spiritual contributors. Stings a little, doesn’t it? Good. We saw a need, the tug was there, and it was time to act. The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. So (after a lot of talking) that’s what we did.