We're back with our final highlight episode from the 2024 Testify Congress.

Yes, last month, in Pasadena, California, The Salvation Army from around the Western Territory joined for an event focused on teaching, training and motivating Salvationists to tell the story of Jesus more often and to more people.

And The Salvation Army's international leaders, General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham, traveled from London to be part of it all.

You've heard the General speak from this event a couple times now—in Episode 193 and 197.

Today, we bring you his final appearance of the Congress before some 3,000 attendees at the Pasadena Convention Center Civic Auditorium. This is his public charge to the new lieutenants.

Over the weekend, the Defenders of Justice Session of cadets were commissioned as Salvation Army officers, or pastors, and in this meeting were given their very first ministry assignment. In fact, they don't find out the location until they are standing on stage!

And this is the battle cry, if you will, for each one of them from The Salvation Army's international leader.

Listen in and be encouraged in your eagerness to serve, too.

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We're back with more highlights from the 2024 Testify Congress.

Last month, in Pasadena, California, The Salvation Army from around the Western Territory joined for an event focused on teaching, training and motivating Salvationists to tell the story of Jesus more often and to more people. 

And the sessions featured, you guessed it, testimonies from programs and ministries of The Salvation Army across the West. 

Today, we're sharing two:

First, you'll hear from Monte Mansfield, a one-time professional athlete whose life was forever altered by substance abuse. Eventually, he found The Salvation Army through the Adult Rehabilitation Center program.

Then, Sthephania Mihilii, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico in second grade when her single mom married. She rebelled in her teenage years and then became a lifeguard at a Salvation Army Kroc Center.

So allow me to introduce to you today, Monte Mansfield and Sthephania Mihilii—who each took to the stage live after the screening of their video testimony.

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Building resilience is a lengthy process, but it's an investment that pays off. By focusing on preparedness, mitigation and adaptation, more communities can ensure that they too build and sustain resilience after a natural disaster.

Todd De Voe is a true authority on all things resilience and emergency management.

Todd is the Editor in Chief of The Emergency Management Network newsletter, a published author in the reference book "Campus Crisis Management," and has penned numerous whitepapers and studies.  He hosts The EMN Newsletter Podcast and The Leader's Cafe. He even delivered a TED talk on building and sustaining resilience. Todd holds a Masters in Public Administration and another in Emergency Management, and he's a graduate of the National Emergency Management Executive Academy.

Today, we're diving into what resilience truly means in emergency management, the the role of community organizations and programs in building a culture of preparedness, along with strategies communities can use to strengthen their bonds and resources in the face of adversity. Most importantly, Todd will share insights into the common challenges communities face during recovery and how they should be approached.

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Did you know The Salvation Army is a church?

That's right. Every program of The Salvation Army is rooted in a passion to serve God by serving the hurting, the helpless and the hopeless.

It's biblical: We love because God first loved us.

It all began in London in 1865. The co-founders, a Methodist minister and his wife, William and Catherine Booth, walked the streets preaching to the homeless and hungry. Their efforts became The Salvation Army, which set out to offer compassionate, tangible service to people in need following a quasi-military structure with William Booth as its first General.

Today, across the U.S., some 1,200 Salvation Army corps—or church—locations offer worship services every Sunday morning and programs throughout the week, from youth nights to music groups and opportunities for service.

And the work is carried out across the country by some 63,000 employees, 3 million volunteers and roughly 3,500 officers, who complete a two-year training program to become ministers of The Salvation Army.

Cadets Ismael and Verenice Gutierrez are about to be among their ranks.

They're just days away from completing their training at the College for Officer Training at Crestmont in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. They will be commissioned as officers in The Salvation Army, as pastors, and appointed to serve in a community here in the western U.S., location to be determined.

So allow me to introduce to you today, to share what it means to be a Salvation Army officer and why they each decided to become one, Cadets Ismael and Verenice Gutierrez.

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All across the country, The Salvation Army is gearing up to open the gates to that well-loved place where kids can be kids—summer camp.

Every year, thousands of kids of all ages get a fresh perspective on life as they meet new friends, discover new activities, and get a taste of nature at one of The Salvation Army's 43 camps. As campers learn to swim, play sports, create music, make art, and more, their trained counselors help them navigate the complicated emotions and struggles sometimes associated with their lives back home.

For many, it's their first time truly experiencing the great outdoors. It's also often where they meet and come to know the love of Jesus.

And at High Peak Camp in Estes Park, Colorado, they do so surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.

Led by Camp Director James Johnson and Assistant Camp Director Mitchell McWilliams, High Peak is preparing to welcome some 100 kids a week this summer—and for the first time, is offering an adaptive camp for young adults with disabilities.

The mentality, they said, is why say no? Camp is a safe space for all people.

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Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.

Of course, you know this list—the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.

Much has been written about this list and how we can better find and embrace these traits in our lives, as evidence of being a Jesus follower. The marks of our godly character.

But author Jessica Thompson asks: Has it ever occurred to you that the fruit of the Spirit are also the characteristics of God? Can it be that God loves us with the fruit of the Spirit? And only when we are secure in that love can we display it to others?

Jessica's new book, "How God Loves Us: 40 Days to Discovering his Character in the Fruit of the Spirit," is 40 readings designed to take you deeper into the love God has for you.   

She's the author of several books, a frequent speaker, part of the podcast Front Porch with the Fitzes and is the director of church life at RISEN Church in San Diego, California.

And Jessica is on the show today to share more about her book and the love God has for you.

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Could you use a good word from the Good Word?

In this episode, Reverend Eugene Cho is bringing us the Word from John 21:1-14.

Eugene is the President and CEO of Bread for the World, a non-partisan, Christian advocacy organization based in the U.S. that advocates for policy changes to end hunger. He preached here at a gathering of Salvation Army youth leaders from all across the West.

And he says this is one of those stories from Scripture that he returns to often. 

In the passage, a group of seven disciples are together when Simon Peter says, "I'm going fishing." And so they do and they encounter Jesus. But it's not just a fishing story, Eugene says. If you peel off the layers, it's a vulnerable story of doubt, confusion and grace.

And Eugene shares five things we can learn from this story.

Here's a good word from the Good Word with Eugene Cho.

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Anxiety.

We all have it. 

And it's not always a bad thing—it's a natural response to facing the unknown that can protect us.

But it can also go too far.

The American Psychological Association said in late 2020 we're facing a national mental health crisis that could see serious health and social consequences for years to come. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 1 in 5 American adults are affected by an anxiety disorder—that's some 40 million people.

And yet, freedom from anxiety is learnable.

That's what Jason Cusick will tell you.

He's the Pastor of Journey of Faith in Southern California. Formerly a hospital chaplain, he's passionate about the connection between faith and wellness.

He has a new book—"The Anxiety Field-Guide: Healthy Habits for Long-term Healing"—and is on the show today to share his own experience with anxiety and how to effectively engage it.

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Did you know more than 2 million people volunteered with The Salvation Army across the U.S., according to the organizations' 2021 National Annual Report?

That's 2,052,933 people, to be exact, who freely gave of their time and skills simply to help—to do something.

And that gift is not isolated to The Salvation Army. In fact, the World Happiness Report found in 2021 global rates of helping strangers, volunteering and giving to charity were nearly 25% above pre-pandemic levels.

What about you?

Have you ever found yourself wanting to volunteer, but perhaps were unsure of what to do or how to go about it?

Here's the key: You can make an impact in the Fight for Good with whatever time and skills you have.

Adriana Thiele is the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for The Salvation Army in San Diego, California. She's on the show to share more about her experience working with volunteers, how things have changed in recent years and how you can get involved.

And we've put together a guide on how to be an impactful volunteer with nine habits to help you make a difference in the lives of others. Grab your copy at caringmagazine.org/volunteer.  

When you strive to do good, you help build a safer world for all and give others a lasting display of the love behind your beliefs.

And studies show it's good for you, too.

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Happy Easter! 

We're coming to you this Easter Sunday with a good word from the Good Word with Commissioner Doug Riley. 

Commissioner Riley is the Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the western U.S. You may remember him from previous episodes of this podcast on gratitude and the Christmas story. 

Now, he's bringing us the good news: Christ the Lord is risen today.

Listen in for more on the empty tomb as an enduring symbol of the resurrection—plus what it means to see the life of Christ come alive in you. 

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Way back on episode 8 of this podcast, we heard from Pastor Dr. Mark Moore on Why Understanding the Bible Better Makes Your Life Better and how to go about it.

He had just released "Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year." In an approachable format, the book helps you master the passages with the greatest potential for practical application—from creation to heaven, money, God's will and grace.

As a former New Testament professor at Ozark Christian College and now the teaching pastor at Christ's Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Mark has spent more than 40 years helping people make sense of Christianity.

And now, he is back with a new book: "Quest 52: A Fifteen-Minute-A-Day Yearlong Pursuit of Jesus."

It offers a simple plan to experience the life and heart of Jesus as never before, addressing questions like: Does Jesus really care about your pain? And how can you hear God's voice?

And this Easter week, we get to hear directly from Mark on another question: Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

As he says, if this claim isn't true, then none of the rest of it matters. So what would it take to believe in the resurrection? What do we know?

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The Salvation Army has a long history of responding when disaster strikes. 

Drought, wildfires, flash flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, and the manmade kind too. Every disaster is unique and creates its own special needs. 

That's why the heart of The Salvation Army's disaster response is to meet the immediate needs of a survivor and the emergency responders there to help with food, clothing, shelter, communications, donations management, cleanup, training and more. And every step of the way The Salvation Army offers emotional and spiritual care.  

For more than 20 years, John Berglund has been on the frontlines of Salvation Army disaster response. He's served as the Emergency Services Director at The Salvation Army's U.S. National Headquarters, in the Greater New York Division, and in the Intermountain Division based in Denver before his current role as the Emergency Disaster Services Coordinator of The Salvation Army Western Territory.  He also serves as a team leader and trainer for International Emergency Services through The Salvation Army's International Headquarters in London.  

And at recording time, he's about to deploy to Eastern Europe to assist in the on-the-ground assessment of needs and how The Salvation Army can best help right now during the humanitarian crisis unfolding in and around Ukraine. 

He's on the show to share more about what's happening in the current disaster response, what he'll be doing from Moldova and to give us a better context for how The Salvation Army counters disaster. 

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The message of The Salvation Army's call to "Love Beyond" is simple: When we love beyond hunger, love beyond shelter, love beyond disasters, and more, we can provide hope and help for millions who need it. 

And, notably, whoever you are and wherever you are, there is a place for you in The Salvation Army—to join with us and Love Beyond all else. 

This call is being sent across the U.S. and communities are finding creative ways to bring attention to it.

Like in Colorado Springs, where a three-week scavenger hunt had people all across southern Colorado looking for a red box from The Salvation Army.

Captain Doug Hanson is the County Coordinator and Corps Officer, or pastor, in Colorado Springs. He's on the show today to share more about this creative effort and the deeper meaning behind the call to Love Beyond.

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Every disaster scenario creates its own unique circumstances and special needs. In each case, The Salvation Army is there with other agencies to offer relief in the form of food services, emergency communications, donations management, social services and more.

Perhaps most uniquely, The Salvation Army deploys specially trained individuals to offer emotional and spiritual care to rescue workers and disaster survivors alike.

That ministry of presence is all we do and say—a collective action of words, touch, listening and presence. Collectively, those actions work together to express the love and compassion of God.

Major Tammy Ray, who currently serves as the corps officer in Redding, California, has a long history of responding to disasters as part of The Salvation Army's disaster relief team. And she helps prepare people to serve in this emotional and spiritual care role—to discern and offer what someone might need, even if they can't state for themselves—to create the "transforming place."

As she says, It's more being than doing.

It's a quiet servanthood, a calm presence.

It's not about fixing but it is a gift of connection with another person at a critical time in their life.

It might be exactly what St. Francis of Assisi meant when he said, "Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words."

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We are back with a whole new rallying cry. Have you heard it? 

The Salvation Army is issuing a call for everyone to "Love Beyond." 

The message of this call is simple: When we love beyond hunger, love beyond shelter, and love beyond disasters, we can provide hope and help for millions who need it. 

It all comes from 1 Peter 4:8: "Above all, love."

Listen in for more on what it means to Love Beyond, and how you can join in.

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Could you guess the most popular undergraduate course at the University of Notre Dame?

If you guessed a philosophy class, titled "God and the Good Life," you are correct.

But it's not the Philosophy 101 you may have taken in college. It's "built on the idea that philosophy is care for our souls."

That our day-to-day stressors and everyday questions about what's good and what makes a good life are in fact philosophical questions.

And now you can sit down for class too, but in a fun and approachable way through a new book, titled "The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith and Meaning," co-written by Notre Dame philosophy professors Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko.

Turning to figures like Aristotle and Plato, you'll explore love, finance, work and faith as you dive into the big questions and create your own "good life plan." 

As Meghan says, philosophy belongs everywhere. And she's on the show to bring some of it to us today.

Dr. Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family College Chair in Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, director of the God and the Good Life Program, and director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. She studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and went on to earn a doctorate in philosophy at Rutgers University.

Meghan has worked with thousands of students to help them start to articulate a purpose and how to hold onto it. She's here to help us reflect on happiness and meaning, too.

So allow me to introduce to you today Dr. Meghan Sullivan

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This season, we've been talking a lot about hope in The Salvation Army.

Hope, by definition, is a feeling of optimism—it's based on expecting a positive outcome.

That's what Commissioner Doug Riley will tell you.

He's the Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the western U.S.

He was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer—or pastor—alongside his wife Colleen in 1995. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and has now spent nearly three decades in pastoral leadership.

And he'll also tell you, our hope is in Christ.

This is the time of year we celebrate the power of hope, the most wonderful time of the year—Christmas. 

And just as there was great hope for those living in the time of Jesus' birth, there is great hope for us today.

Commissioner Riley is on the show today to share more about the hope we find in the Christmas story and its reminder that darkness will give way to the light. 

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This is a very special episode as it's our 100th episode of this show!

When I sat down to plan this season and saw episode 100 would fall just before Christmas, I wanted to make sure we had a really special guest.

And we do.

I am so excited today for this episode on the nostalgia and traditions of family at Christmas with one of my favorite people in the world, Fehrn Hesse. Otherwise known as Mama, my grandmother.

She instilled in our family a love of Christmas.

To sing it loud for all to hear.

To watch every heart be light.

To bask in the inescapable glow of making spirits bright.

I love Christmas for the way it brings us together—one song, one cookie, one smile, one movie at a time.

In my family, I've named myself the Chief Holiday Cheermeister—and that love of the wonder and true meaning of this season is due in large part to our family matriarch, Mama.

Not only has she raised our family, Mama also taught as a professor in the nursing department at Mt. Saint Mary's for 24 years and worked for 40 years as a mother-baby nurse at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. 

If you've met her, you've probably received a hug from her. She radiates love and encouragement and it's a real gift to me this season to get to talk with her here about the love of a mother at Christmas.

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It's the season of giving. 

Giving love, giving thanks. Giving to a red kettle near you.

And while those bells ring, it's also a season when many give of their time. 

They volunteer.

Each year more than 3 million people of all ages volunteer their time, talents and resources to assist The Salvation Army's work across the U.S. These volunteers are critical partners in helping The Salvation Army fulfill its promise of "Doing the Most Good."

And yes, 3 million people is a lot of people. So I'd like to introduce you to just one of them today. 

Dustin Wallace is a long-time Salvation Army volunteer because he loves it. 

He's a graduate of The Salvation Army's addictions rehabilitation program and now attends The Salvation Army corps, or church, in Seattle. He regularly volunteers alongside his husband—from distributing meals or hygiene items to those experiencing homelessness, ringing the bell at a kettle or assisting in the toy distribution at Christmas.

He's here to share more about his experience with the organization, why he chooses to give back and why he believes anyone can be the reason somebody believes in goodness. 

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You've probably heard the term "pandemic poverty." 

Maybe you were lucky and were able to work from home when the pandemic took hold of our communities. 

Or, you may know the reality of that poverty more intimately with the loss of a job, loss of income, loss of a way to make ends meet at all. 

The Salvation Army has seen the reality firsthand as we've served more than 31 million Americans this past year. That's a 34 percent increase from the previous year.

And the need for services continues today. 

Kristen Baluyot is The Salvation Army's social services director in Denver. 

She's worked throughout the pandemic to keep people in their homes, to stave off eviction and prevent homelessness.

As she'll tell you, she wants to enrich lives—especially over these past 20 months for those who've received the unexpected knock of poverty. 

Listen in for more about the state of pandemic poverty today and how The Salvation Army is working to prevent homelessness in Denver.

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By now, you've no doubt heard of the power of gratitude.

Scripture tells us it's God's will for us to be thankful in all circumstances.

And science has proven the benefits of a regular practice of gratitude for the mind and body.

So in this week of Thanksgiving, we're pulling from our archives and adding to it.

In this episode of the Do Gooders Podcast, hear highlights from our favorite episodes on living with a grateful heart.

Hear from Dr. Rick Weissbourd, Harvard University's Faculty Director for Making Caring Common, who shared in Episode 05: Five Strategies for Raising Kind Kids.

Hear from Dr. Robert Emmons, who's considered the world's leading scientific expert on gratitude, and who shared in Episode 27: What is gratitude and how can we foster it.

Hear from Commissioners Doug and Colleen Riley, leaders of The Salvation Army in the western U.S., about the gratitude we find in Scripture from episode 68 How to find gratitude.

Hear from Pete Greig, a writer and church planter who co-founded and leads the 24-7 Prayer movement around the world, and who shared in Episode 71 A simple guide for how to pray today.

And finally, hear from our own Caring Magazine Managing Editor Hillary Jackson on the blessings of now.

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We're in the business of telling you stories of transformation and hope—and sometimes, we get the chance to show you.

If you head to caringmagazine.org/video, we have an entire library of firsthand accounts of hope found with the help of The Salvation Army.

From a teen roasting her own coffee to bring water to Ethiopia, to a couple serving people living out of their vehicles, to a father who had lost everything to addiction and finally found healing and got his family back.

In this episode, we want to share with you one of these stories of hope.

The Seruyange family fled their home in Uganda in search of safety for their young children. They arrived in the U.S. seeking asylum in 2018 and found themselves alone in San Bernardino, California.

After a serendipitous encounter with The Salvation Army, the Seruyange's journey to freedom and safety brought them to a new hope and a new church family. It would change the course of their lives.

Listen to the story here, and visit caringmagazine.org/video to see it and share it with others.

Allow me to introduce to you today, the Seruyange family.

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Imagine a December spent savoring the true joy and awe of Christmas.

Sounds dreamy, right?

Well, get this: You can.

With your family this season, you can dive deeper into understanding the true wonder, mystery and excitement of God sending his only Son to the world. Make more of the reality of who Jesus is as our source of hope, peace, joy and love. Unwrap the true gift that Christmas brings to each one of us.

And we have the guide for your journey.

Lt. Erin Wikle is a Salvation Army officer (or pastor) currently serving in San Francisco. She's also a mom to four and a singer/songwriter. In fact, you might remember her from episode 26 of this podcast.

Together with Caring, she has shaped a 28-day Advent Journey for families and we are here invite you in to creating a meaningful season.

To making memories with your family as you set aside time to look forward to Jesus' arrival with increasing expectation.

But let's start from the top…what is Advent and why do we recognize it?

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This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we learned about the research surrounding self-sufficiency and how essential hope is along the way. 

Hope was described as the driver that leads to goal attainment—and critically connected to our spiritual well-being.

That's why Pathway of Hope is grounded in Scripture.

From what God requires of us, as found in Micah 6:8, to the motivation for serving suffering humanity, as found in 1 Corinthians 16:14, which says: "Do everything in love." 

That theological foundation is about joining God at the place of need and allowing him to work through us to bring his healing and hope.

And that's exactly what you'll hear in this testimony. 

Katherine Reid first met The Salvation Army in eighth grade, when she and her mother became residents at a shelter.

Years later, as a mother herself, she again met The Salvation Army and became a participant in the Pathway of Hope.

And this year, Katherine was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer—a pastor—now serving in full-time ministry as the Assistant Corps Officer in Bloomington, Illinois.

Only she can do the incredible details of her story justice. 

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A good start to disaster preparedness is knowing the risks you should be prepared for based on where you live. That's a big part of Jonathan Sury's work.

Jonathan is the Project Director for Communications and Field Operations at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.  

Jonathan leads a project called the Natural Hazards Index, which maps local vulnerability to various disasters at the sub-county level. Everything including extreme heat, earthquakes, landslides, tornadoes, and floods. The project's interactive map allows users to zoom in and assess climate, weather and geological hazards in their vicinity. That way, people can learn to take proactive measures to safeguard themselves and their families. 

Today we're talking with Jonathan about the Natural Hazards Index, the importance of preparedness, how data can help individual households and communities alike, and what we should be paying attention to amid the changing disaster landscape.

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This season, we're studying up on The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we discovered the one question that kicked off this initiative and how Pathway of Hope came to be.

In the roughly 10 years since, The Salvation Army has carefully cultivated the ins and outs of the effort. 

For those who provide social services, one of the biggest benchmarks or ways to demonstrate success is the measure of one's self-sufficiency. But what is self-sufficiency, really? And how do you measure it? 

As it turns out, it's not only about economics—in fact, Psychological Self-Sufficiency and its components are key in reaching one's goals. And one of those components, hope, is a driver, an anchor to be cultivated along the journey. 

Dr. Philip Hong is the Founding Director of the Center for Research on Self-Sufficiency (CROSS) at Loyola University Chicago. That's in addition to his roles as a professor, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Doctoral Program.

With CROSS, he's been involved in studies of the Pathway of Hope as the center's research focuses on the psychological empowerment process.

As he'll tell you, hope is psychological capital—a character trait that reflects the inner strength necessary to overcome barriers.

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This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we took a deep dive into hope itself to better understand it and what it does psychologically and physiologically, plus how we can find more of it in our own lives.

Hope is part of the namesake of this initiative, the Pathway of Hope. 

And you may be wondering how it all came to be about a decade ago. 

Commissioner Carol Seiler, who retired from The Salvation Army in 2017 as territorial leader in the central U.S., was there at the start.

She takes it all the way back to a question posed to a meeting of The Salvation Army's leaders: "You've served a lot of people," the advisor said, "but what are you doing to solve the issues?" 

And that question ignited what we now know as Pathway of Hope. 

Now in retirement, she is back at work helping establish the Pathway of Hope in the Northwest region of the U.S.

And as she says, the approach is simply to offer what you would to help a friend. 

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This season, we're discovering The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we heard from a smalltown service center director about what it takes to deliver Pathway of Hope support day-to-day along with a current participant in the initiative. 

But let's take a step back. What is hope?  

Kierkegaard called it a passion for the possible. Psychologist C.R. Snyder said it's a reservoir of determination. Emily Dickinson said it's the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words. 

It's hope. 

And it's an essential ingredient, part of the namesake of The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope. 

Dr. Suzanne Phillips is a licensed Psychologist, Psychoanalyst, and Fellow and Co-chair of Community Outreach for the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). She has been a psychologist for more than 35 years and is a newly retired Adjunct Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at LIU Post, a private university in New York.

And as someone in the business of hope, she's on the show to help us better understand hope and what it does psychologically and physiologically—plus how we can recognize it and find more of it in our lives. 

It's not magic, she says, but a mindset, a propeller for action and possibility. And, it's contagious. 

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This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we heard from an expert at the Urban Institute on the state of poverty in the U.S., what it means for families and the strategies that point to a way out.  

So what does that kind of support look like day-to-day?

Maybe that axiom is correct: It takes a village. 

You've heard that one before, right? It takes a village to raise a child. But what if the same is true for all of us, child or not? 

Perhaps we need each other. We need community.

That's what Trina Crawford will tell you. 

As the Director of The Salvation Army Service Center in Havre, Montana, Trina becomes part of that village for those in the Pathway of Hope. She becomes a daily fixture in their lives, checking in with them, providing tangible help and resources, directing them toward community and reminding them of the hope that exists in Christ.

How does she do it? Why does she do it? And what impact has she seen through the years? 

(And stay tuned later in this episode for a special guest appearance…)

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How do we approach the longstanding, sometimes ideologically divided issue of poverty? 

How do we inform consequential choices about the well-being of people in the U.S.?

Who helps to shape decisions and offer solutions for economic and social policy? 

And is poverty even a solvable issue? 

Dr. Elaine Waxman says yes. 

She is a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization that believes decisions shaped by facts, rather than ideology, have the power to improve public policy and practice, strengthen communities, and transform people's lives for the better.

Dr. Waxman is on the show today to help us better understand the state of poverty in the U.S., what this means for families and the strategies that point to a way out. 

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Studies suggest children who spend at least half of their lives in poverty are 32 times as likely to be poor as adults.

Which means a continued, intergenerational cycle of life-long poverty.

But it doesn't have to be this way. With access to adequate resources, support and guidance, there is a way out.

That's the premise of TSA's national initiative—the Pathway of Hope—which started 10 years ago to provide individualized services to families with children.

By addressing immediate material needs AND providing long-term engagement, it aims to stabilize families and stop the chronic cycle.

The essential ingredient? Hope.

This season on the Do Gooders Podcast, we're delving into Pathway of Hope and its many facets to explore poverty in America and how The Salvation Army is fighting back. 

Starting with Ron Skeete who is on the show to introduce us to Pathway of Hope.

Until just a few weeks ago, Ron was the initiative's Director for The Salvation Army in the southern U.S. He also volunteers as a mentor for young men of color as a member of 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta—and was named in 2021 to the media agency Pocstock's inaugural Future of Black America Top 50 list.

In his role with The Salvation Army, he led the coordination and implementation of Pathway of Hope across the south.

He saw families change forever.

And he'll tell you he's seen the organization change for the better, too. It's meant a paradigm shift from serving the poor to solving intergenerational poverty. To digging out the root causes of a family's poverty.

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The past year and a half tested us all but it also brought countless examples of hope and sacrifice. We saw brave Salvation Army officers, staff, volunteers and friends continue to serve and show care in their communities in ways big and small. 

We're designating these incredible individuals—nominated by you!—our Caring Heroes. And, as a small gesture of respect and gratitude, we honored them in a live virtual awards ceremony July 23.

We named the 2021 Caring Heroes—the brave, compassionate, passionate, uplifting, caring members of our communities. We were inspired by Brad Montague, New York Times bestselling author and creator of Kid President. And we were encouraged and challenged by The Salvation Army's Western Territorial Commander Commissioner Douglas Riley. He thanked the awardees for "loving people who need it—whether they know it or not."

And on this episode of the podcast, we're bringing you his message along with a song by Matt Woods, with accompaniment by Jill Ulmer, titled "Love Changes Everything." 

As the song goes: "Love will never let you be the same."

Enjoy this clip from the awards show and then watch the full replay.

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As The Salvation Army California South Divisional Camp Director, it's been a tough year for Marty Brown.

Imagine: A sprawling camp without campers. 

He's on the show to talk about the long-lasting impact of a week at camp—and what is planned for this summer as we transition to a post-pandemic world. Because, while it may not look like a traditional Salvation Army summer in many ways, camp is back on across the West this year.

Marty has attended camp, worked on staff at camp and now oversees The Salvation Army's camps in Calabasas and Big Bear, California. He holds a master of theological studies from Tyndale University and Seminary. 

And as he'll tell you, in between the camp fun and the food, most importantly, kids at camp learn that God loves them and they experience that love from so many people who are at camp specifically to care for them.

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Have you been to a Salvation Army summer camp? If so, you probably remember it well. 

Camp is a place where kids discover inner-strength, learn valuable life skills, make lifelong friends, appreciate the outdoors and are mentored with love and kindness. 

And Mechale Mency remembers it well. 

In fact, she recently emailed a thank you to the director of Camp Gilmore, The Salvation Army's Calabasas, California, camp that she attended in the late 1970s.  

Mechale is from the Los Angeles-area, and for three summers she spent a week at Camp Gilmore at no cost to her family. Did you know every summer thousands of kids attend one of 12 Salvation Army camps across the West, many of them on scholarships funded by generous donors? 

Mechale is one of them and she's on the show to share what she remembers of camp and the experience she had there that made her want to be an experience for others today. Now, as the principal of Garfield Elementary School in San Diego, she's out to make sure kids feel seen and valued, and learn to value others—just as she did at camp. 

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Only those who've experienced grief can truly understand what it means to grieve.

For Donna Shea to understand, it meant the loss of her daughter to cancer.

Donna leads support groups for grief with The Salvation Army and facilitates classes in the local elementary schools for children suffering from a loss.

And as she'll tell you, grief spins its web around you. A web of guilt, remorse, fear, anger and more—but a web that you don't have to stay stuck in.

In her groups, Donna helps participants identify grief and shares tools for the grief journey.

She's on the show to share more about her grief and her ministry to help others find a way out.

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Where would you go if you could live anywhere you wanted?

For a lot of Americans, the answer is Phoenix. In fact, Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale, has held the title of "fastest growing county in the U.S. by numeric growth" for much of the past decade.

But, Maricopa isn't just one of the hottest places in terms of popularity. It's also the literal hottest metropolitan area in the U.S.

Summertime, in particular, is dangerously hot in Maricopa County, and getting hotter every passing year. Last year, in 2023, Maricopa County identified a total of 645 heat-related deaths—a 52 percent increase from the previous year and the most heat-related deaths ever recorded. 

The Salvation Army runs a network of heat relief stations throughout Maricopa County to help residents stay safe and hydrated, and out of the record-breaking temperatures. 

Lt. Colonel Ivan Wild, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Southwest Division, is on the show to talk about The Salvation Army's heat-related disaster response efforts and how the organization plans to better serve its communities amid more extreme weather events.

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Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

When was the last time you felt that spark? An igniting of your soul? 

As Emily Ley will tell you, there's inherent magic at the intersection of God's calling for your life and what makes you feel truly alive. 

Emily is the founder of Simplified, a brand of planners and home organization tools for busy women, the bestselling author of four books, a wife and mother of three. 

She didn't always have a life she loved, however, and her latest book, "Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love," is a look into her journey to creating one. It's a letter to women everywhere to believe in yourself, imagine the life of your dreams and chase it with grit and determination. 

She offers five key practices that propelled her in her latest book and she's on the show to share from her book on pursuing what makes you come alive. 

As she says, your calling is to connect with that spark within you, that unique switch placed there by God, that will ignite your soul. 

So how do you pursue what makes you come alive?

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When Joseph Valadez posted a photo of himself outside of his college, he never could've seen the response coming.

Joseph, in a white tank top, beige chino shorts and black Nike Cortez, held a graduation certificate in his tattooed arms.

It went viral and media outlets started calling.

Joseph graduated this year from Cal State University, Long Beach on the president's honor list with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

He's 63.

And he spent much of his life addicted to heroin. Joseph went to prison a staggering 40 times on various drug-related offenses before entering The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Anaheim, California.

He reached a point, he said, where he knew he had to change and he started calling programs, looking for help. But no one wanted him, he said, until he called The Salvation Army.

That cost-free, residential, addictions work-therapy program is one of more than 130 in America in which The Salvation Army aims to help people break the chains of addiction and find not only sobriety, but recovery.

The Salvation Army equips more than 150,000 people every single year to combat addiction, regain health and stability, build work and social skills, and restore families.

And Joseph says it saved his life.

He's on the show to share his story and exciting news for what's next.

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Surprise—Caring Magazine has a new podcast launching today! The Commons Podcast is a show for women who want to talk about relevant and relatable topics—from mental health to marriage, and even what the Bible says about equity. Get to know your hosts, Cassandra Amezquita and Meagan Ruff, in this intro episode and get a preview of the real-life conversations to come.

Listen in and enter the launch party giveaway today!

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If you struggle with mental illness, you are not alone.

In fact, 1 in 5 U.S. adults and 1 in 6 children experience mental illness each year.

Which can ripple into further issues: a higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, substance abuse, higher unemployment, high schoolers are more than twice as likely to drop out of school.

Alarmingly, the suicide rate in the U.S. has increased by 35% since 1999.

Is it different in the Church? Are Christians free from struggling with mental illness?

What happens when loving Jesus doesn't cure you of depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts?

Maybe you're told to "choose joy" or "pray more" and you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. So you just want a way out.

That's what Sarah J. Robinson had to fight through as a person of faith—someone in ministry. Now she's out with a new book, titled: "I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die: Finding Hope in the Darkness of Depression" to help you discover that mental illness doesn't disqualify you from living a rich, beautiful life in Christ. That there is hope. 

This episode discusses depression, self-harm and suicide. If you need someone to talk to when you feel overwhelmed, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK.

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Have you ever heard of Arsinoe? Or Salome? or Susanna? or Joanna? or Mary of Clopas for that matter? 

These are just a few of the female disciples of Jesus who were well-known for their ministry in his day, yet we barely know of today.

Recognizing the inconsistency of how women were named in the gospels and how those stories were preserved helps us to understand just how ignored or suppressed the stories of women have been.

That's why Cara Quinn started Know Your Mothers, a project that seeks to unearth the buried stories of Christian women over the centuries to reveal encouragement and fresh insight.

Cara spent 15 years working in advertising as an art director and designer, and graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2019 with a master's in theology. A mother herself, and a lover of church history, she set out to not only empower us today but to correct misunderstandings about how God equips women to lead in our midst.

The Know Your Mothers project features a different woman each week, diving into her story, personality and impact on the church...and in this episode, Cara shares a name I've never heard.

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Men lead. Women follow. The Bible tells us so.

Or does it? 

Is there a divine order when it comes to men and women?

What if so-called "biblical womanhood" isn't biblical at all but arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments?

What if there is a better way forward for the contemporary church?

Dr. Beth Allison Barr lays out clear evidence that there is in her new book, "The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth."

Barr is a professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University.

She's been teaching world history for more than two decades while also a pastor's wife. And as she'll tell you, there's more to the story when it comes to those verses on women's submission and silence.

In this episode, she shares some of the evidence, calls to flip the Christian narrative around patriarchy and offers a vision for a truly biblical view of womanhood.

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Take a quick inventory: 

• Do you often feel tired when you wake up in the morning?
• Have difficulty concentrating?
• Are your emotions easily affected by the actions of others?
• Have headaches, muscle aches, or generalized fatigue with no known medical diagnosis?
•  Do you depend on quick energy fixes like caffeine or sugar to help you get through the day?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you're in need of genuine rest.

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity and relationships thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures and simply the stress of everyday life?

Here's the doctor's orders: Rest is not optional.

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is an author, speaker, and board-certified physician with an active medical practice in Alabama. 

And she's found seven types of rest lacking in the lives of those she treats: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social and creative. Plus, she knows firsthand the toll a deficiency of rest can take.

Her book combines the science, spirituality, gifts and resulting fruit of rest. And she's on the show to share how you can find and embrace true rest today to live the good life we're all after.

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The New Republic observed in 2019 that "America seems to be in the midst of a full-blown panic attack."

And then came 2020...and with it, an exhausting instability.

By the end of March 2020, 45 percent of Americans said stress from worrying about the virus was negatively affecting their mental health.

In April 2020, a government emergency hotline for emotional distress heard from 20k people—compared with just 1,800 in April 2019.

But—pandemic or not—this rise in anxiety isn't all that surprising. It could be expected, in fact, when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture. 

That's what authors Sarah Zylstra and Collin Hansen explore in their new book: "Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age."

The influence of Christians with hearts tangled up in the gospel seems to be waning just as we're needed most. But there's another story unfolding, too.

Sarah, senior writer and faith-and-work editor for The Gospel Coalition, is on the show to counter growing fears with a robust message of a gritty, real, resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news.

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Love others.

I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who'd disagree with this sentiment in theory. But what about practically speaking, when it comes down to actually loving others?

We're back today with part two on loving others with Lt. Colonel Dean Pallant.

If you missed last week, listen to part one for what it means to love others with Dean Pallant. He's the Communications Director for The Salvation Army United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland Territory and recently spoke at a virtual Salvation Army holiness retreat about loving others. In part two today, he gets into details of really loving others.

As he says: "We need a practical, perfect love that can thrive in the gutter. We must be able to love others when the rubber hits the road of life."

So how do we do it?

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Love your neighbors.

Lt. Colonel Dean Pallant says he believes this is one of the most challenging aspects of the greatest commandment.

There's people we don't agree with—maybe even don't like. People who've wronged us—maybe even gotten away with it.

And yet, Mark 12:30-31 says this: "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."

Dean Pallant is Communications Director for The Salvation Army United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland Territory and author of the book, "To Be Like Jesus: Christian Ethics for a 21st century Salvation Army," addressing many of the big issues challenging Christ-followers today. 

And as he says, to learn how to love others, we must look to Jesus.

Dean Pallant recently spoke at a virtual Salvation Army holiness retreat about loving others. His exploration is powerful and practical, so we're bringing it to you here in two parts.

First, what does it mean to love others?

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The U.S. experienced a record number of billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023, and it's not a one-year fluke but the new trend.

In the face of this changing disaster landscape, there's one organization consistently on the frontlines, bringing aid and hope to those in need: The Salvation Army, whose disaster relief operation never sleeps.

Last year alone, The Salvation Army served nearly 600,000 people across a staggering 4,300 disaster events. Thanks to the generosity of donors and corporate partners, The Salvation Army was able to provide these survivors with a warm meal, a safe haven for the night, and in some cases, something just as essential: a listening ear and a moment of prayer.

John Berglund, The Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services Director in the West, is helping us set the stage for our ongoing conversation about the current state of disaster relief.  

He's sharing more on the dynamics of serving throughout another record-breaking disaster year, the importance of cleverly adapting to meet needs, and some of the common misconceptions around disaster relief.

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When The Salvation Army began responding to COVID-19 in March 2020, there simply was no way to know the sheer breadth the response would take.

Now, a year later, the need remains great, and the response isn't over. The Salvation Army is still providing food, rent and mortgage and utility assistance, lodging and emotional and spiritual care, and more. To date, The Salvation Army has provided more than 6 million to those in need in the Western U.S. during the pandemic. 

And yet many of the needs The Salvation Army has met over the last year weren't unique to the pandemic.

Hear 10 new ways The Salvation Army met old needs over the last year—and then, how you can go about finding your why, too. 

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What are your plans for the New Year?

Will it depend on how things are going in the moment?

It doesn't need to. You really can trust God's plan for your life—in all things, no matter what your life looks like right now.

That's what Megan Fate Marshman explores in her new book, a power-packed, biblical look at Jeremiah 29:11-14—a familiar passage that begins: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, …

So how is God inviting us to practically trust him through Jeremiah 29?

How can we take active steps to trust God regularly?

And how does trusting God's plans for our lives change the way we live?

Megan is on the show to share just that.

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Story may be the most compelling way to deliver information, which we can assume is why Jesus delivered so many of his messages in parables—story.

Russ Ramsey explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in a new way in his three-part series: Retelling the Story. While staying true to Scripture, Russ shares these familiar stories with visual, compelling language allowing us to connect with God's word through our imagination.

As one endorser wrote, Russ helps us "rescue truth from the jaws of familiarity."

Russ is a pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, and allows his own life experience to influence his storytelling—as a father, for instance, exploring how Joseph must've felt as his wife delivered a baby in a barn.

He's on the show today to share more about the series, and especially part one: "The Advent of The Lamb of God." He's also going to read an excerpt from it as a gift to us.

I hope you can sit somewhere quiet, and allow your imagination to picture each little detail of this beautiful story.

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