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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. 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. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. RECEIVE A GOOD WORD. Get the daily affirmation email. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

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 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. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. RECEIVE A GOOD WORD. Get the daily affirmation email.  STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Did you know we have nearly 140 published episodes of this show? That’s a whole lot of inspiration right there at your fingertips for those days you feel a little stuck or like you need a little dose of goodness. We’ve covered everything from: How to effectively engage anxiety, the state of poverty today, plans for a Salvation Army adaptive camp, what hope does for our minds and bodies, what it means to be commissioned as a Salvation Army officer, how to pursue what makes you come alive, how to receive the Holy Spirit, a truly biblical view of womanhood, how The Salvation Army “saved my life” and so much more. You may not have caught each and every episode on what it means to do good, what it’s really like to be homeless, principles to spend differently or how to foster gratitude. So over the next few weeks, we’ll be rebroadcasting some of our favorite and your most-loved episodes. With the click of the “subscribe” button on any player you love, you’ll get each new episode with that boost of inspiration, encouragement and ideas for how you can get involved in doing good. Then we’ll be back before you know it with a new season focused on helping you do good right where you are. 💛 WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. RECEIVE A GOOD WORD. Get the daily affirmation email.  STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Hygge. From a Norwegian term meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” hygge has gained in popularity in recent years. There’s even a hygge line at Target. But it’s more than cozy living. As author Jamie Erickson says, it’s a way of making the mundane and necessary meaningful and beautiful. It’s soul rest. Her new book, “Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow,” shows us how. Jamie is a homeschooling mom to five kids. She encourages other moms on the Mom to Mom podcast, through her blog The Unlikely Homeschool and as a speaker and author.  Now she has given us a guide to hygge as it appeals to our desire for slow living and shared moments. For warmth and simplicity. For home.   And all of this is sacred, Jamie says, when understood in the light of Christ and his kingdom. Jamie is on the show to share how this Danish lifestyle pairs with the deep, theological truths of the gospel—and how hygge can help us make a home where people can find God, especially as we enter this New Year. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Right about now, as you are dashing through the snow … or around town … you might be wishing upon a star for a way to hit pause. Maybe you could use a prayer for hope. Or a prayer for paying the bills. A prayer for when you’re too busy. Or a prayer for going on a walk. Maybe a prayer for friendship. Or a prayer for giving thanks. Authors Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore offer these and more in their newly released book titled “Liturgies for Hope: Sixty Prayers for the Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between.” These contemporary, comforting liturgies break through the noise of modern life to offer time-tested wisdom. Audrey works at SparkNotes and Elizabeth at Penguin Random House as these two friends both live in New York and serve with the Church of the City New York. They’re on the show to share more about the liturgical tradition, this new collection of prayers and the hope that is available to you and me today. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

While The Salvation Army is much more than red kettles, Christmas is unquestionably the season of The Salvation Army.  And really, what better season to be synonymous with than Christmas?  Every year, kicking off at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game and running through Christmas Eve, you’ll see red kettles and bell ringers standing outside supermarkets and shopping malls, encouraging you to drop in a few dollars—or more—to support The Salvation Army. Some 25,000 bell ringers a year help The Salvation Army raise money for local programs. And yes—money given in your community stays in your community to help your neighbors. With the generous support of the public, and a long list of corporate partners, The Salvation Army serves more than 31 million Americans in need each year.  And this Christmas season, I wanted you to hear it in the words of those engaged in the Fight for Good—volunteering to ring the bell at the kettle, making sure families have food and presents under the tree, and ensuring the lonely are not forgotten.  EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

You’ve no doubt seen a Salvation Army red kettle—maybe you’ve seen one already this Christmas season. It is an iconic part of The Salvation Army and of Christmastime itself. What started in 1891 with one creative Salvation Army officer or pastor wanting to provide a free Christmas dinner in San Francisco, has spread around the world. Today, public contributions to the kettles in the U.S. enable The Salvation Army to assist more than 31 million people in need during the holiday season and throughout the year. It’s a truly unique face-to-face touchpoint that gives us a chance to connect with our community and remind them The Salvation Army is at work in their neighborhood. Major Ken Perine is the Administrator and Pastor for The Salvation Army in Spokane—with nine major programs from a church and community center with an afterschool program and league sports center, to three foster care programs, three shelters for families and adults experiencing homelessness, the largest food bank in Spokane County and a camp. The Salvation Army in Spokane impacts some 100,000 people a year. And every year, the corps manages a kettle effort, putting out 68 kettles each Christmas and bringing in more than $430,000 in kettle donations. Kathy Lovin is the Public Affairs and Communications Manager for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. And you may remember her from Episode 120 of this show where she shared six tips for tough conversations. They’re both on the show today to share their own kettle experience and their take on why kettles are so critical to The Salvation Army. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Could you use a good word from the Good Word? Today, Captain Emmanuel Masango is bringing us the Word from Exodus 33:12-20. Captain Emmanuel is a Salvation Army officer, or pastor, currently serving as The Salvation Army Territorial Youth Secretary in the western U.S. He preached here at a gathering of Salvation Army youth leaders from all across the West. He looks at Moses’ conversation with God from Exodus 33. Moses had a job, a ministry, a responsibility—but he was looking for something more. Show me your glory, show me your presence, he says, maybe feeling a little distant from God. Can you relate? Do you have the glory of God in your life? The presence, radiance of God? EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

What are you grateful for today? Does your life experience help build the list? For Joaquin Galvan, it certainly does. He’s the Director of Railton Place, a transitional and supportive housing program of The Salvation Army in San Francisco’s Tenderloin community. And the path that led him here is not what you might expect. As he says, you can’t plan life. Joaquin is on the show to share more about his own experience, how it shapes the way he interacts with the residents under his care today, and why he lives with gratitude with a simple goal each and every day. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Are you out the door at 5:01, won’t work weekends and prefer texting to face-to-face meetings? Or do you live to work, can’t text and can’t tolerate change? Like most stereotypes, these over-generalized generalizations about generational groups lead to further miscommunication—and often aren’t correct. So how does one speak across generations, particularly in the Church? Rev. Dr. Darrell Hall lays it out in his new book, “Speaking Across Generations: Messages That Satisfy Boomers, Xers, Millennials, Gen Z, and Beyond.” He currently serves as the Campus Pastor of the Elizabeth Baptist Church campus in Conyers, Georgia. And he’s made it part of his ministry to communicate effectively with members of every generational people group—each with its own culture and preferences. He’s on the show to share more about this idea of generational intelligence and how we all can better speak across generations. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

I vividly remember my first real reporting outing as an intern. I met Jill, who lived in a Salvation Army shelter for families experiencing homelessness and HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles. Jill told me about the moment she learned she was positive—and pregnant. The baby would be born infected. Jill showed me the four vials of antiretroviral medication her daughter, then 2, had to take each day. She also gave me a tour of the apartment, their home, with visible pride over her child playing in the toy kitchen. Despite the hurdles, Jill became a mom and it changed her for good. She had a new story to write. Before I left, Jill thanked me for letting her tell her story, saying it felt good to share. As I’ve sat down with people in the 15 years since, I’ve heard the same sentiment again and again. It’s when we name our experiences that we come to understand them in a new way—especially our own. More importantly, stories help us to understand each other, to see past any label and instead see the person. On this episode of the Do Gooders Podcast, we’re going to talk about story and why it’s so powerful. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Why do you trust in Jesus? “Why follow some ancient carpenter-turned-philosopher from a podunk town in the Middle East, a man whose own people didn't believe in him for the most part? It just doesn't make any sense. Or does it?” That’s the question Ray Comfort asks in his latest book, “Why Would Anyone Follow Jesus? 12 Reasons to Trust What the Bible Says about Jesus.” Of all the gods, gurus and good people out there, why Jesus? Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters and the bestselling author of more than 100 books, including How to Know God Exists and The Evidence Bible. He also cohosts the award-winning TV program Way of the Master, airing in every country in the world. In this book, Ray walks through 12 persuasive reasons to believe that Jesus was who he said he was and did the things the Bible records him doing. Most importantly, he explains why it actually matters to your life right now. And how you can share him with others. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Could you use a good word from the Good Word? In this episode, Commissioner Dave Hudson—who was also the very first guest on this podcast—brings us the Word from the life of Jesus, who was known as a friend of sinners. This recording is from 2020, when Commissioner Hudson was just days away from retirement. After dedicating himself to ministry with The Salvation Army for more than 40 years, Commissioner Dave Hudson retired in 2020 as National Commander of The Salvation Army in the U.S. He preached here at a Commissioning event for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. The event annually marks the ordination and appointment of new officers, or pastors, of The Salvation Army.   Commissioner Hudson challenges those individuals—and each one of us—to consider the way Scripture shows us that Jesus accepted everyone as they are. That was regardless of their background and despite a society where the marginalized were ignored, religion was defined by laws, and people were separated and treated differently because of their identity and status. Jesus’ instructions to us were simple, Commissioner Hudson said: Love. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

What’s bigger than Starbucks and Google combined? A $150 billion industry? Involving 25 million people worldwide? It’s human trafficking. And it’s a problem in your community. Across the U.S., The Salvation Army has 49 anti-trafficking programs. Recent statistics show The Salvation Army served 4,415 trafficking survivors in just one year. Erin Kauffman is the Housing Director for one of those Salvation Army anti-trafficking programs, called Stepping Stones, in Spokane, Washington. She’s worked to help trafficking victims become survivors for many years, including most recently as the SEEDS of Hope Program Coordinator in Las Vegas. These are people, much like all of us, she’ll tell you, searching for love and belonging. And she’s on the show to share more about The Salvation Army’s anti-trafficking work and some of the myths surrounding the issue. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Did you know one-third of your life will be spent at work? That’s 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime. And that’s a lot of hours. So, of course, you want to spend that time in a healthy environment. Al Lopus would call it a flourishing workplace. Al is the cofounder and CEO of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute and author of the new book, “Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being.” He works to provide research-based measurement tools and strategic advisory services to help Christian organizations set the standard as the best, most effective workplaces in the world. He serves on the advisory council of the Christian Leadership Alliance, having previously served as a board member. And he is on the show to share the research on flourishing workplaces and how to get there, including more than a few tangible tips on the eight key drivers for a healthy workplace culture. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.  WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Don’t only invite your friends or the rich, Jesus said in Luke 14. He said, “Make it your habit to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Then you will be blessed…” (14:12-14).  At about 20 percent of the population, the disabled community is the largest minority group in the world. Yet, estimates are that 80 to 85 percent of churches don’t have any level of disability ministry. And worse, surveys reveal most families with a disabled child do not attend church at all because they don’t feel welcome or it’s just too hard. Major Nancy Helms is the Territorial Disabilities Ministries Director for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. For her, it’s a role that’s also personal as she has a child who has disabilities. She is out to make sure everyone has a seat in ministry and friendship. She’s on the show to share more about her own experience, what she wished the Church knew about loving beyond disability and practical ways we can all engage in ministry in this way. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

We’ve all seen depictions of the white lights and tunnels to heaven in some movie or TV show after the character has a near-death experience. But for Rick Osgood, that experience was real. Rick has a long history with advisory organizations in The Salvation Army and is currently a member of the Territorial Advisory Board for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. In his professional life, he was one of the founders of Pacific Growth Equities, a research-driven bank specializing in technology-based emerging growth. Now retired, Rick operates a vineyard in Napa, California, and serves on a number of boards for public and private companies. And this summer, he experienced an injury while abroad that left him hospitalized for more than 40 days. It’s an injury he’ll tell you he probably shouldn’t have survived. Miracle after miracle has followed. Rick is on the show to share his testimony—what God showed him in his near-death experience and what it all means today. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

How do we seek the peace and prosperity—the shalom—of our communities? It’s a charge from God as we find in Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” So how do we love our neighbors and work for the common good? Dr. Amy Sherman lays it all out in her new book, “Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society.” It’s part theological reflection and part instruction manual on how to be, as she calls it, a “kingdom foretaste bringer.” Dr. Sherman directs the Sagamore Institute’s Center on Faith in Communities, a capacity-building initiative for congregations and faith-based and community-based organizations. Its aim is to help leaders invest more strategically and effectively in their communities as they address poverty and injustice. She also works closely with Made to Flourish, a pastors’ network for the common good focused on issues of faith and work. She’s the author of seven books and more than 100 articles and essays, and frequently speaks and trains congregational and nonprofit ministry leaders. Dr. Sherman holds a Ph.D. in international economic development from the University of Virginia and volunteered for several years as a Senior Fellow with the International Justice Mission. She’s on the show to help us better understand the concept of biblical flourishing and how we can effectively seek it in our communities. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

It won’t come as a surprise to you that the number of employed people plummeted as the pandemic unfolded. In April 2020, the unemployment rate reached 14.8%—the highest rate observed since data collection began in 1948. Compare that to February this year, 2022, when the unemployment rate marked 3.8 percent.  Now, we hear a different story about America’s worker shortage. In January, the U.S. had 11.3 million jobs to fill and not enough workers to do so, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ve probably seen the “help wanted” signs in your own community. And so The Salvation Army retooled its own programs for workforce development in Northern California in an effort to more quickly prepare workers for skilled jobs. And notably, help people out of or altogether prevent homelessness.  Captain Larry Carmichael is the Social Services Officer for The Salvation Army in Sacramento County. He was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer, or pastor, in 2016 and has since served in Phoenix; in Marin County, California, and now in Sacramento. He holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and has a personal commitment to persevere. He’s on the show to share more about The Salvation Army’s workforce development programs ranging the construction, culinary and certified nursing assistant fields. It’s an effort, he says, to help an individual and a community.   EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

If you could use a boost of inspiration in 1 minute a day with a daily affirmation from Scripture—something that landed right in your inbox to help you start your day with goodness, then you are in the right spot. The Salvation Army’s Caring Magazine, which produces this show, has a new free resource: Good Words from the Good Word, an email series to get you a boost of inspiration in 1 minute a day with a daily affirmation from Scripture. Get on the list now at caringmagazine.org/words. You’ll open your inbox each morning to a pep-talk for the day. A boost of inspiration and comfort.  A bit of encouragement when you need it. A good Word to draw on with intention, knowing your thoughts change how you feel…and act.  And today on the show, I’m bringing you a sample—a version you can pop in your ear buds and hit play on. Use it as a reminder when you need it. A meditation to pray through. Or any way you are inspired to. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.