After 37 years of not believing, one day, God was there. That was the experience Andrew Flockhart had. As he says: I found God at the Dallas-Love Field Airport on a business trip.  Now in training to become a Salvation Army officer (or pastor) at the College for Officer Training at Crestmont in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Cadet Andrew Flockhart is preparing to be commissioned and sent out for ministry in June 2024. Once an atheist but no more, he is here today to share more of his own story, his testimony about what has happened since that day in the airport. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

143: An atheist no more with Cadet Andrew Flockhart

If you care about making an impact for good then the Do Gooders Podcast from The Salvation Army’s Caring Magazine is the show for you. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Christin Thieme, listen in for real-life inspiration, expert insight, evidence of transformation happening in communities across the U.S. through The Salvation Army, and ideas from change-makers so you can join in right where you are and be the reason somebody believes in goodness.

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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. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

185 State of Disaster: How The Salvation Army is adapting to a changing disaster landscape with John Berglund

We see stats about addiction. We see substance abuse portrayed in film and in TV shows. We might even know someone who’s personally faced addiction to drugs or alcohol. But most of us don't really understand what causes addiction, and why our brains respond the way they do to drugs. Dr. Judy Grisel has made it her life’s work to unravel the mysteries of addiction, striving to uncover its root causes. A distinguished behavioral neuroscientist whose expertise spans the fields of pharmacology and genetics, Dr. Grisel's groundbreaking research draws from her insights into addiction. These insights aren’t just academic though; they're also deeply personal.  Dr. Grisel's journey has been shaped by her own experience with addiction, which has given her a unique vantage point on the subject.  Her passion for understanding the neuroscience behind addiction led her to deliver a powerful TED Talk titled “Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction,” which captivated audiences around the world. She wrote a book of the same name. With a career dedicated to advancing our understanding of addiction, Dr. Grisel is on the show to share her knowledge, insights and research findings, shedding light on this complex and often stigmatized topic. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

184 State of Recovery: Understanding the neuroscience of addiction with Dr. Judy Grisel

It’s 2024, and the opioid crisis is showing no signs of slowing down. Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription painkillers and synthetics like fentanyl, continue to rise. The statistics paint a chilling picture.  According to the CDC, an estimated 187 people in the U.S. die every day of opioid overdoses, most involving illicit and dangerous versions of fentanyl.  What’s perhaps more alarming, is this crisis is now affecting every age group. In fact, overdose is now the third leading cause of death in American children. From 2019 to 2021, adolescent overdose deaths more than doubled. To help us better understand the crisis, Dr. Ricky Bluthenthal is on the show today. At the University of Southern California, Dr. Bluthenthal is a Professor and Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Populations and Public Health Sciences, and Associate Dean for Social Justice in the Keck School of Medicine. He’s well versed on the opioid crisis and its devastating effects on families and communities. He’s been published more than 190 times in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Drug Policy. Dr. Bluthenthal has received numerous awards including the John P. McGovern Award for Excellence in Medical Education from the Association for Multidisciplinary Education & Research in Substance Use & Addiction. On this episode, he joins to give us more insight on the opioid crisis and what he believes needs to happen to make change. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

183 State of Recovery: The opioid crisis and what we can do with Dr. Ricky Bluthenthal

Did you know every 39 minutes, someone dies in a drunk-driving accident in the United States? That's about 37 people a day. We know drinking and driving is deadly, yet it continues to happen across the country. According to one estimate, on average, those who drive drunk will be intoxicated 80 times before being caught. In addition, studies show the odds of being involved in a fatal auto accident increase with each additional DUI arrest.  It’s a fate Shauna Zeuske tempted again and again. In 2015, she was arrested for driving under the influence. That DUI was her third. Within a month, she’d received two more and ended up with a three-year jail sentence. She was able to get some time shaved off her sentence, but within six months of returning home, she got her sixth DUI. When she went back to jail, she told her public defender she wanted to go to The Salvation Army. They allowed it, so she entered the Adult Rehabilitation Center program. These residential programs provide spiritual, emotional and social assistance to individuals who are experiencing a variety of social, emotional and spiritual challenges, including issues relating to substance abuse. Shauna feared she wouldn’t be able to get sober, but she stuck with it, because as she said, “she desperately wanted to stop drinking.” And in 2021, she graduated from The Salvation Army San Diego Adult Rehabilitation Center.  She went on to manage the Transitional Living Center at The Salvation Army Door of Hope Rady Campus in San Diego, helping other women looking for transformation too. And today, she works as a financial controller for a construction company. She recently married and continues to sponsor and mentor others through their own challenges. Shauna is on the show to share more about her own experience on the road to recovery. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

182 State of Recovery: What transformation takes with Shauna Zeuske

It's said when an individual is rehabilitated from their addiction, some 50 people around them are positively affected.  For The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center program across the western U.S., that equates to some 50,000 people a year.  And more than only addressing issues of substance abuse, these centers offer life rehabilitation for those who need it, according to Major Mark Nelson, ARC Commander in the West.  It's a story that goes back to William Booth telling his son in Victorian England to "do something" to help the men living under the bridge.  Now, for more than 100 years, The Salvation Army has operated rehabilitation facilities across the U.S. that provide help and hope to those with a variety of problems, including issues relating to substance abuse. These residential programs offer spiritual, emotional and social assistance in an environment designed to help participants live healthy, fulfilling lives. But it doesn't stop with them. That ripple effect is helping restore families. EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more. BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT’S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

143: An atheist no more with Cadet Andrew Flockhart

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