At the Frontier

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.

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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.

You've probably seen the red kettles and thrift stores, and while we're rightfully well known for both, The Salvation Army is so much more than red kettles and thrift stores.

So who are we? What do we do? And where?

In this episode, we're going to cover the who, what, where, why and how of The Salvation Army—plus how you can get involved in the Fight for Good.

So take a seat for Salvation Army 101.

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.

This is 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.

Here, he preached at this year's commissioning and ordination meeting of The Salvation Army in the western U.S., when the Army commissions those in training as Salvation Army officers or pastors.

And he had one question: What is your purpose?

While we often start with ourselves and struggle through our identity, importance and impact, Riley said we fail to see the answers are found in understanding God's reason for putting us here on earth.

God's purpose, he said, is simple: To know him and to glorify him. Our purpose is found not in what we do, but who we know.

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.