At the Frontier

"From American presidents to Irish poets, from rock stars in London to single mothers in Wichita, prayer has been the argument 'that cannot be proven,' the 'gaping need' of every human soul since the very dawn of time.

"It is no exaggeration to say that to be human is to pray."

These are the words of Pete Grieg, a writer and church planter who co-founded and leads the 24-7 Prayer movement around the world. A pastor in England, Pete has written a number of bestselling books and his latest really is one for all of us: "How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People."

He's on the show to share more about prayer and yes, how to pray—especially following Jesus's instructions to keep it simple, keep it real and keep it up.

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Consider for a moment that you lost your job at the start of this global pandemic. You had a good job. Last New Year's Eve you never could have expected to be unemployed. But now you are. Your usual expenses are still due and while you now have no income, you've also added new needs—like health insurance. You know this Christmas won't be like it was last year, but can you really not buy any gifts for your child?

It's a sobering reality that so many Americans are facing this year.

And as some have said, it's a disaster without the cleanup. We're in month nine of the ongoing hurricane.

So while we've heard again and again this year that the need is greater, we know that need is personal. It touches individual lives—many who have never needed assistance before.

Sabrina Kiser is the Director of Social Services for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. She oversees initiatives like The Way Out, a plan to double The Salvation Army's impact on homelessness by 2024. And this year, she has supported the significant expansion of feeding and sheltering in response to COVID-19.

In just the 13 western states, The Salvation Army has provided more than 5.5 million meals, beverages and snacks and some 600,000 nights of lodging since mid-March.

Sabrina is on the show today to explore need from all angles—as the pandemic hit, the outlook right now and as The Salvation Army prepares for what's to come—especially as we're currently out to rescue Christmas.

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That's right! This is a special, bonus episode from our live event on Giving Tuesday—the Do Good Expedition.

Thank you so much to each of you who joined us! If you didn't, you might not be on our email list, so be sure to sign up now to see all future invites.

Each year on Giving Tuesday, people all around the world take action to support causes they care about. And after the year we've had, it's really nice to think about all the good that can come from that collective action.

Of course, when you give to The Salvation Army, you support all kinds of causes, like helping those experiencing homelessness, feeding the hungry and buying Christmas gifts for kids who need a little joy this holiday season.

As part of our event, we recorded a special episode of this podcast to take you behind the scenes of how The Salvation Army is rescuing Christmas in three communities and from three different vantage points.

So allow me to introduce to you today Captain Kristy Church, Salvation Army Corps Officer of the Roseburg (Oregon) Corps; Jhoana Hirasuna, Social Services Director of the Pasadena (California) Tabernacle Corps; and Sam Jarosz, Public Relations Director in the Del Oro Division, based in Sacramento.

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To live simply is to live holistically in your life's purpose—and set aside all the rest.

That's what Tsh Oxenreider will tell you after more than a decade of writing about the art of simple. Tsh is the bestselling author of several books and just released a new journey into Advent that guides us with simplicity in contemplating the presence of God before feasting in it.

She writes: "Advent is our invitation to rest in the already–not yet anticipation of the God incarnate, who will one day right all the wrongs of the world. And yet he already came, 2,000 years ago as a helpless baby. Already, not yet. We live in the middle, where we're invited to wait with hope."

Tsh says Advent is an inward posture—it's a gift, not a burden. She's on the show to share more about her new guide and how you can meaningfully observe Advent in the days ahead.

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Online searches for gratitude spike every year, right around this time. And with 196 million Google search results for the word gratitude, it's a concept we have plenty of information about.

But what does it really mean to be grateful? Why is it important? And how does it improve your daily life?

Commissioners Doug and Colleen Riley are territorial leaders of The Salvation Army in the western U.S. In 25 years of pastoral leadership, they've experienced rejoicing and endured suffering. They've sat with people in all circumstances, good and bad. Simply put, they know what it is to be grateful.

The Rileys are on the show to dive deeper into gratitude, to help us see biblical examples of it and point us toward how to find it, especially, in a year like 2020.

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You don't need resolutions, you need rhythms.

Rhythms provide a cadence, a pace to live by. They let you transform one step at a time.

And there's four you need, says Rebekah Lyons—rest, restore, connect and create.

As the bestselling author of "Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose" and a new companion planner, Rebekah will tell you these rhythms are not complicated, but they do take practice.

She's on the show to share more about the four rhythms you need and how to find them today.

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"It's all in our heads."

Do you believe that? Do you believe what you're thinking about influences how you act?

Bestselling author Jennie Allen will tell you that "learning to capture our thoughts matters. Because how we think shapes how we live."

That's the premise of her book, "Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts," a New York Times bestseller on discovering how to submit our minds to Christ.

It was also the focus of a six-week virtual book club for moms, facilitated by Caring Magazine and co-hosted by Captain Christina Arnold and Kelly Rodriguez, LMFT.

Moms from all over and of all different life experiences joined in to talk about the importance of our thoughts, what happens when those negative thoughts invade, and how to make the choice to shift them to good.

Captain Christina and Kelly are on the show to help breakdown this bestselling book and the seven tools we can use to retrain our minds to think about truth.

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This year, when we're processing so much with our own interests in mind—what's good, are we safe and secure, and more—if our chief interest is self-preservation, how then can we engage in holding others' interests? Kindness is wanting what's best for others' benefit. And as Ashlee Eiland describes it, extending radical kindness toward every person—regardless of social status, political views or religious beliefs—gives each person hope and rekindles a common humanity and dignity. Hear more from her all about extending radical kindness in today's episode.

A meditation on the Beatitudes is a "training in goodness," says Jonathan Dodson, which as he says, has "the power and wisdom to center us in these dizzying times and bring the change we need." He's on the show today to share more about this "humble reflection" and what we can learn from these promises of Jesus.

In 63% of couples with kids, both partners work. But there's little guidance out there for these couples in how to…make it work. Can we change the world and stay in love and raise a healthy family? That's exactly what André and Jeff Shinabarger tackle in their latest project, Love or Work, and they're on the show today to share all about it with their best advice for how to live on purpose in a new era of work and life.