At the Frontier

"Conquering addiction is a miracle in itself."

Those are the words of Lt. Timothy Pemberton, who leads The Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Center in Santa Monica, California.

The Salvation Army has more no-fee rehabilitation facilities than any other program in America. For more than 100 years, these Adult Rehabilitation Centers have offered spiritual, emotional and practical assistance to those who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves.

The free addictions recovery program provides housing, food, counseling, community and employment as The Salvation Army works to treat the symptoms and ultimately the root causes of prolonged substance abuse and dependence for some 150,000 people a year.

And while it's no easy feat to conquer an addiction, on today's show Lt. Timothy shares his number one indicator of success—and he would know. He went through the program himself 13 years ago and now works every day to bring others out of their addiction too—to say to others on graduation day, you're at a new starting line.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

When The Home Depot was founded in 1978, I imagine its creators had no idea how revolutionary this new "hardware store" would be for home improvement. Or that their vision of a one-stop shop for the do-it-yourselfer would come true.

Fast forward and I know you've been inside one yourself, searching for the right size nail or color of paint. I've done my own share of tracking down a friendly face in an orange vest with my latest how-to question.

Today, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer with more than 2,200 stores across North America. It's even appeared on Fortune's Most Admired list.

Perhaps that is partly attributed to its values—because right there next to creating shareholder value is the company imperative to give back. The Home Depot Foundation has even pledged to invest half a billion dollars by 2025 in serving veterans, filling the labor gap and rebuilding after natural disasters.

Joe Wimberley is on the show today to share more about the foundation's efforts to partner with nonprofits and engage its own employees in fulfilling thousands of service projects each year. As the Senior Manager of Team Depot under The Home Depot Foundation, Joe manages the company's employee engagement efforts in volunteerism.

These Team Depot members volunteer their time, he says, because they see it as a collective, familial mission. Afterall, some 35,000 Home Depot associates are veterans themselves.

And as you'll hear, these skilled volunteers have partnered time and again with The Salvation Army to transform facilities for veterans into homes. To ensure our veterans know, as Joe says, that they are well-loved and cared for.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

No matter who you are or where you live, chances are breast cancer will touch your life.

Nearly 270,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in the U.S. alone each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

And as progress in treatment and early detection has led to improved survival, there are now more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.—more than any other group of cancer survivors.

If anyone knows what it takes to survive, it's Becky Olson.

Becky is in her fifth battle with breast cancer and is living proof that we can change people's lives with our words.

As the co-founder of Breast Friends, Becky has offered hope and inspiration to women for more than 20 years—encouraging and supporting them in their own battles and educating family and friends as well. She is a frequent public speaker on the topic and hosts a weekly radio podcast on Voice America.

And she will be the first to tell you, going through cancer is hard and being alone can be the worst part. That's why her nonprofit is out to help women survive the trauma of it all one friend at a time.

Her message is one of "staying in the light" and, as you'll hear, she has her own formula for finding our purpose and doing exactly that.

So whether you are fighting cancer or wanting to be a good friend to someone who is, Becky is sure to be your new go-to for inspiration.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

Did you know we have some 50,000 storage facilities in the U.S.? That's more than the number of Starbucks and McDonald's locations combined.

One estimate cites the number of items inside the average American home at 300,000. But what purpose does all of this "stuff" serve?

Joshua Becker believes that a large amount of our stuff serves absolutely no purpose—and in fact, detracts from our well being instead of adding to it.

A former pastor and the founder and editor of Becoming Minimalist—with two books on the subject and an online course that 35,000 people have taken to date—he empowers readers to adopt a form of minimalism that works for them—in effect, optimizing our values.

Because minimalism, he says, isn't about living in a white room with zero belongings, but about intentionally promoting what we most value by removing anything that distracts from it. And in return, we can find more time, more money and less stress.

Joshua is on the Do Gooders Podcast to talk about this purposed-focused journey, which he says comes down to a simple question: What do I want my life to be about?

It's not: What do I need to get rid of? But what can I add to my life? And he shares plenty of practical advice along the way.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

Americans are not living happily ever after.

According to a study by the University of Chicago, about 60 percent of respondents rated themselves "pretty happy" in their marriage—which leaves 40 percent of people less than fully satisfied.

Further, the American divorce rate has doubled since 1960.

As Dr. Gary Chapman says, "No single area of marriage affects the rest of marriage as much as meeting the emotional need for love."

After years as a family counselor, he developed a system to effectively communicate love to the people closest to us. His book—"The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts"—has been translated into 50 languages and has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.

In it, Chapman acknowledges that while falling in love is easy, staying in love takes work. And he provides a simple map to better expressing love exactly as the recipient needs.

He doesn't claim it's easy to execute, but Chapman—an academically trained anthropologist, senior associate pastor at a Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina and an internationally recognized marriage counselor—says we all can learn to speak these love languages with effort, generosity and a willingness to consider other perspectives.

In this episode, he explores the five love languages and offers tips for better living in each one with our spouses, children and even at work.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

We know the value of friendship, we'd all agree with that—yet studies continually show increasing rates of loneliness and isolation in our culture.

There are even companies today that allow you to "rent a friend," to pay for a companion to keep you company.

While most people have friends, you could argue that few of us know true friendship. That we walk around largely unknown.

Drew Hunter says we don't think much about this topic because we don't think we need to, and as a result, friendship is one of the most familiar yet forgotten relationships of our day.

A graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and the Wheaton College Graduate School, Drew is the teaching pastor at Zionsville Fellowship in Indiana. He is the author of the book: "Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys."

In it, he explores biblical insights and real-world examples that provide a picture of what true friendship really looks like. He shows us how to cultivate relationships that go deeper than surface-level tastes and shared interests. And he encourages us with the hope of a deep friendship with God.

So what is the true meaning of friendship? And why do we need it?

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

Poet T.S. Eliot wrote in 1948: "It is against a background of Christianity that all our thought has significance."

Fast forward to 2016, and we find the writing of Mary Eberstadt in her book "It's Dangerous to Believe," in which she writes: "In many influential cultural, political and intellectual precincts, C for Christian has become the new scarlet letter."

Then in 2017, one former presidential candidate even suggested that Christians are unfit for political office because they are so hateful.

What happened?

That's the question at hand in a book co-written by Phil Cooke and Jonathan Bock called: "The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Win It Back."

In this episode, Dr. Phil Cooke, perhaps the only Hollywood producer with a doctorate in theology, shares more about the book and what he found to be the central issue. Christians are dismissed as irrelevant not because of a marketing problem, he said, but a salesforce problem. Often times, Christians are simply not living as we are called to live.

Phil works at the intersection of faith, media and culture as a filmmaker, writer, media consultant and co-founder and CEO of Cooke Pictures, with productions in over 60 countries. He regularly advises churches and corporations on their cultural influence and in this book advises the Christian community at large on how we can astonish our critics and transform the world for good.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

Do you know how many times the average person touches their phone in a day? 2,617 times. A day!

The American Psychological Association calls these people "constant checkers." Is that you?

Are you of the "rise and grind" mindset, day in and day out? If so, you'd better listen up.

Aaron Edelheit is on the show today to share why we need a hard break in our lives each week. And he'll be the first to tell you, he didn't come up with the idea—it's biblical, a Sabbath.

The CEO and Founder of Mindset Capital, a private investment firm, Aaron is also the author of "The Hard Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle."

In it, he makes the case for taking one day a week off from work, email and our phones for a more productive, healthier and creative life.

Doing so vastly changed his own life for the better, and so he's out to share why we need a hard break, the benefits taking a Sabbath can have and the simple steps to doing so.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

In far reaching corners of the Last Frontier, the Alaska National Guard and The Salvation Army partner to visit communities that need a little extra love each season with a special project: Operation Santa.

We've just marked the 50th year The Salvation Army has partnered in this way—as the team arrives in Black Hawk helicopters and on snow mobiles to set up a celebration for the community. Everyone from the babies to the elders are invited and for many, it's their first time meeting Santa or having an ice cream sundae.

In these 50 years, The Salvation Army has provided: More than 38,000 toys and thousands of backpacks, school supplies and books, serving thousands of children in rural Alaska as more than 90 communities have been visited by Santa and his team of merry elves.

Jenni Ragland, the Service Extension and Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Alaska, is on the show today to share more about Operation Santa. She's been involved in the planning for years—even visiting more than 30 communities herself to assist as one of Santa's elves.

In 2019, the operation landed in Tuntatuliak (ton ta two lee ack) and Napiakik (na pack e ack) and Jenni takes us inside the fun—and, as she shares, the event that creates memories for a lifetime.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.

It's the start of a new year—a new decade: 2020.

The Salvation Army enters this new year with the same mission it has had since 1865: to preach and to serve. (And for much more about the organization and its six key pillars of service, head back to episode 21).

But where are we at the outset of 2020 and what is to come?

General Brian Peddle, the international leader of The Salvation Army, is on the show today to share just that.

Originating from Newfoundland, General Peddle was elected as the organization's 21st General in 2018. A Salvation Army officer since 1977, General Peddle has served in The Salvation Army from Canada to New Zealand to the United Kingdom.

Today, he highlights what he is most proud of in the Army's international zones, which cover 131 countries of official ministry.

He addresses his Call to Mission and where it stands going into this new year.

He shares about issues from the environment, to the concept of post-Christianity, to using an online space for good.

And he offers his twofold priorities for the year.

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.