The Do Gooders Podcast

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. An...

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 o...

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 o...

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 1...

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...

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...

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 t...

Have you ever dreaded a conversation? Maybe you hit a difficult topic or needed to address a sticky issue, but you knew it would be a tough one. Chances are it'll happen again, so go ahead and bookmark this episode now. Kathy Lovin is the Public Affairs and Communications Manager for The Salvation Army in the western U.S. She's spent more than two decades coaching people on how to address difficul...

If you've ever donated gently-used items to The Salvation Army or shopped in one of our thrift stores, then you've directly supported addiction rehabilitation in your community. Across the U.S., The Salvation Army has more than 130 residential treatment facilities which equip more than 150,000 people a year to combat addiction, build work and social skills and restore families. Each of these facil...

"The sound of gentle silence." That's how 1 Kings 19 describes the voice of God. Which might explain why hearing him speak can be really hard. But Pete Greig is out with a new book to help us do just that. It's called "How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People." You may remember Pete from Episode 71 of this podcast, when we talked with him about a simple guide for how to pray. Pete is a wr...

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there have been 700,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2000. Sharira Thomas was nearly one of them. For 30 years, she lived a life of addiction that landed her in prison. And three separate times, she returned to The Salvation Army for help. For more than 100 years, The Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Centers and Harbor Ligh...

In our last episode, you heard from each of the seven Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers across the western U.S., from San Diego to Salem, Oregon, to Kapolei, Hawaii. It was 20 years ago that the first Kroc Center opened in San Diego, California. The 12-acre, 132,000 square-foot facility was a realization of Joan Kroc's dream for all people to have recreational, educational and cultural art...

Twenty years ago, the first Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center opened in San Diego, California. It was a realization of Joan Kroc's dream for all people to have recreational, educational and cultural arts opportunities.  During her final visit to the center before her death, Joan Kroc, the widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, said "The reality of what the Kroc Center has beco...

Could you use a good word from the Good Word? Today, Captain Caroline Rowe is bringing it to us. She is a Salvation Army officer, or pastor, currently serving at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Phoenix—one of the organization's 26 state-of-the-art facilities across the U.S. built thanks to a bequest from Joan Kroc. (And spoiler alert: you're going to hear more about these incredibl...

Did you know The Salvation Army is a church? That's right. Every program of The Salvation Army is rooted in a passion to serve God by serving the hurting, the helpless and the hopeless. It's biblical: We love because God first loved us. It all began in London in 1865. The co-founders, a Methodist minister and his wife, William and Catherine Booth, walked the streets preaching to the homeless and h...

All across the country, The Salvation Army is gearing up to open the gates to that well-loved place where kids can be kids—summer camp. Every year, thousands of kids of all ages get a fresh perspective on life as they meet new friends, discover new activities, and get a taste of nature at one of The Salvation Army's 43 camps. As campers learn to swim, play sports, create music, make art, and more,...

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. Of course, you know this list—the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. Much has been written about this list and how we can better find and embrace these traits in our lives, as evidence of being a Jesus follower. The marks of our godly character. But author Jessica Thompson asks: Has it ever occurre...

Could you use a good word from the Good Word? In this episode, Reverend Eugene Cho is bringing us the Word from John 21:1-14. Eugene is the President and CEO of Bread for the World, a non-partisan, Christian advocacy organization based in the U.S. that advocates for policy changes to end hunger. He preached here at a gathering of Salvation Army youth leaders from all across the West. And he says t...

Anxiety. We all have it.  And it's not always a bad thing—it's a natural response to facing the unknown that can protect us. But it can also go too far. The American Psychological Association said in late 2020 we're facing a national mental health crisis that could see serious health and social consequences for years to come. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 1 in 5 A...

Did you know more than 2 million people volunteered with The Salvation Army across the U.S., according to the organizations' 2021 National Annual Report? That's 2,052,933 people, to be exact, who freely gave of their time and skills simply to help—to do something . And that gift is not isolated to The Salvation Army. In fact, the World Happiness Report found in 2021 global rates of helping strange...

Happy Easter!  We're coming to you this Easter Sunday with 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.  Now, he's bringing us the good news: Christ the Lord is risen today. Listen in for more on...

Way back on episode 8 of this podcast, we heard from Pastor Dr. Mark Moore on Why Understanding the Bible Better Makes Your Life Better and how to go about it. He had just released " Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year. " In an approachable format, the book helps you master the passages with the greatest potential for practical application—from creation to heaven...

The Salvation Army has a long history of responding when disaster strikes.  Drought, wildfires, flash flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, and the manmade kind too. Every disaster is unique and creates its own special needs.  That's why the heart of The Salvation Army's disaster response is to meet the immediate needs of a survivor and the emergency responders there to help with food, clothing, shelt...

The message of The Salvation Army's call to "Love Beyond" is simple: When we love beyond hunger, love beyond shelter, love beyond disasters, and more, we can provide hope and help for millions who need it.  And, notably, whoever you are and wherever you are, there is a place for you in The Salvation Army—to join with us and Love Beyond all else.  This call is being sent across the U.S. and communi...

We are back with a whole new rallying cry. Have you heard it?  The Salvation Army is issuing a call for everyone to "Love Beyond."  The message of this call is simple: When we love beyond hunger, love beyond shelter, and love beyond disasters, we can provide hope and help for millions who need it.  It all comes from 1 Peter 4:8: " Above all, love. " Listen in for more on what it means to Love Beyo...