The Do Gooders Podcast

Take a quick inventory:  Do you often feel tired when you wake up in the morning? Have difficulty concentrating? Are your emotions easily affected by the actions of others? Have headaches, muscle aches, or generalized fatigue with no known medical diagnosis?  Do you depend on quick energy fixes like caffeine or sugar to help you get through the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, c...

The New Republic observed in 2019 that "America seems to be in the midst of a full-blown panic attack." And then came 2020...and with it, an exhausting instability. By the end of March 2020, 45 percent of Americans said stress from worrying about the virus was negatively affecting their mental health. In April 2020, a government emergency hotline for emotional distress heard from 20k people—compar...

Love others. I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who'd disagree with this sentiment in theory. But what about practically speaking, when it comes down to actually loving others? We're back today with part two on loving others with Lt. Colonel Dean Pallant. If you missed last week, listen to part one for what it means to love others with Dean Pallant. He's the Communications Director fo...

Love your neighbors. Lt. Colonel Dean Pallant says he believes this is one of the most challenging aspects of the greatest commandment. There's people we don't agree with—maybe even don't like. People who've wronged us—maybe even gotten away with it. And yet, Mark 12:30-31 says this: " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your streng...

When The Salvation Army began responding to COVID-19 in March 2020, there simply was no way to know the sheer breadth the response would take. Now, a year later, the need remains great, and the response isn't over. The Salvation Army is still providing food, rent and mortgage and utility assistance, lodging and emotional and spiritual care, and more. To date, The Salvation Army has provided more t...

What are your plans for the New Year? Will it depend on how things are going in the moment? It doesn't need to. You really can trust God's plan for your life—in all things, no matter what your life looks like right now. That's what Megan Fate Marshman explores in her new b ook, a power-packed, biblical look at Jeremiah 29:11-14—a familiar passage that begins: " For I know the plans I have for you,...

Story may be the most compelling way to deliver information, which we can assume is why Jesus delivered so many of his messages in parables—story. Russ Ramsey explores the narrative arc of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in a new way in his three-part series: Retelling the Story. While staying true to Scripture, Russ shares these familiar stories with visual, compelling language allowing...

"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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

"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...

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 re...

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 ne...

How do you see God at work in your everyday life? How do you view the church? If it's as a place you go on Sunday mornings, then listen up. As Tim Soerens shares this week on The Do Gooders Podcast, the church is more relevant than ever but we must question our default settings in how we pay attention to God at work in our lives.

Have you heard the saying that God uses broken people to do great things? That's good news for all of us, and if you haven't yet been personally invited to know more—consider this episode especially for you. Lt. Paul Chisholm from The Salvation Army Fountain Valley is on the show today to share more about his own testimony and why he knows firsthand that discipleship—relationship—makes all the dif...

Are you living with purpose— your unique purpose? Are you embracing what's uncomfortable in order to fulfill your purpose? As Dr. Deborah Gorton says, every decision involves a loss and a gain. But are you pausing to consider what that loss might be in your daily decisions—and whether or not it is then in line with your purpose? She's on the show today to share the practical skills to help you pur...

The pandemic has affected so much of how we live and interact. And for many, it's directly affected the way we work—and if we work. As of mid-June, more than 45 million people have filed for unemployment at some point during the pandemic. David Jones found himself out of work as a chef when the catering company he worked for no longer had any business to cater to. But he kept cooking, volunteering...

We're feeling a collective unsettling in this time, which is lasting longer than any of us would like. So how do we cope? As clinical psychologist Dr. Jack Anderson will tell you, fear is natural, it's instinctive. But calmness has to be learned.

What are the critical questions to ask in the slow-paced middle ground of refining? (And in case you were wondering, that's where we are right now.) In this episode of the #DoGoodersPodcast, Krysta Masciale doesn't offer a task list of busyness or a one-size-fits-all solution to making the most out of this time we find ourselves in. Rather, she asks, how can we let the full truth we're discovering...

Did you listen in on what it means to do good, what it's really like to be homeless, principles to spend differently, how to foster gratitude, and more? After nearly a year of weekly shows on the Do Gooders Podcast, we have a lot of good ideas to catch up on. So we're hitting pause and giving you a chance to do just that. Hear how The Salvation Army is working to double its impact on homelessness,...

The Salvation Army Orange County's Anaheim Emergency Shelter is a temporary home to 224 individuals. While there, residents have a place to stay, meals and job and housing services. And now, Site Supervisor Benjamin Anozie said The Salvation Army has adapted life at the shelter to increase the safety of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the crisis has forced a deeper reflection among...