We're exploring what it means to put Hope in Action. And today, I'm excited to welcome a guest who has dedicated his career to understanding hope not just as a feeling, but as a measurable, teachable strength that transforms lives and communities.

Dr. Chan Hellman is recognized as one of the world's leading hope scholars, with more than 25 years of research, training and teaching experience. His groundbreaking work has shown that hope isn't just a nice concept—it's a powerful predictor of well-being that can be built intentionally.

As the Founding Director of the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa and a professor at the school’s Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, Dr. Hellman has authored over 150 scientific publications and co-authored the bestselling book "Hope Rising: How The Science of Hope Can Change Your Life."

In this episode, we explore what hope actually is, how it's different from wishful thinking, and most importantly—how we can build it in ourselves and our communities through intentional action.

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Hope isn't something that happens to you. It's something you create. It’s what happens when possibility meets action.

Today we're beginning a journey—one that will explore not just what hope is, but how we build it, nurture it and put it into action.

Here’s the key: Hope isn't just something lucky people have. It's something all of us can build. And the best part is “hope in action” isn't about doing something big. It's about doing something.

Because our world is transformed not by great deeds, but by countless individual decisions to step forward.

You're not just a spectator in this story. You're a potential catalyst.

Different is possible. And it starts with you.

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In part four of our series, Walking With Jesus: A Journey to the Cross with Major Dr. Terry Masango, we stand before the empty tomb—the defining moment that separates Christianity from every other faith tradition in the world.

The resurrection isn't just an epilogue to the crucifixion—it's the validation of everything Jesus taught and claimed. It's the proof that death has been defeated, that sin has been conquered, and that the devil himself has been overthrown.

As we prepare to celebrate Easter Sunday, Major Masango reminds us not to stay fixated on the cross and the darkness of Friday, but to press forward to the empty tomb and the light of Sunday morning. We're invited to move past the suffering and see the triumph.

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In part three of our series, Walking With Jesus: A Journey to the Cross with Major Dr. Terry Masango, we explore three simple words: "Jesus, remember me."

Spoken by a dying criminal, these words contain within them the essence of our faith journey. As we near Holy Week, Major Masango invites us to consider which of the two thieves we identify with—the one who demanded physical salvation or the one who recognized his need for spiritual redemption.

It’s a message that speaks directly to those of us who feel unworthy, invisible, or beyond redemption. It reminds us that even at the worst points in our lives—even in our final moments like the thief on the cross—we can turn to Jesus and simply ask, "Remember me." And his answer remains the same: "Today you will be with me in paradise."

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In part two of our series, Walking With Jesus: A Journey to the Cross with Major Dr. Terry Masango, we turn to one of Jesus' most profound and challenging parables: The Good Samaritan. This story isn't just about helping others—it completely redefines what it means to be a neighbor and challenges our assumptions about who deserves our love and compassion.

In our world, we're often divided by differences—political views, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status. We build invisible walls between "us" and "them." But in this message, Major Masango asks us a critical question: Who is our neighbor? And more importantly, to whom are we being a neighbor? As he explains, real love gets close. Real love notices people. Real love is willing to be interrupted and inconvenienced.

Listen as Major Dr. Terry Masango unpacks the parable of the Good Samaritan and challenges us to cross boundaries with compassion, just as Jesus did.

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Welcome to a new series—Walking With Jesus: A Journey to the Cross.

Over the next four weeks, we’ll be guided by Major Dr. Terry Masango through a thoughtful exploration of Scripture and its meaning in our everyday lives.

In this series, he invites us to walk alongside those who encountered Jesus on his journey to the cross—from the lost sheep being carried home on the shepherd's shoulders, to the Good Samaritan who showed true compassion across social boundaries, to the thief on the cross who found salvation in his final moments, and finally to the empty tomb that changed everything.

You’ll be challenged to see yourself in these stories—sometimes as the lost sheep, sometimes as the Good Samaritan and always as recipients of God's grace.

Today, we'll discover the lengths to which the Good Shepherd will go to find those who have strayed.

>>> Get your free Holy Week Art Journal here.

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Today, we're closing our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series with perhaps the most critical need of all: shelter.

Recent government data shows homelessness has soared to the highest level on record, with more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States—an 18 percent increase over last year.

Behind these sobering statistics are real people seeking safety, warmth and a path forward. And The Salvation Army is responding in communities across the West, providing over 3.8 million nights of lodging last year alone.

In our final episode of this series, we're exploring how The Salvation Army's sheltering programs serve as more than just a roof overhead—they're often the first step toward rebuilding lives.

From emergency overnight shelters in Portland to Santa Monica's Hope Team meeting people where they are on the streets, to warming centers in Pocatello during brutal winter temperatures, these programs are designed not just to provide immediate safety but to create pathways to permanent housing and healing.

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We’re back again today with our Warm Hearts, Warm Homes series, and this time, exploring how food assistance helps create warm, stable homes for our neighbors in need.

Food insecurity is a big problem in the United States, as 47 million people—including 14 million children—do not have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Beyond that figure, many more people—estimated in the millions by Feeding America—do not meet the government's definition of food insecure but still turn to the charitable sector for support.

And in Gillette, Wyoming, that includes The Salvation Army.

Jenny Hartung, who leads The Salvation Army's Service Extension Unit in Gillette, has witnessed the evolution of need and Salvation Army assistance over the past decade. What started as a single shelf of emergency food has grown into a 15,000-square-foot facility that's warming both hearts and homes through food assistance, social services, and soon, a bridge housing program for women.

Today, Jenny is here to share how The Salvation Army in this small town of some 30,000 people is making a big impact—distributing over 2,000 food boxes every month and showing us all what's possible when a community comes together to care for its neighbors.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

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