Grace in 30

A few months back, an Arlington county student told his teacher that his family had been evicted from their home and that they desperately needed financial help or would find themselves on the street.  The teacher notified her church, who immediately contacted an Arlington non-profit that specializes in addressing urgent needs, and within 24 hours the family had a down payment for a new rental property.  When I heard about this I thought, wow, what great story about people working together to swiftly and effectively address a critical need in their community. 

Tonight, we’re joined by Anna Maia, the Director of Compassion and Justice Initiatives at Grace Community Church in Arlington, VA and one of the people involved in helping this family. Anna works with local and global partners to create unusual opportunities for church members to serve people in Arlington and around the world. She’s going to tell us about some of these efforts and how listeners can get involved.

In the 10 months since I first interviewed tonight’s guest, our country has been rocked by COVID-19, racial unrest, economic collapse, an assault on truth, and the attack on Congress.  It would seem obvious to conclude that these things added to the already considerable gaps that separate Americans.  

Andrew Hanauer is the President and CEO of One America Movement, an organization founded after the 2016 election to fight polarization.  Among other things, One America brings people together across political, racial and religious divides to work on issues that matter to both sides – like poverty and the opioid epidemic.  Andy joins us to talk about the effectiveness of One America’s programs and to share, I hope, a glimmer of hope. 

“There wasn’t a day in my childhood that I can remember that I wasn’t abused.” This is the opening line of a book written by tonight’s guest about being sexually abused by his father for 12 years. Dr. Gregory Williams is on the administrative leadership team at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He’s also the author of Shattered by the Darkness: Putting the Pieces Back Together After Child Abuse, and he hosts the Breaking the Silence video podcast. Greg joins us to share his experiences, talk about his decision to forgive his father, and offer advice for people suffering from abuse.

Last month, I was interviewed by Greg Williams on his Breaking the Silence video podcast. Among other things, we discussed the realness, super-power, and practicality of God’s grace; the importance of self-reflection; and the need for each of us to be a grace lobbyist. This is the audio portion of the second half of the video interview.

Last month, Ed was interviewed by Dr. Gregory Williams on his Breaking the Silence video podcast. Among other things, he discussed the realness, super-power, and practicality of God’s grace; the importance of self-reflection; and the need for each of us to be a grace lobbyist. This is the audio portion of the first half of the video interview.

Tonight’s program is all Christmas music. I’ll be playing a number of songs from one of my all-time favorite albums, Christmas with the Canadian Brass and the Great Organ of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. I’ll also sprinkle in some of my favorite Christmas choral music from the New York Choral Artists and the Westminster Cathedral Choir. Enjoy, and have a wonderful Christmas.

Tonight’s guest is a gifted storyteller, as evidenced by the 15 Emmys he’s won. Nick Nanton has interviewed, produced documentaries about, and worked on other projects with notable people like Sir Richard Branson, Steve Forbes, Larry King, and will.i.am. He’s the co-founder of DNA, a full-service media, marketing and PR agency, and the largest personal branding agency in the world – representing more than 3000 clients in 60 countries. Nick joins us tonight to share his story along with insights into how to succeed in a media-saturated world.

Christian politics minus the Gospel equals 2020 America.  These are the words of Justin Giboney, an attorney, political activist, and co-founder of the AND Campaign, an organization working to get Christians to do politics more faithfully.  Justin joins us to talk about his work, the upcoming election, and his book Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

Tonight’s guest learned firsthand about the transformational power of relationships after a chance meeting super-charged his career.  He later decided to develop an approach to creating powerful relationships on demand.  James Carbary is the founder of Sweet Fish Media and the author of Content-Based Networking: How to Instantly Connect with Anyone You Want to Know.  He’s also the Executive Producer and Co-Host of the B2B Growth Show podcast.  James joins us to share the story of that chance meeting as well as what he’s learned about readily connecting with people you want to build relationships with. 

Tonight’s interview is the second half of last week’s chat with Rob Schenck, a former radical anti-abortion activist who now works to liberate the Evangelical community from the grips of extreme politics, urging Washington conservatives to move beyond tribalism and the politics of hate, fear, and violence.

Tonight’s guest has experienced three significant conversions in his life: from Jewish roots to Christianity; from a pure faith to a highly political one; and from the religious right to the simplicity of the Gospel. Once a radical anti-abortion activist, today he works to liberate the evangelical community from the grips of extreme politics and urges Washington conservatives to move beyond tribalism and the politics of hate, fear, and violence. Rob Schenck describes himself as a recovering member of the religious right, and his most recent book, Costly Grace, describes how he broke free from his descent into radical politics through humility, self-reflection, and a return to the essence of the Gospel. 

We are a little over two months away from the presidential election and our country seems to have lost its mind. The unity displayed in the early stages of the pandemic has given way to an absurd level of tribalism and irrational behavior. People with automatic weapons are protesting the “tyranny” of wearing a facemask, new Karen videos seem to surface every day, social unrest seems ever present, and some of our leaders are even promoting a culture of racism, fear and violence in the society they are sworn to protect and serve. What’s a follower of Christ to do? 

We’ll be discussing this tonight with Jonathan Leeman, the editorial director at 9Marks – an organization that equips church leaders with resources for building healthy churches – and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics for a Divided Age.

Christian music has come a long way in terms of its musicality and appeal. Some people love that, and others not so much. My daughter (Shannon) and I have always been a bit picky about the music we listen to in this genre and I thought it would be fun to play a few of my favorite songs for her and get her reaction. So, feel free to grab a headset or connect to a stereo and enjoy the music.  

SONGS: 40 by U2, recorded live in Chicago in 2005 (Intro); Black and White by Erskin Anavitarte; Psalm 119 by Reston Bible Church; 40 by U2; Magnificent by U2 (program close).

For as long as I can remember, my daughter and I have really enjoyed the worship music at church services, usually sitting in the front row of the sanctuary so we can jam out every week. We have not, though, enjoyed the studio versions of the same songs we hear and sing at church as much. Outside of church, we often listen to less overtly Christian artists and search for meaning and theology in their music. Tonight, we’re going to focus on one of our favorite performers. Matisyahu is a former Hasidic Jew, reggae musician, composer, and beat boxer. We’re going to play a few of his songs and chat about what they have meant to us.

Songs: Surrender, live on Jimmy Kimmel (program intro); Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light); I Will Be Light, live at Stubbs; One Day, live on David Letterman.

Tonight’s guest and his family have suffered through a world of hurt at the hands of other people through things like murder, molestation, and assault. After describing what they had been through to someone on a well-known pastor support hotline, the counselor paused and said, “That’s the worst story I’ve ever heard. Why are you still doing ministry?”

Bruce Hebel is the co-author of Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution and the co-founder of the Forgiving Forward ministry. He joins us to talk about the hurtful things he and others have experienced and a revolutionary way to free ourselves from the torment that comes with unforgiveness.

Is it possible to infuse design with grace? Can you design products, services, businesses, entertainment, graphics or anything else in a way that reveals and expresses God’s grace? Tonight, I’m joined by my good friend Erwin Godoy, a local innovation executive and Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves who’s been working in the design/innovation space for a number of years. Erwin joins me to talk about what design is, what great designers do, and seeing God as the ultimate designer. 

There’s been a significant increase in mental health issues among our children due to COVID isolation, social unrest, and the economic challenges many of their parents are suddenly facing. These include things like anxiety, rebellion, and even suicidal thoughts. Add these to environments with a greater frequency of violence, drug use, and gang activity, and the challenge of treating these conditions becomes even greater.

Tonight, we’re talking to Dr. Robert Wingfield, the Chief Psychologist at the Boys Town Behavioral Health Clinic in Washington, D.C. Robert joins us to talk about the issues he most frequently encounters and to offer advice on how to help our children handle these unusual times.    

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In May 2015, a group of 25 people gathered to clear growth, fallen logs, branches, and old fencing that had slowly overtaken the Sam Moore Slave Cemetery in Quicksburg, VA. Towards the end of the day, as the team reflected on their work, a thick, old tree stump in the center of the clearing suddenly popped into flames. It was like something was being released from the ground.

On a later visit to the graveyard, about 15 people felt compelled to launch an effort known as the Repentance Project, which encourages racial healing through the acknowledgement and communication of the enduring legacies of slavery as well as through repentance and relationship building. Tonight, we’ll hear from two of their leaders – Reverend Bill Haley and Max Finberg. 

In the midst of a global pandemic, economic disruption, and racial upheaval, it’s easy to become overly focused on the negative. As a result, we’ll be playing a little more music on Grace in 30 with the hope of providing listeners with shots of inspiration. Tonight, I’m chatting with the former Worship Pastor from Grace Community Church in Arlington, VA who now serves in a similar role at a church in Oklahoma. Christian Nuckels is a songwriter and producer who has been busy on a number of musical fronts. Join us as we talk about some of the music he recently created and racial tensions in America.

In late summer 2016, my ex-wife, Diane, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The following November, after an aggressive but failed regimen of chemotherapy, she was told that she likely had three months to live – and possibly less. Not long after, we began planning one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips you hear about people taking when facing death. After much discussion, Diane, me and our college-age daughter headed to South Beach in Miami, Florida on New Year’s Day to stay at a fabulous new hotel. One of the things that made the trip special, oddly enough, was the music playing in the pool area which almost always seemed to be within earshot. Tonight, I’m going to play some of that music and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Back in 2016, tonight’s guest wrote, “I know I’m a train wreck in a dumpster fire. But I also know that God loves me 100% as is, right now, in the midst of the burning carnage that is often my life.” Benjamin Sledge is combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s the recipient of the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and two Army Commendation Medals. Unfortunately, though, his experiences led to struggles with depression, drunkenness, and violence.   

Today, Ben travels around the country educating businesses, nonprofits, and churches about mental health issues, life in the military, and following Jesus Christ. He’s an author, graphic designer, metalhead, and licensed minister – a bit of a renaissance man. He joins us today to talk about how things turned around for him and to offer true hope to others.

Tonight’s guest was raised in a secular Jewish home in the San Francisco Bay area and wound up marrying a woman from rural Arkansas. He recently told me, if you’re ripping someone from any number of groups – Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals, Southerners – chances are it’s a group that includes someone he loves.

Following the 2016 Presidential election, Andrew Hanauer felt like he no longer belonged to any traditional political party and that he wanted to be part of something different – something Gospel driven and inclusive. He decided to focus on efforts that combine this desire with his passion for politics and his relationships with a variety of religious leaders. He’s currently the President and CEO of One America Movement, an organization founded by faith and community leaders to tackle the division in our society. Andrew joins us to talk about our culture of political contempt and what One America is doing to address it.

In 1982, tonight’s guest moved to China and watched religious practices grow despite the government’s efforts to stamp them out. In 1989, as he was flying through Berlin on the way to the Soviet Union, a friend grabbed him and took him to join the first crowds tearing down the Berlin Wall. And in 2001, he was teaching in a Middle East town with 20,000 Taliban when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were struck.

Two decades as an international educator sparked a desire in Brian Grim to understand religious oppression and the benefits of religious freedom. He went on to serve in various related positions, including eight years working as the Director of Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life studies.  Brian is currently the President of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and is one of the world’s leading experts on religious demographics and impact.  He joins us today to chat about his experiences overseas, the surprising benefits of religious freedom, and the positive impact of letting people freely bring their faith identities to work. 

Back in 2015, a liberal graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY became friends with a republican who emigrated from El Salvador as a teen. While they had very different political views, they shared a common belief that Christians were engaging in the American political realm in a decidedly un-Christlike way. That friendship blossomed into the Center for Christian Civics (CXC), a non-profit dedicated to helping Christians be better disciples of Jesus Christ while engaging in politics. Today, we’re joined by their liberal co-founder, Rick Barry, to talk about our polarized culture, how it’s affecting the church, and what CXC is doing to address this. 

According to a recent survey, 99% of Progressive Activists in America feel that immigration is good for America while 98% of Devoted Conservatives think it’s bad.  97% of the activists think the police treat African Americans more violently than others while 93% of the conservatives think police are mostly fair to all races. And 99% of the activists disapprove of Donald Trump while 98% of the conservatives approve of him.

While these numbers reveal polarization in the extreme, there’s good news.  It turns out that these two groups don’t represent the majority of Americans – a majority that is sick and tired of this divide and thinks we have more in common than not.

Tonight, we’re joined by Dan Vallone from More In Common, an organization that has been studying our growing political divide. Dan joins us to talk about the results of their 2018 polarization survey and the work they’re doing to bridge the divide.  He’ll also fill us in on the results of a study they just released called Polarization and the Pandemic: How COVID-19 is Changing Us.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you talk about welfare reform while also giving to the needy in your church?

• Do you proclaim that all lives matter and also have friends who look very different than you?

• Do you speak against abortion and also embrace and assist the single mothers in your church?

• Do you share your political opinions on social media while also joyfully sharing the Lord’s supper with church members who disagree with you?

• Do you call for immigration reform while warmly welcoming foreign visitors to your church?

Today’s guest posed these questions at a conference earlier this month focusing on the relationship between Christians and politics. Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director at 9Marks, an organization that equips church leaders with resources for building healthy churches. He’s also an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in suburban Washington, D.C. and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics for a Divided Age. He joins us today to talk about Christianity and politics. 

Last week on Saint Patrick’s Day, my daughter and I drove from Vienna, VA to Reston, VA to pick up some carry-out dinner from one of the many restaurants that had closed its doors to diners.  When we returned to our condo building, we entered the elevator lobby on the garage level and I noticed a handwritten note on the announcements board.  The note read:

“If anyone needs groceries, supplies, or other essentials and are afraid of getting exposed to the coronavirus, I can run errands for you.”  The author included her phone number and e-mail address, and she signed the note, “Lindsay, your neighbor on the 3rd floor.”

I was thrilled to see this simple yet powerful expression of grace in the face of the emerging coronavirus threat.  I had to call her and do an interview.  Today I’m joined by Lindsay O’Conner, who lives with her new husband and their dog on the 3rd floor of my building.  She joins me to talk about what compelled her to reach out to her neighbors; what she’s hearing from healthcare workers on the front lines; and to offer suggestions for how listeners might fill some critical voids in the healthcare system (see links below). 

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Please note that this was my first attempt at an over-the-Internet interview following the temporary closing of our radio station due to the coronavirus. Things did not turn out so well, especially on my (Ed’s) side of the connection. I intentionally left my volume throttled back versus my guest in an attempt to attenuate interference. I also could not correct various distortions on my side. I apologize for any offense to listener’s ears.

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A perfect blend of politics and religion.  Is there such a thing?  Tonight, we’re joined by John Slye, the lead pastor at Grace Community Church in Arlington and Falls Church, Virginia – a church for people who don’t go to church.  We’ll be talking about politics and other issues with John, including the Christian response to the coronavirus. 

Robert Doar assumed the leadership role at the American Enterprise Institute in 2019.  A leading conservative poverty scholar who has demonstrated a knack for working with Republican and Democrat administrations in New York, he joins us to talk about our contentious political environment, the importance of respecting the will of the people, and his belief that AEI’s guiding principles benefit the people who struggle the most in our society.   

At age 25, Steve Park started tutoring kids in his parent’s Taekwondo studio in a low-income D.C. neighborhood.  Twenty-five years later, that humble enterprise has grown into Little Lights, a non-profit serving the youth and families in the Potomac Gardens, Hopkins, and Benning Terrace public housing complexes of Southeast D.C., where families of four struggle to survive on annual incomes that average $12,000-to-$14,000.  When I spoke to Steve back in 2016, Little Lights employed 13 full-time and 40 part-time staff, many of whom live in the communities they serve; utilized 120 volunteers; and was the number one job provider in the low-income D.C. housing community.  Steve updates us on their work and, more importantly, shares the joy that comes from empowering under-served youth and families through practical assistance, racial reconciliation, and the love of Jesus Christ.

There are neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. that present substantial challenges to schools working to provide local children with the best education possible.  Tonight’s guest is an award-winning principal who recently left a school in the D.C. suburbs to serve children in such neighborhoods.  Vincent Spadoni is the President of the Consortium of Catholic Academies, a collection of four Catholic schools working to provide safe havens for children living in difficult neighborhoods and economic situations.  Vince joins us to talk about the characteristics of schools that make a truly significant impact in challenging settings.

At age 12, Barbara Amaya ran away from her Fairfax, Virginia home to escape abuse.  A woman in Washington, D.C. offered her a place to stay and turned out to be a sex trafficking recruiter.  Barbara was eventually sold on the streets of D.C. to a trafficker from New York City and she spent the next 10 years being victimized by him, his enablers, and their “customers.”  Barbara joins us tonight to share her story and to discuss how pervasive trafficking is and simple ways you can help combat it. 

An attendee of October’s Trumpstock gathering in Phoenix Arizona was quoted as saying that, if Trump is not re-elected, “Nothing less than a civil war would happen.”  “I don’t believe in violence,” he said, “but I’ll do what I got to do.”[1]

Also recently, a caller into a radio program suggested we shun conservatives.  He said he no longer talks to his brother because of his political views and spoke about dividing up our country.[2] On and on it goes in the media as we approach the 2020 election. 

If you’ve grown tired of the political division and contempt that’s so commonplace, we’ve got a tonic for you tonight.  We’re joined by April Lawson, the Director of Debates at Better Angels – an organization committed to bridging the growing divide between Republicans and Democrats in our country.  Following their first gathering of Trump and Clinton supporters back in December 2016, Better Angels launched numerous initiatives across the U.S. in an effort to tear down the walls that divide us.  April joins us to share some insights and stories about their work that you definitely want to hear.

FOOTNOTES

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/28/us/politics/trump-2020-trumpstock.html.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN4Uo7StOb4.

It’s the new year, we’re about 10 months away from the 2020 election, and things are tense.  It seems that many people believe that the political climate in America is about as bad as it’s ever been.  Here are some statistics:

• A February 2017 poll showed that one in six Americans had stopped talking to a family member or friend because of the 2016 election.[1]

• At the end of that year, another poll indicated that 71% of Americans believed that American political division had reached a “dangerous low point.”[2] 

• The year before, work by political scientists indicated that political polarization was at its worst level since the Civil War.[3] 

• Despite these statistics, 93% of Americans say they’re tired of how divided we’ve become – and 71% of us make this statement strongly.[4]  So, how can so many people be so tired of this and yet things seem to be continually getting worse?

Frankly, we don’t need surveys to realize how mutually contemptuous and judgmental our culture has become.  We see it all around us.

Instead of a guest tonight, Sal and Ed talk about politics in America – perhaps the hottest issue of 2020 given the upcoming election – and invite listeners to join the conversation and our efforts over the next year to improve the situation.

There are a lot of things we take for granted – like being able to walk out the door of our home whenever we want, hop in a car and drive to work or the grocery store, or get a job that allows us to make a living. For some people, though, these basic things are extremely difficult to do, at best. In particular, such things pose an enormous challenge to people with intellectual and physical disabilities. 

Today we’re talking to Arthur Ginsberg, the CEO and President of CRi – a 45-year-old Arlington organization that last year provided care to over 1,000 individuals with mental health needs & developmental disabilities.  Arthur joins us to talk about how, through CRi’s programs, disabled individuals can exert greater control over important decisions in their lives, gain respect in their communities, and achieve a level of independence that years ago would have been unimaginable.

A church for people who don’t go to church. Is there such a thing and, if so, what does it look like?  Today, we’re joined by John Slye, the Lead Pastor at Arlington’s Grace Community Church whose tagline is, in fact, just that.  John joins us to discuss how he felt drawn to create a place where people who have been burned or bored by church, or simply have never been to church, can come and hear about Jesus and the Gospel.  We’ll also talk about a couple of topics that have recently been near and dear to John including the power of our words and the practicality of Jesus. 

Tonight’s guest first learned about Dr. Paul Brand when his wife stumbled upon an article Dr. Brand had written entitled The Gift of Pain.  While most people desperately want to be free from pain, Dr. Brand spent much of his career trying to create a pain system for his patients.  Dr. Brand studied medicine in London during some of the darkest days of World War II, when German bombers pounded the city – sometimes for weeks on end.  He returned to India, where he grew up, in 1946 and began working with leprosy patients – people considered the lowest of the low in Indian society.  He would go on to achieve world renown for his treatment of the disease. 

Tonight, we’re joined by Philip Yancey, the author of 25 books including Disappointment with God and What’s So Amazing About Grace? Philip co-authored several books with Dr. Brand and became very close to him, often calling him the father he never had. Philip recently combined and updated two of these books for release this past August under the title, Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image. Philip joins us to share some of his memories of Paul, and some of Paul’s many insights into the workings of the human body and the lessons they teach in today’s deeply divided world.

When tonight’s guest got engaged, his wife gave him a rather unusual gift.  She gave him a paid trip to Deep Creek to be alone for two nights – including away from her.  Many of their friends thought this was strange given the fact that they just got engaged.  Wouldn’t they want to spend every moment together at a time like this?

John McGowan is the Lead Pastor of Restoration City Church in Arlington. He joins us to talk about how spiritual practices like solitude, silence, and a weekly day of rest can go a long way towards addressing the chronic stress and burnout that characterize life in the D.C. Metro area. 

Tonight’s guest lost her ten-year-old daughter in a drowning accident. Amazingly, this led her to a deeper, more thankful relationship with God. Julie Mad-Bondo joins us to talk about the biggest turning point in her life as well as her work as the founder of Julie’s Heart Cry, an organization that helps parents who are grieving the loss of a child as well as at-risk pregnant women around the world.

Mike Minter was the son of a Navy admiral when he flunked out of the Naval Academy in the 1960s. He was left standing on the corner, so to speak, wondering what he would do next. After returning to school and getting a degree in Political Science from Old Dominion University, and a Bible degree from Florida Bible College, Mike and his new wife made their way to Reston, Virginia in 1974 with $600 in their pockets – and the goal of planting a church. Mike got a job at a local golf course shining shoes and handing out towels, and he started a Bible study in the home of a Reston resident. That Bible study grew into what is now Reston Bible Church based in Sterling, Virginia. Mike has been the lead pastor at RBC for 45 years and is still going strong. He joins us to talk about some memorable moments in his life along with some of the most important things he’s learned shepherding thousands of people over the past four-and-a-half decades.

It’s not uncommon these days to hear American Christians say things like, “Let’s take back America for God” or “America needs to return to its Christian roots.”  There are others, though, who wonder, Just when was America a Christian nation?  They wonder if it was when we were killing millions of Indians in our conquest of North America?  Or maybe when we were kidnapping and enslaving millions of Africans.  Or maybe we’ve accomplished that today just as the ugliness and depth of our nation’s divisions and bigotry are on increasing display? 

Tonight, I’m joined by Greg Boyd, Senior Pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the author of several books including The Myth of a Christian Nation and The Myth of a Christian Religion.  We’ll be discussing the relationship between the Christian church and our government, and our call to provide a foretaste of the perfectly just, peaceful and loving government to come. 

We’re living in a time of division, hate, ignorance and untruth.  No group is unaffected, including the Christian church where there are more denominations than you can shake a stick at, and numerous divisions within each of these groups.  Tonight, we’ll be focusing on relations between Jewish, Arab and Western Christians.  We’re joined by Eric Teitelman, a Messianic Jew, and Jed Robyn, a Gentile Christian who will talk about how they’re working together to promote unity among these groups as well as a recent gathering of Christians they attended in Israel.

A few weeks ago, Mariam Gennari and I (Ed) were chatting outside the entrance to WERA’s building while a lone Styrofoam cup swirled around in a gentle breeze on the ground next to us. It was a symbolic moment. Mariam, also known as Styrofoam Mom, has been on a crusade to address the staggering problem of Styrofoam waste. She’s the Executive Producer of the 2018 documentary Styrofoam Mom – The Movie, the host of the Sustainable Scoop on AIM’s Arlington Weekly News, and a determined environmental activist. Mariam joins us to talk about how she became Styrofoam Mom, the problems our excessive use of Styrofoam present, and what regular folks can do to address the issue.

Back in 2007, Ryan Haley was an overachiever and helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy who was living the good life in beautiful San Diego, California. That all changed following a helicopter crash on July 31st that year, about a month before he was scheduled for his first deployment. Following the accident, Ryan began to reconsider his views of success and how we earn it as well as the faith he had largely walked away from and misunderstood. Ryan joins us to talk about the lessons he has learned over the past ten years, and to discuss his podcast and upcoming book – both aptly named A Better Way.

We’re hearing a lot these days about the rise of the “nones,” i.e., people who check “none” on survey questions about their religious affiliation.  The “nones” are particularly prevalent among young people, with 36% of Millennials identifying as such.  Should we care about this phenomenon or just let “you do you”? 

Tonight, we’re joined by Dr. Matt Nelson, the Assistant Director of the Word on Fire Institute, an organization formed by Bishop Robert Barron to respond to the rise of the “nones” in our culture. Matt is a Doctor of Chiropractic who lives and works in Canada with his family and the author of the book Just Whatever: How to Help the Spiritually Indifferent Find Beliefs That Really Matter. Matt joins us to talk about the spiritual indifference that is increasingly prevalent in society as well as the importance of what we believe, who and what we worship, and the source of truth and authority.

In July 2016, Diane Melick discovered she had a mass in her pancreas that was later diagnosed as pancreatic cancer.  This kicked off a 21-month journey where she and her ex-husband, Ed, considered various treatments from conventional medicine, alternative care, and the realm of supernatural healing.  Ed joins us to talk about some of their experiences and share some advice for people facing a similar diagnosis. 

Back in 2008, tonight’s guest pulled up to his house after a day at work and was greeted by his 10-year-old daughter, Irene, who asked if she could go swimming at a friend’s house.  Two hours later, Irene was pronounced dead at a local hospital.  Later that evening, he called his mother in Africa and told her what had happened, and her reaction was something few people could imagine. 

Tonight, we’re talking to Cyrus Mad-Bondo, the Executive Pastor of Global Impact at McLean Bible Church, and Irene’s dad.  Cyrus joins us to talk about what he learned from his daughter’s death as well as from his work around the world in challenging environments. 

Are you or someone you know fighting a life-threatening illness?  Have you been looking for answers that go beyond conventional medicine?  Has someone’s illness driven you more deeply into your faith or even caused you to question your faith?  Have you wondered, What does the Bible really say about healing, health and wellness?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll find tonight’s program of particular interest.  Sal D’Itri will be interviewing his Grace in 30 co-cost, Ed Melick, about his journey walking alongside his ex-wife as she battled pancreatic cancer.  They talk about a number of interesting things Ed learned including the results of a deep-dive data analysis of healing in the Bible that he performed. 

In April 2008, Ed Melick’s wife, Diane, told him she wanted a divorce following 22.5 years of marriage.  What happened three weeks later gave him a glimpse into the realness, power, practicality, and beauty of God’s grace, and became the biggest turning point of his life.  Ed joins us to talk about the restoration of his relationship with Diane over ten years and his journey alongside her as she battled pancreatic cancer. 

America is divided on many fronts – racially, politically, socioeconomically…  There is a lot of pain, hate, anger, and polarization in our country.  We have heard many times on Grace in 30 about the importance of proximity and listening to tearing down the walls that separate us.  Tonight, we’re joined by two very different men – a Jewish man who grew up the son of hippies and went on to work as a civil servant, and a Christian man who grew up as a military brat and went on to work in education and the food service industry.  They have joined forces to provide an example of how to eliminate the barriers that separate us, starting with the age-old barrier between Jew and Gentile.  Eric Teitelman and Jed Robyn talk about the importance of intentionally bringing people of differing beliefs together and encouraging them to empathize with and love one another. 

Back in 1996, two men launched a mentoring program in an underserved Southeast DC neighborhood where far too many youths grow up without appropriate role models.  Twenty years later, the Dream Center opened a new facility just behind its original home in the Southeast White House with the goal of encouraging local children and adults to dream big while receiving a range of services designed to help them honor their God-given potential.

Today we’re joined by Ernest Clover, the Director of both the Dream Center and Southeast White House.  Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Ernest began volunteering at the Southeast White House in 2007 while serving as an intern on Capitol Hill.  His experience left such an impression on him that he decided to return as a mentor after completing his master’s degree seven years ago, and he has been there ever since.  Ernest joins us to talk about the Dream Center’s approach of letting the community inform what services they provide, and the new facility they opened in 2016.   

My guess is that most of our listeners have heard about the sexual assault case involving junior varsity football players at Damascus Senior High – an assault that one prosecutor described as “astonishingly cruel.”  While it’s easy to dismiss such occurrences as extreme and rare, it does beg the question, is this evidence of a much broader culture of abuse and bullying in our schools? 

Tonight’s guest is here to answer that question.  Just a few years ago, Knott Kavanaugh was the target of never-ending abuse at the hands of fellow students at a Fairfax County middle school.  The bullying got so bad, and the teacher apathy so persistent, that he attempted suicide at age 13.  After Knott’s mom pulled him out of the school and became a home schooler, Knott wrote a book about his experiences as part of a class assignment.  When he saw the affect his story had on other bullied children and their unaware parents, he knew he could make a difference by sharing it with people – and he’s here to do that tonight.  We’re also joined by Knott’s mom who will give us a parent’s perspective on bullying. 

Tonight’s guest, Gabe Segoine, was born in Maui and grew up in California.  At age 19, he moved back to Maui to live what he calls the dream surfer life, but he realized after six years that he was miserable.  Following a series of life-changing events, Gabe found himself in North Korea where he was working to bring clean water, heating coal, medicine, and other necessities to its people.  When he saw some waves he asked about surfing and the rest, as they say, is history.  Gabe has been to North Korea 18 times since that original trip and founded Love North Korea Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to helping the people of North Korea improve their lives – and surf!  He recently published a book about his experiences entitled, Surfing North Korea: And Other Stories from Inside.  Gabe joins us to talk about the love he’s developed for the people of North Korea, the challenges Westerners face working in their country, and misconceptions about North Koreans, their government, and its relationship with the West. 

Russ Kloskin grew up in a family marked by violence, drug use, and poverty.  At age seven his mom got him high on marijuana, and at age 11 she took him with her to perform a burglary.  At age 12 he was arrested for the first time, and at age 15 he was arrested for armed robbery and tried and convicted as an adult.  Russ would spend 27 of the next 35 years in prison where he became a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, one of the most violent white supremacist prison gangs in the U.S., briefly rising to the level of President during the late 90s.  During a 7-year stint in solitary confinement, Russ began to see the anger and rage that had come to fill his heart and radically changed his life.  He joins us to talk about his experiences and the work he is now doing to help prisoners successfully re-integrate with society when they are released.

A caravan is headed to our Southern border, and it’s filled with criminals and terrorists bent on invading our country.  At least that’s what the highest level of our government is telling us.  But is that the real story?  Tonight, we’ll get a report from the front lines of the immigrant surge that started four years ago.  We’re joined by Sister Norma Pimentel, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Texas who helped organize their response to the 2014 surge of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States.  Sister Pimentel is a 2018 Hispanic Heritage Award recipient, an award established by the Reagan administration, and the 2018 recipient of the Laetare Medal at Notre Dame University’s commencement ceremony honoring her work with migrants and refugees, the highest and oldest award given to a U.S. Catholic each year.  Sister Pimentel joins us to talk about her experiences working with refugees and seeing God himself in them.

Tonight’s guest is well-versed in the false dichotomies between the political right and left – the lie that we must choose one side at the expense of the other when addressing issues like the rights of the unborn and the rights of women, domestic job security and immigration, and systematic racism and supporting our servicemen.  He points out that Christians have allowed themselves to be divided by the ideologies of men instead of uniting under the banner of being made in the image of God.

Moses Lee is an ordained minister who works as the Director of OneU DC, the college ministry of Redeemer Church of Arlington, focused on serving the students at American University.  Moses joins us to talk about the origin of these false choices, what we can do to take away their power, and what he has learned working to serve and share the gospel with college students. 

About 19 years ago, Mitch Tuchman was sitting in a McDonalds when he saw a school bus unloading a group of severely disabled teenagers.  The sight and proximity of the teens rattled him, and he wept.  Two years before, he and his wife had given birth to a disabled boy named Jack and the teens provided a glimpse into their future.  Mitch joins us to talk about the many lessons he has since learned from Jack, and the company that grew out of his motivation to ensure that Jack would never become a financial burden to his siblings or others.

Tonight’s guest, Eric Teitelman, grew up in a Jewish family in the 1960s and 70s.  His parents were hippies who lived in places like Berkeley, California and Bat Yam, Israel, and they were no strangers to communes, nudist colonies, and kibbutzes.  He also watched his parents struggle through issues like mental illness, unfaithfulness, and abandonment.  Through all of the craziness, though, Eric had a vision of God as a loving father, and that knowledge made him determined to live a different kind of life than his parents.  Thirty-plus years later, Eric is a happily married family man who works as an Engineering Chief in the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.  He also volunteers his time with various local ministries including OneHeartDC, a group working to tear down the barriers that separate DC Metro area churches.  He joins us to talk about his experiences growing up, how he was able to avoid the mistakes his parents made, and OneHeartDC’s upcoming Washington Prayer Gathering on the National Mall on Saturday, September 22nd. 

Between 2009 and 2016, nearly 600 park rangers were killed in the line of duty in Africa by men poaching elephant tusks and rhino horns.  In Namibia, where poaching was seen as the only way some families could stay fed, the government instituted a program in the 1980s where they began to convert poachers into “game guards.”  It was a novel idea, and as the program matured the government began forming community conservancies where communities were given the rights to the animals on their land in exchange for agreeing to look after them.  Today the program is seen as a huge success with the populations of cheetahs, black rhinos, and elephants all increasing dramatically.   

This is the sort of project that today’s guest, crime-fighting conservationist Jessica Graham, works on.  Jessica spent the past ten years working first at the US State Department where she created an environmental crime program; and most recently at INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization.  Jessica recently returned to the U.S. from France to start a consulting business focused on environmental and international security issues.  She joins us to talk about the intersection of conservation and law enforcement work, and to share insights she has gained traveling to over 40 countries. 

All of us have our fair share of challenges at work, including working with people we don’t get along with and perhaps don’t like.  What would you do if you found out that one of your coworkers was actively trying to get you fired?  Would you mount a counter campaign and maybe even try to get them fired?  Or would you take the high road and ignore them, letting your work speak for itself?  Is there another option?  What would you say to the idea of actively trying to make that person’s day better every day without regard to how they react – perhaps even working to get them promoted?  Does this sound ridiculous?

Today we’re joined by John McGowan, the Lead Pastor at Restoration City Church in Arlington – a four-year-old church that meets in Gunston Middle School.  John joins us to talk about the prevalence of un-grace, the importance of countering it, and what grace looks like in its most powerful form. 

The U.S. prison system is broken and badly in need of reform.  One case in point is the recidivism rate – the percentage of prisoners who return to the prison population after their release.  Despite the fact that one of the primary goals of the system is rehabilitation, one study showed that over half of the people released from prison returned within one year; two-thirds returned after three years; and three-quarters returned within five years. 

Today we’re talking to Rickey Brown, the Founder and CEO of Transitional Associates, a non-profit he established in 2014 to provide services to men, women and juveniles entering and exiting the prison system.  Rickey joins us to talk about his passion for prison reform, what he has learned working both inside and outside of the system, and his perspective on why things are broken – and how he’s working to improve them. 

One in three women worldwide (and one in four men) will be the victim of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.  In America, someone is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds.  Arlington County residents are not immune to these issues.  Today we’re hosting Samantha Clarke and Christina Cole from Doorways for Women and Families, an Arlington-based non-profit that has provided a pathway out of violence and homelessness to thousands of our neighbors over the past 40 years.  Sam and Christy join us to talk about the services Doorways provide on behalf of Arlington County, and the impact the program has had on both its clients and volunteers. 

Everybody lies.  Dishonesty is major problem that effects every area of our lives including our families, workplaces, communities, and world.  Today’s guest is an authority on honesty who has helped numerous businesses dramatically improve performance through open, honest communications.  Steven Gaffney joins us to talk about the most significant form of dishonesty, the path to improving communications, and how to sustain a change for the better.   

Chef Johnny Scott loves to teach young people the importance of developing workforce skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and overcoming the shame of their past.  Johnny honed his cooking skills working by his mother’s side in the kitchen; preparing food for fellow inmates in jail; and while touring the globe with his Air Force wife.  In addition to running his Mission Kitchen catering business, Johnny can be found helping at-risk youth at the DC Juvenile Detention Center, The DC Dream Center, and The Boys Probation House in Fairfax County, as well as teaching healthy cooking classes at the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir.  Join us as Johnny shares highlights and lessons learned from a life serving delicious food to others. 

About two years ago, I [Ed] experienced a major flood in my condo after a contractor triggered a sprinkler head.  As I feverishly worked to stem the flow of water and save my belongings, I was struck by the fact that only two people dove in uninvited to help – a couple from Costa Rica.  I was initially upset by this.  Then I realized I hardly knew my neighbors and, even worse, I hadn’t made the effort to get to know them.  I asked myself, would I have immediately dived in and helped one of them if they were going through the same thing?  The unfortunate answer is, probably not. 

Tonight’s guests are working to address this issue.  Mike and Michele Husfelt are part of a ministry called Apartment Life that works to develop deep relationships and a sense of community and service among neighbors in apartment complexes.  Mike is doing this in addition to his work as an Air Force Chaplain, including assignments in Afghanistan and at Arlington Cemetery.  Michele is doing it after raising five children and volunteering on military bases around the world, and while currently working at Northstar Church Network.  They join us to talk about the importance and joy of knowing and helping our neighbors. 

We’ve been hearing a lot about the Dreamers lately.  These are people who were brought into the United States illegally as children and are eligible for DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – a program that temporarily shields some young immigrants from deportation, and allows them to work legally.  President Trump ordered an end to DACA back in September, putting 800,000 Dreamers in limbo.  In the midst of all the political posturing concerning Dreamers, it’s tough to remember that the vast majority of them are simply people who have spent most of their lives in our country and love it dearly.  Today we’re joined by two of them.  Lizzette Arias is the Executive Director of the Dream Project, an Arlington-based non-profit that provides scholarships, mentoring, and advocacy for Dreamers; and Selena Caceres, a Yorktown High School student and Dream Project mentee.  They join us to share their personal Dreamer stories, and their reactions to events on Capitol Hill. 

Tonight we’re talking about forgiveness – more specifically, self-forgiveness.  We’re joined by Reverend Dr. Michael Barry, the former Director of Pastoral Care at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Philadelphia, and the author of four books including The Forgiveness Project.  Michael joins us to talk about what he learned at CTCA, and in other work and research he’s done; the relationship between self-forgiveness and narcissism; and the book he’s currently co-authoring entitled Forgiveness of Self. 

Tonight we feature a love story.  But it’s not your typical Valentine’s Day tale.  It’s a story of marriage, alcoholism, separation, jail, restoration, and terminal cancer – across the span of 30 years.  We’re joined by Lee Self, a former high tech executive who now facilitates CEO peer learning groups.  Lee joins us to talk about the effect of her husband’s alcoholism on her family, and the fundamental lessons she and her loved ones learned from it.

On the morning of September 16, 2013, tonight’s guest encountered the Washington Navy Yard shooter in a stairwell and was shot at close range.  Just before Aaron Alexis pulled the trigger, Jennifer Bennett felt a sense of peace and love as she stared into Aaron’s eyes.  Twelve people were killed by the shooter that day, and he himself died in an exchange of gunfire with police.  Somehow Jennifer survived.  She joins us to talk about her experiences that day, how they transformed her life, and the profound insights she has gained into the importance of really “seeing” others and of boldly honoring our God-given purpose. 

Today’s guest, Will Herron, grew up in Northern Ireland and was an early member of the experimental Irish folk rock band known as the Rend Collective, which toured with folks like Chris Tomlin and Kari Jobe, and last year performed at Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks.  He left the group five years ago to become the worship leader at Holy Trinity Church in McLean VA.  Will’s story isn’t sensational like some of the “prodigal sons” we have featured on our program.  It’s more a story of the prodigal son’s brother who, while he stayed home, had a heart that was just as far from his Father as his brother’s.  Will joins us to talk about his life journey and the centrality of music and community to his faith and higher purpose. 

Tonight we’re talking about hope in the face of cancer.  According to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society, the risk of developing cancer in women is over 37%, and in men it’s over 42%.  Cancer has been called one of the most significant challenges in human history and will affect every one of us at one time or another.  The good news is that we’re on a path towards more rational treatments, including a better understanding of the importance of a more holistic approach that acknowledges the role of spirituality, hope, and forgiveness in healing.  Today, we’re joined by Reverend Dr. Michael Barry, the former Director of Pastoral Care at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia; and the author of four books, including A Reason for Hope and The Forgiveness Project, all of which attempt to address the spiritual needs of cancer patients at a time when their faith is both challenged and critically important.  Michael joins us to talk about his experiences and what’s truly important at such a difficult time in someone’s life. 

About 20 years ago, I (Ed) was adrift in my Christian faith.  I had stopped attending the legalistic church I had been part of for many years, I was chasing the big payday in the high-tech startup world, and I had recently become a father.  All the while, though, something kept gnawing at me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  As I wandered through Barnes and Noble, as I often did in those days, I kept passing a book entitled What’s So Amazing About Grace?  At first I thought, that’s a catchy title.  Then I started to think more and more deeply about the question until I finally said to myself, “What is so amazing about grace?!” So I purchased the book and read it, and it changed my life.  Today, we’re joined by Philip Yancey, the author of that book and 20 others (four written with Dr. Paul Brand), many of them award winning.  Philip’s most recent book is entitled Vanishing Grace, Whatever Happened to the Good News?  In it, he revisits the topic of grace noting that his original question has only grown more urgent in recent years.

Tonight we return to the topic of racial reconciliation.  Our guest is Daryl Davis, a local musician, author, and black man who is on a mission to tear down some of the most extreme barriers between whites and blacks in our country.  For the past 30 years, Daryl has been seeking out and befriending members of the KKK, and watching them radically transform when they came to know him.  Some of these transformations have been so remarkable that a number of Klan members have rescinded their beliefs and given their hoods and robes to Daryl for a museum he plans to create.  Daryl joins us to talk about the power of crossing the divide, truly listening to people who are radically different from us, and building relationships.  He’ll also talk about what he learned performing with people like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bo Diddley.   

According to tonight’s guest, in today’s information-saturated world we have five-to-ten seconds to persuade someone that what we have to say is worthy of their time and attention.  After that, a filter kicks in and people tune us out.  So how does this affect how we share the gospel; and what exactly is the gospel?  Daniel Rice is the author of #GOSPEL, and the founder of the Hashtag Gospel organization that works to present the gospel in a way that syncs with today’s culture and uniqueness.  Daniel joins us to talk about what led him to start this movement, how it’s affected others, and to share some “updated” takes on the gospel. 

Rick Pina was the first US-born member of his Dominican Republic family.  He grew up in Brooklyn in the 1970s, a place characterized by poverty, drugs and violence; and he joined the Army partly to escape this environment.  In August of 1995, he heard the gospel in a military chapel in Kuwait and asked God to reveal His truth to him and save him – and his life changed forever.  Rick taught his first Bible study just five months after giving his life to Christ, preached his first sermon before the end of his Kuwait deployment, and has been preaching ever since including thousands of Web devotionals.  Rick’s identity as a man of God never wavered as he rose to become the Army’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).  Rick joins us to talk about how he unabashedly walked by faith throughout his 25-year military career and his post-retirement ministry with his wife, Isabella. 

Gene and Jeanie Cross have been getting up at 4:00 a.m. every Friday for the past 10 years to prepare hot meals and provide other services for the homeless population in Ballston, VA.  They join us to talk about how they were drawn to this type of volunteer work; and the benefits of doing so for them, the people they serve, and the folks they work alongside.  They also share stories about the people they have helped, and challenge us to step outside the walls of our homes and churches and get our hands dirty serving others. 

Bonnie Carroll is a 2015 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  She’s a former White House West Wing staffer and Air Force Reserve Major whose life was forever changed when her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, was killed in an Army C-12 plane crash in November 1992.  As Bonnie searched for support, she realized there was no organization dedicated to providing help to military families grieving the death of a loved one.  In 1994, she founded TAPS – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – a national support program that has offered hope and healing to 70,000 military family members, casualty officers, and caregivers.  Bonnie joins us to talk about the experience of losing her husband, her vision for TAPS, and some of the people they’ve been able to serve. 

Kevin Almestica was born in Rikers Island Prison 23 years ago.  Three days later, his mother handed him over to Mayra Alemar to raise until she was released from prison.  Mayra was working with Prison Fellowship when she first met Kevin’s pregnant mom.  Kevin’s biological parents and godfather were all dead by the time he was 12, and Mayra wound up raising Kevin to adulthood while also caring for five other children.  Kevin joins us to talk about his experiences growing up, and the profound impact that Mayra and Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program had on him.  We’re also joined by Jim Forbes, the Director of Communications for Prison Fellowship, who will give us details on their Angel Tree program. 

The importance of listening is something that countless guests have shared with us on Grace in 30.  Yet it seems to be in short supply these days.  When we don’t have our heads buried in our mobile phones or connected to earbuds, we’re formulating the next thing we’re going to say while someone else is talking.  Even worse, our failure to truly listen leads us to miss out on the need, pain, and suffering of people all around us.  Today’s guest is Art Bennett, CEO and President of Catholic Charities of the Arlington Diocese, and the co-author of Tuned In: The Power of Pressing Pause and Listening.  Art joins us to talk about what listening really is, how to do it with purpose, and the benefits and joys of doing so.

Ask yourself, where would you be without family and friends?  The answer, too often, is homeless and possibly on the streets.  Miracle Messages helps people experiencing homelessness to record short videos for their long-lost relatives.  They use social media and volunteers to locate their loved ones and try to deliver the messages as a way of reuniting families.  Restoring those relationships at the beginning of a recovery process is the goal, and they hope to unite 1% of the world’s homeless population with their relatives by 2021.  How cool would it be to use our cell phones not only for texting and selfies but also as a tool to help end homelessness and help our neighbors in need.  Today we’re joined by Kevin Adler, the Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages.  Kevin joins us to share how this idea came about, some stories of family reunions, and how they plan to reach their audacious goal. 

It was a beautiful thing to see the scenes of rescue and kindness during the recent hurricanes.  Nobody was asking people who they voted for or their position on confederate statues as they helped each other with patience and dignity.  This begs a question.  How do we get people treating each other like this and serving one another absent some form of tragedy?  Tonight we’re joined by Kristin Cambell, the Executive Director of PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civil Engagement), a learning collaborative of over 45 diverse philanthropies that invest in getting people engaged in our communities and democracy.  Some of their members include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, and the Case Foundation.  Kristin joins us to talk about this and other important questions, and how her organization is working to address them.

In the early 90s, a young haute couture fashion designer named Aleona Isakova became a finalist in the prestigious Nina Ricci fashion competition in Moscow.  She also became the public face and designer for a Russian company, and she appeared to be on top of the world.  But she soon found herself thinking, “Is this all there is, simply living and designing clothes?”  She would eventually have a vision of a collection of haute couture dresses that represent the story of the Bible, and a businessman she barely knew would give her a half-million dollars to bring her vision to life.  Her Beauty by God collection has since been shown in London, Jerusalem, Moscow, Australia, and America.  Aleona and her husband now live in the United States and she recently launched the Leonard Charitable Foundation, Inc. in honor of the gentlemen who so graciously funded her collection.  Aleona joins us to talk about her experiences in Russia, her personal transformation, and a fashion design competition her foundation is sponsoring to motivate talented fashion designers to create God-inspired designs to be revealed at DC Fashion Week in Washington in September 2018.  We’re also joined by Annabel Foery, the foundation’s Treasurer. 

Former Congressman Frank Wolf left Congress in 2014 after serving 17 terms (34 years) to focus full-time on his passions of human rights and religious freedom.  He currently serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative where their mission is to create a world where religious freedom is recognized as a fundamental human right.  Congressman Wolf joins us to talk about the current state of these rights and freedoms across the globe, his time in Congress, and the work he is doing today including the development of a Congressional scorecard that encourages and commends congressional action on these issues. 

Russ Kloskin grew up in a family marked by violence, drug use, and poverty.  At age seven his mom got him high on marijuana, and at age 11 she took him with her to perform a burglary.  At age 12 he was arrested for the first time, and at age 15 he was arrested for armed robbery and tried and convicted as an adult.  Russ would spend 27 of the next 35 years in prison where he became a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, one of the most violent white supremacist prison gangs in the U.S., briefly rising to the level of President during the late 90s.  During a 7-year stint in solitary confinement, Russ began to see the anger and rage that had come to fill his heart and radically changed his life.  He joins us to talk about his experiences and the work he is now doing to help prisoners successfully re-integrate with society when they are released.

Over four years ago, Anne Bradley gave birth to her daughter, Bailey Grace, nine weeks premature.  After her delivery, Bailey spent five weeks in an incubator with a tiny tube that passed through her nose and down to her stomach to feed her.  Anne often wondered what she would have done if she lived somewhere like Bangladesh where the type of medical care we take for granted isn’t widely available.  She also thought about that tiny breathing tube and the people who conceived, designed, tested, made, and delivered it – people who almost certainly encounter mundane and frustrating things in their jobs and never get to see the impact of their work on folks like Anne and Bailey.

Anne is the Vice President of Economic Initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics; teaches at Georgetown and George Mason Universities; and is the co-editor of two books including the recently-released Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism.  She joins us to talk about the higher purpose and impact of our work, no matter how ordinary it may seem; and how capitalism, while imperfect, is the best system we’ve got for lifting up people and societies.

There are over 2.2 million prisoners in the United States.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness their potential, give them meaningful work, and pay fair wages that they could use to help their families outside of prison?  Well tonight’s guest has done just that.  Since 2010, Pete Ochs, CEO of Capital III (“3”), has run businesses inside the maximum and medium security prisons at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas.  Pete joins us to talk about how these businesses came about, the profound effect they have had on everyone involved, and the lessons he’s learned over his 40+ year career.   

Today we’re joined by David DeWolf, the founder and CEO of 3Pillar Global, a local software development firm that has been named an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company in seven of the past eight years.   3Pillar was also recently named a Washington Post Top Workplace for the 3rd consecutive year.  David joins us to talk about the keys to balancing a thriving business, large family, and numerous other responsibilities, all while expressing compassion and honoring the dignity of all.

Knox Singleton has been the CEO of the Inova Healthcare System for over 30 years.  Under his leadership, the non-profit has grown to serve over 2 million people annually with revenues of $3.3 billion in 2016 and over 16,000 employees at its five hospitals.  Knox joins us to reflect on the changes at Inova during his tenure, the promise of personalized medicine, and the things that most significantly shaped his career and life.   

The Bible is a book unlike any other.  Its contents were written over the course of 1,500 years by 40 different people (from a fisherman to kings); on three different continents; in three different languages; in dramatically different settings (from prison to palaces); and in a wide range of tones including despair, joy, admonishment, and instruction.  And yet its core message and teachings are unified and consistent throughout.

Despite the fact that over 6 billion Bibles have been printed, though, ignorance about its content, history, and impact abounds.  A new museum opening in Washington D.C. on November 17th has been designed to address this.  The Museum of the Bible is a brand new, 430,000-square-foot facility just two blocks from the National Mall and three blocks from the U.S. Capitol.  Today we’re hosting Dr. William Guice, Director of Church Engagement for the museum, who joins us to talk about this one-of-a-kind facility, the amazing book behind it, and why it’s important. 

At age 17, just a week before she was scheduled to leave for college with a full-ride volleyball scholarship, Autumn Williams discovered she was 24 weeks pregnant.  At age 20, Cynthia Wood, a high-school dropout living from day-to-day, also discovered she was pregnant.  The two met and became friends, and when Autumn decided to form a non-profit called Two Percent Project that helps teen moms build a better future, Cynthia couldn’t resist joining her.  Both women now have two children, work full-time jobs, and spend about as much time on their non-profit as they do on their work.  They join us to talk about the initial shock of finding out they were pregnant, the unique challenges faced by teen moms, and the hope they offer young women in similar situations.

We live in a country and world characterized by racial, political, economic, and religious division.  We desperately need reconciliation, i.e., to tear down the walls that separate us.  But how do we do that?  Today, we’re hosting John Slye, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church in Arlington and Falls Church, a church for people who don’t go to church.  John joins us to talk about the keys to genuine and lasting reconciliation, and to challenge us to get out of our comfort zone and take on the task.  (This is a replay of a program that aired on March 15, 2017.)

It's hard to believe, but human trafficking (especially teen sex trafficking) is a significant problem in Northern Virginia.  This past January was National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month so we decided to focus on the issue back then.  We were joined on January 11 by Barbara Amaya, a survivor of human trafficking from age 12 through 21, who now works as a human rights advocate and is the author of the award winning book Nobody’s Girl, A Memoir of Lost Innocence, Modern Day Slavery and Transformation.  We were also joined by Kay Duffield, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative (NOVA HTI), a non-profit that is working to eradicate human trafficking in the local area.  Barbara and Kay shared their stories with us and told us how we can join them in working to eliminate this problem from our communities.

In 2004, the 3rd largest earthquake ever recorded struck the Indian Ocean triggering a series of tsunamis that killed at least 230,000 people in 14 countries.  The earthquake caused the entire planet to vibrate and triggered additional earthquakes as far away as Alaska.  In Sir Lanka, at least 36,000 people were killed.  Watching events unfold halfway around the world, local businessman Jack Schwab felt compelled to go to Sri Lanka and help.  He quickly formed a team that was on the ground within weeks of the disaster and has been serving the people of Sri Lanka ever since.  Jack joins us to talk about those dark days when he first arrived, the love he has developed for the people he has served, and how anyone can respond to the promptings of their heart and make a difference, no matter how busy they are.   

Back in 1993 on World Youth Day, Saint Pope John Paul II challenged young people to hit the road and get out on the highways and byways to spread the Gospel of Life.  A young man named Steve Sanborn heard that call and decided to do something.  In the summer of 1995, Steve and some of his fellow students at Franciscan University of Steubenville organized a pro-life walk across America covering 3,200 miles in 11 weeks.  Seeing the overwhelming support they received on their mission, Steve founded a non-profit – Crossroads – which has been organizing walks each summer ever since.  As of today, over 1,000 young people have witnessed to millions of Americans as they crossed the country in dedication to this cause.  Tonight, we’re joined by two walkers who finished their cross-country trek today.  Emily Ouillette and Cliff Hearn join us to talk about their experiences this summer, the people they encountered, and the mood of the country towards this issue.   

Two years ago, tonight’s guest, Brandon Charles, packed all his stuff in a duffle bag, boarded a Greyhound bus on a snowy evening, and traveled overnight from Pittsburgh to DC.  When he arrived, he hopped on the metro – something he had never done before – and then took a cab to his temporary new home.  What makes this story compelling is that Brandon was born blind, and his bold move followed a string of challenges he had experienced over several years.  The move turned out to be a major turning point in his life and a great thing for Arlington residents.  Brandon has since begun producing and hosting the Breaking Boundaries program on WERA-LP, an advocacy program for the disabled.  The show airs on Mondays at 4:00 p.m. on 96.7 FM and is in its second year.  Brandon joins us to share his story of self-discovery and higher purpose, and to challenge us in how we see, interact with, and serve the disabled. 

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a non-partisan organization that operates across faith, racial, and economic boundaries while fighting for social justice in Northern Virginia?  The sort of organization that works its way into government official's offices and the CEO suites of Fortune 50 companies to fight for things like affordable housing, criminal justice reform, school equality, and immigrant rights.  Well today we’re joined by just such a group.  Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) is a “citizens power organization” that has been fighting for the rights of low and medium income residents in Northern Virginia for nearly a decade.  We’ll be talking to Robert Buckman, a leader with VOICE since its formation in 2008.  Robert will be telling us about a number of VOICE’s social justice initiatives and the importance of civic involvement to the health of our communities and country.   

Nearly 20 thousand people in Arlington County are “food insecure,” meaning they often don’t know where their next meal is coming from.  That’s nearly 10% of the population of a county that is consistently ranked among the best places to live in America.  That number skyrockets to almost a quarter-million people when you consider the 21-county area covered by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.  Thankfully, Catholic Charities and their Saint Lucy Food Project are on the case, offering help to anyone who needs it and flexible volunteer programs to anyone who wants to serve – both regardless of beliefs.  Today’s guest, Vince Cannava, is the Program Director and Food Source Developer at Saint Lucy.  Vince is here to share his experiences distributing food to 53 parishes across the Diocese and how you can join in on your own terms and help your neighbors in need. 

A number of recent studies indicate that religious freedom improves economies, undermines religious-related terrorism, and promotes the long-term stability and civility of society, among other things.  Regarding the first point, one recent article estimated the contribution of religion to the US economy to be $2.1 trillion per year.  Sadly, though, there has been a dramatic downturn in these freedoms globally; and even in the United States – founded largely on such freedoms – we have seen an erosion of them.  Since 84% of people worldwide follow a religion, and three-quarters of the world’s population – 5.1 billion people – live in countries with significant religious hostilities or restrictions, it’s important to consider this issue.

Today we’ll be examining the benefits of religious freedom and challenge our listeners to seriously consider supporting it.  We’ll be talking about this with Tom Farr, the President of the Religious Freedom Institute.  Tom also directs Georgetown University's Religious Freedom Research Project, and is an Associate Professor at Georgetown's Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service. 

Today we’re joined by Os Guinness, a well-known Christian scholar and social philosopher, and descendant of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer.  Os was born in China in 1941, the son of medical missionaries.  While there his family lived through a period of great turbulence and famine during which two of his brothers died and the Chinese revolution reached its climax.  He returned to England at age nine while his parents remained under house arrest in China, and went on to study at the Universities of London and Oxford.  Os has written extensively about religious faith and its role in society, having authored over 25 books, and has served in a number of roles including Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Os joins us to talk about higher calling and the current state of Christianity in America. 

According to Gallup, a “staggering” 87% of employees worldwide are unhappy with their work.  In America, the number is 70% – which, although better, is still bad.  Even worse, these numbers have remained fairly steady over the past 16 years that Gallup has measured them, leading Gallup to call the situation “an employee engagement crisis.”  So what’s wrong, and is it possible for employees to gain a sense of higher purpose and genuine satisfaction from their work, regardless of circumstances?  Tonight we’re joined by Hugh Whelchel, a former high-tech executive; current Executive Director at The Institute of Faith, Work, and Economics; and author of the book How Then Should We Work?  Hugh joins us to talk about how focusing on the true meaning of our work, and working to contribute to the flourishing of society, leads to genuine fulfillment and satisfaction.