230: Hope through the generations with Commissioners Doug and Colleen Riley

We're exploring not just what hope is, but how it's built, sustained and passed from person to person, community to community.

Today, I'm welcoming two leaders whose lives embody this multi-generational understanding of hope: Commissioners Doug and Colleen Riley, territorial leaders of The Salvation Army in the western U.S.

The pair met while working at a summer camp, married and in 1995 were commissioned as officers—or pastors—in The Salvation Army. Their connection to ministry in The Salvation goes back four and five generations, respectively, meaning they've witnessed hope in action across decades—from childhood to their early days of service at Portland Moore Street Corps to their leadership today.

But their understanding of hope extends beyond their organizational roles. As parents of four sons and leaders during some of our most challenging times—from the pandemic to the recent LA wildfires—they've had to practice hope when circumstances seemed overwhelming.

On this episode, we explore how hope is inherited and cultivated, how crisis can become opportunity for hope to flourish, and what it means to lead with hope when entire communities are looking for direction.

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