Podcasts about mobile loaves fishes

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests tell the untold stories of individuals who have encountered homelessness. We are excited to kick off this season talking with Honey, one of Alan's neighbors who lives in Community First! Village. Honey grew up in a broken home and transitioned into foster care when she was 16. After getting married and having three children, new struggles began to emerge in her life. The combination of divorce, remarriage, losing her home and severe health problems ultimately left Honey in a position of living out of her car with her husband at the time. She eventually found her way home to Community First! Village in 2018, but admits she was still dealing with several bumps in the road. It wasn't until recently that Honey was encouraged by our Art House team to pursue her creative skills. Since then, she has been thriving with jewelry making and is also tapping into new creative outlets that allow her to earn a dignified income.  

Join Alan on an emotional episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our neighbor Linda. In addition to learning more about Linda's story, you'll hear from one of our Mobile Loaves & Fishes' staff members, Frazel, who works directly with Linda in our Community Inn! Linda grew up in Louisiana with six siblings, later moving to several locations in Houston, and ultimately ending up in Austin. After spending time homeless, while living at a park in Austin, Linda met her case manager who was able to introduce her to Community First! Village. Linda moved home to the Village at the beginning of this year and feels that her experience has been life changing. She has a passion for cooking for herself and her fellow neighbors as a way of spreading joy and lending a helping hand to others. Linda is also a consistent worker at our Community Inn where she has built a beautiful relationship with Frazel, the Community Inn coordinator. More than finding a home and work, Linda is grateful that she has found community, learning that she is never alone with the forged family she now has in her new neighborhood.

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests tell the untold stories of individuals who have encountered homelessness. We are excited to kick off this season talking with Justin, one of Alan's neighbors in Community First! Village. Hear how Justin's family history of alcoholism ultimately took root in his own life, resulting in plenty of challenges along the way. Justin eventually found himself living a nomadic life out of his car, often hopping around different state parks or campgrounds. Since moving to Community First! Village in 2022, Justin has been able to find healing, both physically and emotionally, and now works on-site in the Village while building meaningful relationships with his neighbors. Through the ups and downs of his journey, Justin embodies what it means to just keep on going—because you never know what good things may lie ahead. 

Arlene Ellwood of Austin-based nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes and architect Todd Ferry of Portland State University join the podcast to discuss the measurable impact tiny house villages have had on people experiencing homelessness, how architects can engage the community to help offer solutions, and how this model can serve other communities across the country. 

There are only a handful of people who have been with Mobile Loaves & Fishes since its very first day 25 years ago, and Alan's guest on this season finale of the Gospel Con Carne is undeniably one of them! Alan is joined by his daughter and Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Director of Community Empowerment, Taylor Graham, for this 25th anniversary special edition episode. You may be surprised to learn that being part of the family business wasn't always in Taylor's plan. Hear Mobile Loaves & Fishes stories from Taylor's perspective, and each of their reflections from their recent six-week journey in Spain on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Whether it's serving our homeless neighbors over the past quarter century or walking 500 miles across Spain, Alan and Taylor agree there is one key takeaway found in each of these unique journeys: keep putting one foot in front of the other.

In this special episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, your host Alan Graham sits down with Brian Walsh, an author of one of Alan's favorite books, “Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement.” When asked about the inspiration behind Community First! Village, Alan frequently references Beyond Homelessness as a book that helped him gain a rich understanding of the true meaning of home. Alan also often explains how Mobile Loaves & Fishes intentionally uses this framework of home in the design of the Village. This year, on the book's 15th anniversary, Brian and his co-author, Steven Bouma-Prediger, have launched a new edition that includes a postscript in which they discuss the evolution of their ideas and share true stories of home and community built anew.

In this special edition of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by two community-driven individuals who we consider part of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes family. Sherwynn Patton is an MLF Board member and one of the founders of Life Anew, which practices restorative justice in Community First! Village. Joe Bland is the leader behind Joe Bland Construction, a family-owned business whose team has handled the infrastructure development of the Village. On Monday, August 28th, at 9:00am on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, the entire community is invited to honor 60 years since Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Tune in to hear more details from Sherwynn and Joe about the event and its relevance to this day, as we are reminded of a concept introduced to us by Jesus Christ—to invite people from all walks of life to the banquet table as we love and care for our fellow neighbors.

The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back for a new season of meaningful conversations with your host, Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO Alan Graham! Whether having experienced homelessness or not, all of Alan's guests are individuals who understand the value of community. This week's guest, Alan's neighbor Brandon, is no exception. Growing up in the foster care system, transferred from family to family five times, Brandon has learned firsthand how surrounding oneself with good company—even under vulnerable conditions—brings joy, hopefulness and a desire to encourage others who may be struggling to experience a similar level of goodness. Join us for this hope-filled conversation as we kick-off the 2023 season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast!

In far east Austin, Community First! Village continues to expand the footprint of its tiny home community for people exiting chronic homelessness. This week, Olivia takes a tour of the neighborhood and talks with Alan Graham, CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, about the community's mission to create rooted connections in addition to housing. Later in the episode, Community Impact's Austin City Hall reporter Ben Thompson joins to discuss the results of the city's recent runoff elections and what Austinites can expect from their new leaders. The Austin Breakdown is a production of Community Impact. This episode was produced by Olivia Aldridge with editing by Marie Leonard. Weather and allergy reports are sourced from www.weather.com and AccuWeather. ***PATRON PROGRAM SIGN-UP: www.communityimpact.com/patron

We are wrapping up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with a powerful conversation with Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church. A man of great faith who has been sharing the story of the Gospel in Austin for the past three decades, you'll hear a common theme behind Tim's vision that has connected his congregation to the work we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes in serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Tune in as Tim discusses the benefits of stepping out of the comfort zone that our culture has created—one that leads to isolation and a sense of busyness—and into a life of adventure that God has wired us to thrive in: community.   

We often say at Mobile Loaves & Fishes that our missional community is the secret sauce of Community First! Village. Alan's guest on the podcast this week, Paul Gautier, and his wife Carol have devoted their lives to serving our neighbors every day by living in the Village as Missionals. Paul and Alan met back in 2002 on an MLF truck run and now, 20 years later, continue to serve Austin's most vulnerable neighbors together. Paul shares an experience that he says was the biggest step in his faith journey and how he has learned the easiest way to live out the acts of the apostles—being in relationship with others.

Meagan McCoy Jones McCoy's Building Supply | President and Chief Operating Officer Meagan grew up in San Marcos, Texas and is a graduate of the University of Richmond in Virginia where she received a BA in Rhetoric and Communication Studies and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also attended the University of Texas at Austin with an MA in Communication Studies. Meagan is the fourth generation in her family to work for McCoy's. She has worked her way up in the business and was promoted to President and COO in 2019. She is a member of the Board of Directors of McCoy Corporation, a partner in McCoy Remme Ranches (a cow-calf operation with land holdings in far West Texas), as well as co-Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Lumbermen's Association of Texas, and Board Member of the Greater San Marcos Partnership working on issues related to development, conservation, and affordable housing. She is a former Board member and passionate supporter of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a social outreach ministry that empowers communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless. Meagan is married to Richard Jones. They have two children and live in Austin, Texas.

This week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes is all about celebrating our volunteers, and the Gospel Con Carne podcast is no different! Alan's guest, Noble Doss, has been volunteering with MLF for more than three years in our Community Market. Our Community First! Village neighbors visit the on-site market daily for basic necessities, and also treat it as a gathering spot with other neighbors and visitors. Noble brings camaraderie to the market, building deep connections with the men and women he sees on a regular basis. He's even been known to show up in costumes for special occasions! Hear Noble's journey as a doctor, and lessons he has learned in his work about the commonality we share as human beings. We are so grateful for volunteers like Noble who bring care and compassion to their roles as we serve our friends who have experienced homelessness along with our brothers and sisters who are still living on the streets. 

Many of the men and women we serve at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, whether living on the streets or in Community First! Village, suffer from mental health illnesses. This week on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan has a conversation with Chris Roubieu, the program manager at Integral Care who works directly with our formerly homeless neighbors in the Village who struggle with mental health disorders. During this Mental Health Awareness Month, Chris shares his understanding that everybody, regardless of their background or life circumstances, has their own struggles. He also encourages listeners to strive to find a deeper level of empathy for individuals who are mentally ill by trying to see the world through their eyes.

On this week’s episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by Community First! Village’s first formerly homeless resident, Sam. In 2005, Mobile Loaves & Fishes lifted Sam up off the streets of Austin and moved him into what was our first RV through our Community First! program -- at the time referred to as 'Habitat on Wheels.' Now, 16 years later, Sam is living in the Village where he is working on several projects connected to his passion for engineering, geology and photography. Hear Sam talk about the adventures he has been on sparked by his interest in God’s creations, including photographing some incredible scenes that have been used in weather reports on the news! Above all, Sam shares the importance of following God’s call to discover the gifts He has given each of us.  

As we continue with our Austin series this week, we're looking at how the city is expanding housing for the unsheltered with a partnership between nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes and 3D building company ICON. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the News!

This week’s Gospel Con Carne guest, D’Juan Davis, has learned a lot about leading and serving over the course of his life. He also exudes these two qualities every day as a member of Mobile Loaves & Fishes' culinary team in Community First! Village. Over the past several months, the culinary team has stepped up for their fellow neighbors by cooking and preparing fresh lunches daily. On the outside, the culinary team demonstrates hard work and compassionate customer service. Inside the kitchen doors, however, there’s much more going on—there’s a family. Hear D’Juan’s journey and the advice he once received from a friend living on the streets that led him to finding home in Community First! Village. This advice, along with the many lessons D'Juan has learned, have taught him that “blood is what connects us, but love is what makes family.”

Instagram: @katt_aguirreMentions: GoNoodle (videos on movement & mindfulness)Drink: Herbal Teas (Starbucks Medicine Ball w/3 pumps of peppermint), JuiceProduct: unplugging right now! #amensisterfriendListening to/Reading: You Be You, by Jamie IveyKAL’s picks for this episode: Earl Grey (double bergamot) Topo Chico after a walk; built in walking partners on FB & Insta stories (accountability); Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Welcome Homeless, by Alan GrahamThank you to:Jenna Cook-Garcia with Day Made Designs (podcast artwork)Tori McClure (music for the podcast - you can find her on Spotify and itunes)Pod Coach Angela Wade SimpsonPodcast Fairy-Godmother Sue Jolly

We're celebrating volunteers this week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and our guest in this Gospel Con Carne episode is among the longest-serving volunteers to bless our organization! Host Alan Graham often talks about the powerful impact of an individual's halo in helping to grow Mobile Loaves & Fishes into the organization it has become since its founding 22 years ago. Mary Lou Batlan and her husband Bob have seen firsthand the halo effect in action. Mary Lou and Bob’s interfaith marriage has brought both the Methodist and Jewish communities together under the goal of serving our homeless and formerly homeless friends. Serving those in need connects people in profound ways, and the Batlans have played a major role in bringing together different groups of people across the broader Austin community into a lifestyle of service. Hear some of the many memories Mary Lou shares in this Zoom interview from her time volunteering with MLF and the beauty of people coming together to be the hands and feet of their brothers and sisters in need.  

It's always hard to say goodbye to a dear friend and neighbor in Community First! Village. This week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Cheryl Williams, has been part of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes family for more than four years. She moved to the Village after several years of being homeless, and is moving at the end of this month after having been re-connected to her family. While we are saddened to see Cheryl go, let there be no doubt that this is a wonderful celebration for us. Through her struggles with addiction and a loss of family, Cheryl says she found hope in her Community First! family, and ultimately by surrendering herself to God to live the life He has paved for her. Hear Cheryl's beautiful story of following God's call, which has led her to reuniting with her son and choosing to start a new chapter in her life.  

From a brief time living in Kenya to working on projects in impoverished areas of Louisiana, Sarah Satterlee gained a firsthand understanding of the value of built environments that bring diverse individuals together. She also has a firsthand understanding of Community First! Village, now a 51-acre development in northeast Austin designed specifically for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Not only is Sarah the Staff Architect at Mobile Loaves & Fishes—the developer of Community First!—she also lives in the Village among its many formerly homeless neighbors. Hear how Sarah's experience serving in communities that truly know their neighbors has shaped her architectural mindset and created in her a desire to build "neighborhoods of knowingness" as we imagine future expansions of the most talked about community in Austin, Texas. 

There's a hot August day back in 2013 that is chiseled into the memory of Alan Graham and his guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Ed Lundin. During a hearing before the Travis County Commissioner's Court on August 13, 2013, Mobile Loaves & Fishes received its first site development permit for Community First! Village. At the time, Ed was volunteering at a local church while following his call to serve the homeless. After years of ministry and serving as an ordained Episcopal priest all over the country, Ed met Alan during this particular site development hearing, and later became one of the first Missional neighbors at Community First! Village with his wife Judy. Listen as Ed reflects on all of the diverse communities that he has served over the years, but none quite as deep and diverse as the one he currently calls home.  

As our country continues to navigate a health crisis of unprecedented proportions, Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham takes you back nearly 15 years to another significant event that drew Mobile Loaves & Fishes onto the front lines of a different kind of unprecedented disaster. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, MLF was still a young organization with only a few food trucks serving meals to the homeless in Austin, Texas. Although the hurricane disaster hit hardest more than 500 miles away, Alan and MLF Board Member Neal Nolan share why "not going was not an option," and how the organization's response during Katrina's aftermath unexpectedly became a defining moment for MLF in the years to follow.   

Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham always loves to say that "behind every great woman, there's just a man." This is your opportunity to meet that great woman in Alan's life, his wife Tricia Graham, who has faithfully been by his side for nearly four decades. Tricia is the Director of Resident Care for Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and oversees the organization's daily engagement with the formerly homeless men and women who live in Community First! Village. She describes the recent several weeks of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as an extraordinarily unsettling moment, but one through which she has continued to have a sense of peace knowing that—just like other difficult seasons of life—this, too, will soon pass.

Everything we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes is about relationships and connecting with other individuals human to human, heart to heart. So as you can imagine, in this unprecedented time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our organization faces a challenging dynamic as we seek to continue growing community and building relationships with our friends who have experienced homelessness. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, you'll hear from Amber Fogarty, MLF's president and chief goodness officer, as she and Alan discuss the organization's response to the global crisis, how it has impacted our day-to-day operations, and why it's important that we all lean on faith as we navigate the coronavirus storm. 

With a personal understanding of what it feels like to be seen, Susan McDowell, CEO of LifeWorks Austin, has made it a top priority for Austin's youth experiencing homelessness to be seen and heard as they navigate their way to self-sufficiency. With similar values to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, LifeWorks Austin focuses on the relational needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and instilling dignity in our friends who may simply desire to be seen. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Susan recounts her personal experience of feeling noticed, which led her to the opportunity to attend college where she majored in philosophy—a degree that has helped lay the groundwork for the many decisions she makes as the leader of an organization serving Austin's most vulnerable youth.      [A NOTE FROM OUR HOST, ALAN GRAHAM: As we navigate through this unprecedented time in our world, it dawned on me that the term 'social distancing' is something many of us had probably never heard of just a few weeks ago—and yet today it is a common defense as we all deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Everything we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes and Community First! Village is about relationships. As we often talk about on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we consider community to be our greatest source of healing, dignity and transformation. Connecting with others human-to-human, heart-to-heart is something everyone inherently needs in their lives. It's the way God designed us to live. So while we keep our physical distance during these uncertain times in order to keep ourselves and others safe, we still crave that human connection. One way we have decided to continue connecting with you is through our Gospel Con Carne podcast. Please keep in mind that this conversation with Susan McDowell was recorded before the impact of the coronavirus pandemic had fully set in and our daily lives dramatically changed. We hope you will feel connected to us as you listen, and know that we are praying for you and your loved ones as we all endure this crisis together.]    

Love In Action President Ken Tuck is joined by The Harbor Executive Director Kody Kirchhoff and The Ark Executive Director Jeff Peacock to talk about their recent trip to Austin, Texas, to tour and learn about Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Community First! Village, which is a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for the disabled, chronically homeless in Central Texas. Since 2005, this transformative residential program has been a staple of Mobile Loaves & Fishes and has become the largest community-based model in the country lifting homeless men and women up off the streets into community and home. This edition of "Sunday Morning with Love In Action" originally aired on The Joy FM on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. We thank Weed Man for sponsoring "Sunday Morning with Love In Action" each week on The Joy FM. Weed Man is locally owned and operated and provides professional law care services to the greater Dothan area. "Sunday Morning with Love In Action" airs every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on The Joy FM - 94.3 and 96.1.

As one of the original founding members of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes "six pack," Pat Patterson is a man who exudes selflessness. He even recalls how helping others in need at one point in life just wasn't fulfilling enough—only because it wasn't happening often enough by his servant-hearted terms. This conversation with Pat gives a touching look into his life as he reflects on his childhood on a farm, serving in the army, meeting the love of his life, Bunky, followed by 52 years of marriage and raising six children. When a hurricane struck the Gulf Coast in the early years of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes ministry, Pat realized that God had big plans for the path ahead. So Pat did what Pat does best—he continued to serve, and has been in awe of God's work ever since

On this podcast, Love In Action President Ken Tuck is talking about traveling to Austin, Texas, this week for a symposium at Mobile Loaves & Fishes. He will be joined by our good friends Kody Kirchhoff of The Harbor and Jeff Peacock of The Ark, David Jamison of Genesis Housing, and Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba. It's going to be a great week filled with learning some more ways to end homelessness in Dothan, Alabama.

Introducing John Paul DeJoria In today's episode of Join Up Dots we are going to focus on the story of one of the richest men on earth. One that probably you have never heard of before. What makes this story so amazing, and will lead several episodes of Join Up Dots, is it's not often that a homeless person living out of his car can dramatically alter his circumstances and become a billionaire. But  — co-founder of hair-care company John Paul Mitchell Systems and high-end Patrón Spirits — did just that. The 73-year-old now has a net worth of $3.1 billion, according to Forbes. His climb out of poverty reads like a tale from a Charles Dickens' novel. He was poor as a child. Born as John Paul Jones DeJoria on April 13, 1944, in Echo Park, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, he was the second son of an Italian father and a Greek mother. He was two years old when his parents divorced. Hence, to support his mother, he started selling Christmas cards and newspapers at the age of nine, along with his older brother. Entrepreneurial even at a young age, John Paul DeJoria sold Christmas cards door to door and got a paper route because he knew that effort led to reward. He graduated from LA's John Marshall High School but didn't have the grades to get a college scholarship, so instead, he joined the Navy for two years.   When Things Got Tough For John Paul DeJoria When he returned from the Navy In 1966, John Paul DeJoria's first wife left him and their two-year-old son. She took all the money they had, as well as the only car they owned. As a result,John Paul DeJoria couldn't pay rent of his apartment, and was forced to evict it and live on the street with his infant son. he and his young son were evicted from their apartment and lived briefly out of his car, picking up soda bottles to recycle for a few cents each. But John Paul DeJoria, 73, recently told me that he decided to take challenges head-on early in his career. "The only way I could go was up," he said. John Paul DeJoria saw his economic obstacles as an opportunity to work hard. When there wasn't money to eat, he sold Christmas cards. When he couldn't go to college because he couldn't pay for it, he started selling encyclopedias. He didn't rely on anyone else. As he says “If you expect free lunch to come your way, you're not going to go far and you'll be very bored. Go out there and do something. Get involved," he said. Now fortunately for John, his situation started to change sightly when a friend in a biker gang invited him to live in one of his rooms, which lead to him developing his lifelong love of (His personal motorcycle fleet includes a 2004 Harley-Davidson chopper, a 2010 BMW Sidecar model and a 2008-2009 Arlen Ness & Victory, re-calibrated to run off either Patrón tequila or gasoline.) Over the next few years, he held nearly a dozen jobs, including encyclopedia salesman, tow-truck driver and janitor. He would do anything to make a buck, and hustled hard.   The Early Stages Of Success For John Paul DeJoria But it was when he entered the hair car business that things started to take a turn for the better He got his entrée to the haircare industry when he joined Redken Laboratories in 1971 as a sales rep — a job he was fired from in a disagreement over business strategy. The onetime door-to-door shampoo and encyclopedia salesman partnered with Paul Mitchell in 1980, and the two turned $700 into one of the most profitable hair-care companies in the world. Not too long after their company took off, Mitchell died of cancer and John Paul DeJoria took over. Today the company generates $1 billion in annual revenues. His tequila company is also a megahit. Patrón tequila is made in Mexico in a sustainable distilling facility that uses recycled bottles and leftover distilled water to fertilize the land. Now more than 2 million cases are sold each year. But John Paul DeJoria doesn't  in terms of dollars and cents.   For the iconic entrepreneur it's not about money and power.   As he sums it up: “I have been so down and out in my life. It makes me feel really good to be financially blessed and give back. I get great joy and a great high out of it. It's my way of paying rent on this planet to share with others less fortunate.”   The billionaire remembers giving a dime to the Salvation Army when he was six years old and living in Los Angeles. His mom told him, ‘You may be poor, but there are so many people less fortunate than you, and every little bit helps.' “Those words have always stuck with me,” John Paul DeJoria recalls. That philanthropic passion led John Paul DeJoria to sign Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's “The Giving Pledge” in 2011 to give half of his earnings to better the world. In addition, he established  as a hub for his charitable donations to causes that reflect the core values of his companies: saving the environment, helping the poor and protecting animal rights. Through his foundation, he has raised millions of dollars to support more than 160 charities around the world.   They include Grow Appalachia, a program that provides seed and tools to help poor families in six states throughout central Appalachia grow their own food to combat malnutrition; and Sea Shepherd, a marine wildlife conservation society that confronts illegal poaching and destruction of wildlife in the world's oceans.   This Thanksgiving he visited Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Community First Village in Austin, Texas, where they are building an innovative housing model that helps the homeless learn skills, earn income and get affordable housing. So how did John Paul DeJoria maintain motivation and build such an expansive empire? He says there were three rules he followed on his path to success.   John Paul DeJoria: The Rules Of Success    Rule No. 1: Always be prepared for rejection. Throughout your career you are going to run across rejection, John Paul DeJoria points out. “You will knock on doors, and many will close on you. There will be people who don't like your product, your company — or you.” It's important you realize this from the day you launch your business. “To be successful, you must remain as confident and enthusiastic on door No. 59 as you were on door No. 1.” If you realize this is going to happen, the rejection won't hit you so hard. It will help you be resilient, he explains.   Rule No. 2: Make sure your product or service is the best it can be. John Paul DeJoria is adamant: “Always remember you don't want to be in the product business. You want to be in the reorder business.” As he explains, Work hard to develop a world-class product consumers want. That kind of thinking gives you a better shot at being a success.   Rule No. 3: Doing good is good for you — and your business. “If a business wants to stay in business, it cannot just think of today's bottom line,” says John Paul DeJoria. It must make a company commitment to help others immediately. “By helping others, you are creating future customers and inspiring employee loyalty,” he explains. “Customers like to be involved with people and businesses that donate their time to help others, save the planet and make a difference.” Demonstrating that point, John Paul DeJoria notes that since he started Paul Mitchell in 1980, His total employee turnover has been less than 100, and two of those workers retired.   Rule No 4: Don't dwell on the past Letting your past mistakes or background define what you are capable of can limit your prospects. John Paul DeJoria said he always focuses on his future. “When you're down, most people think about the past and what got them there. That's not going to get you anywhere. Think about what your next step is. Don't dwell in the past—go forward,” he said.   Rule No 5: Your Country Still Works But John Paul DeJoria has a message for millennials: “You can get through the hard times as long as you're willing to work and put forth an effort and not sit back waiting on everyone else. America works, but to make it work you've got to go out there and you've got to do something.” What is most inspiring is the different way that you can make success in your life. Its not all about being online, instead its all about having good ideas and then finding the people to make it happen. John Paul DeJoria has no personal computer. He doesn't use email, surf the internet or own a smartphone. He's never downloaded an app. What has this different and fresh approach to business brought him in his own words? “I have time to think,” he says. “I don't have to go on the computer or telephone to know who sent what message when. I don't need to know what celebrities are thinking about everything, nor do I want to.” Be different. Live your life the way that you want to Make a difference to people everywhere you can That is how success is made. Until next time, keep focused, keep motivated and remember when the hard times hit that is when the opportunities for growth really appear.

In many ways, Ellis Johnston is the epitome of one of our fundamental beliefs at Mobile Loaves & Fishes related to the largest cause of homelessness in our country. In almost all cases it starts with a profound loss of family or an otherwise significant breakdown in one's family unit. Ellis knows this all too well. An abusive childhood at the hands of his father led Ellis on a path toward drugs and alcohol at an early age. Following time in prison, he wound up homeless and paranoid while living on the streets of Austin. Today Ellis is an actively contributing neighbor of Community First! Village and thrives on the many friendships that are now a regular part of his life. 

The first real memory Robin Draper has of her parents is when they divorced when she was only 8-years-old. That breakdown in her family unit - the profound loss of family that we talk about so much at Mobile Loaves & Fishes - ultimately became the start of a long, tough road for Robin. She is an adventurer. She is a fighter. She is a mother. Today her own beautiful and spunky 8-year-old daughter is having a different kind of impact on the family all around her, and has given Robin new inspiration to become a better woman.  

Tracee Henneke had over 12 years of nonprofit experience when she came on as annual giving manager at Mobile Loaves & Fishes. She shares insights on how to grow a recurring giving program, including tips on how to convert volunteers into monthly donors, test and track the success of appeals, and provide every possible option to give routinely.

Mobile Loaves & Fishes is an extraordinarily relational ministry, and Meagan McCoy Jones truly exemplifies the transformational impact that relationships can have on family, business and serving others. A fourth-generation owner of McCoy's Building Supply, her life has been profoundly influenced by the will of her parents to cling to their faith and push through a crisis they encountered in their marriage when she was younger. As a result, Meagan has a deeper understanding behind what she calls the "power of showing up."

A preview of the coming launch of the 'Gospel con Carne' podcast with Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Austin, Texas-based Mobile Loaves & Fishes. 

In episode 74, Kestrel welcomes Tim Scott, the cofounder and CEO of Mitscoots Outfitters to the show. An Austin based clothing company, Mitscoots Outfitters is on a mission to outfit & employ the homeless. With every piece of American made gear you purchase, Mitscoots will give an equal quality item to someone in need and employ the transitioning homeless to package things up. Gear with a mission: Get + Give + Employ.  In this chat, Tim shares some of his story, how he learned more about the homeless population in Austin, and what really led him to launch Mitscoots. Also, Kestrel asks Tim about his thoughts on how the 1for1 model has evolved since it first gained speed through the Toms shoes approach.  For Tim, when it comes to making an impact, it's all about working together with partners that are highly knowledgable and skilled in particular areas. As he says, "I don't ever think an organization or company can entirely solve a problem on their own." For Tim, it's about collaboration, and working with other partners simultaneously to fill those gaps, so the entirely of the problem can be eventually addressed. Mobile Loaves & Fishes: a mobile food & clothing truck for the homeless, that Tim has volunteered with in the past; he realized how quickly they would run out of clothing, and decided there was a need for Mitscoots

Leaderbyte Host Chester Goad talks about leadership related to social outreach and specifically homelessness with Alan Graham is the president, CEO, and founder of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Mobiles Loaves & Fishes, is a social profit enterprise that delivers meals and provides homes to homeless people on the streets of Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Nashville, Minneapolis, Providence, and New Bedford.  Alan co-founded the Lynxs Group, which built the air cargo facility at Austin’s new airport in 1997, and went on to build similar facilities at airports around the country.  Alan left the Lynxs Group in 1997 and managed Austin’s cargo port as the new airport was opening. At the same time, Alan had the seed of the idea for Mobile Loaves & Fishes. He and the other founders started by making sack lunches and serving them from the back of a green minivan. His focus now is the development and building of the Community First! Village, a 27-acre master-planned community that provides affordable, sustainable housing and a supportive community for the disabled and chronically homeless in Austin. Show Note Links:  Visit Mobile Loaves and Fishes Website Learn about Community First! Learn about the Truck Ministry     Watch the Community First! Video     Purchase Welcome Homeless

Alan Graham is the founder, CEO and President of Mobile Loaves & Fishes. Sixteen years ago, a desire to help the homeless led Alan and 4 friends to purchase a catering truck. With this, he began to go straight to those in need and provide them with food and clothing. Since that time, the organization has grown to 20 trucks in multiple cities and serves over 1200 people daily. Alan shares a little about his background and the life-changing moment that led him to want to make a difference in the lives of others.   Man looks at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart. The ability to see is a great gift. I grant glimpses of My Glory via visual beauty in nature. Great paintings, sculptures, and cinematography can also help awaken your soul. Rejoice in these glorious gifts, but do not become enslaved to appearances. I am primarily interested in the condition of your heart, and I work to create beauty in it. It is vital to set aside time for nourishing your heart. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well- spring of life. A wellspring is a source of abundant supply. Since you belong to Me, My own Life flows through you! However, to keep this Life flowing abundantly, you must protect your heart from evil influences and nourish it with Bible study and prayer. Aligning your priorities with My teaching can be very freeing. When you don’t like the way things look in your world, close your eyes and gaze at who I am. Remember that I am Immanuel—God with you.