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# The Bright Side: A Faith First Publication

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://livethebrightside.com/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Posts
- [Husky Saves Boy from Connecticut Bear](https://livethebrightside.com/husky-saves-boy-from-connecticut-bear/): In a wild video, a husky saves a boy from a bear running through the yard of a Connecticut home.
- [Mission Trip Helps Local Homeowners](https://livethebrightside.com/mission-trip-gives-local-aid-in-pa/): Volunteers embarked on a mission trip to fix up homes within 15 miles of their Pennsylvania town.
- [Convict Finds God, Opens Sober Living Home](https://livethebrightside.com/convict-finds-god-opens-sober-living-home/): After 9 DUIs, former convict George Carter founded a sober living home and program for recovering alcoholics in Texas.
- [Hope Survived the Earthquakes](https://livethebrightside.com/hope-survived-the-earthquakes/): A Wisconsin woman lost touch with her aunt and niece after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. But she never gave up hope.
- [“Hawkeye Waves” Bring Smiles and Tears](https://livethebrightside.com/hawkeye-waves-bring-smiles-and-tears/): The Savannah Bananas baseball team and their fans performed the beloved Hawkeye wave for patients watching from a nearby children's hospital.
- [Match Made in Heaven: Artists to Bring New Life to Illinois Churches](https://livethebrightside.com/match-made-in-heaven-artists-to-bring-new-life-to-illinois-churches/): Underused spaces in churches will become beautiful places as part of a new Art in Sacred Spaces initiative in Evanston.
- [Miracle Calf Survives Against All Odds](https://livethebrightside.com/miracle-calf-survives-against-all-odds/): Newborn calves are usually 60-90 pounds with full sets of teeth and hooves. Millie was 2 months early, 13 pounds, and had no teeth or hooves.
- [Not All Heroes Wear Pants](https://livethebrightside.com/not-all-heroes-wear-pants/): A Washington man didn't bother to wear pants when fighting a fire threatening his home and his neighbor's home. He saved the day.
- [Students Rebuild to Create Art & Fight Division](https://livethebrightside.com/students-rebuild-2025-2026/): Through the Students Rebuild initiatives, students are using their creativity to raise money for immigrant families.
- [From Air Mattress to Amazing: Marine Corps Veteran Gets Home Makeover](https://livethebrightside.com/marine-corps-veteran-home-makeover/): The 31-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps was sleeping on an air mattress in a dilapidated home in Salado, Texas. Then a group of volunteers changed everything.
- [Louisiana Pilot Hopeful Defeats Sickle Cell Disease](https://livethebrightside.com/daniel-cressy-defeats-sickle-cell-disease/): On June 22, 2026, 23-year-old Daniel Cressy rang the bell at Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans, proclaiming himself sickle cell-free.
- [Strangers Rescue Kitten from Storm Drain](https://livethebrightside.com/strangers-rescue-kitten-from-storm-drain/): Strangers came to the rescue of a kitten stranded in a flooded storm drain in Jeffersontown, Ky.
- [Crosswalks for Creatures](https://livethebrightside.com/crosswalks-for-creatures/): The Willard Springs Wildlife Overpass will open this fall south of Flagstaff, AZ, to remove deer (and elk) from the glare of headlights.
- [Single Mothers Get a Helping Hand](https://livethebrightside.com/single-mothers-get-helping-hand/): Dr. Bernice A. King co-founded Redemption Bank has created a unique debit card to ensure single mothers thrive.
- [The Power of Giving](https://livethebrightside.com/the-power-of-giving/): Volunteer lineworkers from North Carolina relied on brute strength and old-fashioned manual labor to build 3 miles of power lines to bring electricity to a remote village in Guatemala.
- [Donation-Only Dining for Our Post Modern Times](https://livethebrightside.com/post-modern-times-donation-only/): In Minneapolis, Post Modern Times cafe has embraced the community mindset of no one should ever go hungry.
- [Opal Lee, Grandmother of Juneteenth, to Be Celebrated Today](https://livethebrightside.com/grandmother-of-juneteenth-to-be-celebrated-today/): Dr. Opal Lee, the deeply religious woman who fought to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, will be celebrated today in Fort Worth.
- [Minnesota Solar Panels Promote New Wildlife](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-solar-panel-study/): Two solar farms in Minnesota prove that solar panels are doing more than providing alternative means of energy.
- [National Parks Get a Boost in Lush Lake Superior Coastal Land](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-side-lake-superior/): Wisconsin has dedicated more than 200 acres of some of the nation's lushest coastal land along Lake Superior to the national park system.
- [Do Not Hide Behind Your Anger](https://livethebrightside.com/do-not-hide-behind-your-anger/): I struggle with anger sometimes. How do I keep myself from being overtaken by it?
- [Disney Gives Kids Peace During MRI Experience](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-side-mri-ambient-experience/): The Disney Corporation partners with Phillips to give kids going through the MRI process an ambient experience.
- [Charlotte Shares Faith in Housing](https://livethebrightside.com/faith-in-housing-charlotte-nc/): Charlotte's Faith in Housing initiative awarded $30,000 grants to 12 faith-based organizations to fund affordable housing efforts within the city.
- [19th Century York Street Methodist Episcopal Church Revived as a New Personal Sanctuary](https://livethebrightside.com/york-street-methodist-episcopal-church/): The 19th-century gothic-style house of worship, York Street Methodist Episcopal Church, remains a one-of-a-kind bright space for residents.
- [Free Yourself from People-Pleasing](https://livethebrightside.com/free-yourself-from-people-pleasing/): People-pleasing often seems kind, but it often breeds resentment. Instead, trust God's character because He is steady when others’ opinions waver.
- [207-Year-Old Church Honored for Role on Underground Railroad](https://livethebrightside.com/church-honored-for-role-on-underground-railroad/): In an area where about 200 slaves escaped between 1840 and 1860, a 207-year-old church has been recognized as a significant station on the Underground Railroad.
- [God May Not Be Why You Sometimes Feel Stuck](https://livethebrightside.com/feeling-stuck/): There’s a lie I’ve been believing about God lately. It’s a sneaky one for sure — and perhaps you’ve even believed it yourself. When I find myself stuck1, and I think of the reasons why that might be, it often sounds like this: I must not have learned my lesson yet.
- [Parks Make The Nation’s Capital the Nation’s Greenest City](https://livethebrightside.com/nations-greenest-city-national-parks/): For the sixth year in a row, Washington, D.C. has topped the nation's list of best parks, getting near perfect scores in every category.
- [Echo Church — The Church That Refused to Disappear](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-echo-church-histor/): Echo Church, a small brick church tucked into a tiny town in Utah, celebrates 150 years, reminding us what true preservation is about.
- [Portland Becoming a Haven for Clean Energy](https://livethebrightside.com/portland-clean-energy-fund/): The ongoing conversation about alternative means of energy gets an enthusiastic boost from Portland's Clean Energy Fund.
- [She Was Chasing Her First Win. She Found Something Bigger.](https://livethebrightside.com/miranda-wang-their-journey-chasing-dream/): In this edition of Their Journey, Miranda Wang, a professional golfer from China, shares how faith began shaping her life.
- [Recent Litter Study Shows The U.S. Is Cleaning Up Its Act](https://livethebrightside.com/litter-levels-declining-in-the-us/): According to a study, published earlier this year by the Make America Beautiful campaign, litter levels are reducing in the U.S.
- [To Honor His Father, Generous Donor Anil Kochhar Gives Graduating Class a Head Start](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-side-anil-kochhar-student-loans/): The graduating class of NCSU was gifted an incredible chance at a clean slate when Anil Kochhar covered all final-year educational loans.
- [Does God See My Shame?](https://livethebrightside.com/does-god-see-my-shame/): We all have an inner critic. It often whispers, “You’re not enough.” Sometimes it shouts. Sometimes it disguises itself as motivation, pushing you harder at the gym, at work, or in relationships. But beneath it all is a deeper emotion: shame. The sense that you are flawed, unworthy, or unlovable.
- [St. Jude’s Annual Prom Puts Teens on ‘Cloud 9’](https://livethebrightside.com/st-judes-prom/): Teens at St. Jude's were given the star treatment at the research hospital's annual Teen Formal, giving them a prom night to remember.
- [DESI Takes Us Closer to the Stars Than Ever Before](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-desi/): With powerful advancements in astral technology, the DESI 3D map of the universe has allowed humans closer to the cosmos.
- [Queen City’s Beech Acres Parenting Center Honors Foster Parents](https://livethebrightside.com/beech-acres-parenting-center/): Beech Acres Parenting Center honors foster parents who are doing their part to be the village raising future generations.
- [When Kindness Becomes the Lesson](https://livethebrightside.com/preschoolers-grant-a-wish/): At a preschool in Boynton Beach, Florida, kindness is part of the curriculum, and the results are already reaching far beyond the classroom.
- [Fear of the Future](https://livethebrightside.com/fear-of-the-future/): Fear of the future is one of the most common struggles I see as a therapist and a pastor God asks us to stay present and trust that He is with us.
- [Canon’s World Unseen Initiatives Show Mother Nature Is Healing](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-canon-world-unseen-initiatives/): Two stories courtesy of Canon's World Unseen 2.0 Initiatives show how communities can come together to truly create healing.
- [High-risk Surgery Saves Baby Cassian](https://livethebrightside.com/baby-cassian-chaos-surgery/): In a Florida hospital, a young mother named Keishera Joubert fights for herself and her baby Cassian, undergoing a revolutionary yet risky surgery
- [City of Big Shoulders Is Scoring Big Wins](https://livethebrightside.com/city-of-big-shoulders-scoring-big-wins/): If you’re looking for good news in Chicago, you don’t have to look hard, but it's worth looking closely.
- [Mental health program succeeding in Sioux Falls](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-sioux-falls/): Sioux Falls launched a pilot program placing mental health therapists directly inside schools. The goal: make help easier to reach for children.
- [From One Pound To Full Speed Ahead](https://livethebrightside.com/from-one-pound-to-full-speed-ahead/): When Mamadou Traore held his newborn son for the first time, hope felt like a long shot.
- [So an 8th Grader Built His Own Medical Device…](https://livethebrightside.com/so-an-8th-grader-built-his-own-medical-device/): When Aaryan Balani walked into the 71st Orange County Science & Engineering Fair, he didn’t just bring a project. He brought a solution to a problem he knows personally.
- [Teen Fills A Room With Hope for NICU Families](https://livethebrightside.com/teen-brings-hope-to-nicu-families/): In Shelton, Connecticut, one spare bedroom is packed wall to wall with diapers, wipes, blankets, and tiny clothes, each item meant for a baby Cait Salemme may never meet.
- [What Makes a City Happy? Not Just A Paycheck](https://livethebrightside.com/what-makes-a-city-happy/): If happiness had a ZIP code, it probably wouldn’t be the one with the highest salaries.
- [A Different Class, A Different Future](https://livethebrightside.com/a-different-class-a-different-future/): Inside a Utah prison, a group of inmates gathers once a week for something unexpected: a class on kindness.
- [Let Go and Grow Grateful](https://livethebrightside.com/gratitude/): A few years ago, I was pretty unhappy about a decision made at work. So upset, it sent me on a furious job hunt. After several months of growing bitter as I waited for the right job, someone from another department approached me about an opportunity. It was an opportunity that I had dreamed about. Something I had been talking about and hoping would happen for years. And it was finally going to happen. In my organization. And they wanted me to be a part of it. And do you know what my initial response was? I’m actually ashamed to admit this now, as it seems ungrateful and arrogant. But I was annoyed.
- [The secret to aging well might be your mindset](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot-aging/): Aging well is not only about adding years, but believing those years are a great part of life.
- [A Prayer Before Prom, and A Surprising Gift](https://livethebrightside.com/a-prayer-before-prom-and-a-surprising-gift/): It started as a typical pre-prom dinner — five friends gathering to eat, laugh, and soak in the excitement of the night ahead.

## Pages
- [Home](https://livethebrightside.com/): LPGA standout Miranda Wang speaks about her faith in this installment of The Bright Side's exclusive Their Journey series.
- [Tony Traback](https://livethebrightside.com/tony-traback/): Pastor, Therapist, Personal Trainer, husband, parent of teens. Loves mountain adventures, reading “boring” books, and devouring delicious food way too fast.
- [Elliot Sands](https://livethebrightside.com/elliot-sands/): Elliot Sands is the host of the Live Faith First podcast—a dynamic space where faith meets real-world challenges. With a rich background as a pastor, school principal, health-tech co-founder, and now Executive Director of Faith First, Elliot brings deep wisdom and practical insight to every conversation.  As a husband, father, and grandfather, he weaves personal experience with thoughtful discussion, tackling tough topics with clarity and compassion. Live Faith First is all about bridging divides—whether in society or the church—encouraging listeners to step beyond echo chambers and build real, meaningful relationships across the aisle, the street, or the table.
- [Sign Up for Our Newsletter](https://livethebrightside.com/sign-up/): When you sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, you're signing up to receive good news.
- [Today’s Bright Spot](https://livethebrightside.com/todays-bright-spot/): June 11, 2026: Wisconsin has dedicated more than 200 acres of some of the nation's lushest coastal land to the national park system.
- [Their Voices Submission](https://livethebrightside.com/their-voices-submission/)
- [What is Your Why?](https://livethebrightside.com/what-is-your-why/): In July 2020, I read an article in the McKinsey Quarterly entitled "Making a daily 'to be' list: How a hospital system CEO is navigating the coronavirus crisis." This article completely changed my perspective on productivity and focusing on one's Why. Prior to this article, my philosophy was simple: "If you want to know someone's why, look at their to-do list." It seemed as logical as the old saying, "If you want to know someone's heart or priorities, look at their checkbook."
- [Have you seen goodness or kindness?](https://livethebrightside.com/have-you-seen-goodness-and-kindness/): Have you seen an example of goodness or kindness in the world that we can share with our readers? Please tell us about that or any other inspirational story, and we will contact you to learn more.
- [About Us](https://livethebrightside.com/about-us/): At The Bright Side, we believe the internet becomes what society chooses to amplify. By sharing stories of hope, kindness, courage, and compassion, we can help shape a digital world that reflects the beauty of humanity. Together, we can reset the algorithm that determines what trends online by elevating the stories and values that bring out the best in people.
- [Terms of Use](https://livethebrightside.com/terms-of-use/): Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using this site.
- [Privacy Policy](https://livethebrightside.com/privacy-policy/): We collect information from you when you fill out a form.
- [Contact](https://livethebrightside.com/contact/): If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
- [Live Faith First Podcast](https://livethebrightside.com/live-faith-first-podcast/): Society & Culture

## Podcasts
- [The Bright Side Roundup With Cy and Jason, Episode 2](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/the-bright-side-roundup-with-cy-and-jason-episode-2/): The Bright Side is an online publication of the nonprofit Faith First organization. The Bright Side shares stories of hope, faith, resilience, and encouragement. Through news, interviews, personal reflections, and community storytelling, we shine a light on the good happening in the world and highlight people whose experiences point toward perseverance, purpose, positive impact, and spiritual growth.
- [There’s More to Life Than Work](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/theres-more-to-life-than-work/): Is play a luxury… or is it part of God's design for humanity?
- [The Bright Side Roundup With Cy and Jason](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/the-bright-side-roundup-with-cy-and-jason/): The Bright Side is an online publication of the nonprofit Faith First organization. The Bright Side shares stories of hope, faith, resilience, and encouragement. Through news, interviews, personal reflections, and community storytelling, we shine a light on the good happening in the world and highlight people whose experiences point toward perseverance, purpose, positive impact, and spiritual growth.
- [Did Bible Translators Get This Word Wrong?](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/wayne-jacobson-bible-translators/): Did the English Bible translators get it wrong?
- [The One Right Choice (Doesn’t Exist)](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/episode-89-alan-noble/): In this episode, Elliot Sands talks with Alan Noble, author of To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times, about decision-making, virtue, contentment, justice, faith, doubt, and what it means to live faithfully in a chaotic world.
- [Why We’re Exhausted: Ken Wytsma on Sleep, Stress, and Human Flourishing](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/ep88-stress-ken-wytsma/): Our culture wears exhaustion like a badge of honor. But what if our constant striving, stress, scrolling, and overwork are actually disconnecting us from the way God designed us to live?
- [Variety Is Great… Until People Disagree With You](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/variety-is-great-until-people-disagree-with-you/): We say “variety is the spice of life”… until someone disagrees with us.
- [What If God Wired You for More? Finding Your Calling](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/what-if-god-wired-you-for-more-finding-your-true-calling/): Have you ever wondered what God actually wants you to do with your life?
- [Addicted, Homeless, Arrested… Redeemed](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/addicted-homeless-arrested-redeemed/): What does it look like to fall all the way down—and come all the way back?
- [History Rhymes: Faith, Ideology, and Courage](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/history-rhymes-faith-ideology-and-the-cost-of-courage/): World War II may feel distant, but the moral questions it raised feel remarkably current.
- [Bombs Over Iran: Fear, Faith, and Hope at 35,000 Feet](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/bombs-over-iran-fear-faith-and-hope-at-35000-feet/): What happens when global conflict suddenly becomes personal?
- [Recovering the Sacred: Isaac Serrano on Meaning, Materialism, and the Practices That Ground Us](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/recovering-the-sacred-isaac-serrano-on-meaning-materialism-and-the-practices-that-ground-us/): What if the way forward was actually to look back?
- [I’m the Worst (And Why That’s Good News)](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/im-the-worst-and-why-thats-good-news/): What if your worst moments, broken places, and deep insecurities weren’t the end of the story—but the beginning of healing? Author, actor, and filmmaker Nathan Clarkson joins the Live Faith First podcast to talk about his bold and vulnerable book I'm the Worst (and I Love It). In a world obsessed with projecting our best selves, Nathan makes a radical claim: freedom begins when we stop pretending.
- [The Gift of Being Carried: Kevan Chandler on Need and Community](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/the-gift-of-being-carried-kevan-chandler-on-need-and-community/): “In inviting people into your need, God’s going to do something regardless. By being intentional, we get to participate in the work He’s doing through our weaknesses.” -Kevan Chandler
- [Radical Relaxation: Tracie Braylock on Healing Stress and Finding Peace](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/radical-relaxation-tracie-braylock-on-healing-stress-and-finding-peace/): “Radical in healthcare is usually when people have something there that shouldn’t be, whether it’s a cancer, whether it’s a growth of some sort, and it needs to be removed in totality. And so radical in the sense of let’s remove the stress completely. Let’s get to the root of it, remove it from our lives and replace it with relaxation. And also it’s acknowledging that in today’s world and culture to just say I’m going to relax or to step away from the hustle is a radical act. I understand that it can seem like a monumental task and yet it’s possible and it’s necessary and it’s helpful. So yes, that’s radical relaxation.”  -Tracie Braylock
- [Bounce Back, Bounce Better: From Rock Bottom to Restoration with Brad Johnson](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/bounce-back-bounce-better-from-rock-bottom-to-restoration-with-brad-johnson/): “If God's forgiveness is like our forgiveness, then he forgives us but doesn't want to have anything to do with us.”  -Brad Johson
- [Faith Doesn’t Skip the Fear](https://livethebrightside.com/podcast/faith-doesnt-skip-the-fear/): We often think of faith as the antidote to fear. If I just have enough trust, enough Scripture, and pray hard enough—then the fear will go away. But in my conversation with pastor and author Naeem Fazal, he reminded me of something both uncomfortable and freeing:

## Categories
- [Dear Therapist](https://livethebrightside.com/dear-therapist/)
- [Featured](https://livethebrightside.com/featured/)
- [The Good News](https://livethebrightside.com/the-good-news/)
- [Their Journey](https://livethebrightside.com/their-journey/)
- [Today's Bright Spot](https://livethebrightside.com/bright-spot/)
- [Where Is the Good?](https://livethebrightside.com/where-is-the-good/)
- [Wisdom Collective](https://livethebrightside.com/wisdom-collective/)