2 Oct 2026
Episode28_AlaniBankhead_Faith and the Chili and Cornbread Army
In this episode, I sat down with congressional candidate, navy lieutenant colonel special operations terrorist and human trafficking hunter and all-around bad ass Alani Bankhead to tell our testimonies of faith. Over the last year, I have had the privilege of becoming close friends with Alani. We talk just about every week. Certainly, we talk about politics and campaign strategy, but more often than not, our conversations wind up being about Jesus, why we serve, and what it means to be a Christian in this day and age.
There are so many reasons to have this conversation, not least of which is to tell our testimonies as our opponents and the political machine try to twist who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe in. More than that, this is a way of stamping our faith onto this election. It’s time we held our leaders to a higherstandard, and this is as high as it gets. As Christ-followers, our testimonies are at the heart of who we are and everything we do. They are the lived experiences of our trauma and brokenness when we first surrendered our will at the feet of the cross.
This is how we are launching our final march to the November finish line. There are so many incredible things to come, and the more I pray and look at the political landscape of corruption, greed, and political idolatry, I’m more and more convinced we are going to win. I also say that with the knowledge that thisisn’t a foregone conclusion. We aren’t simply going to win because either of us had a vision from God. We are going to win because of you, because you are willing to stand up for something better, to get your hands dirty, to insist that we hold our country to a higher standard and be willing to fight for it. The American story and the Christian story are both stories of underdogs standing up against all odds and overcoming the impossible.
The kingdom we are building is very different than anyunderstanding of traditional power. It is made up of the dispossessed, the broken hearted, the meek and lowly. It is built on the belief that the stone that was rejected is the cornerstone, and that a sling armed with these stones canslay even Goliath. Our army is made up of misfits and oddballs, of those who are often overlooked and underestimated,but we are so much stronger than anyone can possibly guess. There is a movement boiling just beneath the surface, an uprising of those who have been discounted, all of us bringing our meager sacrifices, our voices and stories, our refusal to yield the future to the greedy and powerful, and we are coming. Armed with chili and cornbread, selfless love, and Jesus Christ leading us into battle, nothing can stand in our way.
It is time we had a different kind of conversation about faith. This needs to be heard. We need you to share it, to text it to your friends, share it on your profiles, email it to people who need to hear it. Stand with us and say this is what we expectfrom our leaders.
The world needs better stories — and Pay Love Forward and Resilient Stories intends to tell them.
