Every Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving), The Salvation Army takes to the airwaves to promote its work and encourage giving. Last year, Peer interviewed Carlos and Alexa PenaVega, the husband-and-wife acting and singing duo, as they assisted with the Army’s Giving Tuesday activities. At that time, Carlos was looking forward to performing in “Big Time Rush on Ice.” Asked about his ice-skating capabilities, Carlos said, “You know what? I’m becoming more capable every day.” Alexa quickly insisted he was better than he was letting on. Carlos and Alexa are huge fans of The Salvation Army, having acted in and produced a feature-length film, “Get Him Back for Christmas,” which featured The Salvation Army. Carlos quipped that The War Cry sounded like a great name for another movie. To which Alexa replied, “Here it goes. We’ll see you guys next year.” The couple also shared about moving to Nashville, TN and parenting their three kids. 

P: What do you feel like these last several years have taught you guys in terms of the change of lifestyle and all that you’ve been doing? 

CP: Honestly, how important community is. I’ve never had men in my life like I have in Tennessee right now. I have some really great men who pour into me, and I pour into them as well. But yeah, like, I’ve always been on the road and moving, and it’s hard to maintain relationships. But being in Tennessee and really, for the first time, rooting ourselves somewhere, which we’ve never really done, I’ve been able to develop some really strong friendships, which, as a man, is really important. I didn’t know how important it was to do that.

AP: Yeah. I think to add on top of that, really, like, when God calls you to something, you just go immediately. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, and don’t ask questions — just go. And I think that might be why we are all over the place all the time. But, you know, Carlos felt like the tiniest nudge the other night to go somewhere. I got invited somewhere, and I thought, “I’m too tired to go.” And as I was explaining it to her, I’m like, I just want to go in this. And I just felt God, or Holy Spirit, go, “I think you should go.” And I was like, mid-sentence. I was like, oh, well, maybe. And she goes, “What?” I was like, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just my thoughts, but I felt like I needed to go. She’s like, yeah, that’s the Holy Spirit telling you that you need to go tonight. Why? And I’m like, and it probably won’t happen again. Like, that was your nudge. And if you don’t take it, you’ll just miss it. And you don’t know what you may have missed out on that evening, not even for you, but for anybody else.

CP: Well, it turned out the person that I went with was literally so happy that I went and did not want to go alone and all this stuff. And then he ended up opening up to me about a bunch of stuff, and our relationship got deeper, and I was like, well, there you go. 

AP: So just listening to God in those whispers and those tiny nudges, because it’ll happen just for a split second. It’s not like some big moment. It’s like that tiny whisper.

CP: Yeah. That’s another movie right there.

P: Well, it’s so cool too, just the way that you live your faith out together and your ability to say them. I think you should listen to that and encourage him to follow that nudge. And I just wonder, in the midst of your solo projects and your work together, how you maintain a healthy work-life balance and find time for each other or your kids?

CP: I think it’s an ongoing growth. In the past, I thought people who got up at four or five in the morning were absolutely insane. And as of recently, I’ve been getting up every morning at 4:30 or 5:00, and I get two hours to myself. She’s now starting to join me. And then, you know, like, that’s our time to get in the Word or write emails in peace and really think about what you’re saying and be intentional versus trying to do it while kids are chasing you. I think, you know, we’re growing in that, and it’s just been really fun to do that.

P: Thank you. Regarding your life together, I also know you have three beautiful children: Kingston, Rio, and Ocean. And they’re also somewhat getting involved in your work now, too, in different ways. How’s that coming on?

CP: You know what? We are simply trying to nurture whatever gifts they possess, as well as cultivate the gift of craziness. But you know what? I started doing these morning Bible studies with them. Literally just last week, we’ve been doing trivia every single morning, and we’re getting them engaged. And it all started because I asked some friends of ours. Actually, they’re big on social media, the LeBrant family. Cole and Savannah LeBrant. Amazing family. And their kids were at our church, and I said, they’re really good kids. We also served at the kids’ church, and I had the opportunity to experience them one-on-one. And I asked my buddy, I said, “How are those kids so well-behaved and so mannered?” And they said, because the father is so intentional. He’s an intentional father with them. And that kind of just was a huge hardship for me, where I was like, dude, I need to be even more intentional with my kids. Not just like a good dad, cause, you know, that’s one thing, but be really intentional.

AP: Well, and also, it just shows you the importance of the father in the household. Because I’ll have these same conversations with the kids but hearing it from Daddy is a completely different experience, especially with the boys. And they’re excited for it, and they’re excited that he’s excited about it. I feel that intentionality will be passed onto them. The way I love is different than the way they love them. So, they need that father figure, especially when it comes to matters of faith. 

P: Absolutely. And now in this new place, in this really supportive, wonderful community, what do you see as the next chapter for y’all? What’s next? You’ve got a movie coming out. 

CP: Yeah, you know, of course. It’s a new season for us, and we’re being very bold in our faith. I think being bold with the things we believe and not allowing modern culture to dictate boundaries for us, because God has no boundaries, and we can do whatever we want in Him. So, we’re just kind of believing in that and staying strong on the path He has set for us. Listening to those nudges of a whisper, I’m telling you, that’s either a book title or a movie or something. Whisper. Little whisper. Nudge, nudge of a whisper. Whatever that is. Yeah, just like, really listening.

AP: It’s so interesting, though, because last week, my biological father was in town visiting with the kids, and the kids were all screaming. He’s like, “Hey, let me tell you something. If you ever want to get someone’s attention, just whisper.” And it’s so true. That’s so much more powerful than a yell because it forces people to go, wait, what? Like, I just heard somebody whisper something.

To support the work of The Salvation Army in your community this Christmas, visit salvationarmyusa.org.