Connections with Mike Thom and Colleen Houde

Anyone who spends a few moments speaking with Patrick and Anna Anderson will realize a few things that they're really good at. Anderson is a wheelchair basketball player and half of the band The Layawakes. His wife, Paddock, comprises the other half of the husband/wife duo. It's putting faith and family first, however, that ties it all together for the couple. Something that has been put to the te...

After living in Manitoba for most of their lives alongside raising their three children, Gary and Mavis Unger decided to uproot and move to Haiti in 2015  In 2017 they started up their ministry, Beauty Out of Ashes, and have been helping restaveks (domestic slave children) and street kids ever since.  Today on Connections, Gary shares the inspiration behind Beauty Out of Ashes and why they continu...

“Many of us go through life wondering what our true purpose is, feeling lost and believing everything will fall into place when we finally receive our calling from God,” said Geoff Peters. “The truth is, the call has already been made, the offer is on the table. Being a part of God’s family means we’ve received the invitation to be an active part of His work of love and compassion. He’s waiting fo...

Many women struggle with the voice in their head that tells them they are not enough…not smart enough, not pretty enough, not capable enough, not present enough. In her book, Set Apart: How to Stop Comparing, Own Your Giftedness, and Rest in Jesus, Denisse Copeland uses the biblical story of Mary and Martha to share her own story of recognizing her unique giftedness and unpacks how women can embra...

When you experience pregnancy or infant loss, you find yourself in a life you never expected. And even though pregnancy and infant loss are common, they're not common to you. Instead, you feel like a stranger in your own body, surrounded by well-meaning people who often don't know how to support you. That's according to today's guest, Rachel Lewis. She is the founder of Brave Mamas, an online comm...

"I'm a broken dude who has been saved, is being saved, and will be saved by Jesus. I'm trying hard to figure out how to follow His ways." Jerrad Lopes is a Christian author, speaker, and the founder of Dad Tired, a non-profit ministry focused on equipping men to lead their families well.   Jerrad served as a pastor in the church world for 11 years.  Several years ago, Jerrad and his wife, Leila, w...

Uncertain. Overwhelmed. Trying their best. This is how father’s today are feeling about raising their sons, according to research by the Barna Group. In his book, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character, author and pastor of Church of the City in New York City, Jon Tyson, has the antidote to that. He walks dads through practical steps to mentor young men wh...

Uncertain. Overwhelmed. Trying their best. This is how father’s today are feeling about raising their sons, according to research by the Barna Group. In his book, The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character, author and pastor of Church of the City in New York City, Jon Tyson, has the antidote to that. He walks dads through practical steps to mentor young men wh...

Paul Kelly had a passion to bring Christian music to cities and churches across Canada, and that has been the driving force behind Unite Productions touring bands coast to coast every year since 2002. Over the years, Unite has seen thousands gather in Jesus’ name to worship and experience God’s love, but in 2020 everything was turned upside down when the COVID19 pandemic put a stop to everything....

Arden Bevere is the youngest son of John and Lisa Bevere and the cofounder of Sons & Daughters, a movement committed to raise up a generation of uncompromising followers of Christ who will transform our world. He has a passion to see his generation go further than any that came before it, fully alive in this God-adventure. Today on Connections, Arden shares the inspiration behind the Sons & Daught...

Shoaib Ebadi was born in Afghanistan and raised Muslim, but fled the country’s violence as a young man. Living as a refugee in Pakistan but hoping to immigrate to North America, he joined an English Bible study as a way to learn the language. He did learn English but – more significantly – he learned that the Bible is the true Word of God. Shoaib immigrated to Canada in 2000 and began sharing the...

Singer-Songwriter and author, Ellie Holcomb has penned a journaling devotional book filled with encouraging, honest reflections and questions to help you process scripture. Fighting Words - 100 Days of Speaking Truth into the Darkness is a place where you can wrestle, respond to, and take hold of precious truths in God's Word to help you push back the lies that so often consume, distract, and dest...

Deidre Haight is the daughter of Katarina MacLeod. As a child, Deidre both watched the abuse her mother suffered and suffered abuse herself. Deidre was witness to her mother's addictions and has fought very hard to build a healthy life for herself. Deidre found music and singing to be restorative throughout her life. She teaches private music lessons in voice through her business Courageously Crea...

Katarina MacLeod is the founder & Executive Director of Rising Angels Awareness & Restorative Care; she is also a survivor of 15 years of commercial sexual exploitation.   Today on Connections, Katarina will share her story of survival, how God and her daughter helped her escape and how she is using her experience to help other women going through a similar situation. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Judy Richichi grew up in a family with eight children and an abusive father. Eventually, constant marital fights and the father’s aggressiveness led to divorce, leaving the children to figure out how to survive on their own, with only a mother suffering from mental health issues left to look out for them.  By the grace of God, and through the help of ordinary people along the way, they not only su...

Lucille Williams says allowing children to see parental weakness is difficult for any parent but sometimes it is necessary to reveal to their kids that they are human and approachable, not coming off as perfect while hiding who they really are. She says God takes the messes, weaknesses, and difficult times, and not only gives them second chances to walk through trials with more faith and trust, bu...

Former professional ballerina Valorie Kondos Field has never tumbled, flipped, or even played any type of organized sports, and yet she has been able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, attention to detail, and unwavering care for the overall well-being of her athletes. For Valorie, it's not about winning and losing, it's about choreographing your life and owning th...

What does it really mean to love your neighbour? This is a question that Marcel LeBrun asked and it sent him on a great journey that has resulted in not only a documentary but an organization that is now helping those who are marginalized and in need around the world. LeBrun is the founder of the 12 Neighbours Community, a dignified micro-home community where housing is just the beginning. The com...

Lucas Kitchen was determined to find the answer to the question, “What do I have to do to be saved?” The result is Naked Grace: A Quest For Clarity In A World Of Confusion, in which he chronicles with refreshing honesty and humour his life-long journey for answers. Today on Connections, Lucas will share his personal journey to find answers and why he decided to share that journey in his new book,...

October is autism awareness month in Canada. It is estimated that 1 in 66 children and youth has been diagnosed with autism in Canada, yet Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that remains misunderstood by many people. Teresa Hedley wants to change that. Hedley is an author, advocate, educator, curriculum designer and mother of a son with autism. Today on Connections, Teresa shares her fa...

Sheila Walsh is sharing candidly about her mental health struggles in hopes of  encouraging the millions struggling to hold on to and live in the love of God In her new book, Holding On When You Want to Let Go: Clinging to Hope When Life Is Falling Apart, Sheila Walsh vulnerably shares the traumatic events of her childhood, the loneliness, anxiety, and depression that still creep into her life, ho...

Today marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Patricia Myran of Long Plain First Nation is a second-generation residential school survivor. Her parents both attended residential school and Patricia spent 12 years in residential school. She has also been a historical researcher...

On July 31, 1999, life as she knew it stopped for Hedy Wiebe. While she and a friend were driving on a Manitoba highway, a van ran a stop sign, and they hit the passenger side of the van head-on with enough force to send them rolling. Sitting in the passenger seat, Hedy suffered extreme trauma to both her body and her mind. Her injuries included broken ribs and ankles, abdominal trauma, tendon and...

Do you have deep questions about miracles? Do you ever wonder how you tell a miracle from a natural phenomenon? Do you think about the relationship between science and faith? These are questions that Elijah Stephens asks in his new documentary, Send Proof. Send Proof is the first documentary of its kind that shows miracle claims that have been researched and published in peer-reviewed journals. To...

Square One World Media has been producing Christ-centred programming since 1947. Beginning with a simple radio program, their work has expanded to include television and online media. Yet even as their format changes, their commitment to delivering the Good News of Jesus Christ in a language people understand has not changed. Shoaib Ebadi has been the president and executive director of Square One...