Connections with Mike Thom and Colleen Houde

Mary Katherine Backstrom (MK) says a lot of people struggle with the concept of being holy. But the fact is, even the hottest of messes are being shaped—right now—into Jesus' likeness. She wants us to embrace the hot messes in our lives because she says, God uses each "mess" in our lives to bring us closer to Him. Today on Connections, she shares heartbreaking and hilarious stories from her own pe...

As the Taliban quickly sweeps back into power in Afghanistan, an Afghan-Canadian is calling on the federal government to also help Christians escape the chaos. Zobair Deen served as a Political Analyst and Strategic Advisor for the NATO-ISAF mission from 2004-2014 in Afghanistan. He also remained involved in research and analysis of Violent Extremism in Afghanistan until 2019.   Deen says that Chr...

Back to school is just around the corner. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, children all over the world face a different reality when it comes to returning to school. Whether it's heading back to a classroom, taking virtual classes at home, or a mix of educational approaches, adapting to these changes can come with a variety of emotions and anxieties. Dr. Katie Birnie is an assistant scientific...

Against every last odd, you can hope anyway, that's according to author, mother and hope warrior, Leanna Tankersly. With an openhanded spirit and open-hearted vulnerability, Leeana Tankersley reveals the darkest chapter of her own story, the thing she never thought would happen and could do nothing to prevent. Along the way, she shares how waiting in the darkness allowed something incredible to ta...

Lily grew up in a Muslim family in Iran and immigrated to the US as a teenager, only to find herself in an arranged marriage that her father set up as part of a business deal. That business deal drove her family apart, and she was alone in a new country in an abusive marriage. She became a Christian - and now her life is restored, and she is working with Iran Alive to reach women in Iran - the ver...

We’ve all suffered losses of varying degrees. Grief is normal. But in some cases, grief becomes chronic, and when it’s compounded by guilt, it can seem nearly impossible to resolve. Awakened by Grace, from Christian book author Darlene West, explores deeper themes of guilt and self-condemnation while sharing the story of a distraught widower who blames himself for his wife’s passing. When his gran...

Laura Barringer is an early years teacher by day and an author in her spare time. Her latest project is a new book that she co-authored alongside her father, Scot McKnight, A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing. Barringer says in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churche...

Back to school is just around the corner, but is your child ready for what's ahead of them? Shannon Shields is the Ignite3 program director and Vice-Principal at Ryerson School in Winnipeg.  Today on Connections, Shannon shares with us how we can prevent our child from going down the 'summer slide' and how we can enrich our children's learning during the summer holiday.   See omnystudio.com/listen...

Newly signed to both Centricity Music and Centricity Publishing, Brandon Heath is opening a fresh chapter. Not only is he partnering with a new label, but he’s collaborating with songwriters he’s never written with before and producers he hasn’t previously worked with.   Heath released a new single recently titled “Human Nature”.It explores what happens when God’s sovereignty collides with our hum...

Kristina Hurrell has always had a passion for travelling. Growing up near Windsor in England, she used her fast-paced Dior modelling career as an escape to explore global cultures. When she was just 20 years old, Hurrell was invited to photograph a Bedouin tribe in the Sahara desert. She didn't think twice and took the offer That trip did not turn out as planned. Soon, her exploration of the Bedou...

Jeannie Cunnion, a pastor’s kid and life-long Jesus follower who became a Christian at the age of eight found herself knee-deep in questions such as: Do I really rely on the power of God’s Spirit inside me or am I trying to do life in my own strength? How can I experience more of His presence? These questions led her to discover more about the Holy Spirit and become fully reliant on Him for the an...

On Aug 4, 2020, the city of Beirut Lebanon was rocked by a devastating explosion. Over 200 people were killed, thousands injured, and there were billions of dollars in property damage leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. Missionaries have been hard at work the last year to assist those affected, and in the midst of the destruction and grief people have been coming to Jesus in record numbe...

At first glance, it might seem like an average small community, but New Life Village is unique: its residents are children in foster care, their caregivers, and senior citizens who act as surrogate grandparents. It's the brainchild of a retired nun who says she's making it her life's mission to empty the foster care system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janet Campbell is the new president and CEO of the Joy Smith Foundation. Today on Connections she shares with us how the JSF is working to help victims of trafficking as well as providing families with resources to protect their loved ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a bomb detonated at the Brussels International Airport in 2016, Janet Winston-Young assumed she would be among the dozens of people killed. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, terror, and the very real possibility of dying, she says she felt complete peace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we continue to find our new “normal”, do you find yourself thinking about the parts of “normal” you want to leave behind? As the world begins to reopen, we don’t have to go back to the way life was before. Instead, we can grab hold of a simpler way of living by un-hurrying our hearts, embracing the relaxed rhythms of nature, and discovering the meaningful gift of growing slowly. Today, Jennifer...

Just two months out from his death, the family of Daryll Fenton is looking to give back to the organization that helped them in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy. Daryll Fenton, 68, was fishing with his wife, Els, in southeastern Manitoba on May 29 when he fell off the front of his boat after it unexpectedly jerked forward. The couple had just purchased the boat and Els was unfamiliar with how...

With roughly 500,000 children in the United States' foster care system and 50,000 in Canada's, the new mission field for the Church is clear, says Dr. John DeGarmo. DeGarmo has been a foster parent for 15 years, and he and his wife have had more than 60 children come through their home. Listen to this engaging conversation on how we can come together to love those who need it most. See omnystudio....

Kevin Malone had a long and successful career in Major League baseball. That includes being the GM of the 1994 Montreal Expos - the team with the best MLB record when a players' strike shortened the season. He also won a World Series with the Minnesota Twins in the '90s. But his success on the ball diamond came at a price for his family. Kevin shares how God redeemed his family and brought miracul...

Every year over 400 Canadians die by drowning. In fact, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death among Canadians under 60 years of age. Dr. Christopher Love from the Lifesaving Society offers practical tips to ensure that your loved ones stay safe while having fun this summer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bombs away! Today on the Connections podcast, pastor and author Pat Linnel talks to us about a sermon series that turned into a movement. Grace Bombs are intentional acts of love prompted by the Holy Spirit—offering an extra tip to a hardworking server, giving up a seat on an airplane, or making a meal for the ER nurse next door. When we grace bomb our neighbors, our spouses, or strangers on the s...

From the 1940s through the 1960s, young pregnant women entered the front door of a clinic in a small North Georgia town. Sometimes their babies exited out the back, sold to northern couples who were desperate to hold a newborn in their arms. But these weren't adoptions--they were transactions with cash and no birth records.   Jane Blasio is a Hicks Baby, sold at birth and passed through the back d...

NFL chaplain and pastor Jonathan Evans remembers living life on “cruise control,” comfortable where he was, following in the footsteps of his well-known and respected father (Dr. Tony Evans), until one day he realized he didn’t know his own role or purpose in life. Jonathan didn’t wait to figure it out; he took action and pursued what God had in store for him. His new book, Your Time is Now: Get W...

Michelle Moore is the founder of Mother’s Grace, a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $5 million for families in acute crisis, assisting more than 6,000 mothers in the state of Arizona and throughout the world.  Mother’s Grace addresses the critical needs of mothers and their children in the midst of tragic life events by helping them with housing costs, medication, meals, housekeepi...

In March 2020, the whole world retreated indoors, inspiring children’s book author Mikey Woz to create something to help kids everywhere find the silver lining. The result, When the World Stays Inside, is a refreshingly positive, whimsical book that reminds us all of the importance of finding beauty in the seemingly mundane and uncovering the bright side of any situation. Using clever, Seussian-st...