Connections with Mike Thom and Colleen Houde

The past couple of years have had a significant impact on our children, especially when it comes to screen time. Many parents relied on tablets and television to keep their children busy while they were busy working from home or while they were in lockdown.  Molly DeFrank is a mother of six and the author of Digital Detox: A Two-Week Tech Reset for Kids.  She says it is time to flip the switch and...

Bubbling, what is it? How is it connected to God?  Lynn Hancock is also known as the bubble lady. She spends the warmer months going from park to park in Guelph, Ontario, creating bubbles. Today on Connections, Lynn shares how she first got involved with bubbling and how she's using this as a way to spread joy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He didn’t start a religion. He didn’t wear long robes. He didn’t have 12 disciples (and they weren’t all men). And his name wasn’t even Jesus. What did the real Jesus look like? What did he wear?  What did he eat? And who actually killed him? Jared Brock says almost everything we know about Jesus is wrong.  Today on Connections, Jared uncovers the human life of Jesus Christ. See omnystudio.com/lis...

A small radio station founded almost two decades ago has grown into a multimedia platform that provides a space where music and empowering conversations create a sense of community for people searching for answers to everyday questions about life, purpose and faith. It's called Holy Culture Radio. James Rosseau, the founder of the non-profit that owns and runs the multimedia platform, is a success...

When a child thinks they can rule over their parents, they really have their work cut out for them! What seems impossible, God makes possible. When a mother feels like her life is a mess with a troubled marriage, she needs to rely on God for parenting advice. New moms often have feelings of inadequacy, but we can learn to rely on God for wisdom and strength with a focus on grace. Today on Connecti...

Global storytelling organization  I Am Second has released an exclusive short documentary that offers viewers an intimate look at entrepreneur, pastor and racer, Don Wickstrum’s years-long journey to conquer the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb  while leaning on his faith and battling an aggressive cancer diagnosis. Today on Connections, Don shares his powerful testimony and what it was like to...

When gold stars, highlight reels, and seeking approval from strangers on the internet are not enough, Mary Marantz gives you permission to stop running. In this unique, powerful devotional filled with stunning photography, she shows you how to move from achieving, striving, and performing for your worth to the grace, freedom, and purpose that come from knowing your identity and calling are determi...

Both Rick and Robin McMillin struggled with addiction. Rick with anger and Robin with alcohol. Together the pair found freedom and are using their experience to help others.  Rick and Robin are directors of Total Freedom Manitoba. Today on Connections, Rick and Robin share their powerful testimonies. They'll also chat about the work being done at Total Freedom Manitoba. See omnystudio.com/listener...

We all wish we had more control. When our relationships are strained, when our bodies refuse to cooperate, and when the future is uncertain, control promises security and peace. The problem is, the more we seek the illusion of control, the more it betrays us. Thankfully the answer to our craving is not simply to "let go and let God." Instead, God has given us a better tool. In this eye-opening boo...

As a child, Michael Molthan experienced many hardships and trials, from his father’s abandonment to his grandfather’s abuse. All of this led him down a path of destruction that ended with drugs, alcohol and prison time. It was in jail that Michael found God and was set free.  Today on Connections, Michael shares his powerful story of transformation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Sara Barratt says it is time to trade confusion for clarity and live boldly for God in a world gone crazy. Sara Barratt is Editor-in-Chief for TheRebelution.com, a growing online platform that reaches more than half a million Christian teens, parents, and youth workers each year. She's a frequent speaker on topics including using your teen years for Christ, biblically navigating culture, and godly...

What are the limits on reaching the next generation? One Voice Student Missions ministry founder Brian Barcelona is pushing the bar on traditional evangelism and reaching Gen Z and younger through their phones. In Don’t Scroll: Evangelism in the Digital Age, Brian explores how his initially small ministry gained a social media following of over 1 million. Now, his ministry hosts virtual events thr...

Traumatic experiences happen to nearly everyone at some time in some form. The aftereffects--depression, anxiety, addiction, panic attacks, insomnia, and more--can affect us for years or even a lifetime. But the brokenness following a traumatic event is never a life sentence. While we are all changed by trauma, we do not have to be defined by it. Today on Connections, Dr. Gregory Jantz shares how...

In our image-conscious culture, life can become a never-ending performance. The perfection we feel pressured to project to those in our social sphere comes at the expense of our emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being. In the end, we are left exhausted and unfulfilled. How do we flip the script and feed ourselves rather than simply adding to our feeds? In Manda Carpenter's latest book, Soul Ca...

Every day there is an opportunity to draw awareness to the issues surrounding human trafficking. What are the realities of this situation, and how do we protect our children? Today on Connections, Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good, CEO of The Foundation United, educates us on human trafficking and how children are easily groomed. She'll also share how we can protect our children. See omnystudio.com/l...

Granger Smith is a country artist turned actor.  Smith makes his debut in the new AFFIRM Originals movie MOONRISE, which is now streaming on Netflix.  He plays Will Brown, a former country singer who has pushed away his family, fame and faith following his wife’s death. It is Brown's daughter, Ellie and a talented horse trainer who show him strength, forgiveness and grace to live life again. Today...

Mindi Oaten is an artist who lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Cochrane, Alberta. She says it was an encounter with God that changed her path and led her toward prophetic art. Since then, she has painted her way through all 66 books of the Bible. Mindi is passionate about sharing her testimony in hopes she can teach and inspire others to see the Bible in a fresh way, as well as inspire a...

Chris Singleton is a former minor league baseball player drafted by the Chicago Cubs. He became a nationally-renowned speaker with a message of resilience, forgiveness and unity following the loss of his mother in the 2015 Mother Emanuel Church Tragedy in Charleston, SC, where nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study.   Singleton is now using this tragedy to unite people.  Today on...

Nancy Hicks spent years on stage in Canada and more than a decade at QVC as an on-air spokesperson. She loved her time there but finally sensed God calling her to full-time ministry. After earning her master’s in theology from Palmer Seminary of Eastern University, Nancy launched her international speaking ministry, NancyHicksLive.   In May 2019, Nancy's life was turned upside down when her son Da...

T.C. Stallings, professional football athlete turned actor, is best known for his award-winning role in the #1 box-office film War Room. But throughout his life, he sensed a spiritual battle from a young age enduring challenging, life-altering circumstances. T.C. was desperate to escape the housing projects of Cleveland, where he grew up surrounded by gangs, crime, violence, and drugs. Raised by a...

If recent world events have taught us anything, it’s that life doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. Author Mandy Hale says that while we can’t control the curveballs life throws at us, we  can  control our response to them. We can choose to loosen our grip on what we think life is “supposed” to be and embrace life for exactly what it is–messiness and mayhem and all. We can choose to stu...

If you have been hurt, neglected, rejected, or abandoned by your father, it may feel like every aspect of life is affected by that broken trust. Even your relationship with God can feel tenuous, but there is hope. In her book, Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God's Perfect Love, Kia shares her story of father wounds, along with offering eye-opening examples from wounded women in...

Tuzee is an emerging  R&B, pop singer-songwriter and full-time nurse. Born and raised in Liberia, West Africa (now a proud Canadian), Tuzee loves music and has been singing since she was a child. She says music was an oasis during incredible times of suffering. Tuzee calls music her happy place as it reconnects her to the past and the present and helps her embrace the future. She hopes her mus...

Chris and Steph Teague were high school, mission trip sweethearts who met and began falling in love on a 13-hour road trip from Nashville to Pennsylvania. While dating through high school and marrying in college, they were volunteer worship leaders and served together in a variety of ways. However, things started to change when Chris entered a season of doubt that many people walk through on their...

Inspired by her powerful hit song of the same title, Look What You’ve Done delves into Tasha’s journey of finding freedom in Jesus through life's twists and turns. Tasha takes readers through her early days in small-town South Carolina, to her big breakthrough as a background singer on stage with Katy Perry, to the mission field in Kenya and beyond. Across many countries and all her days, the true...