Christmas is just around the corner. For many of us, this is a festive and joyful time. For others, this can bring on some unnecessary stress. 

Today on Connections, Lucille Williams gives us tips on how to avoid the Christmas overload and find a balance to celebrate the real reason for the season.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If the animals who witnessed Jesus’ birth could have spoken, what would they have said? In her 2022 Moonbeam Award-winning book Bethlehem Barn, Debra Westgate-Silva gives young audiences a lighthearted retelling of the classic Christmas story — from the animals’ point of view.  

Debra shares more about her book today on Connections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Care to Save Your Life, she offers an invitation to shift your focus from performing to purposeful living from the inside out. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is an unprecedented mental health crisis sweeping the globe. People are hurting in more ways than ever and in epidemic numbers.

Dr. Jared Pingleton's latest book, Mental Health Ministry: The Struggle is Real, is designed to inspire and activate faith communities to meet the real-world challenges of this overwhelming crisis.

Biblically based and clinically proven, this book demonstrates practical ways that Christian ministries can make a powerful difference for those experiencing mental and relational health difficulties.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you used to go to church but do not anymore, David Wentz says his latest book is for you. 

When Church Stops Working: Meeting With God in Your Living Room looks at how the joyful, empowering gatherings of Jesus' followers in Bible times became today's institutional church. It also describes how any small group of friends in a living room can re-create the New Testament model of Christian gatherings and experience the love and power that turned the world upside down.  

Today on Connections, David Wentz digs deep into this topic.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the outside, Julie Ann Rose's childhood home was a place of beauty. Inside those four walls was anything but that.

At the age of six, Rose's father began abusing her, both physically and sexually. This went on for years before Julie eventually ran away.

Her problems didn't end there. She faced a road of endless trouble until the night she met Jesus.

Today on Connections, Julie Ann Rose shares her powerful testimony, how she survived the trauma she experienced and how she is using her experience to help other trauma victims. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the outside, Julie Ann Rose's childhood home was a place of beauty. Inside those four walls was anything but that.

At the age of six, Rose's father began abusing her, both physically and sexually. This went on for years before Julie eventually ran away.

Her problems didn't end there. She faced a road of endless trouble until the night she met Jesus.

Today on Connections, Julie Ann Rose shares her powerful testimony, how she survived the trauma she experienced and how she is using her experience to help other trauma victims. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenita Pace is a licensed professional counsellor (LPC) in Minnesota. She is also a pastor's wife.

She experienced a battle with depression and anxiety that led her down a path of destruction.

After several years of prayer, counselling, and pursuing God, Jenita and her family experienced God’s grace and restoration.   

Today on Connections, Jenita shares her story of restoration. She'll also share how you can find freedom from anxiety and depression.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sonya Johnson experienced trauma in her teenage years. That led her down a path of destruction that eventually landed her in jail.

While she was incarcerated, Sonya surrendered her life to God, and today she is using her experience to help others. 

Today on Connections, Sonya shares her testimony. She'll also share how she intends to help others moving forward.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pre-pandemic, 1 in 8 Canadians were food insecure, meaning they didn't have enough money to buy food that would prevent them from being hungry. 

That number has now risen to 1 in 7 Canadians.

Karen Giesbrecht is a registered dietician working in Vancouver. 

Today on Connections, Karen shares a bit about the situation when it comes to food insecurity in Canada, how the church is helping and how we can start looking at food from a different perspective.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.