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 stubbornly turn toward the sun, even as the storm rages around us.

Today on Connections, Mandy talks about embracing life in the good and bad and the difference it makes!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Scripture who were transformed by the love of God.

Today on Connections, Kia shares how she went from deep pain to finding God's perfect love.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 music inspires people from all walks of life. 

Today on Connections, Tuzee shares where her passion for music started, the story behind her debut single and how she connects her music to her nursing career.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 faith journey.

This lead to Steph and Chris getting divorced, but their story doesn't end there.

Today on Connections, Chris and Stephanie of Out of the Dust share their amazing love story and how God restored their brokenness and used it for good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 truest constant in Tasha’s life has been the presence of God in both the highs and the lows. 

Today on Connections, Tasha shares how her book Look What You’ve Done: The Lies We Believe & The Truth That Sets Us Free will inspire you to walk in boldness and love, sharing the goodness of God revealed in your life.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first week of May is mental health awareness week in Canada.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness. However, Laura Howe says only 49% of pastors say they rarely (if ever) speak to their congregation about mental health.

Laura Howe is the founder of Hope Made Strong, an organization dedicated to equipping leaders with the mental health resources needed to create resilient individuals and churches with knowledgeable and confident leadership.

Today on Connections, Laura shares about her organization. She'll also chat about the importance of discussing mental health, especially within the church.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a runaway street kid in Uganda to a foster dad in America, Peter Mutabazi discovered the value of being known.  

He is sharing his powerful story with the world in his book, Now I am Known: How a Street Kid Turned Foster Dad Found Acceptance and True Worth.

Today on Connections, Peter shares his story and how his faith helped him through.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesse Reeves is a prolific songwriter in the worship realm, as he spent 17 years leading worship and touring with Chris Tomlin and penning many songs that are sung each week internationally. He co-wrote "How Great Is Our God," "Our God," "Lord, I Need You," and most recently, the powerful anthem and Dove-nominated song, "I Speak Jesus," which was the No. 2 song at Multi-Tracks for 2022 and is gaining traction on the CCLI chart.

KingsPorch was planted by Jesse Reeves and his wife in Austin after they were also part of planting the Austin Stone Church in 2002 and Passion City Church in 2008.

Today on Connections, Jesse talks about the release of worship collective KingsPorch EP, God is in this House.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a good mom isn't about doing everything right--though every mom has felt the pressure to do just that and to do it all on her own. To ask for help along the way feels like defeat. Yet when we try to do it all by our own strength, we end up depleted, lonely, and ineffective.

Heather MacFadyen wants you to know that you are not meant to go it alone. Sharing her hardest, most vulnerable mom moments, she shows how you can be empowered by God, supported by others, and connected with your children. With encouragement and insight, she helps you foster the key relationships you need to be the mom you want to be.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There may be no more powerful desire in the human heart than to be loved. And not just loved, but loved anyway. Despite what we’ve done or left undone, we long for the unconditional love that we know deep down we don’t deserve.

Bestselling author Jared C. Wilson says that kind of love exists, and it is an experience that is ours for the having. He shares this in his new book, Love Me Anyway: How God's Perfect Love Fills Our Deepest Longing.

Today on Connections, Jared shares how we can find this love and start accepting it. He also talks about his book and the inspiration behind it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.