Connections

When Dione Martin was a girl, she often thought about her biological father. Who was he? Did he ever think about her and wonder if she was okay?

Dione was born in New Orleans. She grew up with her African American mother and stepfather. Marin also had four siblings. When Dione was just five years old, she noticed she looked different from her brothers and sisters. She questioned her mother and discovered that her biological father was white.

For many, Christmas is a season they look forward to all year long. For others, it can be stressful and, at times, challenging for those who are missing a loved one.

Bob Smickilas, a registered psychotherapist, nationally certified counsellor, and licensed minister, says grief can arise at any time, but it usually rears its head at Christmas.

A strained relationship, financial struggles, a stalled career or an unhealthy lifestyle are a few reasons a person may feel mired in a hopeless situation. Most people have been there at one time or another. The key is to have the tools to overcome that feeling of being “stuck.” 

Jimn Kyles shares practical, actionable tips in his new book, Unstuck and Unstoppable: Shake Off The Past, Find Your Purpose, Get On With Your Life.

For many of us, Christmas is a joyful and festive time. For others, it can bring on some unnecessary stress.

Lucille Williams is a national speaker, author and podcaster. She says there are many ways we can avoid a Christmas meltdown.

Legend has it that animals can speak for one hour on Christmas Eve. If this is true, what would the animals in the barn have said on that first Christmas Eve?

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.  

What do we do when the church stops working?

David Wentz is a pastor and author of When Church Stops Working: Meeting With God in Your Living Room. He says if the church has stopped working for you, but your spirit knows something is missing, God may be calling you to try something new.

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. 

"He would beat me. He sexually abused me. He sold me to other men to sexually abuse me," said Julie Ann. "The complicated thing was that he was very wealthy. My parents literally owned the town of Libby, Montana. He had all this power and influence in that town, so there was no one I could go to or talk to."

Depression manifests itself in many ways, such as fatigue, constant sadness, loss of interest in daily activities, and the inability to focus or leave home.

Jenita Pace, a licensed professional counsellor (LPC) and wife of a pastor, experienced battles with depression and anxiety that left her personal life on the brink of destruction.

Sonya Johnson's childhood started like many others. She was an only child raised in a safe and happy Christian home. 

When she was eight years old, her life was flipped upside down when her parents divorced.

With food prices on the rise, and a global pandemic leading to job losses, many households across the country continue to struggle to feed their families.

"Pre-pandemic, estimates were that 1 in 8 Canadians were food insecure, meaning they didn't have enough money to buy food that would prevent them from being hungry," Karen Giesbrecht, a registered dietician, explains. " The last estimate I heard, we think now it's 1 in 7 Canadians that are food insecure. This can have a significant impact on our physical and social health. It also affects our spiritual health."