Connections

It's been 10 years since Naomi Fehr lost her son, Josh, to cancer. 

"Josh was a healthy kid, and all of a sudden he just wasn't feeling so good. We took him in for some testing, and they immediately had us rush him into Winnipeg to Children's Hospital for some blood tests and stuff. We were told he had leukemia," Fehr explains.

Josh was just nine years old when he lost his battle. Naomi says, when he passed, she needed something to keep herself busy, so she started volunteering with Candlelighters, a childhood cancer support group.  She is now the board chair.

Lexi Townsin may have been little, but her heart was huge.

Just before her third birthday, Lexi was diagnosed with Blau syndrome, a rare inflammatory disorder that affects the skin, joints and eyes.

"At the moment we know of only about 200 cases in the world," said Lexi's mother, Cheryl-Lynn.

Despite her pain, Lexi chose every day to live her best life and through her courage, compassion and charismatic personality, Lexi inspired others to do the same. 

 Life Coach Michael Taylor has thrown a lifeline to individuals looking to kickstart their spiritual journeys and self-discovery.

“There are many people who are hesitant to pursue their spiritual journeys because of strict religious doctrines surrounding Christianity that don’t coincide with their personal views,” Taylor said.

Data released from the Pew Research Center supports Taylor’s position, with surveys showing that the number of religious “nones” has grown by nearly 30 million over the past decade.

Anxiety is the most common mental illness diagnosis, and those who suffer from it often feel overwhelmed, out of control, ashamed, lonely, and spiritually defeated.

Dr. Amanda Porter, a psychiatric nurse practitioner with triple-board certifications in internal medicine, psychiatry/mental health, and addiction, openly shares that she, too, struggles with anxiety.

She has found that many people mistake anxiety as a sin and consequently experience feelings of guilt. She says the truth is that anxiety is an emotion that can serve as a life-saving tool. 

Like many Canadian boys, Brady Leavold had a dream of becoming a pro hockey player.

Instead, a combination of childhood trauma and an inability to cope, led Brady Leavold down a path of destruction.  

"At five years old, first my mom left and my dad became a single dad. Shortly thereafter, I was sexually abused," Leavold explains. 

He says he very quickly became obsessed with hockey because it gave him the escape he was looking for. 

Kelly Farley and his wife were living their best lives. They were both successful engineers climbing the corporate ladder, getting ahead in life.

"We put off having children for a while to get our careers going," said Farley. "When we decided to have children, we ended up having to go through fertility treatments."

After a series of fertility treatments, Kelly and his wife became pregnant with their first child, Katie. That excitement quickly turned to sorrow when they lost Katie in the fall of 2004.

Shantel Dudley wears many hats. She is a motivational speaker, founder of the Real Life Women’s Conference, a wife and a mom of 17 children, some through birth, some through marriage and some through adoption.

After experiencing abuse in her life, Shantel felt called to help the broken and hurting. 

As we continue to face changes due to the pandemic, many people are suffering from anxiety, fear, and mental health issues. Seidl aims to help those who are struggling and fix the rampant stigma, especially in Christian circles, surrounding mental health challenges by being brutally honest about his own battles with anxiety and OCD.

Jon Seidl hopes that by being brutally honest about his battles with anxiety and OCD, that he can help others who are struggling and fix the rampant stigma surrounding mental health challenges, especially within the church.

Dr. Heather Macumber, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Providence University College recently released a new book, Recovering the Monstrous in Revelation.

This 212-page book gives readers a look into Monster Theory, specifically exploring the book of Revelation with all its apocalyptic creatures.

The past couple of years have been difficult for many as we deal with the ongoing pandemic.  

And although it can be difficult to seek out the goodness in the world, Alexandra Kuykendall, a popular speaker, writer and national network director for Project 127, reminds us that everything is going to be okay, that God is still at work, even in small ways. She says God is still in control and still offers us good gifts. We just have to know where to look for them.