Connections

He was born at 26 weeks and weighing just 1 pound 12 ounces, with cocaine in his system as a result of his biological mother's drug addiction. His birth complications left him blind and he was later diagnosed with autism, but God also gave him a perfect gift that he's more than willing to use.

Christopher Duffley was adopted by his aunt when he was just a child, and she already had four children. While they faced a number of obstacles, they soon discovered music was a soothing comfort for the young boy. 

A Christmas quiz at an office Christmas party changed the research path for one historian.

Dr. Gerry Bowler was interested in making the quiz both challenging and intriguing for his colleagues, so he started researching the different facts and myths surrounding Christmas.

Dr. Bowler says this lead him down a 30-year path of researching everything Christmas until he decided to write a book about it.

Multi-GRAMMY nominated artist Matthew West is ringing in the holidays with his new full-length album, We Need Christmas.

In addition to his new album, West will be celebrating the season in December with his "We Need Christmas" tour. This project marks West's third Christmas album, and it is comprised of classics reimagined in his own style as well as original songs. 

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.

Stories matter. They provide a compelling conduit through which we can connect with and impact other people.

Linda Olson never thought that she would go down the path of becoming a storyteller, but God had other plans. After experiencing tragedy early on in life and taking years to heal, God spoke to Linda and told her that she needed to share her story.  

She listened, and now Linda is helping others to embrace their own stories and share them in a way that could be of value to others. 

Chris Dowling grew up in Dallas, Texas. As soon as he turned 18 years old, he along with his best friend, moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in writing and acting.

"As soon as I got out there, I knew I wanted to write more than acting, but I did both," said Dowling.

Chris Dowling is now a multi-talented writer, director and producer who has optioned multiple properties that span both genre and medium. He wrote and directed his first feature in 2009, the award-winning noir comedy Rocky Slyde.

Women in the Bible are quite often forgotten about, but Marina Hofman is shining a spotlight on them in her new book, Women in the Bible: Small Group Bible Study.

Marina has a powerful story of God rescuing her life after a serious car crash and delivering her from anxiety. She says it's the women in the Bible that helped her overcome the challenges she faced following that incident.

Substance abuse is a huge problem everywhere In the world.  It can especially be an issue in the restaurant industry.

Steve Palmer lived with a drinking and cocaine problem and turned his life around. He is now a restaurateur and the author of Say Grace: How the Restaurant Business Saved My Life.

Nearly two decades ago, Palmer’s addiction to alcohol and cocaine became so consuming that the owner of the restaurant where he worked sat him down and gave him a stark choice: Go into rehab or clean out your office.

Breaking the cycle of family dysfunction is not easy to do.

For Lucille Williams, a national speaker who has ministered to couples and families for more than 25 years and author of The Impossible Kid: Parenting a Strong-Willed Child with Love and Grace, she struggled with an eating disorder that she did not want to pass on to her daughter. 

"I had to get help in my early 20's to break the cycle. I had bulimia," said Williams. "Food in my family was like an event."

A kind word, a helping hand, a prayer, these are small acts of kindness that can go a long way.

"We've talked about random acts of kindness for years, which is great, but it's a lot about doing. Have a list and do something every day," Becky Keife, author and manager of DaySprings (in)courage explains. "There is definitely an aspect of action, but the simple difference, I believe, begins with seeing more, seeing more of the people in front of you."