Connections

Shearon Pearson Epps comes from a large family of 18 siblings. Although growing up constantly surrounded by family, she always felt she was alone.

Her mother raised her in the church, but she never felt a part of the church. Later, when her older cousin started a church next door, she stumbled into a spiritual world she never knew existed. It was in this tiny, backwoods church where Shearon Epps found Jesus.

Patrick Bell was a Bible Smuggler into Communist Eastern Europe from 1988 to 1990.

His purposeful and extensive research in Romania, along with a deep appreciation for the hard issues that the Romanian believers faced, breathe life and authenticity into the story.

"When you hear gunfire outside your hotel and there are bullet holes in the window and blood on the carpet, you know you're in the thick of it."

School is back in session and unfortunately for a lot of children that means bullying is also back.

Dr. Wendy Craig is with an organization called PrevNet.

PrevNet is a national network of leading researchers and organizations, working together to stop bullying in Canada. It is the first of its kind in this country and a world leader in bullying prevention.

Through education, research, training and policy change, PREVNet aims to stop the violence caused by bullying - so every child can grow up happy, healthy and safe.

Talasi Guerra is a Christian author and communicator who is passionate about infusing Jesus into her everyday life and empowering others to do the same.

Having travelled across the globe to bring a message of hope to children, students, and adults in all kinds of different settings, nothing excites Talasi more than watching a “light-bulb moment” happen. But it wasn't always that way.

But it wasn't always that way. For years, Talasi battled with anorexia and depression and ran as far away from God as she possibly could.

Mike Donehey, a recording artist, songwriter, author, and founding member of the band Tenth Avenue North, has seen his fair share of the unexpected.

Following a potentially fatal car crash as a teen, Mike learned to play the guitar while recovering from his injuries. Playing guitar gave birth to songwriting, which then led to the formation of Tenth Avenue North who became one of the most loved and successful bands in Christian music.

Adam Rieger always felt as though something was missing in his life, but he was never really sure what it was. 

In his teen years, Adam Rieger stopped going to church. He became an atheist and began listening to death metal music. It was then that he also decided that he needed to travel the world. This adventure led him to try out hitchhiking.

A few years ago, Mike Janzen was approached by a good friend that asked him if he would be interested in writing some music based on the ancient prayers in the Psalms.

Although the idea interested him, at the time, he had a packed schedule and didn't know if he'd have the time to slow down enough to actually write.

Shortly after that discussion, he experienced a life-altering injury that flipped his world upside down and brought his career to an abrupt halt.

Home. It’s where you’ve been spent a lot of time the past year and a half. It’s where the heart is. Where your family’s at. Even where you keep your stuff.

It’s also a greater reflection of who you are and what you value. A look into your home can be a look into your heart, your relationships with family and friends, and with your heavenly Father.  

Shannon Acheson, editor, designer, and now the author of Home Made Lovely, helps women take on the task of redefining their homes.

Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission has a goal to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles.

Ken Craft is the founder and CEO, and he has a powerful story of how he became involved with this mission.

"I was a pastor for many years and had my own broken world experience, and I ended up losing everything," Craft explains.

Over 80 million people watched Mary Katherine Backstrom (MK) explain how she accidentally hugged a stranger to thank him for washing the windows on her car, after all, it was Christmas and she thought he was in the spirit of Christmas…he wasn’t…he was actually cleaning his own car!