Connections

June 8, 1972, is a date that Kim Phuc Phan Thi will never forget. 

It was in the middle of the Vietnam war. Kim Phuc was just nine years old when an American military advisor coordinated a napalm bombing of Kim's village by the South Vietnamese.

"The soldiers yelled at us to run," said Kim Phuc. "I saw the airplane was so fast. So close. So loud. I turned my head. I looked up, and I saw four bombs landing. Suddenly the fire was everywhere around me. I was just so scared."

In recent years, we've heard more and more about abuse within the church. Whether that be sexual abuse, spiritual abuse or abuse of power, it's happening regularly.

Author and teacher Laura Barringer writes about this in a book she has co-authored with her father,  A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing. 

Back to school is just around the corner.

School supply lists are out, and parents are searching for the best deal on supplies and clothing. 

Sandra Fry is an accredited financial counsellor with the Credit Counselling Society. She says inflation is affecting back-to-school budgets, but there are ways to save money.

Most people think of the cuckoo bird as a wooden figurine that pops out of a clock. In reality, Cuckoos are brood parasites. 

Licensed professional counsellor and author Andrea Anderson Polk compares cuckoo birds to the human experience in her book, The Cuckoo Syndrome: The Secret to Breaking Free from Unhealthy Relationships, Toxic Thinking, and Self-Sabotaging Behavior.

Lily Meschi grew up in a Muslim family in Tehran, Iran. When she was 16 years old, her parents decided to migrate to Europe to escape their bankrupt business.

As a teenager, moving from Iran to Germany was a complete culture shock for Meschi. She had to learn a new language, adopt an unfamiliar lifestyle, make new friends and attempt to fit in with the German crowds, which caused her significant amounts of insecurity.

Philip Remington Dunn was a young public defender in Southern California, disillusioned by the recidivism rates of his clients when he met Pastor Bob Herrera of the Victory Outreach Church of Ventura County, who forever altered the trajectory of Dunn’s career and life.

When a child thinks they can rule over their parents, they have their work cut out for them! What seems impossible, God makes possible. 

Lucille Williams is a national speaker who has ministered to couples and families for over 25 years. She is also the author of, The Impossible Kid: Parenting a Strong-Willed Child with Love and Grace.  

Ked Frank heard about an outreach in his city that would visit strip clubs weekly. At first, he questioned it, but when he finally had the chance to meet the people involved, his life moving forward was transformed.

Mary DeMuth's life is full of deep wounds. 

When she was five years old, Mary was sexually abused by a pair of neighbourhood bullies. 

"I did everything I could to try to prevent what they were doing," said Mary. "They said they would kill my parents if I told. It was just a horrible situation, but eventually, I knew I had to tell because I was probably going to lose my life."

Aaron House has always had a passion for acting. In 2013 he found a way to combine his love for theatre with his strong faith in God.

He started up a ministry called Piercing Word.