Is stress looking like it might have the final word for your family this Christmas? Don't let it, there is hope.

God knows what you need. He sent Jesus into the world for you, to meet your greatest need. The Christmas story is personal. Here's how to make it your story.

There's a light that can cut through your doubt, anger, sin, shame, and disappointment with God. Here's what you need to do to find it.

For many, the Christmas season is complicated. It's a reminder of broken relationships, unmet expectations, and missed loved ones. But no matter your circumstances, Christmas can also be a reminder of the light that overcomes the darkness.

Getting married is one thing. Being married is another. The journey actually just starts when you become a Christian. There’s a life together that can be deeply challenging but also tremendously rewarding. The ancients called it ‘sanctification,’ and this week we’ll explore what it actually means to be a Christian and how that looks over a lifetime.

So what exactly happens when a couple gets married? Why is it that one minute, they can simply break up, but the next minute they have to get an annulment or even a divorce? Well, at a wedding, something permanent happens. It’s exactly the same when you become a Christian. We’ll look at what happens, why it happens and how to make it happen so something changes forever in your life.  

So it’s going well enough to make it permanent, sort of. You like her enough to stick around, but you’re afraid of commitment. So you move in together. Frankly, that’s what a lot of people do with Jesus. They don’t want to commit, but they don’t want to leave. The question is: where does that leave you?

Every relationship starts out with two people who like each other. Your emotions take over. You feel things you haven’t felt before. But then you ask yourself: is this just a phase? Will it go as quickly as it came? Can it be this fun for long? The same thing happens spiritually. What begins as a curiosity about Jesus always lands somewhere else. But what do you do with that?

Don't like the church? Is that your fault or the church's? In this episode of Brand:New, Andy exposes how the church veered off course.

Want to know the one thing Jesus said you can’t avoid with loopholes, shortcuts, or workarounds? Watch this episode of Brand:New.

Religion is powerful—so powerful it can shape the way we view ourselves and treat others. For more, watch this episode of Brand:New entitled 'Recycled.'

Jesus stepped into a world where religion was characterized by the Temple Model and initiated something entirely new. For more, watch this episode of Brand:New entitled "Apoplectic."

The arrival of Jesus signaled the end of the Temple Model and the beginning of something entirely new! For more, watch this first episode of Brand:New entitled Letting Go.

Starting October 2nd, we're starting a new series called "Brand: New - How Jesus Redefined Church". We're excited and you should be too - listen in to find out why!

Every day our friends and neighbours feel like life is against them, and in some cases God is against them. Imagine if people in the cities of Barrie and Orillia knew that Connexus was a community of people who was FOR the city? Even more importantly, what if our church and our lives became a megaphone to let them know that Jesus is FOR them?

Even if you have a clearer understanding of eternity than ever, knowledge can still leave you with the question “So what?” Maybe the ultimate question isn’t  “So what if it’s true?” Perhaps the ultimate question is “So what are you going to do?” The decision you make about Jesus today echoes forever.

Many NDEs seems to be positive experiences, but what about judgment and hell? Are both simply outdated concepts? Surprisingly, not all NDEs are positive experiences. In fact, 23% are hellish. What both the scripture and NDEs reveal about judgment may shock you but ultimately save you.

A common, beautiful thread weaving many stories of near death experiences together is that of the overwhelming love they felt in the presence of Jesus, the being of light. This was in spite of the fact that He knew everything about them, good and bad. That kind of all-seeing, unconditional love is what we all crave deep within our hearts. But is this being actually Jesus...or who is he?

So...will you recognize the people you love in heaven? Will the relationships that mattered most to you in life matter in heaven? Many NDEs reveal a lot about relationship and so does scripture. We’ll look at what our relationships will be like in heaven, and how that changes things on earth.

Perhaps the most common theme from NDEs is experiencing a beauty that fills the soul and is hard to put into words. People who get a glimpse of the world to come encounter a majesty that is beyond their ability to fully comprehend.  It turns out that this heavenly world is the one that the Bible has been pointing to all along.

So is heaven real? Like real, real? And if it is, what’s it like? We’ll share 5 misconceptions about heaven in this message, and look at what scripture points us toward. We’ll also look at some near death experience accounts, both ancient and current. Maybe if someone came back from the dead and told us what heaven is like, we’d believe.  

When we’re in the midst of pain and suffering, it can feel like we’ll never be happy again, nothing good can come from our circumstances, and there’s no reason to continue living. But those are lies. God can redeem, use, and work through our pain. And when he does, we eventually have the opportunity to comfort others. There is a “Fellowship of Suffering.” People who’ve suffered are uniquely equipped and qualified to comfort people who are suffering.

Jesus told his followers that unavoidable trials aren’t aberrations; they are expectations. They can actually serve a beneficial purpose. Why? Because God can redeem, use, or work through the undeserved, unavoidable, circumstantial trials in our lives. But in order for that to happen, we have to believe and persevere.

Our new series, Imagine Heaven, launches August 14th. In this interview, Carey interviews author John Burke and asks What can we learn from the thousands of near death experiences people have reported?

Are they consistent with biblical depictions of heaven?

John Burke shares years of research he’s done comparing NDE’s and scripture to bring us a vivid and fascinating account of what happens after people die.

What do you do when life hasn’t gone in the direction you hoped or wanted it to go and there’s nothing you can do to change your circumstances? What do you do when you’re living in “the meantime”? If you’ve ever been In the meantime or if you’re currently in the meantime, you can’t help but conclude you’ll never be happy again, nothing good can come from your circumstances, and there’s no point in continuing. Can it really be true that God will make things right?