The Thriving Family

Video games often get a bad reputation as isolating and a waste of time. But what if we looked at how gaming can build deep, meaningful connection and discipleship between youth and mentors?

Welcome to The Thriving Family, a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. For today’s episode, you’re in for a fascinating conversation with Jamie and Jessica Harris, founders of the ministry Satellite Gaming. Satellite Gaming points students to Jesus Christ by building relationships through video games. Jamie is so passionate about video games, but this passion is eclipsed by his heart for youth and teens, and reaching this often overlooked demographic through discipleship. Join us for an in-depth conversation about faith, family, parenting, and the bright side of video games.

Note: This episode does not constitute an endorsement of aforementioned video games, television shows, or movies by Focus on the Family Canada. Check out reviews at Plugged In to help you determine what is appropriate for you or your family.

Satellite Gaming

Plugged In

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© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

In an increasingly divisive world, the most radical thing we can do is seeing our fellow humans as made in the image of God.

Welcome to The Thriving Family, a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. For today’s episode, we’ll dive deep into a phrase that may be familiar to you: “made in the image of God.” But what does this actually mean? And how does this impact how we view the world and live our lives?

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© 2018 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

Strong leaders help guide effective teams, but even the strongest, most impactful leaders need to be led.

Welcome to The Thriving Family, a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. For today’s episode, you’ll hear from Tim Schindel, who took the time to sit down for an inspiring conversation. He loves to cast vision, build teams, set goals, and reach them while having a lot of fun along the way. Seeing the need and an opportunity to serve, Tim founded Leading Influence in 2006 to fulfill the vision of providing excellence in pastoral care to politicians across Canada. Join us for an exciting, faith-filled conversation.

Leading Influence

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© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

Followers of Christ are widely familiar with the 12 disciples in the Bible, but another group made a significant impact worthy of the spotlight: the women in the book of Acts.

Welcome to The Thriving Family, a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. For today’s episode, we’re going to look at a few stories of prominent women in Scripture, specifically in the book of Acts. These women are not the stuff of Sunday School picture books. They’re real, they’re diverse, and more than anything, they help us understand God’s plan for his church.

Article: Recovering the stories of silenced women in ancient literature

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Free, one-time phone consultation with a registered counsellor at Focus on the Family Canada. Give our team a call at 1.800.661.9800 to book a consult.

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© 2017 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.

Sources from today's episode:
Darrell L. Bock, Acts, (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), Baker Academic, 2007.
F.F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, (New International Commentary on the New Testament), Eerdmans, 1988.
R. Kent Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, (Preaching the Word), Crossway, 2014.
I. Howard Marshall, Acts, (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries), IVP Academic, 1980.
Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles, (Socio-Rhetorical Commentary), Eerdmans, 1997.

In a world that says marriage and monogamy are outdated, these words are radically countercultural: “I do.”

Welcome to The Thriving Family, a Focus on the Family Canada podcast. Today, you’re in for an inspiring conversation with Andrea Mzorek and Peter Jon Mitchell from Cardus, where they discuss the research that shows why marriage still matters. Cardus is a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening, through research and dialogue, the ways in which society’s institutions can work together for the common good. Andrea has worked in journalism and think tanks in Europe and Canada. She writes and speaks about marriage, childcare, and women's issues. Prior to joining Cardus, she was executive director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada. Peter Jon is program director of Cardus Family. He has been researching and writing about Canadian families and public policy for nearly two decades. Join us as Andrea and Peter Jon talk about their fascinating new book I Do: Why Marriage Still Matters.

I…Do? Why Marriage Still Matters

Cardus

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© 2026 Focus on the Family (Canada) Association. All rights reserved.