Special Guests

  • Martha Williamson — Executive Producer of Touched By An Angel and Hallmark Channel's Signed Sealed & Delivered
    Two trusted brands of family entertainment, Hallmark Channel and Martha Williamson, have joined forces for a new original series! "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" premiered Easter Sunday, April 20 at 8pm ET/PT, 7C and is slated to run for 10 consecutive weeks. Acclaimed for the phenomenon she created as the Executive Producer of "Touched By An Angel", this new TV series marks Martha Williamson's return to television as well as her return to the Sunday evening time slot held by "Touched By An Angel" during its top 10 run. “As much as the television landscape has changed, the audience for positive and inspiring programming hasn’t gone anywhere,” says Williamson. Hallmark Channel's new original series is a wonderful combination of romance, comedy and drama that follows the lives of four postal workers who transform themselves into an untraditional team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Their missions take them out of the office into an unpredictable world where letters from the past can change lives when they arrive late but somehow on time. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” stars Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”), Kristin Booth (“The Kennedys”), Crystal Lowe (“Smallville”) and Geoff Gustafson (“Primeval: New World”). Special guest-stars announced to-date include Valerie Harper, Della Reese, Valerie Bertinelli and Marilu Henner, who will portray supervisors in a revolving role featuring television icons. Williamson made television history when her CBS series "Touched By An Angel" set a new standard for an inspirational family drama when it grew to a weekly audience of 25 million viewers during its initial nine year run. She began her career in comedy, working with the producing teams for Carol Burnett and Joan Rivers and went on to write for and produce situation comedies such as “The Facts of Life”, “Family Man”, “Jack’s Place” and “Living Dolls” for all the networks. She became known as a “script doctor” who was brought in to fix shows that weren’t working, as was the case with the abandoned pilot that later became “Touched By An Angel”.
    www.hallmarkchannel.com/signedsealeddelivered
    Listen ← 28m:09s – 16.11 MB → Download

  • Justin Hines — Singer-Songwriter, Recipient of The Order Of Ontario
    Being born with Larsen Syndrome, a joint dislocation condition that keeps him in a wheelchair, has helped Justin deal with the many challenges faced in life. As a progressive condition, doctors told him early on that the continuous curvature of his spine wouldn't really impact him until later on. However, the timing of that diagnosis came earlier than expected, just as he was preparing to record new songs. “I found myself really struggling to sing with full strength. It was intensely painful as the effects of the scoliosis was creating new physical obstacles and new obstructions to my lungs and vocal cords.” This came as a huge blow to all concerned and left many with the gloom-laden possibility that this could be his final record. The idea of his career coming to an abrupt conclusion was not something he was prepared for, nor was he going to lie down and resign himself to it. The experience left an indelible mark on the proceedings during the recording and Justin admits that listening to the new tracks was not easy for him. “The audio is tangible proof of what was happening to me. I have always reflected authenticity in my work so if you hear a sense of despair, some anxiety and a different kind of energy at times, it’s because it’s an accurate snapshot of how I was feeling.” The silver lining of this scenario was how the album turned into a watershed moment for his music. Early listeners of his new music have been surprised and impressed by the raspy, deeper vocals and, at times, a darker shift in lyrical content. Armed with the experience of a U.S signing to a major label under his belt, a slew of positive reviews for his last album, “Days to Recall”, a massive PBS television special (which aired in North America over 400 times) and a guest slot on CBS Sunday Morning, Justin is excited and confident about the future. In the summer of 2013, Justin Hines and Canadian duo Ash & Bloom embarked on a North American charity tour; traveling over 12,000 kms and giving 100% of ticket sales back to over 70 charities. His latest album "How We Fly" was released in Canada on May 14th and marks a new path in his journey. In January 2014, Hines was awarded the prestigious Order of Ontario, for his charitable work and international success.
    www.justinhines.com
    Listen ← 24m:31s – 11.22 MB → Download

  • TDMS ROUND TABLE
    Is there a God?
    If there is a God, does he want us to go to church?
    And if leaders of these churches are struggling with their belief in God, is there a God?

    PANELISTS:

    Catherine Dunphy — Humanist Officiant, Former Roman Catholic Chaplain, Founding Member of The Clergy Project
    The Clergy Project is a confidential online community for active and former professional clergy/religious leaders who do not hold supernatural beliefs. It's goal is to support members as they move beyond faith. Rational Doubt is a blog where the public and non-believing and doubting clergy can interact. Contributors to Rational Doubt include founders of the Clergy Project as well as both “out” and “still-closeted” members of the private forum.
    www.patheos.com/blogs/clergyproject
    www.clergyproject.org

    AND
    William P. Young — Bestselling Author of The Shack
    An article published in January 2012 states: “With 10 million copies now in print, The Shack continues on the NY Times Best Seller List for the 172nd consecutive week, including 52 weeks at #1. It's been on the USA Today Top 150 List for 188 weeks and ranked by USA Today as the 6th Best-Selling book of 2008 & 2009. The Shack was ranked by Nielsen as the Top Best-Selling book of 2008 and the 2nd Best-Selling book of 2009. The Shack also continues to make waves in foreign markets. It has been translated into 34 languages. In Brazil, over one million copies have now been sold and in Germany, the book currently sits at #3. The Shack has also become a bestseller in Canada, the U.K., South Africa & South Korea.” www.windrumors.com


    AND
    Thom Shultz — Author Of Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore
    The statistics are clear: The American church is in decline. People are leaving in astounding numbers, with no sign of a turnaround. And despite church leaders’ best efforts to stem the tide, more than 80 percent of people are finding something better to do on Sunday mornings. Why? Is there hope for the future of the church?
    Why Nobody Wants To Go To Church Anymore

LIVE! on TDMS - Devoted Souly to the Art of Music

  • This Weeks Recording Artist: The Ole Fashion
    Straddling the border between Country and Americana, the Ole Fashion is the self-proclaimed “Best Ole Country Band this side of 40”. Their youthful take on vintage classics pay homage to the good ole days where songs were played with real-live instruments and stories were told from the heart with a whiskey in your hand. Think vocals reminiscent of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris, CSNY-like harmonies, and a master pedal steel guitar player with a big ole cowboy hat. This is country music the way it was intended. After all, the rhythm section boasts a drum kit and a double bass that are older than your grampa. It’s not all sappy though, this band gets the crowd up and dancing with chicken-pickin’ Ole Fashion originals like “Cried All Night” (a duet between the husband who drinks too much and the wife who’s too hooked to leave him), “Take You Out in the Morning” (a reference to taking someone home one night and having a first date over breakfast), and “Hipster Queen” (‘nuff said). A Sunday-night residency at Opera Bob’s (Toronto’s favourite makeshift Muskoka cabin) was the inspiration to form this band where they’ve been going strong for almost 2 years. Why else do the patrons love it? Well that might be because the Ole Fashion is officially sponsored by Jameson’s, who offers a discount on their whiskey during performances.
    Check out this video
    www.olefashionmusic.com
    Listen ← 37m:58s – 21.73 MB → Download

God Blogger

  • Thom Schultz
    Through writing, speaking and leading, Thom has served the faith community for 40 years. He’s the founder of Group Publishing and Lifetree Café. He’s the author of many books, including “Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore”. And he’s the founding director of Group Cares, a non-profit organization that serves disadvantaged families throughout the world.
    www.holysoup.com

Talkback, etc.

  • The Pub Crawl
    “Drew & His Mates” crack open a few - topics! Current affairs, pop culture, even touchy-feely-relational stuff! Listen in OR call and join us, as we crawl from topic to topic! (Got a topic you want the gang from the pub to crack open? Click here)

    This week on The Pub Crawl:

    1. Should charities refuse donations from people who do or say things that are “inappropriate”? Or in the words of Steve Miller, “C'mon take the money and run!” The owner of the NBA's LA Clippers has been banned for life from the NBA and was fined $2.5 million for his racist comments caught on tape. UCLA has rejected a $3 Million grant for kidney research. Other charities have even given money back that billionaire Donald Sterling had donated.

    2. Are films made by Christians getting any better these days, or should they still be Left Behind? During your last Mom's Night Out did you go and see God's Not Dead or Heaven Is For Real? Maybe you should have stayed home and prayed for Russell Crowe?

  • W.here's T.he F.aith?
    Join Drew and various religion reporters from an assortment of news outlets, as they catch up on happenings in the world of Religion & Faith & Cults (Oh My!)
    Today's W.T.F. Guest: Michelle Boorstein - Religion Reporter for The Washington Post
    www.washingtonpost.com/on-faith