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ESCAPE FROM VIETNAM: THUY’S STORY Uncategorized

ESCAPE FROM VIETNAM: THUY’S STORY

I would like to tell you a story. It’s a true story. It’s my story. Though I could never have imagined it at the time, the distressing circumstances and events that I’m about to unveil, were the unforeseen gifts that transformed me into the person that I am and the life that I’ve chosen to live. Thuy Cao's story is unforgettable. When you meet Thuy at the doors of North Pointe, on the badminton court or a snowboard slope you'd never guess his back story. That's why we're sharing it. His escape from Vietnam four decades ago, his journey to Canada and the formation of his Christian faith have the fingerprints of God all over them. Thuy is a much loved…
Bob Jones
November 20, 2016
THUY’S STORY: PART 2 Uncategorized

THUY’S STORY: PART 2

It took us the better part of a day to arrive at a refugee camp in Malaysia on the island of Pulau Bidong. It would become our home for over five months. It was here that I came to know that there was a God who was watching over every step of my life. I came to know that He is real, and that He has so much compassion for me. I discovered that God leads me into the life that He wants for me. God's Hand On My Life There were a thousand refugees who came out to welcome us to the island. The refugee population at the time was well over fifteen thousand. We thought that was a…
Bob Jones
November 20, 2016
THE INSANITY OF GOD Uncategorized

THE INSANITY OF GOD

If you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Fair warning - The Insanity of God is the kind of story to not only turn up the heat in your kitchen, it might burn your entire kitchen down. Descending Into Hell The storyteller, Nik Ripken is no stranger to danger of his own making. He moved his young family from America to Africa, from a place of relative heavenliness to hell. The Ripkens made the transition voluntarily and eagerly as a means of serving Jesus. Imagine working in Mogadishu, Somalia sharing Jesus with Muslims. Some of Nik’s contacts became Christians. Imagine each one of them being hunted down by Islamic militants and murdered because of their new faith.…
Bob Jones
November 9, 2016
PRESENT OVER PERFECT Uncategorized

PRESENT OVER PERFECT

I was asked to write a review of Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. After reading it, basically I was asked to review my life! I am a mother, a wife and I have a career that involves long hours that are irregular plus travel. No matter the order of these three things, I regularly feel guilty for not “fulfilling” either one or even all of the three roles “perfectly”. The Choice: Present Or Perfect Shauna Niequist has been there and details this struggle in her book. She states that at the crossroad in her life, “There we were, women in our thirties. Educated, married, mothers, women who have careers, who manage homes and oversee companies. And there we were,…
Bob Jones
November 2, 2016
NEED A SIGN FROM GOD? Uncategorized

NEED A SIGN FROM GOD?

If you're looking for a sign from God, this is it. Thousands of people have seen North Pointe's sign over the past ten years. (Our original sign came to the end of its working life and was replaced by Production World in October 2016.) First Impressions Hundreds of people have felt welcomed by the "come as you are" invitation on 167 Ave. Over 16 percent of our guests say they decided to be check us out because of the sign. Our sign is the first chance we get to tell people who we are, what we value, what we do and if we have a sense of humor. That's not nearly everything people need to know about us but its…
Bob Jones
October 26, 2016
8 THINGS YOU CAN DISCOVER IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE Uncategorized

8 THINGS YOU CAN DISCOVER IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

A trip to the middle of nowhere can be a good way to find what you’ve always been looking for. Jocelyn and I were enjoying a 10-day holiday cruise that was gifted to us for twenty five years of service at North Pointe. We brought our books and lemonade to hang out on Deck 12 of the “Independence of the Seas.” The Atlantic Ocean was all we could see in every direction. It felt like the middle of nowhere. There I found what I was missing or better still, wasn't missing. 8 Discoveries In The Middle Of Nowhere 1. Twenty-four-hour connectivity isn't all its wired up to be. There is nothing like a cruise to give you reason to disconnect.…
Bob Jones
October 16, 2016
FOOTBALL FAMILIES MOURN MYLAN HICKS Uncategorized

FOOTBALL FAMILIES MOURN MYLAN HICKS

Mylan Hicks shown in a Calgary Stampeders handout photo, released Sunday, Sept.25, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Calgary Stampeders Our church family knows this pastor likes talking football but I wasn’t prepared for the conversation I had Sunday morning. The first thing a friend asked was, “Did you hear about Hicks? He was murdered this morning.” Mylan Hicks was like my sons – dreaming of making it as a pro football player. Football Fraternity Only a professional athlete understands all that it takes to survive minor football, high school, the college ranks, training camps and practice rosters. The 5am long distance runs. Lifting weights. Drills. Coaches trying to break you down – physically, mentally and spiritually. The injuries you don’t tell the…
Bob Jones
September 25, 2016
EMOTIONAL SCARS, BARS AND STARS Uncategorized

EMOTIONAL SCARS, BARS AND STARS

Pinch yourself, Kelita! You’re not dreaming - that is Reba McIntire singing beside you. Yep, the same surreal feeling as being on stage with k. d. Lang. Just like the starstruck stance of Eileen (Shania) Twain when she sang back up for you. Through The Hardships You would never guess from the vibrancy in Kelita's smile that she endured years of childhood sexual abuse, addiction, tragedy and marital unfaithfulness. Kelita’s life history reads like a heart-rending version of Ripley’s believe-it-not. Father - suicide when she was 11. Mother - died of cancer when she was 14. She was repeatedly abused by a step-brother. A younger sister died in a car accident. Her older brother drowned. At 18 she moved 2,200km to…
Bob Jones
September 21, 2016
WARNING: CONTAGIOUS PASSION AHEAD Uncategorized

WARNING: CONTAGIOUS PASSION AHEAD

Elmer and Sherry Komant's places of mission service read like a travelogue through hell. Kigali, Rwanda; Bujumbura, Burundi, Mombassa, Kenya. The Komants led a church in a Muslim controlled city in Kenya, faced the after effects of genocide in Rwanda and planted a church in the poorest country on the continent of Africa. They recently survived a political coup in Burundi. And at an age when most Canadians are focused on retirement, they show no signs of tiring let alone retiring. Komant Adventures The Komants have been held up at gunpoint and had their lives threatened in more ways than one. Elmer nearly died of brain cancer forty years ago. At times they've lived oceans apart from their children. The…
Bob Jones
September 18, 2016
THE POWER OF SHARING by BROCK HARRISON Uncategorized

THE POWER OF SHARING by BROCK HARRISON

“Thanks for writing your piece on depression. It was very moving and it has helped me make the call to go see a counselor. So thanks for helping!” “Thanks for your willingness to open up and share your story. It gives me the courage to maybe one day soon talk about mine. You have no idea what your article did for me this morning.” “If I hear from you, I’ll write my story. I’ve not done that yet: strange, because I am a storyteller and love writing. I guess I’ve just tried to keep this part of me in abeyance.” “I just finished reading your story and it's left me in a pool of tears and hope all at the…
Bob Jones
September 14, 2016