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Yesterday.  For thousands of fans of Paul McCartney in Edmonton, yesterday is all that's left. Lucy is still here but the Walrus is on the run. McCartney's monumental first-ever concerts in Edmonton were like Christmas in November.  And oh what fun it was. Macca made it snow inside Rexall Place as 19 singers from North Pointe joined him on stage to back-up, "Wonderful Christmastime." As the Journal's Sandra Sperounes said, "Paul McCartney - omygoshomygoshomygosh." Rock stars.  Since Elvis came on the scene in the 50's, rock stars have had a religious-like effect on people. Their influence has been so significant that they themselves are influenced by it. From John Lennon's "bigger than Jesus" reference, to Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, and…

"You can't fully experience The River from the banks . . .. You have to get in . . . all the way in." It’s not hard to get “all the way in” to Michael Neale’s “The River.” The fictional story is set in the beauty of the Colorado wild. It deals with death, grief, fear, young love and old hurts. “The River” follows Gabriel Clarke through the tragic death of his heroic father to a surprise encounter with the man his father died saving. The River backdrops the entire story of his life. I couldn’t help but see the River as an allegory of life in general and faith in God in particular. Contemporary Christianity compares the work of…

God has a soft spot for orphans. He makes it very clear that any friend of His is a friend of orphans. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” (James 1:27) He fiercely describes Himself as a “father of the fatherless.” (Psalm 68:5) He distinguishes orphans by insisting on their provision and protection. “Learn to do good; seek justice…defend the orphan…” (Isaiah 1:17) Over the past nine years the North Pointe family has helped build homes, classrooms and a health clinic for orphans at our Village of Hope in Harare, Zimbabwe. Pamela Mukuze was the first orphan to be cared for at the Village of Hope.…

Faith…family…football. That’s Sunday in America, and in some parts of Canada. The 2nd half of the Colts-Packers game was on at our house. Our interest was piqued because the coach of the Colts, Chuck Pagano had been diagnosed with leukemia weeks earlier and was undergoing chemo treatments. When real life invades sports, the games become more than a game. They become a mission. “CHUCKSTRONG” signs were everywhere in the stadium. The players wore “CHUCKSTRONG” t-shirts under their jerseys. They were trying to win the game for their coach. The Colts were led by a rookie QB named “Luck.” With less than 5 minutes to play the Colts trailed by 5. After going 0 for 8 on 3rd down conversions in…

New words are always entering the English language. One such recent word is “godwink.” Have you heard it or used it yet? It was coined by SQuire Rushnell. He says a “godwink” is what some people would call a coincidence, an answered prayer, or simply an experience where you'd say, "Wow, what are the odds of that!" Think about when you were a kid and someone who loved you gave you a little wink across the dining room table...Mom or Dad or Grandma. You didn't say "What do you mean by that?" You knew. It meant: "Hey kid, I'm thinking about you right now." That's what a godwink is too: a message of reassurance, directly to you, out of six…

Are your beliefs consistent to the core? Jesus, from the cross, said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) To us this makes little sense. His death was no accident; it was murder. But Jesus forgave. Profound. Forgiving goes right to the core of a belief in Jesus. Two days ago (Tuesday September 18th) a little girl stood at the front of a hushed Ottawa courtroom, ready to tell the convicted killer who repeatedly raped her before murdering a police officer that she was prepared to forgive him, just like Jesus would. She was 10 when she was raped. The now 13-year-old made it through just two sentences before breaking down in tears. A…

Eric Whitacre is a Grammy award winning composer and conductor. He became a YouTube sensation when he posted a video of himself conducting one of his compositions. He invited people to follow his lead, video themselves singing his song and submit the video to him. People from around the world responded. Their videos were combined together creating a virtual choir - and the video went viral. A 2nd and 3rd effort culminated in April 2012 with over 3000 people from 78 countries singing together. I think of God having sent out a message that He would conduct His composition. He invited people to follow His lead and sing His song. The melody is about grace and the harmony is about…

This past Sunday at North Pointe we prayed for five-year-old Halle Popowich of St Albert, who was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Without a bone marrow transplant, doctors have pegged her chances of survival at between five and 20 per cent. I was touched by the people who came up to me asking how they could find out if they were a match for Halle. Dad Kurt and mom Deana are appealing for people to get tested, even if they don’t wind up being a match for Halle. “It’s not just about Halle,” Deana said. “We feel happy that we can use her story to help so many other people. We’ve met so many other…