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The last page of Sports Illustrated is the first page I always turn to. Often there is "a human interest" story. The June 4th issue had one such story about a girl named Jaclyn. At the age of 9 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Now at the age of 17, she credits her survival to the Women's lacrose team at Northwestern University who became like big sisters to her during her treatments. Their affect on her was so profound that Jaclyn started her own foundation to connect elite sports teams with children suffering from brain tumors. And...Northwestern was so inspired by Jacyln's courage they went out and won 5 National Championships in a row, dedicating each season to…

The Kony 2012 revolution - viral in March; virtually invisible in April. It was a good idea that started so well. It had a 2 month run. What a difference after two millenniums with the Jesus revolution. From 120 followers in 33AD to 2.2 billion believers today. Its the difference between a good idea and God's idea. The Jesus revolution is not without its challenges, but when Jesus is kept the main thing, the revolution works. The first recorded prayer of the new Christians kept Jesus the main thing. They were facing persecution, imprisonment, beatings and death threats. But their request of God? Acts 4:24-31 - "...they raised their voices together in prayer to God. 'Lord, consider their threats and…

On Sunday we referred to some of the great April Fools Day hoaxes: Taco Bell's "purchase" and renaming of the Liberty Bell in 1996; the "Left-Handed Whooper" of 1998; Starbuck's “Plenta” and “Micra” sizes in 2010; 2012's Google's "Street Roo" in Australia and crushed cochineal bugs in Starbuck's Strawberry Frappuccinos. O wait. That last one isn't a hoax. It is true. Starbucks has gone all natural and replaced artificial colouring with all natural ingredients by using the residue from crushed cochineal bugs to add a pink hue to their Strawberry Fraps.  The move is bugging Vegans because the Fraps aren't Vegan anymore. Bugs from mainly Mexico and South America are dried out before they are ground and used in the…

Its always too soon to quit. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit- Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a fellow turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace seems slow - You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a faint and faltering man; Often the…

Submission holds! No, not the WWE kind. The raw truth is that submission is the glue that holds relationships together and in particular, marriage. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21) Mutual submission - the Church to Christ and Christ to the Church; a pastor to their congregation and the congregation to their pastor; a wife to her husband and a husband to his wife – is the single most binding factor in relationships. Submission is not subservience. Submission is about problem-solving and getting along; its God’s common sense for success in life. When we work submission, submission works. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” The…

I first heard of Kony when I was in Uganda in 1988 leading a missions team from Montreal to Kampala. His use of the 10 Commandments and “holy oil” to protect himself and his child-soldiers against bullets was ironically, a Satanic strategy. On March 5th, 2012 a video released by 3 young professionals and their organization, “Invisible Children” went viral and absolutely exceeded their expectations of exposure. Many teens, young adults and young professionals from North Pointe saw and forwarded the video. Some have been inspired to take action. Invisible Children has come under intense scrutiny and criticism and have responded with humility and transparency. The following links are informative. http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/ http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679471/invisible-children-responds-to-the-kony-2012-viral-video-controversy?partner=homepage_newsletter Taking action – that has impressed me the…

I've developed it too. Linsanity. Even if you don't like basketball you've gotta love the story of Jeremy Lin. Graduate of Harvard...wanting to play in the NBA...cut twice in his young career by two different NBA teams...given a third chance by the NY Knicks in Dec. 2011...sat on the bench and played minimal minutes...until...February 4, 2012 when he was given a chance to start by the desperate coach of a losing team and scored 25 points in a win...and followed that with a 6-game win streak where he scored more points than any rookie in NBA history...which garnered international attention...and spread "Linsanity." The Knicks then signed him to a 6-figure deal, making him the first American player of Taiwanese descent…

"The MRI shows you have a brain tumor." When you are 27 years old, a wife and mother of two little girls under the age of 4, that kind of news is unimaginable. To think that 7 months later you would be standing a platform in front of a 1,000 people sharing your story of recovery and singing a song about how hardships can be the source of blessings, has God's fingerprints all over it. Hear Amber MacNeil's story and song by going to: http://www.northpointechurch.ca/video.shtml and clicking on the February 5th entry. Ephesians 1:3 says that we have been "blessed...with every spiritual blessing in Christ."  Those "blessings" include "mercy" and "healing" in hardships.   The chorus to the song Amber…

People from North Pointe are reading and reflecting  on portions of the Bible, everyday.  Cindy Glubish had these reflections from her readings on Feb. 17th. A female grizzly bear… -Can weigh somewhere between 290–440 lbs -Can reach 198cm/6.50 ft in length -Can clock between 48-60 km an hour in speed -Have paws that are 10-12 “ long -Have claws that can reach 6 “ in length -Have a keen sense of smell that is 100,000 times stronger than a human -Produce 1-4 young (commonly two) every other year -Are very protective of their offspring and will attack ferociously if they think she or her cubs are threatened. -Are considered by some experts to be the most aggressive bear -Are responsible…