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BOB JONES

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291 Days and Counting Uncategorized

291 Days and Counting

"The sun comes up, its a new day dawning, its time to sing your song again." 2013 is 291 days old and counting. Have you made your days count for something? In January 2013 we invited people at North Pointe to pick a word for the coming year that could characterize their experiences. My word was "intrepid." Jocelyn's was "resolute." Kristen Fersovitch's was "purposeful." A sampling of others were "crave," "yes," "intentional," "influence," and mark." The word chosen for our church family was “awaken.” It comes from the verse, “Be up and awake to what God is doing!” Romans 13:11(The Message) We had an expectation that God would work a spiritual awakening in the lives of people through North Pointe.…
Bob Jones
October 16, 2013
What I Am Thankful For… Uncategorized

What I Am Thankful For…

EVELYN – “I am thankful for God’s blessing in my life, my husband, my family, my friends, my church family, and countless blessings.” APRIL – “I am thankful for my faith, my awesome friends and family, my sister and cousins, shelter, food, clothes, money to survive, a good church, basic needs, eternal life, teachers, doctors. NORM – “I am thankful for God’s perfect leading throughout my life.” DAISY – “I am thankful for technology so I can call, Skype and text my family in Ontario.” DENISE – “I am thankful to have my son back in my life. I feared I would never have a relationship with him again.” CHRISTINA – “I am thankful for a big, close family and…
Bob Jones
October 14, 2013
3 Choices for Strength in Suffering Uncategorized

3 Choices for Strength in Suffering

"Suffering" can be an ugly word. Suffering brings to mind shades of pain, discouragement, anger, and darkness. You know all about it. So does God. It is tough to believe that suffering can reveal anything worth knowing. However, in the upside-down, inside-out, way of the Christian faith, suffering produces more than easy living ever could. Suffering has meaning. In the middle of intense affliction your spirit is more open than ever to the outpouring of God’s love into your life. 3 choices for strength in suffering: 1. Choose to cultivate spiritual serenity in spite of chaotic conditions.  "Shaking mountains” and “agitated waters” (Psalm 46:2,3) are figures of speech for the difficulties we face in life. The Psalmist was inspired to…
Bob Jones
October 5, 2013
3 THINGS ASLAN GOT WRONG ABOUT JESUS Uncategorized

3 THINGS ASLAN GOT WRONG ABOUT JESUS

Reviewers called his book “a bold, powerfully argued re-visioning of the most consequential life ever lived.” How can you argue with the acclaim Reza Aslan’s Zealot: Jesus of Nazareth received, becoming a NY Times bestseller and reaching #1 on Amazon? Fox News and CNN's Piers Morgan propelled his rise in popularity. Out of curiosity I read his book. In many ways, Aslan's book is simply a rehashing of old ideas. He regurgitates a multitude of bold, inaccurate and misleading observations about Jesus that lead him to recreate Jesus in his own image. Reza Aslan Reza Aslan is an Iranian Muslim who immigrated to the US with his family in 1979. He became a Christian in his teenage years. Aslan later…
Bob Jones
September 28, 2013
WHAT’S WITH COMMUNION? Uncategorized

WHAT’S WITH COMMUNION?

Everyone wants to be remembered for at least one thing after they're gone. Jesus told his disciples, then and now, one thing to do to "remember him." One Thing The night before Jesus was crucified he called his disciples together. He knew what they didn't - this would be their last supper together. He wanted to make a lasting impression on them. He knew losing focus or getting sidetracked from their faith would be a threat. Jesus took unleavened bread and broke it and told them to eat - this was "his body." He took wine and gave it them and told them to drink - this was "his blood." Then he told them to repeat this practice in remembrance…
Bob Jones
September 23, 2013
How to Answer Tough Questions Uncategorized

How to Answer Tough Questions

How do you do answering tough questions? Jesus has a lot to offer on that skill. He must have been good at answering because people felt comfortable asking. “What is truth?” “When will the end of the world happen?” “How can we learn to pray?” “Who gave you the authority to do what you do?” “Why didn’t you show up when we needed you most?” Five insights into answering tough questions: 1. Start with the answerer. People may ignore, forget or reject the answer you give to their question, but they will remember how you answered. No one likes a condescending or self-righteous answer, even if the answer is a good one. People will remember you long after they forget…
Bob Jones
September 23, 2013
HARVEST TIME Uncategorized

HARVEST TIME

It's harvest time in Alberta! “Rural Alberta is a noisy, dusty, hectic place these days — and nights — as farmers on combines harvest their crop." Harvest Time In the spiritual realm, there is also a waiting harvest. Jesus said, “Open your eyes, and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35 (NIV) Alberta has had “ideal growing conditions” for a harvest of souls: Moisture – the blessings of God have been abundant in Alberta making it a prosperous province. Now is the time to use our prosperity generously to reach out to others. Heat – believers in Alberta have been praying for months for this harvest. Wind – the “wind of the Holy Spirit” is blowing…
Bob Jones
September 17, 2013
Questions and Answers Uncategorized

Questions and Answers

Answers reveal what you know. Questions reveal what you value. These were the thoughts I jotted down after reading North Pointe’s Bible chapter of the day: John 9. The passage begins with a question. Upon seeing a blind man, Jesus’ disciples questioned: “…who sinned, this man or his parents?” Their question revealed their values. They valued being right. Upon observing a man’s blindness they only cared to know why it happened to him. Who was responsible? For them, life was a simple equation – “sickness = sin” - so who done it? Their question revealed they needed a value adjustment. Jesus valued doing the works of God. It mattered not to him why the man was blind but that he…
Bob Jones
August 26, 2013
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU? Uncategorized

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?

What does the future hold? If the past 100 years is any indication, you are in for quite a ride. * 100 years ago 8% of homes owned a telephone. * 30 years ago there was no Internet. Motorola offered the 1st commercial cell phone for $3,500. * 20 years ago there were only 130 websites total and you had to pay for an email account through an ISP. * 10 years ago Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Dropbox, & Instagram didn't exist. * Today, 8% of people in North America DON'T own a cell phone. Check out the running tally of Internet actions IN A SINGLE SECOND at this site. What About The Future? 1. Creativity, invention and innovation…
Bob Jones
August 21, 2013
READY Uncategorized

READY

Thief! I couldn't believe it happened to me. Here I was, enjoying a summer vacation with my family in Florida. We had just walked through a crowd on the way to purchase groceries. At the check-out I reached for my wallet and it was gone. My wallet was always in my back pocket. That was its place since I first owned a wallet. I hadn't forgotten it. It was gone. Someone had stolen it. My first reaction was to be angry at the thief. It wasn't just the money that had been stolen, but my driver's license and other important documents that would have to be replaced. Holiday inconvenience at its worst. The next reaction was to be mad at…
Bob Jones
August 19, 2013