BOB JONES

Today (June 14, 2013) was North Pointe’s Annual Walk Run Ride for Hope 2013. Dozens of participants showed up in support of orphans at our Village of Hope in Harare, Zimbabwe. We were running to raise awareness and money for them.  Our youngest participant was just over two and our oldest was way over two. It was a family affair. The weather was not “summery” at all – high winds, overcast, intermittent rain. It was cold. But that didn’t deter anyone. Each participant was given a picture of a child or a caregiver at the Village. The pictures were glued to our event t-shirts. My child was a little girl named, Melissa. She has a killer smile. So I wore…

Sometimes the simplest truths are the ones that we need to be reminded of the most. In our AWAKENED series we are looking at some of the issues we need to be mindful of…and there is none more important that the Gospel. In a world of anxiety and turmoil, the Good News brings great joy to all people. A Messiah has been born! (Luke 2:9-11). And this Good News needs to be spread to others. So what is the Good News? The Apostle Paul lays it out in a nutshell in the book of Romans. It has been known as the Romans Road, and it is one that has been, and continues to be, well travelled by people all over…

The Bible has been called “the good book” but its really more than that. Its God’s book. God has done a divine job of preserving His book. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death. No…

Read any good books lately? The Bible is the most unique book in history. No brag, just fact. It was the first book in history to be mass published and distributed. No other book has been attacked as much in history. It has been banned, and burned and yet it continues to flourish. It contains 66 books that address the most important issues in life and is characterized by conformity not contradictions. It was written by forty individuals, over three continents, in three languages, across over 1,600 years and yet it has a uniformity that defies logic. If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and…

Exodus 17:8-13 records a remarkable experience in the life of Moses. "The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.'So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands…

Did you read May 20th's post? Have you become a "Minute Manager?" If not, read the post and choose to manage your minute each day and then sign up to become a "Minute Manager." Prayer is powerful. Jesus prayed. He was notably effective in prayer so much so, his disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Luke 11:1-4 records a summary of his approach to prayer. A short line with a long reach is "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." As a Minute Manager that's a great covering prayer for your pastoral team. "Lord, keep our pastoral team from evil and the Evil one." "Lord, keep them from temptation and if not FROM, keep them…

In February 2003, my wife Jocelyn and I spent a week with David and Jacquie Den Otter and their seven children in Tangier, Morocco. I happened to pick up a copy of “The Divine Conspiracy.” from David’s library. After reading a few pages, I couldn’t put it down. Dallas Willard was a Professor of Philosophy at USC and an author. Dallas influenced literally millions through his own works and multiplied millions through those he influenced. Richard Foster authored “The Celebration of Discipline,” THE classic book on growing a personal relationship with Jesus. Dallas and his wife Jane were in Foster’s first congregation when he was a rookie pastor. The Willards led worship and taught alongside Foster. It was from Willard…

Death Café: where the living are talking about dying.  It sounds morbid but its actually freeing. The Death Cafe movement was started in England in 2011 by Jon Underwood, a British web designer and self-described “death entrepreneur.” Underwood wanted to encourage people to talk about death with each other, rather than ignoring it or being too afraid to talk about it until the very end when we’re often overwhelmed with illness and the legalities that come with the end of life. TALKING ABOUT DEATH As a pastor, I have counseled with countless family members and conducted hundreds of funerals. Working with grieving people is a sobering experience. I’ve entered into the emotional roller coaster of people facing their own death…