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BOB JONES

Coach / Author / Communicator /  Check out the popular posts page, for a curated list of top stories.

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OUR SMALL ACTS OF DEFYING FEAR Uncategorized

OUR SMALL ACTS OF DEFYING FEAR

We went to an Edmonton Eskimo football game and a love fest with the men and women in blue broke out. Green And Gold Two of my granddaughters and I were on a packed Park 'n Ride fan bus. We were enroute to a Saturday nite Esks' game. Nearing the stadium I couldn't help but reflect on the last time the Green and Gold played a home game. As that game was ending a terrorist wrought havoc outside the stadium and left a trail of destruction into the heart of Edmonton. Two weeks later the conversations on the bus were about that night. "Looks like they beefed up security." "I'd like to believe that was a one of." "Do you…
Bob Jones
October 15, 2017
HOW TO HOLD IT TOGETHER WHEN YOUR WORLD IS FALLING APART Uncategorized

HOW TO HOLD IT TOGETHER WHEN YOUR WORLD IS FALLING APART

I can’t help but giggle sometimes at the news reports of wild weather storms. The weatherman is barely standing. Wind and waves are violently walloping against him. Meanwhile the other television host sits comfortably from her warm studio with perfect lipstick saying, “Weatherman Joe, can you please explain the storm situation right now?” Storms Weatherman Joe begins to yell while dodging debris and flying tree branches “Well, as you can see anchor woman Wendy, it’s pretty windy out here…” Really, Joe, really? Lately, I have been feeling a bit like Weatherman Joe, standing in the midst of a violent storm; debris flying at my head, waters rising to my knees, my balance being tested by gale-force winds and all the…
Bob Jones
October 11, 2017
COLE YOUNG: SPECIAL IN EVERY WAY Uncategorized

COLE YOUNG: SPECIAL IN EVERY WAY

Cole Young was amazing grace. Anyone who met Cole knew what it was to encounter the love of God. Not that Cole was perfect or able to turn water into wine. But he could turn whine into gratitude. Special Needs Cole was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, which is caused by the deletion of a small segment of chromosome 22. Typical of DiGeorge, he suffered for eighteen years from respiratory difficulties, heart murmur, frequent infections and eventually, organ failure. In some circles, Cole was known as having "special needs." In the circles that knew him best he was known as serving "special needs." Had a bad day? Cole could lift your spirit. Feeling sorry for yourself because life dealt you an…
Bob Jones
October 8, 2017
WHEN EVIL STRIKES Life Stories

WHEN EVIL STRIKES

Inside Commonwealth Stadium the Edmonton Eskimos football team were racking up their sixth straight loss of the season. That was bad enough. Outside Commonwealth, one man went on a Saturday night rampage leaving a police officer and four pedestrians injured. An ISIS flag was found in his vehicle. (more…)
Bob Jones
October 5, 2017
TERRORISM NOT WELCOME HERE: MIKE CHERNYK Uncategorized

TERRORISM NOT WELCOME HERE: MIKE CHERNYK

Did it have to happen in Edmonton? Was it inevitable? Terrorism has been a horror others experience in other places but not in our backyard. No more. Terrorism In Our Backyard Edmonton joins Marseille, France where two people were killed in a knife attack just hours after five people were injured in Edmonton. Terrorism is suspected in both incidents. World leaders, news networks, and social media were quick to offer condolences to the victims and condemnation of the violence. Rarely does Edmonton get a mention on CNN, but there we were. A Hero In Our Midst Constable Mike Chernyk, an eleven year veteran of the EPS was on special duty at the Eskimos game Saturday night. He ended up in…
Bob Jones
October 1, 2017
CHAPLAINS TO THE INVICTUS WARRIORS Uncategorized

CHAPLAINS TO THE INVICTUS WARRIORS

The Invictus Games aren't about the finish line – they’re all about making it to the starting line. This is an event where everyone gets a medal but there’s no coddled attitude for participants. For every competitor, just playing the game is important, courageous and admirable. The 3rd version of the Invictus Games - Toronto 2017 - featured more than 550 competitors from 17 nations participating in 12 adaptive sports. Wounded Warriors Each competitor is a wounded warrior. Melanie Harris, 42, from Edmonton, competed in bioarchery. She spent twenty years in the Armed Forces, serving four tours, including two in Afghanistan.  Harris lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lingering pain from a back injury sustained overseas. In 2008 she…
Bob Jones
October 1, 2017
FIERY TALK AND FATAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS Uncategorized

FIERY TALK AND FATAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS

President Donald Trump's “Rocket Man” speech at the UN could well become the most memorable of its General Assembly moments. Fiery Talk In his forty one minute speech President Trump threatened to “totally destroy North Korea.” He called Iran “a corrupt dictatorship” whose “chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos.” And he said Venezuela’s government “has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country.” Totally destroy North Korea? Wipe out a country of twenty five million people? U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned, “Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings.” Or does it? Stark Clarity John Bolton, lawyer and diplomat who served as the US Ambassador to the UN, disagrees. He said, “In the entire history of…
Bob Jones
September 20, 2017
YOU’RE LOOKING AT MERCY Uncategorized

YOU’RE LOOKING AT MERCY

You’re looking at mercy. An answer to a mother’s prayers. And a grateful wife too young to be a widow. What Mercy Looks Like Police officers, hospital staff and everyone else couldn’t believe the condition Ryan Gabert was in after suffering such a horrific accident. Some called it a miracle. On a deadly foggy Friday September 15th morning in northern Alberta, Ryan didn’t see the intersection. He T-boned a semi. His truck was totaled. Ryan was pinned for what seemed like an eternity before he was cut out with the jaws of life. The ambulance arrived at the Royal Alec Hospital in Edmonton around 10:00am. Grateful For Mercy His wife Lindsay arrived about the same time. At 2:00pm Ryan was…
Bob Jones
September 17, 2017
TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS: DOROTHY VISSER Uncategorized

TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS: DOROTHY VISSER

Upset. Angry. Judgmental. That was me before breast cancer. Yes, before. From Fear to Peace I am sitting on my deck reflecting on the day and feeling so peaceful. These past couple of months have been the hardest and most blessed in my life. Cancer. The diagnosis terrified me. Would the cancer kill me? My fear made me feel guilty. An inner voice nagged me, “Isn’t love supposed to cast out fear? Doesn’t God love you? Where’s your faith?” I was afraid of chemo and radiation and everything associated with cancer. Then I discovered how something life threatening could teach me how to live. In February 2017 Dorothy Visser's doctor informed her that she had breast cancer. Dorothy sat in…
Bob Jones
September 10, 2017
MY LOVE HATE LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SPORTS Uncategorized

MY LOVE HATE LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SPORTS

To be honest, you and I have had a turbulent relationship. You’ve caused me late nights and early mornings, disappointment and heartache, and you’ve made me wipe tears from my children’s faces on more than one occasion.  I have resented you, cursed you many times and some days you have even stolen my sanity. The life of a sports family is often chaotic, tiring, scheduled and trying but I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Alisha-Jans Lemoine is a part of the North Pointe Writers Group. She is a skilled writer and an even more awesome mom. This post first appeared on Alisha's blog at yegsolomom.   Teacher And Mentor You have been an amazing teacher and mentor. You have taught…
Bob Jones
September 6, 2017