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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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People of the Cross: The 21 Martyrs

There they were, for all the world to see - 21 orange clad men  - kneeling on a beach. Most were Egyptians, working in Libya, trying to make some money and a future, just like the rest of us. They were captured by ISIS, tortured and threatened with death. Their crime? They were "people of the cross." Each one was given the chance to save their life by renouncing Christianity and embracing Islam. They chose to say, "No." Their last words were, "Lord Jesus Christ." People of the Cross 24-year-old Luqa Najati, a newlywed working in Libya to build a life for his family in Egypt. Najati didn’t know his wife was pregnant when he left to search for work.…
Bob Jones
August 21, 2015
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R.A. Dickey: Wherever I Wind Up

Got Blue Jays fever yet? Dickey is a Blue Jays pitcher who's got a good grip on life and a baseball. I was willing to go into extra innings to read, "Wherever I Wind Up," because I didn't want to put it down.. In what is arguably the most popular book on baseball, "Ball Four," Jim Bouton opened the doors 42 years ago to reveal what really goes on in a big league clubhouse (and hotels). R.A. Dickey does something even braver: he opens the door to the darkest moments of his life - from the sexual abuse he suffered at age 8 to his depression and the extramarital affair that almost ended his marriage. His courage in telling his…
Bob Jones
August 12, 2015
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14 COURAGEOUS INSIGHTS TO VULNERABILITY

Is your life an open book? Isn't it true that we fear others will discover, to our detriment, the broken parts of our lives? Keeping the book closed is safe but leads to missing out on the freedom that comes with vulnerability - your own freedom and the power to set others free. The scars you share become lighthouses for other people who are headed to the same rocks you hit. Your willingness to be vulnerable gives others the beautiful gift of going second. 14 Thoughts On Being Vulnerable 1. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you…
Bob Jones
August 8, 2015
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MUSIC THAT WILL MOVE YOU

If you've ever had a sudden rush of joy from hearing the first notes of your favorite song on the radio you know your next action was to crank up the volume. “Music is the language of the soul.” Where words fail, music fills. Brain scans show that when people listen to music, virtually every area of their brain becomes more active. Musicians like the Kimo family bring a contagious joy to all they sing - Beatles, folk, country or gospel.  Hear them here (HOLLE).Music finds its primary purpose as a spiritual expression. One of the longest books in the Bible is "Psalms." Its the Hebrew songbook. The prose is lyrical and penned to be sung. All music is a…
Bob Jones
August 1, 2015
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9 BRIEF INSIGHTS TO PATIENCE

Of all the many virtues, only patience has a saying associated with it - "Patience is a virtue." That's bad news for patience. Patience as a virtue is seen as a weak sister to the other virtues. However, "have patience" is not a passive, psychological ploy to placate people plateaued on their pilgrimage to achievement. Patience is robust. Its a heroic word, on par with "endurance" and "perseverance." THE VALUE OF PATIENCE Patience is most remarkable when life is most uncomfortable. Where do you land of the patience continuum? “1…2…BOOM!”     1      2     3      4        5       6        7       8     9    10   …
Bob Jones
July 29, 2015
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CHASING THE DRAGON: JACKIE PULLINGER’S STORY

What do you do when the one thing you want is the one thing you can't have? If you want to make history, you do what Jackie Pullinger did. At the age of 21 she'd just graduated from London's Royal College of Music but Asia, not arias, was in her dreams. Ever since she was a little girl, Jackie wanted to be a missionary. A Crazy Good Plan She had a small savings account, little influence and no organizational support for her missionary longings. She sought advice from a minister. He  told her that "she should buy a ticket for a boat going on the longest journey you can find and pray to know when to get off the boat."…
Bob Jones
July 26, 2015
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THE GRAHAMS, GOLF AND THE GOOD NEWS

What would Billy  Graham say about same-sex marriage, same-sex Christians, Muslim immigrants or Obama’s religious orientation? His son, Franklin, has made his opinions imperfectly clear. The younger Graham had the entire LGBTQ community incensed because of his “Christian” stance against same-sex marriage and same-sex anything. He inflamed the Christian community because of his "un-Christian” stance on banning Muslim immigrants from America. Give him credit - he accomplished a phenomenal amount of agitation in a short amount of time. BILLY GRAHAM AND THE GOOD NEWS Franklin's father refused to be marginalized by becoming a lightening rod for moral issues like the pro-choice movement and segregation or spiritual issues like speaking in tongues. Billy Graham was focused on preaching the Good News…
Bob Jones
July 22, 2015
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ANGELA’S STORY: NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

I'm writing this to you because I have to, because my "inside" voice says I need to. I follow the blog you write and I'm inspired and I can relate to many of the stories I have seen written.  We have been attending North Pointe for some time and over the years it has become home to us. Several Bumps Along The Way In the time that we have been attending our lives have had several "bumps" along the way, one of those bumps has been my cancer diagnosis.  When you hear the word cancer you begin to think about your life, the good, the bad, what have I accomplished, what do I still need to do. I read a…
Bob Jones
July 15, 2015
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9 World Class Leadership Lessons From Carli Lloyd, USWST

Even those who aren’t fans of the USA Women’s soccer team had to tip their cap to Carli Lloyd’s performance in leading her team to the 2015 Women’s World Cup championship. Lloyd, the USA captain, had netted three goals just sixteen minutes into the match. She is the first American ever to score in four straight World Cup matches, the second American to win Golden Ball honors as the tournament's top player and she scored the fastest three goals ever in any World Cup final. Lloyd now has a World Cup gold medal to add to her two Olympic gold medals. She is America's new sweetheart. Life hasn’t always been so golden for Carli Lloyd and if it wasn’t for…
Bob Jones
July 5, 2015
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Canadian Insights for US Church Leaders on Same-Sex Marriage and Youth

In most cases, Canadians play catch-up with American leaders on social issues, but here's two issues where Canadians can offer some leading insights. 1. Some Advice on Same Sex Marriage For US Church Leaders From a Canadian Carey Nieuwhof is a pastor in Barrie, Ontario. His recent blog post on same-sex marriage has been shared over 100,000 times and counting. Canadian pastors are ten years ahead of our US colleagues in dealing with legalized same-sex marriage. Nieuwhof says, "If you believe sex is a gift given by God to be experienced between a man and a woman within marriage, why would you expect people who don’t follow Christ to embrace that? Why do Christians expect non-Christians to act like Christians?…
Bob Jones
July 1, 2015