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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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WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A CURVEBALL

I just happened to get hit with one of life’s curve balls. It fooled me; I didn’t see it coming and I certainly wasn’t prepared. The internal injuries were severe. There were days I didn’t think I would survive such trauma. Clearly, there were no winners in this game. No one gets married with the intent to get a divorce. Wendy Connors played fastball since she was a young girl and was picked up by many teams, winning several championships along the way. I love how Wendy uses her love for fastball to share a portion of her life story. Wendy's leadership skills and devotion helped start North Pointe's Divorce Care ministry, the Single and Parenting ministry and the Singles…
Bob Jones
September 14, 2014
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THE BIBLE: WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

The Bible is a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, and a person who walks on water – who wouldn’t want to read it? There are lots of things in the Bible for you, including the power to change your thinking, your beliefs, your future, your health and your relationships. FIVE REASONS TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BIBLE 1. The Bible heals broken hearts.  There's a story of a rabbi who always told his people that if they studied the Torah, it would put Scripture ON their hearts. One of them asked, "Why on our hearts, and not in them?" The rabbi answered, "Only God can put Scripture inside.…
Bob Jones
September 7, 2014
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How Not To Choke On Your Own Success: A Fish Tale

The lesson was floating there for all to see. He was a 40 inch, 12lb Jackfish (Northern Pike) who swallowed more than he could chew. We found him dead and drifting near the shoreline of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. The tailfin of his prey was protruding from his mouth. stark evidence of what caused his demise. Jackfish typically catch their prey sideways in their mouth, immobilize it with their sharp, backward-pointing teeth, and then turn the prey headfirst to swallow it. That's as far as this Jackfish got. Surely it had performed this function countless times for its own survival. In this case, what made it successful became its undoing. It choked on its own success. Achievement by its very own…
Bob Jones
August 31, 2014
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STORIES CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

She was three when my granddaughter, Quinn, told me her story. It was about Cinderella, a "broken shoe," a pumpkin and a prince. As she was telling me the story she leaned in and said, "Poppa you're my prince." The story ended there because I didn't hear anything after that. What's your story? Nish Weiseth says, "The stories of how God transforms our lives and of how we connect with other human beings can have incredible power and influence in our culture." MORE STORIES - LESS SERMONS Nish is the Editor of the blogsite, "A Deeper Story" and author of Speak. Her book is a compilation of her personal blog posts on Biblical issues in story form. Her point? Let…
Bob Jones
August 27, 2014
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When The Game Stands Tall

"It's only a game." Only those who know football understand how far away that sentiment is from the truth. "When The Game Stands Tall," is a must see movie based on the 151-game winning streak of the De La Salle Spartans and coach Bob Ladouceur. It took seeing the film to remind me of how much I miss coaching football players. Its staggering to think that my sons played a combined 33 seasons of football between them from Atom to the CIS. For a few of those years I had the pleasure of being called their “Coach.” A SPORTS BAG FULL OF MEMORIES Watching the film brought back a flood of fond memories: the yellow school bus ride to and…
Bob Jones
August 24, 2014
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HOPE FOR A WORLD OF TROUBLES

2015 made "ISIS," "radicalized," and "terror" into all too familiar terms. American journalist, James Foley, was one of the Westerners who was murdered by ISIS. Foley had been kidnapped while filming the war in Syria in November 2012. “A world of troubles” was Foley’s aptly named blogsite. A troubled world forces you to think about your future or that of your grandchildren. What kind of future awaits them? Where is the hope for a world of troubles? 6 Ways To Cope 1. Refuse the ostrich syndrome. Putting your head in the sand and hoping everything will be magically better when you take it out won't work. 2. Resist the prophetic shoulder shrug.  "It can't be helped. Its the End Times…
Bob Jones
August 24, 2014
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COMMUNITY: CATALYST FOR PERSONAL GROWTH

When its been a long time since I've spoken to a friend, I tend to forget just how good of a friend they are. One day, when we finally DO reconnect, I wonder why I ever allowed the time and the distance to keep us apart. We all need community. I truly believe we were created for relationship and to be amongst people.   Melissa Benson grew up in the community at Central/North Pointe. Melissa served our church in outreach ministries to children and youth in downtown Edmonton. She was employed as a youth pastor in Ottawa, Ontario and has volunteered in Haiti and most recently in Malawi serving orphans. Now she is married with a child of her own. She…
Bob Jones
August 17, 2014
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100 Ways To Create Sticky Faith In Your Family

No part of parenting is easy. Whether we’re responding to our fifteen-month-old’s cries from the crib or our fifteen-year-old’s texts from the mall, we’re constantly improvising. Guessing. Hoping that what we’re doing comes close to what’s best for our kids. Part of that is inevitable. Parenting will always be a messy dance of art and science. But what if there was research that removed at least some of the guesswork about what is best for our kids — both now and long-term? What if we could learn from proven tools and ideas that would help us create a plan for our families? There is a much greater chance kids will stay connected to God if faith is modeled and talked…
Bob Jones
August 17, 2014
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GARRATTS ARRESTED IN CHINA

Its not everyday your friends make headlines. I wasn't expecting to see Kevin and Julia Garratt on the front page of the Globe and Mail newspaper...or any newspaper for that matter. But there they were. Couple Detained By China. Never did I think that they would be making International news. (See update below) Not that what they've committed their life to isn't news worthy. I first met them in Dorval, Quebec. A mutual friend introduced us. Kevin and Julia shared their passion of moving to China and raising their family there. That was thirty years ago. A Coffee Shop in China April 2014 was the last I heard from them. Julia was teaching courses at a University. They were owners…
Bob Jones
August 6, 2014