He called out, "I love you," every time he or one of his family members left the house. Little did he know love would be his last word. (more…)
Bob JonesFebruary 10, 2024
When someone dear to you dies, the lessons you learn about life are priceless. (more…)
Bob JonesSeptember 1, 2020
Easter Sunday morning, millions of believers will attend an outdoor sunrise service. Good Friday, many spent some portion of the day attending services to remember the suffering of Jesus. However, the most relatable day of Easter weekend is not Friday or Sunday – its Saturday. It's your day. (more…)
Bob JonesApril 19, 2019
On the day I die the world will be busy. All the important appointments I made will be broken. The “new-to-North Pointe”-er wanting to become connected will be left sitting at Starbucks wondering why. If I were still alive I’d feel embarrassed. So embarrassed. The calendar that organized so many of my days will now be irrelevant to me. My messy desk that haunted so much of my conscious thought will finally be cleared. Material things I guarded will be left in the hands of others to care for. Or sell. Or discard. Jocelyn gets it all. All my incoming emails, SLACK, Instagrams, texts and calls will go ignored. The ambition behind my unfinished posts, tweets, messages, articles and books will be unrequited. Every superficial worry…
Bob JonesSeptember 3, 2017
He loved music. She was a singer. He listened to YouTube. She went viral on YouTube. His music made him feel happy. Her music made others happy. They were generations apart and lived in two different countries but they are now sharing heaven together. Christina, Bob and Eternity I was numbed by both of their deaths. Christina Grimmie was 23 years young when her life was taken by a murderer's bullets. She was gunned down while signing autographs after her Orlando concert on June 10th. Grimmie was a rising star made famous by her exceptional vocal talent and her genuine love for her raving fans. I learned about her murder from a distance and was deeply saddened by her senseless…
Bob JonesJune 22, 2016
The “first” first, was a hockey game in September 2014 and it wasn’t by any means welcomed. My daughter Shyla wore her dad’s jersey for warm up and I didn’t make it through the second period. The inaugural normal was even before the funeral and was followed by many unsought more. Recitals, hockey games, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and even a high school graduation all came and went without him. Alisha writes with a gentle vulnerability. If you allow her to, she'll bring you along on a journey through the hardest time of her life. She helps me be a better pastor. I see life and faith through her eyes. Alisha became a single mom on September 18/2014 very suddenly. With…
Bob JonesApril 6, 2016
Waiting rooms are funny places. They are confined areas with very little privacy, making it too easy to overhear conversations you would normally avoid. It was in one of these waiting rooms that I overheard such a conversation. Sue Glover is a wife and mom and a member of North Pointe's Writers Group. The group's purpose is to help support aspiring writers of all ages and stages in a monthly meeting. This true story is Sue's first published piece. We're proud of her. Old Friends Two elderly gentlemen (one stated that he had just turned 88) happened to meet after not seeing each another for a good number of years. It started out as the type of conversation I would…
Bob JonesFebruary 3, 2016
Thank you Alisha Jans-Lemoine for this guest post. Your vulnerability and candor are courageous. 5..4..3..2..1.. The count down has started. It actually started 360 days ago, give or take a couple hours. Like the countdown on New Years Eve, there’s nothing to stop it. At midnight the ball drops, everyone sings and we start a new year of hope, promises and resolutions. It starts whether or not we want it to. But we can prepare for it, make plans and be more or less ready for when it arrives. No Warning My ball dropped almost 365 days ago with no countdown, no warning, no notice. I was unprepared in every sense of the word. I couldn’t prepare or sing or…
Bob JonesSeptember 16, 2015
On September 18, 2014, with only 57 minutes notice, my family as I knew it, died. Within an hour of CPR that failed, my four children lost their father, his parents lost their son, and I lost the relationship I was supposed to grow old in. The grief was so thick I couldn’t see through it. In the days that followed, I began to realize how much was missing and would be affected going forward. It wouldn’t be just George who would be grieved, there was so much more. It was all the relationships built along the way. Lost Relationships Each of the children had a unique relationship that was lost. Shyla no longer had Dad in the stands watching…
Bob JonesJune 10, 2015