Lem Mundorf is not the kind of guy you'd pick out a lineup of former gang members, but he knows the life. He grew up running in a gang and doing things he now regrets. (more…)
"Happy birthday dear John, happy birthday to you." The room was nicely filled with friends. No family. These friends are his family. And they had just finished crooning out a couple of creative versions of the tune for the birthday guy. Pretty special for the sixtieth year of a dreamer who lived through a nightmare of a childhood. Time To Remember Orphaned in Calgary. Into foster care in Edmonton. Sent to the Michener Centre in Red Deer. Yes, that one. Those are experiences that John Benes would like to forget. This night's festivities will be ones that John will always remember. We celebrated as a diverse group united by connections with John that spanned generations and decades. He's that kind…
Kristen Fersovitch was a 28 year-old wife and mother of three sons under the age of four, when she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and given only months to live. Like an ornament on a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, her life went on display for all to see. (more…)
Pete and Christa Gagnon started 2016 with good cheer for family and friends: “As the New Year approaches us with new hopes, here is wishing you and your family a wonderful year ahead.” Four days into 2016 I received an email from Christa. She said their 5 year old daughter Jordan had been ill. It was serious. Doctors’ initial diagnosis was leaning towards GAN - Giant Axonal Neuropathy - a rare, incurable, terminal, genetic disorder. Say that last phrase again - slowly - to let it sink in on you. (more…)
Weaknesses! We all have them, but rarely do you see someone boasting about them. In fact, we view them as a negative thing, and try to hide them. We portray to the world this résumé full of all our key strengths and abilities. I want to challenge you by saying, God sees the résumé of your life, with all your failures and weaknesses and says, "I CAN USE THAT." (more…)
In a province where billionaires made it big gambling on petroleum, Aurora Cannabis is betting on a new kind of oil in Alberta. Recreational cannabis sales go legal in the land of the maple leaf on October 17th and Aurora has the munchies for market share. Recreational? Aurora isn't blowing smoke in boasting a market cap of about $4.3 billion. It will be on the forefront of a new technology to extract cannabis oil at an industrial scale. Along with a second site in Medicine Hat, the company is set to produce 200,000 kilos of marijuana per year. The Budweiser of weed - that's Aurora's aspirations as the leading provider of marijuana in the world. Are we about to smell…
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…)
Three things will last forever - faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is Hope - as in Hope Thomas. Hope is the newest addition to the Pastoral staff at North Pointe - and we couldn't be happier. She's been a devoted volunteer in NP's Youth Ministry during her four years of study at Vanguard College. Two years ago Hope was given responsibility for "Anthem 56" - our mid-week ministry for Grades 5 and 6 students. On November 14, 2017 she accepted the full time role of Youth Pastor. Who Is Hope? You'll hear Hope's laughter long before you see her smile. And how about that smile? Hope or Hopiee as her besties know her, spent her formative…
There was an unmistakable eagerness about Edgar Taylor. He was keen to open his home and more importantly, his spirit. He shared a compulsion with his wife and some of their friends to seek God with all their hearts. The year was 1917. Edmonton Coming Of Age Edmonton was a rapidly growing prairie city of 54,000 citizens. The High Level Bridge and the Hotel MacDonald were recently opened and the dismantling of Fort Edmonton was just completed. The Great War was still raging in Europe. Many young Edmontonians had lost their lives far away in Passchendaele and Vimy Ridge. Perhaps it was the urgency of the hour that drew Edgar Taylor and his wife along with five other couples to…
As an Emergency Medical Technician, Nadeen LaBoucane belongs to an elite cadre known as "first responders." She's proud of the role she fills. While saving lives is all in a day's work for her, years of accumulated stress nearly came at the expense of her own life. Spiritual IV I met Nadeen at North Pointe in 2015 when she came looking for what we would later call "spiritual IV." Nadeen shared how she'd served in the emergency medical field for twenty one years as an EMT and most recently as a dispatcher. “I loved being out there helping people. I have to admit, I was a little bit of an adrenaline junkie as well.” But when she suffered a serious…