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Grief

WHEN FEAR PICKED A FIGHT WITH THE WRONG GUY Uncategorized

WHEN FEAR PICKED A FIGHT WITH THE WRONG GUY

I never thought life would lead me to this moment in a million years. Ours was the “perfect” life. My wife walked with amazing courage and an attitude void of fear as she battled strokes and years later, cancer. When Heroes Fall But deep inside, like all of us, doubt and fear would creep in. My wife’s life was about to end. The courage and fearless fortitude it must have taken to accept her death and then to take her final breath is beyond my understanding. My wife was, and still is my hero. The fearless love we shared makes me stronger when I see her in that light. I look at what I had in life, and not what…
Bob Jones
May 16, 2018
THE NORMAL THAT NEVER CAME Uncategorized

THE NORMAL THAT NEVER CAME

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 Jones
April 6, 2016
AN OPEN LETTER FROM A MOM: M.A.D.D. Uncategorized

AN OPEN LETTER FROM A MOM: M.A.D.D.

My life changed forever January 27, 2004. My son Ryan was twenty when he was killed by a drunk driver. Your heart knows a pain like no other. Burying your child is the most painful, unimaginable day you will ever endure. Something that is so wrong in so many ways. Your mind is a whirling blur, yet it is ever hopeful that at any moment now, you will awake and find that this is all a nightmare...a mother’s - a parent’s - worst nightmare. I'm grateful to my friend Jane Burak for writing this letter. The Burak and Jones families enjoyed cheering on our sons as teammates through elementary grades to senior high. We were devastated when a call came…
Bob Jones
February 28, 2016
HONEY AND BETTS: HANNAH KAUP’S STORY Uncategorized

HONEY AND BETTS: HANNAH KAUP’S STORY

Finding courage, strength and beauty in the midst of challenges is a life long journey of discovery. Hannah Kaup experienced surprising ways in which God brought these qualities into her life at just the right time and she is generously sharing those discoveries. This is a guest post from Hannah – a stay at home mom, wife to Matthew, mama to Annaliese and Abigail - and founder of Honey and Betts! As a young mom, wife and believer I have to be fearless in my faith and I try to spread the truth to many broken people. I've discovered that my timing and God's timing are not the same, and it is my journey of my acceptance of that that I…
Bob Jones
January 8, 2016
ALISHA’S STORY: 5-4-3-2-1 Uncategorized

ALISHA’S STORY: 5-4-3-2-1

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 Jones
September 16, 2015
RELATIONSHIPS: WHAT WAS, WHAT IS, WHAT WILL BE Uncategorized

RELATIONSHIPS: WHAT WAS, WHAT IS, WHAT WILL BE

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 Jones
June 10, 2015
RYDON HAROLD BOUCK’S STORY (UPDATED) Uncategorized

RYDON HAROLD BOUCK’S STORY (UPDATED)

Rydon's parents believe in miracles. They watched their preemie son fight for his life with the aid of doctors and nurses in two hospitals and the prayers of family and friends each breath of the way. "Thanks again to everyone at North Pointe for your prayers and support. Words cannot describe how blessed we feel to have come so far." Looking at Rydon now, you'd never know the journey he's been on, so read about it below. Rydon Bouck faced more dire circumstances at 25 weeks old than most people experience in 25 years or an entire lifetime. On January 13, 2015, Rydon Harold was born to Kolby and Elise Bouck – son #3. Elise had endured a very difficult…
Bob Jones
March 28, 2015
Kay Warren: The First Christmas Without… Uncategorized

Kay Warren: The First Christmas Without…

My cousin Sharon died by suicide in April 2003. Her despair from a marriage that ended in divorce coupled with her decade long struggle with depression were too much for her to cope. Christmas 2003 for her surviving family was one in which her extended family left a lot to be desired. Looking back I am sure we dropped the ball. I wish I knew then what I learned by reading Kay Warren's story about the first Christmas without her son, Matthew. THE FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT... Rick and Kay Warren's son Matthew died by suicide in April 2013. Her mother's heart says it all in this post about her first Christmas without Matthew. "Christmas 2013 was our family’s first without…
Bob Jones
December 12, 2014