Skip to main content
Tag

Hope

Uncategorized

To Write Love on Her Arms

Jamie Tworkowski, didn’t set out to start a nonprofit organization. All he wanted to do was help a friend and tell her story. When Jamie met Renee Yohe, she was struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. He wrote about the five days he spent with her before she entered a treatment center, and he sold T-shirts to help cover the cost. When she entered treatment, he posted the story on MySpace to give it a home. The name of the story was “To Write Love on Her Arms.” Renee's Story "Renee is 19. When I meet her, cocaine is fresh in her system. She hasn’t slept in 36 hours and she won’t for another 24. It is a…
Bob Jones
June 24, 2015
Uncategorized

JARED’S HOPE

Jared Hope was on a fast track to what most Canadians would call “The Canadian Dream.” His Junior hockey career was powered by a winning mix of skill and ambition. Originally from Edmonton, he'd been playing in Spokane, Washington since he was 16. Between 1995 and 1996, as scouts lined him up for a first round NHL draft pick, he had three consecutive concussions and was forced to walk away from a pro hockey career. "I remember a counselor telling me I was experiencing a mid-life crisis. She said the depression was normal." Jared didn't feel normal. Building on Ego Determined to build a new life, Jared moved back to Edmonton. He graduated college, went into sales and was making…
Bob Jones
April 5, 2015
Uncategorized

ARE YOU IN GOD’S WAITING ROOM?

WAIT is a word we hate...at least I do. I get frustrated waiting on fast food or waiting behind the slow car in the fast lane. Aren’t we all in a rush to get to the next place or the next thing? My cell phone battery malfunctions at the worst of times. “I just had 34% battery life and now it's dead!” Waiting for the phone to recharge only takes a few minutes but feels like eons. “Come on!” We live in one of the most individualistic cultures in the world, which means we want what we want — and we want it now, and it better be quick and easy. Waiting on God An impatient mindset often carries over…
Bob Jones
March 8, 2015
Uncategorized

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is loved by millions, including me. Its been covered by singers like Frank Sinatra to Twisted Sister. There are over 500 versions of the song on iTunes. I bet you'll hear it sometime before Christmas Day 2016 is over. What makes the song so popular is as basic to human nature as breathing. THE BACKSTORY It was Christmas 1944 and World War II was in its final stages. Judy Garland, perhaps the world’s greatest entertainer, was about to star in what would become a movie classic, “Meet Me in St Louis.” The movie tells the story of a close-knit family living in St. Louis in the early 1900s. The family is devastated…
Bob Jones
December 6, 2014
Uncategorized

LAURIE’S STORY: FREEDOM FROM ADDICTION

Laurie understands what it is to descend into addiction and hopelessness. She used to live there. Laurie also knows what's it like to find freedom and wholeness. She's a freedom fighter now - sharing her story to help others find freedom. I've known Laurie and her family for almost ten years since they started attending North Pointe. LAURIE'S STORY: FITTING IN I grew up in a religious home and had good parents, but I was never sure where I fit or found acceptance. When I was 12 years old I discovered alcohol, and instantly I felt like I was able to make friends and be the life of the party - I finally fit in. For years I drank on…
Bob Jones
November 26, 2014
Uncategorized

Rachel’s Story: Thankful For New Beginnings

Rachel Fallah's son, Prince, is married. What an incredibly joyous, vibrant and colorful wedding! (Rachel is in yellow below) Rachel's journey is remarkable given she arrived in a foreign country with nothing and today she has everything. At her son's wedding she was surrounded by friends and family from around the world, however it is her peace-filled spirit - free from bitterness - that she treasures most. Here's her story. REFUGEE FROM WAR In 2002 I came to Edmonton as a refugee from Sierra Leone with my son, Prince. All we had in the world was each other. The war in our home country had taken everything from us – our family, our home, our possessions. Our nation was devastated…
Bob Jones
October 12, 2014
Uncategorized

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
Uncategorized

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
Uncategorized

17 QUOTES FROM THE DR. OF LIFE

Maya Angelou earned her doctorate in life. Her 84 years of living took her across continents, around the globe, through marriages, and into the hearts of social activists, TV icons, Presidents, pastors and ordinary people looking for hope and love. Born Marguerite Anne Johnson on April 4, 1928, she would change her name to "Maya" and later adopt the appellation, “Dr” only because she wanted others to call her “Dr.” "I have studied everything. I spent some time with Zen Buddhism and Judaism and I spent some time with Islam. I found that I really want to be a Christian. When I say, ‘I am a Christian’ I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and…
Bob Jones
May 29, 2014
Uncategorized

2 NEGLECTED POWERS NEEDED TODAY

Two powers affect all of our lives: unchangeable yesterdays and unpredictable tomorrows. Yesterday's History We long to re-create segments of our personal histories, but we are stuck with them. Hurts done to us. Hurts done by us. Tomorrow's Destiny We long to control our destinies, but we cannot bring them under our management. What will become of me? What will become of us? There are two powers available to you and me, too often neglected, that will successfully address these forebodings. Two Neglected Powers Hannah Arendt was a Jew living in France during the Nazi occupation in 1941. She and her husband were interned in a camp awaiting deportation to a concentration camp in Germany. They escaped and made their…
Bob Jones
April 28, 2014