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Hope

HOW A SEVERE ANXIETY DISORDER LED ME TO A WORLD RACE Uncategorized

HOW A SEVERE ANXIETY DISORDER LED ME TO A WORLD RACE

When I got the call that told me that I had been accepted to participate in the World Race, I was completely shocked. While I had spent the past couple of weeks trusting that God had planned what was best for my future, I had a nagging feeling from the day that I submitted my application that I would not get in. The reason? I didn't think that a girl with a severe anxiety disorder would be looked at as a viable option for spending nine months living out of a backpack and traveling the world. Simply put, I believed that I was way too messed up.  When you meet Maya Kuipers, the first thing you notice is her confident…
Bob Jones
March 20, 2016
REVITALIZATION AND MULTIPLICATION Uncategorized

REVITALIZATION AND MULTIPLICATION

The illuminated face of the clock by the bed read, “3:38.” Conscious. Confused. Clear. Awake! O yah, its Thursday and I’m supposed to jet to Vancouver. Belt buckled. Keys in pockets. Shoes on. Groomed! No time for brewing coffee. Grrrrr. Notes? Check. iPhone ticket? Check. Car rental? Check. Ready! Cold and snow blankets everything, delaying but invigorating. Sparse traffic. Silent morning. Slushy roads. Departures! The ripples of 9/11 are reminders that tighter security doesn’t make life feel more secure. Belt off. Pockets emptied. Shoes off. Inconvenienced! The best part of flying. Not. 32,000 feet. 548km/hr -64C Purpose! The planeload empties at almost the identical local time we departed. Rain for snow. Green for white. Mountains for plains. Envious! A rented…
Bob Jones
March 2, 2016
GOOD NEWS GIRL ON CTV Uncategorized

GOOD NEWS GIRL ON CTV

Faith, joy and hope are timeless qualities that will help you be your best even when life is at its worst. For Kristen Fersovitch they were a trilogy of tested and trusted convictions. When Kristen was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2011, she had no idea her story would inspire thousands of people across Canada. She has appeared in national magazines, newspapers, blogs and published in a hardcover book. In December 2015, CTV Edmonton ran a prime time feature on her life of music, family, marriage, parenting, and hope. Thank you, Dez Melenka at CTV for so beautifully telling Kristen's story. Purchase your copy of Ornament online at Chapters.ca or at any of these Edmonton area outlets. Read Kristen's inspiring…
Bob Jones
February 9, 2016
BE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION Uncategorized

BE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION

Your most vital responsibility is managing yourself. Self-management is critical in the area of inspiration. Great leaders learn how to self-motivate. I've collected the following quotes from mentors and momentous experiences in my life. I know there's at least one in there for you. 18 Inspiring Statements Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's…
Bob Jones
September 11, 2015
R.A. Dickey: Wherever I Wind Up Uncategorized

R.A. Dickey: Wherever I Wind Up

Got Blue Jays fever yet? Dickey is a Blue Jays pitcher who's got a good grip on life and a baseball. I was willing to go into extra innings to read, "Wherever I Wind Up," because I didn't want to put it down.. In what is arguably the most popular book on baseball, "Ball Four," Jim Bouton opened the doors 42 years ago to reveal what really goes on in a big league clubhouse (and hotels). R.A. Dickey does something even braver: he opens the door to the darkest moments of his life - from the sexual abuse he suffered at age 8 to his depression and the extramarital affair that almost ended his marriage. His courage in telling his…
Bob Jones
August 12, 2015
#97 = Hope Uncategorized

#97 = Hope

Will Connor McDavid break Twitter? That's probably the only unanswered question about the NHL's #1 draft pick. He's already had an Edmonton street named after him and he hasn't even broken a sweat in a copper and blue jersey. He's been anointed "The Next One" and Stanley Cup parade routes are filling the dreams of Oiler nation and city employees. McDavid has also been called "Hope" not "Hype." So in a year of HOPE at North Pointe, what can we learn about #97? Brian McDavid, Connor’s dad - “He has been preparing for this for a long time. Right now, to me, it simply seems like the next step in his progression, but I am sure on Friday night when…
Bob Jones
June 26, 2015
To Write Love on Her Arms 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
JARED’S HOPE 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
ARE YOU IN GOD’S WAITING ROOM? 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
LAURIE’S STORY: FREEDOM FROM ADDICTION 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