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Influence

Life FormationLife Stories

Never Give Up Hope: Lorie’s Story

Lorie confided in me that a medical condition had driven her to living a life "of passionate urgency." She partied hard in the bar scene, suffered through abusive relationships with boyfriends, traveled solo to Australia and jumped out of planes. Lorie visited mosques, because she was part Arabic, to find something she couldn't quite put her finger on. (more…)
Bob Jones
May 1, 2022
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What Can a 60 Year Old Say to Youth?

Dr Ron Powell allowed me to guest post on his blog, YouthMinistryUnleashed. Ron and his family have been a part of North Pointe Community Church for the over 10 years. He has been on a mission of pastoring and teaching youth ministry for the past 29 years and currently is the Youth Ministry Institute Director at Vanguard College in Edmonton.  “Pastor, would you speak at our youth retreat?” My quick response surprised Jeremy, our youth pastor, not just because I seldom respond quickly but because it was an enthusiastic one. And it was heartfelt. There was no need to pray, think, ponder or mull over this decision. “Yes!” When I preach on Sundays at North Pointe there are youth in…
Bob Jones
November 19, 2014
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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
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Who’s Your Mr Gooley?

Harold Gooley's volunteer role was teaching a handful of Junior High boys, which is as close to herding cats as you can get. Having a name like "Gooley" and working with Jr Hi boys is not a good mix.  I was one of his students. To us, he was always, "Mr. Goooooulee!!," uttered with a tone of Halloween freakishness and just loud enough to be overheard. Classes were held in a dimly lit, musty smelling balcony of an aging facility. Mr Gooley was in his 50's, single and hunchbacked. I'll never know for sure if Mr. Gooley was merely arm-twisted into teaching this tough to reach age group, however my experiences with him would indicate that he was more than…
Jones Bob
May 14, 2014
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7 CLOUT KILLERS AND HOW TO DEFEAT THEM

 I like the word “clout.” Say it out loud. How does it sound? Powerful, right? It instantly conjures up the image of someone who is influential. That's why I like Jenni Catron’s book, “Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence.” For the nine years Catron worked in the music business she had a front row seat to the dreamers. It took a crisis of purpose to force her to recognize the shaky foundation upon which she had built all of her own dreams. She had been driven by forces that lulled her into believing she had power that she never had. Catron writes about the fears that can kill clout and the ways in which faith can build a godly kind…
Bob Jones
April 13, 2014