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KIDS HELPING KIDS: ROOT56 & JAMQUEST Uncategorized

KIDS HELPING KIDS: ROOT56 & JAMQUEST

Changing the world can be simple. Just. Decide. To care. (If you've gotten past the first ten words of this post it means your heart is free of cynicism. The curious can't be cynical.) Nick Schoff Nick Scoff did just that when he was in eighth grade. A TV documentary on child poverty in Africa "got this thirteen year old butt off the couch." Nick loved basketball. So he started a three-on-three fundraiser tournament to help kids in Kenya. He called the tournament, Jamquest. $2700 was raised the first year. He saw he could do something.  The rest is history. Jamquest Jamquest, Schoff's brainchild, strives to bring faith, hope, and love to kids in need. Kids helping kids. "Imagine if…
Bob Jones
May 17, 2017
HERE COMES HOPE Uncategorized

HERE COMES HOPE

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…
Bob Jones
April 21, 2017
THE CROSS IN THE CLOTHESPIN: ANN VOSKAMP Uncategorized

THE CROSS IN THE CLOTHESPIN: ANN VOSKAMP

She's Ann Voskamp, a plain Ann without even the fanciful “e”, wife to The Farmer, mama to six, and in her own words, "a bit of a mess." Ann was named by Christianity Today as one of the leading fifty women who are shaping culture and the Church today. She's a New York Times best-selling author many times over, communicator, story teller and advocate for those without a voice. "The only words that really matter are the ones I live. This convicts me. I keep writing it out here everyday, the words I am seeking to live — about this wondrously messy, everyday-holy life…. about finding the beauty and quiet, about slowing to see the sacred in the chaos, and…
Bob Jones
April 16, 2017
WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF OFF COURSE Uncategorized

WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF OFF COURSE

There are certain messages that serve to get me back on track when I find myself off course. Verses. Vision boards. Inspirational quotes. A personal mission statement. A Manifesto Lately its been a manifesto - a philosophical declaration. Over the past six weeks I've been on a same page initiative with hundreds of other people at North Pointe. All ages and stages. Together. Studying. Praying. Digging deep. Seeking God. All your chips in the middle. All In Mark Batterson gave us a context for study in his book All In. Took him thirteen years to write it. Impressive. Sacred. He reduces his life takeaways from seeking God, to twenty-two declarations. Thanks, Mark. Which one speaks to you? 22 Declarative Ways…
Bob Jones
April 5, 2017
THE FINAL ESCAPE Uncategorized

THE FINAL ESCAPE

He's known as "Hitch" and "The Master of Suspense." Alfred Hitchcock's story, “Final Escape” is the purest example of the way he blends the phobias inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and the narrative twists of O. Henry. Can you guess the surprise twist before you get to the end of this post? (Don't cheat yourself. Read the story.) A Life Sentence In the October 28th, 1985 TV episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Lena Trent (played by Season Hubley) is convicted of murdering her husband. She’s sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison. The episode starts turning the audience against Lena from its opening frames, showing Lena in court wearing pretentious sunglasses, an indication of her lack of…
Bob Jones
March 24, 2017
TEENAGERS CAUGHT IN THE ACT Uncategorized

TEENAGERS CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Life can be tough for people at any age, but most would agree that being a teenager is exceptionally difficult. When else can you can wake up with the comforts of childhood, and go to bed with the painful weight of awareness? And who else gets more of a bad rap than teens? These teens were caught in the act. The Quest Four teens set out on a Quest to find buried treasure in Banff. The most incredible things happened as they lead their appreciative audience through a creative script, original songs, laughter and insight to something priceless. Scriptwriter/Producer/Actor - Pastor Jeremy Gifford - summarizes our sentiment in saying, "The amazing team from our youth production this weekend #TheQuest did…
Bob Jones
March 19, 2017
JESUS AND KELLY AT THE GATES OF HADES Uncategorized

JESUS AND KELLY AT THE GATES OF HADES

In the "region of Caesarea Philippi" Jesus asked his Jewish disciples "Who do men say that I am?" What happened next turned their world upside down. Why Here? Why Now? North Pointe's Israel team visited Caesarea Philippi in February 2017. The ancient city stood in a once lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon. Now, its a unexceptional locale visited primarily by tourists. Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in the Jewish world and the devout would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there. It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell. Our Jewish guide questioned, "Why would Jesus - a good Jew - bring his Jewish disciples to the…
Bob Jones
March 1, 2017
ITS A SIGN Uncategorized

ITS A SIGN

I like watching for signs when I travel. Not the directional or apocalyptic kind - the ironic kind. The beauties above adorned a hillside in Galilee, Israel. Keeping The Door Closed At All Times Some signs are a fuzzy kind of funny. I saw the one below at Pearson International in Toronto. A manager wanted to insure that shoes or anything else did not collect on their watch. The open door where this sign was posted revealed shoes all over the floor. This one was on the side of a boat we sailed in on the Sea of Galilee. Savvy store owners capitalizing on the value of humor in marketing. Are you a reflection of what you eat? Some signs…
Bob Jones
February 26, 2017
OLGA BRINDZA: AN INEXHAUSTIBLE TREASURY Uncategorized

OLGA BRINDZA: AN INEXHAUSTIBLE TREASURY

Olga Brindza was one of those all too rare kind of people who served way past the age of retirement. Even in her 70's she was happily involved in serving God by loving children and just about anyone else around her. Into Eternity On the last Thursday morning of January 2017 she was sitting in her favorite livingroom chair enjoying a devotional reading. The first words of the first paragraph she was reading were, “Relax my child, I’m in control. Remember that you are my beloved.” Those may have been the last words she saw before she peacefully closed her eyes and slipped into eternity and the presence of Jesus. Her passing was sudden and unexpected. Three days earlier, Olga…
Bob Jones
February 1, 2017
DEVOTED. Uncategorized

DEVOTED.

When you are devoted to something, your life rises above the crowd of mediocrity.  That was literally true of "Eddie The Eagle" and his improbable pursuit of Olympic ski jumping. Devotion is a robust word. The devoted orient their activities toward what they really want. Devotion turns a surrender of your personal wants and desires into something that holds greater meaning for you. It oozes passion and longing. The devoted form a love affair with whatever they're committed to. Who comes to mind when you think of devotion? Leave your comment below. 12 Devoteds 1. Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards – Lacking natural talent and starting very late in life, he was passionate about competing as an Olympic ski jumper. He…
Bob Jones
January 1, 2017