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Aug 18
0

31 PRINCIPLES FOR A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

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Life is beautiful. You were shaped first inside, then out in your mother’s womb. You were sculpted from nothing into something. Body and soul, you are a marvel to behold. Who? Me? Don’t take my word for it. That’s your Creator’s opinion of you. Read it in Psalm chapter 139. And before you go, take in these thirty-one principles for living a beautiful life. 31 Life Principles 1. You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Trust God. Now. 2. Be kind, have grace, work hard, give thanks, speak love, dream big, stay hungry. Rinse. Repeat. 3. You will learn…

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Aug 17
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SURELY GOD IS ABLE: ARETHA FRANKLIN

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Younger music fans may wonder at all of the fuss over the death of an aging singer named Aretha. Why her? Take four minutes and play the clip from the 38th Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, DC, from December 2015. One of the evening’s honorees, Carole King is clearly over-the-moon when Aretha sits down at the piano to sing “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.” King co-wrote the lyrics but Aretha made them famous. Music Royalty The performance, which has over twelve million views on YouTube, is electrifying, bringing everyone in the audience to their feet and weeping tears of joy – including then President Obama. That’s the Aretha effect. At seventy-three she was music royalty – a…

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Aug 15
4

THE VOID

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There’s a God-shaped void in your life. You’ve felt that void on your Monday morning commute to work. Or when you’ve achieved the ultimate dream of your life and were surprised by how empty it left you. Thoreau described it as “the mass of men living lives of quiet desperation.” That’s your soul talking to you. You soul longs to find its ultimate purpose. It will not rest until you do. The Void Your soul is letting you know you come from God and your life is intended to be God-inspired. You’re a unique creation made by God to live and not simply exist. From your first breath you’ve been on a journey, and a significant part of it has…

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Aug 12
1

THE CRUMPLED PAPER

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Jennifer Taylor was having one of those dark days – March 16, 2016 – the kind where you want to stay alone in a dark room, keep the blinds closed and shut off from the world. Everything felt like it was too much. That’s when she heard Jesus say, “I know you are hurting. I am right here with you. What do you see?” All she saw was a crumpled piece of paper. Jennifer’s Story Everyone knows what it’s like to hold a crumpled piece of paper in his or her hand. Have you ever felt like a crumpled piece of paper, crushed, unusable, unworthy? Before you were born and before any crumpling occurred God wrote on you who you…

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Aug 10
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THE LAST ARROW OF ERWIN MCMANUS

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The greatest battles you face are the ones on the inside. Erwin McManus is an author, mystic, futurist, filmmaker, designer and the lead pastor of Mosaic, a church community in LA. He is also living with cancer. The Last Arrow McManus is famous for his visionary literary work in An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment and Soul Cravings. In authoring his latest book, The Last Arrow, he wanted to be able to write in a way you could read as if you’re at the end of your life, before you’re at the end of your life, so that you could live your life without regret. After…

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Aug 04
1

THE ESSENTIAL QUALITY TO GROWING YOUNGER

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“Pastor, if I raise my finger, will God know which one I’m going to raise even before I raise it?” Thirteen-year-old Steve attended church every week with his parents. This particular Sunday, he had stayed after the worship service to ask his pastor this pressing question. Answering The Questions of Youth The pastor replied, “Yes, God knows everything.” Troubled by African children suffering from famine, Steve then pulled out a Life magazine cover depicting two children tormented by starvation. He asked the logical follow-up, “Well, does God know about this and what’s going to happen to those kids?” The pastor gave a similar response: “Steve, I know you don’t understand, but yes, God knows about that.” If you were Steve,…

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Aug 04
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KEEPING YOUR KIDS ON GOD’S SIDE

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Parents obsess over car seats, bike helmets and sunscreen. It’s why you pack lunches, track down sports gear and drive all over town for school supplies. You prepare your kids because you love them. How prepared are your kids for Canada’s changing culture? Culture Shift Are your kids prepared for the questions they’ll face in the classroom with answers that will serve them well? You can let your kids flounder in a sea of skepticism or you can help them face the challenges that will come their way. Kids can learn to think critically and express their beliefs in a reasonable manner. Conversations To Have With Your Kids If you’re not sure where to find answers to tough questions, you…

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Aug 01
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LIFE’S CRUISES AND CROSSES

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Enjoying a dose of natural vitamin “D” in January in an equipping environment seemed like a great idea for body and soul. I never imagined that I would learn so much about carrying a cross on a cruise. Cruises Make Sense In 2014 I co-chaired a task force assigned to rally pastors from some of Canada’s largest churches in a conference setting. Someone suggested facilitating our meetings on a Caribbean cruise. After some initial resistance we agreed that the idea made cents. A 5-day cruise was equal in cost to a 5-day stay at a Toronto-area hotel. Before you could say, “Belize it or not” forty of us were on our way to Central America with Royal Caribbean. By the end…

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Aug 01
0

DEAR CANADA, WHY CAN’T I COME HOME?

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I know the whole “I Am Canadian” speech word for word. I’m the first in line to get my face painted red and white on July 1st. I am the girl cheering loud and proud, wearing my hockey jersey, come Boxing Day when our youth step onto that ice to represent our country. A guest post written by Widlene Earle’s step mom, Nikki. Vaden Earle will be at North Pointe Church on Sunday August 19th – 9:30am; 11:00am; 12:30pm. Help Vaden write the last chapter of his book by bringing Widlene home. What Does Home Mean To You? I am proud to be Canadian. Growing up, Canada taught me that I was free to be anything that I wanted to…

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Jul 29
2

DESCENDING INTO HELL: OPERATION UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

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Operation Underground Railroad exists to rescue children from sex-trafficking. Over two million children are victims of sex trafficking in 2018. 2 million. Read that sentence again. Do you feel angry? If not, don’t waste your time on this post. But if you feel your temperature rising then read on. The Most Heinous Crime Timothy Ballard is the Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). Ballard and his wife Katherine are parents to six children. For twelve years he descended into hell everyday to rescue other parents’ kids. According to UNICEF every two minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation. The Canadian government says, “Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, often described as modern-day…

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