Pointes of View

“Her music made her immortal, but her words made her human.”
There was something about Whitney Houston that goes beyond the obvious. She was beautiful and arguably the most incredible female voice in musical history. She was undeniably the most awarded female act of all time.
The kind words of those closest to her at her funeral could not dispel the sense that all their love, support and care were insufficient to save Whitney from herself. Not even drugs or alcohol were enough to dull the pain of fearing she wasn’t enough.
Kevin Costner, her co-star in “The Bodyguard,” said at her funeral that for all of Houston’s beauty and success, she was still yearning for approval from the public and somewhat insecure, a superstar who “still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’
Ironically, even Jesus didn’t seem to be enough for Whitney. Her first songs were about Jesus at New Hope Baptist in NJ. Her last song was a line from “Jesus Loves Me” at a night club in LA. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” In a real way, Whitney went where Jesus had been. To the top; to the peak of the highest mountain with the world laying before them.
The Bible says, “…the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel.” Matthew 4:8,9 (The Message)
Whitney heard similar words – “its all yours…you are the greatest.” Jesus fended off temptation; Whitney…succumbed.  She was in an “Ephesians 6-kind-of-battle” for her soul.  There is no way of knowing the depth of Whitney’s agony, but one thing is certain – her tortured soul was never out of Jesus’ sight. Surely he told Whitney many times, “Where are your accusers? Go and sin no more.” At last, his words became, “Come home and rest.”
Kevin Costner may have said it best at her funeral. Choking up and pausing as he ended his speech, Costner said, “Off you go Whitney, off you go. Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly Father. When you sing before him, don’t you worry. You’ll be good enough.”

February 14th – Valentines Day – love is in the air! On a day dedicated to a forever kind of love, how do you insure that love lasts?
The last verse of the Book of Ephesians is a prayer for sustained love – “…grace to you who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.(Ep. 6:24)” The last book of the Bible addresses the same people, now 40 years later, whose love has nearly died out. Jesus says, “I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first.(Rev. 2:4)” How do you sustain a love that endures and grows through time?
Kim and Krickitt Carpenter are a couple from whom the world could learn a lot about enduring love. Less than 10 weeks after their September 1993 wedding ceremony, the Carpenters were in a nightmarish auto accident that badly injured them both and left Krickitt comatose. Though doctors initially doubted she would survive, she rallied, regaining consciousness and, eventually, most of her physical abilities. But the trauma to her brain caused retrograde amnesia, erasing virtually her entire memory of the previous 18 months—including any recollection of the man she had fallen in love with and married. “The last 2½ years have been based on a story I’m told,” said Krickitt, 26, “because I don’t remember any of it.” She slowly regained control of her life, returning to work in August 1994, but a new personality emerged—a blend of her old self with new, more outgoing traits and a shorter temper. It was difficult to make their marriage work again. Kim worked to encourage her rehabilitation, but Krickitt found his presence and pep talks annoying. She resented his pushing. She moved in with her parents in New Mexico. Months passed. Their future together looked bleak.
Mike Hill, a therapist the couple started seeing in the fall of ’94, pinpointed the problem. “There wasn’t that emotional attachment that comes through the early part of the relationship. Kim needed to establish some memories of her own.” So Kim and Krickitt began dating again—chatting over pizza, shopping, Jet Skiing at a nearby lake. “I got to know my husband again,” says Krickitt. “There was a point when I really started to enjoy this companion. I would miss him if he wasn’t around.”
In 1996, on Valentine’s Day, Kim proposed again. Krickitt accepted. “I could’ve not fallen in love with him again, but the Lord didn’t allow that,” she says. On May 25, the two again exchanged rings—new ones—and read newly written vows. “Only one thing can surpass forever the painful events we have felt,” Kim told her. “That is the love I have for you.”
Do you want your love for Jesus to be undying? Make new memories that create emotional attachments with Him. Open your spirit completely to the Holy Spirit each day. Allow Him to fill your life and direct you. What better day to start than today!

“The MRI shows you have a brain tumor.”
When you are 27 years old, a wife and mother of two little girls under the age of 4, that kind of news is unimaginable.
To think that 7 months later you would be standing a platform in front of a 1,000 people sharing your story of recovery and singing a song about how hardships can be the source of blessings, has God’s fingerprints all over it.
Hear Amber MacNeil’s story and song by going to:

http://www.northpointechurch.ca/video.shtml

and clicking on the February 5th entry.

Ephesians 1:3 says that we have been “blessed…with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Those “blessings” include “mercy” and “healing” in hardships.   The chorus to the song Amber sang is written below:

“Blessings” by Laura Story
“What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home…”

For me, “growing” as a Christian is best conceptualized in the idea of a “journey” and a “story.” Each of us has our own story and we are on a journey.
We start as EXPLORERS – we understand that there is more to this world than meets the eye. There are powerful forces around us and within us that shape our behaviours and attitudes. Those forces are described as “The Kingdom of Darkness” and “the Kingdom of Light” or “Kingdom of God” in the Bible. All of us are in the “Kingdom of Darkness’ – the power that causes hatred, hurt, wars, murder, divorce, abuse, addiction, etc. To come to this realization is to stand on the edge of the next step in the journey – how do I move to the Kingdom of Light?
You recognize that we cannot change ourselves – we need a Saviour – Jesus is the Saviour – you come as you are and make a decision to ask Jesus to come into your life and begin a personal relationship with Him.
You become a NEW FOLLOWER of Jesus.
You become a GROWING FOLLOWER in your knowledge of Jesus through prayer, and listening to God and reading and applying the Bible to your life and opening your Spirit completely to the Holy Spirit.
Life takes on a different perspective – even problems look different. They are no longer obstacles in your way, but actually become the way in which you grow by trusting Jesus to face your problems and overcome them.
CHRIST-CENTRED FOLLOWERS describe people who have not “arrived” in their journey but have surrendered complete control of their lives to Jesus. They choose to live a life worthy of the Lord and please God in every way.
I think Dallas Willard said it best – “It is the responsibility of every Christ-centred follower to carve out a satisfying life under the loving rule of God or else sin will start to look good.”
Where are you on the journey? Explorer? New Follower? Growing Follower? Christ-Centred Follower?
Our vision at North Pointe is “to see a personal relationship with Jesus grow in everyone; everyday.” We pray to see that vision fulfilled in YOUR life and the people you influence.

People from North Pointe are reading and reflecting  on portions of the Bible, everyday.  Cindy Glubish had these reflections from her readings on Feb. 17th.

A female grizzly bear…
-Can weigh somewhere between 290–440 lbs
-Can reach 198cm/6.50 ft in length
-Can clock between 48-60 km an hour in speed
-Have paws that are 10-12 “ long
-Have claws that can reach 6 “ in length
-Have a keen sense of smell that is 100,000 times stronger than a human
-Produce 1-4 young (commonly two) every other year
-Are very protective of their offspring and will attack ferociously if they think she or her cubs are threatened.
-Are considered by some experts to be the most aggressive bear
-Are responsible for 70% of fatal injuries to humans

And yet…

“Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.” -Proverbs 17:12-

Fool: a person who acts unwisely or imprudently
Imprudent: not showing care for the consequences of an action
Folly: lack of good sense; foolish
Foolish: the trait of acting stupidly or rash

When I read this passage of scripture in my devotions today, it actually made me go, “Hmmm… interesting.” Here I had been thinking about bears and how lucky they are that they get to hibernate in these -37 degree temperatures, and voila, I end up reading a passage about, wouldn’t you know it, a bear. Ha. God has a funny sense of humor…

So I’m taking it to mean that my simple challenge for this year will be… to think different about the company I keep and the choices I make. I encourage you to do the same!
Cindy Keating Glubish

For your copy of North Pointe’s reading plan go to http://www.northpointechurch.ca/ and click on the “Events” drop down page.

Early Monday morning, January 9th, the top item on Google Trends hot searches was John 3 16. Why? Because Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, passed for 316 yards in an overtime, NFL playoff upset of the Pittsburg Steelers,the day before. 316 is the number Tebow wrote on his eyeblack when he played in the NCAA. 3:16 is also the numbers on signs held up in football endzones across the nation for years. Tebow has been outspoken about “his Lord and Saviour” – the God who so loved the world, spoken of in John 3:16.
Coincidental?
Providential?
If nothing else, its got to bring a smile to your face to think about how so many millions of people are talking about Tebow or Christians or the Bible because of this. Good and bad kind of talk – but talking none the less.
God’s purposes will play out as they always do: not in the most obvious ways, but in the personal and private relationships behind the scenes. What God is doing in Tim’s life; in his teammates lives; in the lives of junior hi boys in Denver who go to church and have found a hero who is comfortable talking about Jesus. There is still SO much to this story.
On Saturday January 14th, after the Broncos play the Patriots in New England, whatever the final score is, Tebow’s life will go on, fulfilling his highest purpose – a follower of Jesus. NFL stands for “Not For Long.” Football comes to an end for all, but life goes on. Get in the game while you can. Be a part of the story this week.

North Pointe exists to see a personal relationship with Jesus grow in everyone; everyday. Personal relationships are huge. Get ‘em right and life is a pleasure. Mess ‘em up and nothing makes life more painful. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is not a trite or trivialized, man made idea or initiative – its God’s design. Don’t miss the profound in the familiar words of John 3:16 – “…God so loved the world…” That’s a love for a world of people – a love that is personal – one person at a time. That means YOU. Only God can have an intimate, interactive relationship with everyone at the same time.
Jesus desires to speak to you. Do you really think He loved you enough to die for you, but not enough to talk to you? He places a high priority on this because it’s so crucial to the kind of relationship He wants to have with us. Jesus said, ““My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” John 10:27(ESV) Note: He doesn’t say, “My sheep hear my voice and they know me…” He says I know them. He knows just what we need to hear from Him. Are you listening? His words are pure, powerful, true, life-giving and liberating.
So, WHO can have a personal relationship with Jesus? Everyone. WHEN can everyone begin a personal relationship with Jesus? Now – by being born again – by asking Jesus into their life and making Him Lord of their life. HOW can everyone grow in that relationship? By always keeping the order of the relationship true – He is Lord, not us. Everyday, surrender afresh and then follow His lead.

I generally like Len Sweet’s writings. His prose is poetic, practical and probing. Sweet’s books are so rich you can open to any page and find a nugget of insight.
Perhaps my expectations of “I Am a Follower” were too high which is why it left me feeling disappointed. Perusing the back page summary would have alerted me to his agenda. It suggests that Sweet will “take us on a journey from leadership cult to followership culture.”
Sweet takes aim at what he calls the “corporate-obsessed-culture” of the Church. In so doing he endorses a definition of leadership that no leaders I know would ever model in deed or attitude. Leadership is “trying to get everyone else to do what they want done but don’t want to do it themselves.” He says leadership is “overrated” and the Church’s focus on it is a “great tragedy.” Leadership is “an alien template that we have laid on the Bible…” (p. 26) and “leadership literature has been a cannibal galaxy in the church for the past forty years…” (p. 25)
My world is both/and rather than either/or. Its disappointing that Sweet feels he had to be anti-leadership to be pro-followership. For me, this detracted from his beneficial insights into being a follower of Jesus.
That being said, Sweet offers up a masterpiece rather than a “how-to” manual on discipleship. Reading portions of his book multiple times is not redundant, but revelatory. The longer you look at a masterpiece, the more, not less you see; portions of Sweet’s book become deeper not duller, the more you read them.
“With any work of art, the first thing you do is surrender. You let the art do something to you and in you. You don’t sit down in front of it to learn something but to hear its voice. Our first approach to Jesus is to listen, to receive, to get out of the way. Being a disciple is less ‘teach me the facts’ and more ‘hear and obey.’ ” (p. 197)
Sweet doesn’t settle for a programmatic discipleship paradigm. Following Jesus is less about right answers than it is about relational commitment. He argues, “To say Jesus is the Messiah is the right answer to the catechism Q & A, but it is not a solution to any of life’s problems until he becomes Lord of your life.” (p. 140)
“I Am a Follower” is neatly divided into three sections – via (the Way), verita (the Truth) and vita (the Life) – which follow the pattern of Jesus’ declaration in John 14:6. Sweet’s goes beyond the typical “be like Jesus” call to followership. To begin his chapter on “Relational Living” he quotes D. W. Ford, “To present Jesus as primarily an example to us is devastating. If to be like Christ is to be the aim of my life I give up the struggle in despair. If Christ is simply my copybook then count me out.”
“To follow Jesus is not to demand road signs but to respond to the voice of the Spirit along the way. When we do that we discover that life is not a blueprint but a blue sky of possibility – filled not only with order and ordinances but also over-the-rainbow potential.” p. 230
I am a follower of Jesus and am leading others to be fully devoted followers.
Thank you Booksneeze for providing me a copy of this book to read.

Go, Canada, Go! I hope you’ll take in some of the World Junior Hockey Championship this year. When you do, watch for #8 – Jaden Schwartz. If you remember the Schwartz name, its because we prayed frequently at North Pointe for his sister Mandi this year as she battled leukemia. Mandi was a hockey teammate to Jennifer Matichuk from NP, at Yale. Mandi passed away on April 3rd.
“She’s on my mind every day,” Jaden said last Saturday. “You can’t stop thinking about her. She was there for me so much. She inspires me every day still. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her.”
“Everything I do is for her.”
As students at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Sask., both Mandi and Jaden learned the school mottoes of “struggle and emerge” and “never lose heart.”
Little did they realize what those words would come to mean.
“They come into play in hockey and life in general,” Jaden said. “Struggle and emerge, that’s big. And never lose heart. You never want to give up. You always want to keep fighting.”
Jaden’s parents, Rick and Carol, are in Edmonton for the Junior Championship. Rick and Carol are living in the land of firsts without Mandi. First birthdays. First season-opener. First Thanksgiving. The first Christmas. The world juniors promise to provide a slight respite from the pain.
Memories of Mandi are never far from their thoughts. Rick remembers April 1st, when went to check on his daughter.
“She was riding the bike, trying to get fit, trying to stay sharp,” Rick said. “She was still riding the bike to overcome the disease that took her away from us. If you were to see her as weak as she was, riding that bike . . .
“She never lost heart until the day she left us. That will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

Joy, to Jaden, Rick, and the Schwartz family, comes from the legacy Mandi left behind. In her name, more than 4,200 people have been added to marrow drive registries in Canada and the United States.
Spearheaded by teammates like Jennifer at Yale, hockey players all over North America created a massive online campaign to find bone marrow matches and umbilical cord blood from women about to give birth.
A swab inside of the cheeks is all it takes to get started.
At Yale alone, 1,500 people signed up to be bone marrow donors. Six proved matches for patients on the waiting list.
Six people.
Mandi struggled. Others emerged.
Go to the website below to see how you can be involved as a donor.

http://marrow.org/Home.aspx

God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;
the warmth of Christmas, which is love;
the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;
the belief in Christmas, which is truth;
the all of Christmas, which is Christ.
Merry Christmas!