Stories of Life Change

At NorthBridge Community Church, our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

One of the ways we measure this is by celebrating stories of life change. This past weekend we heard two great stories at our service. Take a moment to watch these stories from Sunday and perhaps leave a comment encouraging Jennifer and Tonya.

~jame

Perspective...

It’s in…

A smile vs. a frown

A hello and a touch vs. blowing by a life that God has entrusted in our care

An escort to a desired location vs. just pointing the way

A returned phone call vs. we’re too big to meet your needs

Being inclusive vs. being exclusive

Relationships vs. rules

Celebrating the journey vs. the destination

Serving people joyfully vs. viewing people as a hassle

Value team members vs. taking them for granted

A great overall experience vs. just attending a service

Empowering and partnering with volunteers vs. trying to do it all ourselves

Constantly improving what we do vs. settling for mediocrity

Offering our best vs. offering our second best

Being innovative vs. being safe

Keeping ministry simple vs. making it complex

Helping people belong vs. making them behave

Being a participant vs. being a spectator

Helping people have an encounter with God vs. attending an event

A shared vision vs. a self-driven vision

Being the church vs. being an organization

Offering people the living hope of Jesus vs. leaving them helpless and hopeless

~Taken from a conference room poster, Central Christian Church, Las Vegas.

New Series Begins Next Sunday!

When Jay and I read a great book we just can't wait to talk about it! Join us next week for the start of our new three week series: "Prodigal God".

(This series is based on the book "Prodigal God", by Timothy Keller.)

~jame

Balanced Part 5 Discussion.

So church was cancelled due to snow...

How about going to the NB website and listening to Sunday's message? Thats right, the message we were supposed to get at church that day. Just visit the website, click on the media tab, messages, then "launch sermon player".

After listening, post your comments/ thoughts below.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday! (Pray for good weather),

jame

Traditions From Around The World For 100 Year Olds

Traditions

• In the United States, centenarians traditionally receive a letter from the president upon reaching their 100th birthday, congratulating them for their longevity. NBC's The Today Show has also named them on air since 1983.
• In the UK and the the Queen sends greetings on the 100th birthday and on every birthday starting with the 105th.
• Centenarians born in Irelan receive a €2,540 "Centenarians' Bounty" and a letter from the President of Ireland, even if they are living abroad.
• Japanese centenarians receive a silver cup and a certificate from the Prime Minister of Japan upon their 100th birthday, honouring them for their longevity and prosperity in their lives. In Japan, September 15 is "National Respect for the Aged Day"
• Among Hindus, people who touch the feet of elders are often blessed with "May you live a hundred years".
• In Sweden, the traditional birthday song states, May he/she live for one hundred years.
• In Israel, the term May you live to be 120 years old is used for blessing someone.
• Chinese emperors were hailed to live ten thousand years.
• In Italy, "A hundred of these days!" (cento di questi giorni) is an augury for birthdays, to live to celebrate 100 more birthdays. Some Italians say "Cent'anni!" which means "a hundred years," in that they wish that they could all live happily for a hundred years, centenarians born in Italy receive a letter from the President of Italy.
• In Greece, when wishing someone Happy Birthday, they will end the birthday wishes with the expression "na ta ekatostisis" which literally means "hundred them" but can be loosely translated as "may you make it one hundred birthdays".

Hearing From Centenarians

A centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 years or more. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians.

This morning I had the opportunity to sit in on the North Point Church staff meeting which was led by Steve Franklin who has interviewed over 100 people who are 100 or older. He asked them questions about life and money and recorded their responses. It was a fascinating exercise that got me thinking about my future and questioning the impact of my current efforts.

While 100 years old seems like a long way off I cannot help but acknowledge that in the grand scheme of history, human life is short. The writer James puts is this way: "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14) All of our plans and schemes amount to little more than mist or vapor when held up against the backdrop of eternity. And even if we live to be a supercentenarian we have very little time to leverage for eternity.

After watching the interviews today I find myself asking the question, "What am I doing today that will have an eternal impact?" I don't want to waste time on things that don't matter and will be forgotten soon after I die. In fact, I refuse to live that way. How about you?