Pointes Of View

Stories shape the world. You’ll find stories here of how Christian faith catalyzes values, relationships and purpose.  Check out the popular posts page, for a curated list of top articles.

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Building a Legacy

It’s amazing what people can accomplish when they put their heads together. In the Clouds My knees were shaking on the viewing deck Empire State Building in New York. My mind raced as I wondered “Is this old building safe?” This question was quickly followed by, “How could it withstand the punishment of wind, rain, snow and even an airplane crash for over 89 years?” Amazing. Or consider the pyramids of Egypt or the Mayan ruins…the ingenuity of people to create and build is mind-blowing for me, a non-engineer. In the book of Genesis, we are told about a tower that was being constructed out of bricks and mortar (chapter 11). This was quite likely the worlds first skyscraper, a…
Michael Voll
September 12, 2019
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There is More!

In 10, 9, 8, 7… There is something powerful and exciting every time I see a video of a rocket launch and the deep voice that accompanies it, slowly counting down the numbers to lift off. When the engines ignite, and the rocket breaks free of the tower, there is an expectancy of adventure, exploration and hanging on for a great ride! Ready to Launch This weekend at North Pointe we are launching our programs and ministries for the fall. This is also a time of adventure, exploration and hanging on for a great ride, and we want you to to be a part of it! We are hosting the community for our annual Fall Family Carnival on Saturday, September…
Michael Voll
September 5, 2019
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Bringing Hope One Person at a Time

 In the last week, our home has been buzzing with the excitement of labeling new school supplies, resetting sleep schedules and determining what clothing we need to buy for the coming year (kids grow so much!).  Hope in Zimbabwe In Canada, we have a lot of freedoms we take for granted. One of those freedoms is a quality education from kindergarten through grade 12. This is not the case in many countries around the world. But through the generosity of North Pointe, this is slowly changing. In Zimbabwe, a country with political and economic instability, your giving is bringing stability to families and children. As a church, we are a supporter of the Village of Hope. At the Village, kids…
Michael Voll
August 30, 2019
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Baptism by Fire

This Sunday we are going to be celebrating with 19 people who are taking the next step in their faith journey by getting baptized. I love cheering on the people who are ‘taking the plunge.’  This is a very important symbol and step of obedience in the life of a Christian. Submerged Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality. The reality for each of these people is that they have believed in Jesus and have chosen to follow Him for the rest of their lives. And now they are living out Jesus’ own example-he was baptized and then he commanded all who follow him to be baptized as well (Matthew 28:18-20). They will be symbolically buried with Christ,…
Michael Voll
August 24, 2019
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Priority Matters

Around the middle of August every year, I get a growing sense of expectation. Summer is awesome (it’s BY FAR my favourite season), but there is something to be said for getting back into some of the regular rhythms and routines that September naturally brings. It is an opportunity to hit the reset button on the year, 2/3 of the way through. What a deal! Never Too Late to Make a Change So if 2019 hasn’t been all that you had hoped, or if you really need to bear down to make some changes in your personal life, now is the time to do it. However, if you are going to make positive changes, makes sure your priority is Jesus.…
Michael Voll
August 18, 2019
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True Wisdom

Experts have charted the progression of knowledge that the world has produced, and the rate that is has grown over the last several thousand years. It's quite startling. Knowledge Growth Up until about 1900, knowledge doubled approximately every hundred years. By 1950, it was doubling every 25 years. In the year 2000, knowledge doubled every year….and now it sees to be doubling EVERY DAY. Wow. Mind Blown! Regression? With all of this knowledge, you would think that the human race would be progressing. It doesn’t seem to be that way. While we may be gaining knowledge, it seems we have not gained wisdom. There is a big difference between knowledge and wisdom. The Bible tells us that “Knowledge puffs up”…
Michael Voll
August 10, 2019
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Taming the Tongue

I was five years old when I first saw fire damage. A house in our neighborhood went up in flames and before long it was burned down to the studs. Little was left except for the charred remains of what was furniture, walls, flooring, and memories. My dad walked me through it a few days after the fire and it was an eerie experience. Total Devastation Fire devastates. As Albertans, we have experienced large fires in the last few years. Slave Lake, Fort Mac, and the number of forest fires in the northern parts of our Province that have blanketed our open sky with smoke and threatened to block out all sunlight from our summer. For those far away from…
Michael Voll
July 31, 2019
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Faith and Good Deeds

Milk and cookies, popcorn and the movies, love and marriage. They go together. You just can’t have one without the other (or at least it’s not nearly as fun!) The Perfect Pair In the last few weeks, we have been learning some unCommon Sense that comes straight from the Bible in the New Testament book of James. This tiny book packs a powerful punch of wisdom that sometimes has us shouting “Amen!” then crying “Ouch!” This week we will be talking about the dynamic pairing of faith and good deeds, two things that are inseparable in the life of any healthy and thriving follower of Jesus. If we say we have faith in God it needs to be demonstrated in…
Michael Voll
July 24, 2019
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Playing Favourites

Some of the most frequently asked questions adults ask kids (and kids ask each other) begins with these three words: What’s your favorite______________? You Must Have a Favourite... We ask about a person’s favourite colour, food, sport, subject in school and movie. From our earliest years, we are ingrained to choose a preference in almost every area of life. If you say you don’t have a favourite song, you might be met with incredulity…”You don’t have a favourite song? What’s wrong with you?” Unfortunately, what starts out as being a harmless way to start or keep a discussion going can quickly become something more destructive if taken too far. Preference Over People We begin to choose sides, and before long…
Michael Voll
July 18, 2019
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Follow Through

Follow-through is a powerful thing. Big Plans, No Results There are many people who make grandiose plans or set lofty goals. They look really good on paper, but they would look even better in reality. If these plans and goals were completed who knows how the course of history would be altered? Anyone involved in sports knows that the power is in the follow-through. Whether that is shooting a puck, throwing a football or swinging a bat or golf club, the follow-through is vital to success. The same holds true with our faith. Faith That Finishes Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). One of the main ways that we hear the voice of God is through…
Michael Voll
July 11, 2019