By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

Everyday there are computers being invented that take over more and more of our traditional functions. Many jobs that we take for granted will have totally disappeared within 20 years, due to technological advance. I am convinced that there is one position in life that can never be replaced by advances in technology: the position of mother. Think of your own mother for a moment. What series of machines or computers could ever take her place? What social bureaucracy could ever fill in for a mother’s warmth, caring, and reliability? Thank God for the wonderful gift of women who really care for their sons and daughters. Thank God for the security and rootedness that comes from having a mom who welcomes you home.

The more mature I become, the more I appreciate how much my own late mother has given to me. My sense of well being, of basic trust and confidence are all gifts that have come through the persevering love of my mother. I have counseled people who have been robbed of the gift of a caring mother, and I have seen deep woundedness in the area of basic trust and security. One of the greatest gifts a mother can give her child is the gift of feeling at home. A house that is not a home, no matter how luxurious, is a barren house indeed, I am thankful for my mother giving me the gift of feeling at home in my home. I am thankful for how she  sacrificed time and energy for me in so many countless ways that one can not really measure. Thank God for my mom teaching me what really matters in life, for pointing to values and standards for daily living.

Every Mother’s Day I am reminded afresh that I am the recipient of so many wonderful gifts from a wonderful mother. It saddens me how easily I forget to appreciate the many blessings I receive day after day: the gift of sight, the gift of hearing, the gift of family, the gift of a career, the gift of friends, the gift of the trees and the rivers and the mountains. Everywhere I look, life is full of amazing gifts that I so often take for granted. Without my mother having taken the courageous step of giving birth to me, I would have never been able to experience any of these wonderful gifts.

The greatest gift my mom gave me was the gift of her prayers. I believe that I am who I am today, in large part due to her patient loving prayers for me. Even when God was a non issue to me, I know that she never stopped pouring her heart out before the heavenly Father on my behalf. When I was lost and wandering, her prayers redirected me back to the values and standards that I had forgotten, When I was empty and lacking purpose, mom’s prayers rebirthed in me the hope that life still has meaning and significance. Through her prayers, God lit a candle in my darkness. Thank you, God, for my irreplaceable mother.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin

-award-winning author of the book Battle for the Soul of Canada

-previously published in the Deep Cove Crier/North Shore News

P. S. Click this Amazon link to view for free the first two chapters of our new novel Blue Sky.

“I’m afraid there’s been an accident…”

Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.

Sandy receives shocking news that her children aren’t safe, which brings back haunting memories of the trauma she experienced as a girl. Then, the unthinkable happens…

A brutal attack puts Sandy on the brink of losing everything she’s loved. Her faith in God and the family she cherishes are pushed to the ultimate limit.

Is healing possible when so many loved ones are hurt? Are miracles really possible through the power of prayer? Can life return to the way it was before?

Blue Sky reveals how a mother’s most basic instinct isn’t for survival… but for family.

If you’re a fan of Karen Kingsbury, then you’ll love Blue Sky. Get your copy today on paperback or  kindle.

-Click to check out our marriage book For Better For Worse: discovering the keys to a lasting relationship on Amazon. You can even read the first two chapters for free to see if the book speaks to you. 

-The sequel book Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit is available online with Amazon.com in both paperback and ebook form.  Dr. JI Packer wrote the foreword, saying “I heartily commend what he has written.” The book focuses on strengthening a new generation of healthy leaders. Drawing on examples from Titus’ healthy leadership in the pirate island of Crete, it shows how we can embrace a holistically healthy life.

In Canada, Amazon.ca has the book available in paperback and ebook. It is also posted on Amazon UK (paperback and ebook), Amazon France (paperback and ebook), and Amazon Germany (paperback and ebook).

Restoring Health is also available online on Barnes and Noble in both paperback and Nook/ebook form.  Nook gives a sample of the book to read online.

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

To receive a personally signed copy within North America, just etransfer at ed_hird@telus.net, giving your address. Cheques are also acceptable.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca 

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca 

To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.