By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
-an article for the December issue of the Order of St Luke the Physician Canada newsletter ‘The Canadian Healer’.
http://www.oslcanada.org/Healer_2014_12.pdf
In December 1980, I lost my voice for eighteen months due to Spasmodic Dysphonia. My GP told me that I would never preach again. My father-in-law the Rev Dave Cline, at the time, was the OSL Warden for BC and Yukon. Desperation led me to join OSL where I devoured every book that I could find on healing. I particularly appreciated the insights I gained from filling out the OSL study guide on Jesus’ healing miracles. Later I even became an OSL Chaplain. On May 25th 1982, I had successful throat surgery and was able to speak again. During the surgery, I had a twenty-four hour prayer vigil. Healing prayer and healing medicine belong together. Every three months, I have Botox treatments that help maintain my voice.
Every time I preach is a miracle. My goal is to be like the tenth leper who came back and gave thanks. During the eighteen months of voice loss, I read sixty books on speaking and writing. God birthed a passion for writing and communication during my darkest time. I realized that even without a voice, I still had much to say. My ‘voice’, particularly about healing and wholeness, was meant to be heard. Since that time, I have written over five hundred newspaper articles and have recently published my sequel book ‘Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit’ on Titus. Many people don’t realize that the book of Titus is Paul’s health instruction manual to unhealthy pirates. The book of Titus gives us the keys to healthy churches, healthy families and healthy lives. Paul’s key emphasis to Titus again and again was holistic health/soundness: healthy faith, healthy doctrine, healthy love, and healthy endurance. Health for Paul was not just physical. Paul insisted on health in every area of Titus’s life as he impacted the Cretans. The very Greek word for both health and soundness is ‘hygiaino’ ὑγιαίνω from which we get the modern term ‘hygiene’. Many people do not realize that soundness and health are the same biblical concept. When a heart is healthy, the doctor says that it is sound. The book of Titus was not merely about healthy/sound doctrine. Health for Paul was holistic, embracing our whole life in body, mind and spirit.
Over the years, I learned that the healing ministry needs to be integrated into regular Sunday morning worship, not just put in a midweek corner for the few. I will never forget the night that Lee Grady, former Editor of Charisma Magazine, prophesied about St. Simon’s North Vancouver being a well-spring of healing with healing teams being raised up for body, soul and spirit restoration. Every worship service at St. Simon’s, whether traditional or contemporary, has a team ready to pray for healing. Keith Bird, OSL Canada editor, said that Restoring Health “presents to us ‘modern-day pirates’ a challenge for becoming whole in body, mind and spirit. I didn’t want to put it down.” Imagine how wellsprings of holistic healing, Titus communities throughout Canada, might revolutionize our toxic Canadian pirate culture.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
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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
Ed served for 31 years as the Rector of St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver, B.C., from 1987 to 2018. Ordained in 1980, he also served at St. Philip’s Vancouver and St. Matthew’s Abbotsford. Ed and his wife Janice have three sons James, Mark, and Andrew. He served as Chaplain and President for Alpha Canada. As the National Chair for Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada, he was one of three co-signers of the Montreal Declaration of Anglican Essentials.
For the past 30 years, Ed has written over 500 articles as a columnist on spiritual issues for local North Vancouver newspapers. His award-winning prequel is Battle for the Soul of Canada on 1st & 2nd Timothy. In the last number of years, he has had the opportunity to lead conferences and retreats in Honduras, Rwanda, Uganda, Washington State, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Newfoundland, and Toronto.
To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
-Click to check out our marriage book 
don’t like waiting. The season of Advent teaches us a lot about waiting, not just to remember Jesus’ first coming in Bethlehem, but also to wait patiently for Jesus’ second coming. Waiting in an age of instant gratification is hard. That is why Advent rarely ever gets commercialized.
Really enjoyed this book, I would have to say it was the most interesting book I have read all year. Dr. Ed Hird made the book of Titus really practical and I liked how the book was holistic, mind, body and spirit. I highly recommend this book.
Edhird's Blog 