By Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

Change is rarely easy.  A change has come to the Deep Cove Crier with the retirement of the publisher Bruce Coney and the appointment of a new publisher.  We give thanks for the twenty-nine years of faithful service of Bruce Coney to the Seymour/Deep Cove community.  Bruce has been like George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ who has made a significant difference in the building of the Seymour/Deep Cove community feeling.  Without unselfish people, little is built that truly lasts.  The Deep Cove Crier is a unique paper that has helped us all feel like we belong.  It is very easy to feel like an outsider in this fast-paced urbanized metro culture.  The Deep Cove Crier reminds us that there is more to life than just getting ahead and being successful.  Life is about relationships, about commitment, about love of neighbour.

In this new year, we all have an opportunity to make new beginnings.  What kind of fresh start might we want to do?  For some, it is about losing a few pounds gained through too much delicious Christmas cake.  For others, it may be about finally giving up smoking, or perhaps going to a twelve step group to work on one’s addictions.  All of us have the potential to become a better person, a more loving person, a healthier person.  This never happens by accident.   The New Year gives us a special opportunity to decide to be different.  We may be involved in a relationship that has become very toxic.   This January may be an opportunity to finally go for counselling to work out one’s future.  It is remarkable how much people spend on a divorce that they were unwilling to spend on counselling appointments.  I often say to people that even if you cannot ultimately save your marriage, you will bring healing to your body, mind and spirit, if you do the hard work of personal transformation.

Jesus the Great Physician was always challenging people to become healthy, to choose life, to learn to forgive.  Imagine how our lives might change if we actually applied Jesus’ practical advice in the New Year.  Imagine what might happen if we choose to read a passage of scripture like the Sermon on the Mount, like Gandhi did every day, and actually apply it to our lives? Imagine what might happen if we became honest with God and told him what was really going on in our lives?  Sure, God already knows.  But when we open our hearts and minds to God, it is amazing what may begin to occur.

What kind of new beginnings would you like this year?  What kind of sacrifices are you willing to make so that practical changes actually happen?  What kind of person would you like to be by the end of this year?  My prayer for each of us reading this article is that we will seize the day, and embrace new beginnings in this New Year.

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

-an article 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