It is hard to presume to review a book in which the author is endorsed by noted Reformed theologian J.I. Packer.
Restoring Health approaches one of the “Pastoral Epistles” of the New Testament – manuals on church leadership – from a little mentioned feature of the historic setting to which it was written. The folks on the island of Crete, where Titus served as a Christian leader, were a culture shaped by Mediterranean pirates.
It takes a healthy leader to engage such a culture and transform it, rather than being overcome by its toxic elements. Hird draws out implications for church leaders today.
Hird is a good scholar and entering into this small book provides immediate fresh insights into familiar Bible verses.
The Rev Tim Fountain
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.
-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.
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
-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.
It is far too easy to look at outward appearances, and miss the heart of the matter. The Hebrew prophet Samuel, before choosing King David, was told: “People look at the outward appearances but God looks at the heart.” In North America, we can easily be three thousand miles wide and one inch deep. We can easily be swallowed by the latest cultural fad, and never discover who we really are. I love going to the gym, and keeping healthy. But as mentioned in my recent book Restoring Health, it can’t just be about the outer appearances. We need to look at health holistically in body, mind and spirit.
The Good Book says ‘Above all else, guard your heart for out of it are the issues of life.’ Our ‘heart’ refers to the core of our personality, our identity, whom we really are. Many people have invested so much into keeping other people happy that they have very little idea whom they really are. They confuse their core identity with their latest job, their education, their bank account or relationships, all of which may be very transitory. The Good Shepherd said “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks”. Sometimes in the disappointments of life, our heart can turn hard, like a stone. Our hearts need melting, so that they can become soft again. When our heart shuts down, we stop caring. We slip into cynicism and bitterness. God does not care about how good we look on the outside. He goes to the heart of the matter. God wants a genuine relationship with each of us. It has been said that Jesus died on the cross from a broken heart. He poured out his heart of love for each of us from Calvary’s tree. Most Canadians believe in God, but we can easily keep God at a distance. God is into intimacy. God wants us to open our hearts to his love. This love can never be forced. It can only be offered. When we open our hearts to the Father’s love, something happens at the core of our being.
When I was age 17 in the last few months of Grade 12, I had a life-changing encounter with the Father’s love. Suddenly my heart, my core personality, was powerfully changed. I was a new creation in Christ. I had a new purpose and reason to live. Within a week, I felt a call to be an Anglican priest. My grandmother and mother had known for years that I would become a priest. I was going to become an electrical engineer like my father. God touched me at a heart level. I had been going to church for many years, but nothing had connected. Love changes everything. When I finally understood that God loved me deeply, I was undone. My whole world was turned undone. God loves you just as much as he loves me. God is waiting to touch each of us at the heart level. The heart of the matter is our heart. My prayer for those reading this article is that each of us will open our hearts to God’s amazing love for each of us.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-an article previously published in the North Shore News/Deep Cove Crier
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.
-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.
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
-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.
Quoting from the preface of Ed Hird’s newest book, RESTORING HEALTH,
“We have all been painfully stuck. Being at a key transition-point in our lives,
we do not know how to move forward, finding ourselves immobilized.”
However, as we all know The Lord works in incredible ways, thus my introduction to Ed. We met while attending a conference in
Houston, Texas where the two of us shared a common bond–the Anglican Mission. My Pastor, the right Reverend Philip Jones, was being inducted as the Apostolic Vicar for the AMiA and I had agreed to attend in a volunteer capacity. So a Canadian Pastor meets a Texan Publisher. No, I didn’t have my boots on and I left my horse at home, but during our conversation I learned he had written the very successful book, Battle for the Soul of Canada, and was planning a second book. To which I excitedly replied, “I have a publishing company.” The possibility of publishing Ed’s book for distribution in the United States seemed to fulfill a recent prayer request. I had recently felt the Lord’s urging that my main focus as a publisher should be to pastors, evangelists, speakers, and the like. I prayed, “Lord you are going to have to bring them to me, I don’t know how to canvass such a group.”
Upon Ed’s return to Canada we began corresponding over the internet through that wonderful medium called Skype. Don’t you know the internet can be a wonderful communication tool? After getting to know each other, praying together, and Ed gathering all of the facts the decision was made to move forward. The Lord had begun to answer my prayer leading me to publish Ed’s new book, RESTORING HEALTH – Body, Mind & Spirit – Strengthening a New Generation of Healthy Leaders. Since publishing Ed’s book I have begun to work with other pastors and speakers confirming that prayer is a powerful tool. Our Lord is good all the time.
I offer the following about HIS Publishing Company in the event any of Ed’s readers would like to discuss a book project or be in need of a trusted publishing partner.
HIS Publishing Group is an Independent Publishing House. We bridge the gap between self-publishing and traditional publishing. Our main goal is to advance the Kingdom of God and we do so by partnering with our clients to fulfill their dream from book concept through design and publication. The services we provide are fully customized and we only charge for the services our clients need or don’t want to tackle on their own. Please visit our website, http://www.hispubg.com, and let us serve you in spreading the written word.
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.
-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.
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
-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.
My wife, being a prolific reader of novels, is always going with me to return books to the local library. At the very front of libraries is a section for recommended new books. While there, I was pleased to find a brand new book Gandhi Before India. It was news to me that Gandhi was excommunicated by his own Bania caste from daring to go to England to become a lawyer: “For his transgression, the boy would be treated as an outcaste; anyone who spoke to him or went to see him off would be fined.”[1] Gandhi’s family sacrificed greatly to send him to England, even pawning the family jewels. While in England, Gandhi for the first time read the Bible, finding the New Testament compelling, especially the Sermon on the Mount. [2] As Gandhi commented, it ‘went straight to my heart’. The lines about offering one’s cloak to the man who had taken away one’s coat touched him greatly.[3] Gandhi demonstrated that the Sermon on the Mount will radically change one’s life and one’s society if put into practice.
After completing his law degree in England, Gandhi returned to India for a short while before moving to South Africa. While there are numerous books on Gandhi, many skip over Gandhi’s foundational twenty-one years in South Africa. Even the excellent Gandhi movie by Richard Attenborough doesn’t do justice to the prolonged complexity to Gandhi’s time in South Africa. Dr. E Stanley Jones commented that South Africa provided the rehearsal for the real drama of India: “He might have floundered had he tried India straight off.”[4] Sadly in South Africa when Gandhi was most interested in the Gospel, he encountered the greatest restrictions: “To allow Gandhi to sit along white worshippers was impossible. The vicar’s wife, out of solidarity and sympathy, offered to sit with him in the vestibule, from where they heard the service.”[5] One of the people who had the greatest impact on Gandhi was Leo Tolstoy, especially his book The Kingdom of God is within You: “he was ‘overwhelmed by the independent thinking, profound morality, and the truthfulness of this book.”[6] Gandhi purchased and gave out even to his jailers countless copies of Tolstoy’s ground-breaking book on peacemaking in the Sermon on the Mount.[7]
Upon returning to India, Gandhi was initially rejected by other Indians who feared that they might become ritually polluted by even offering a cup of water to someone of the wrong caste.[8] When Gandhi successfully stood up for their rights, he became hailed as a hero and liberator. Gandhi campaigned nonviolently for the independence of India for numerous decades, spending 2,089 days in Indian jails (almost six years).[9]
Dr. E Stanley Jones described Gandhi as the architect of the new India.[10] In many ways, Gandhi was like an Abraham Lincoln bringing freedom to hundreds of millions of his fellow citizens. Louis Fischer compared Gandhi to David standing up to the Goliath of racial discrimination.[11] Gandhi went from being an initial supporter of caste discrimination to being a campaigner against its divisiveness. Jones commented:
…in his life, (Gandhi) breaks all the rules of caste, transcends them, adopts an outcaste as his daughter, and in the end does more to break down the system of caste than any other man, living or dead.”[12]
Jones held that “in Gandhi the word of freedom became flesh. When he spoke, freedom spoke. Gandhi was India.”[13] Most people believe in democratic freedom. Not many are willing to sacrifice over many decades to obtain such goals. Before Gandhi, it was mostly the Indian intelligentsia campaigning for democracy. Because Gandhi humbled himself and unselfishly served the poor and untouchables, both rich and poor awoke to the vision of an independent India.[14] Gandhi made room for all regardless of race, religion and wealth. Albert Einstein said regarding Gandhi: “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”[15] In reading Jones’ book Gandhi: Portrayal of a Friend, Martin Luther King Jr. was inspired to launch the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement.[16]
Jones described the complexity of Gandhi’s personality as like Mount Everest:
Gandhi was simple and yet very complex amid that simplicity. You thought that you knew him and then you didn’t. It was intriguing. There was always something there that eluded your grasp, that baffled you. And yet out of that many-sidedness which amounted to complexity, there arose simplicity, a unified character, simple and compelling.[17]
In an India full of racial, religious and economic division, Gandhi brought people together, giving them a vision for an independent democratic India. Gandhi , whose favorite hymn was ‘When I survey the Wondrous Cross’, chose the costly way of the cross, of sacrificial love even for his enemies.[18] On the wall of his mud hut was a black and white picture of Jesus Christ under which was written ‘He is our peace’.[19] Gandhi was a peace-maker who chose to forgive those who despised him and rejected him. Every day he would read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, motivating Gandhi to peacefully love his adversaries. Jones, who had been a friend of Gandhi in India for many years, said once to him: ‘You understand the principles. Do you know the person?’ Gandhi was very drawn to the person of Jesus Christ. My prayer for those reading this article is that we may embrace both the principles and person of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-An article previously published in the North Shore News/Deep Cove Crier
–Dial in today to check out the online July 10th to 12th North American Christian Ashram. There is no registration cost. Donations are welcome. (If you have any trouble using Google Chrome to register, just use your mouse’s scroll button.)
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.
-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.
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
Many of our books include references to and stories about E. Stanley Jones. To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
To receive a personally signed copy of any of our books 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
[1] Ramachanadra Guha, Gandhi Before India (Random House Canada, Toronto, 2014), p. 34-35.
[7] Guha, p.308: “Before he left Volksrust Prison (in 1908), he presented a kindly warder with an inscribed copy of Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is within You.”
[8] Guha, p. 225 “Raj Kumar Shukla took Gandhi to Champaran and Patna the capital of Bihar. …since no one knew their caste, even the servants shunned them. The maids refused to draw from the garden well when Gandhi used it, for fear that even a drop of water from Gandhi’s bucket might pollute them.”
[10] E Stanley Jones, Gandhi: Portrait of a Friend (Abingdon, Nashville, 1948), p. 1.
[11] Louis Fischer, Gandhi: his life & message for the world (Signet Classics, New York, NY, 1954, 1982), p. 20.
[12] Jones, p. 6; Arthur Herman, Gandhi and Churchill (Bantam Dell, New York, NY, 2008), p. 120-121 The early Gandhi in 1921 supported caste discrimination: “Prohibition against intermarriage and interdining (between Hindu castes) is essential for the rapid evolution of the soul.” By 1932, he rejected such prohibitions. By 1946, he only permitted inter caste weddings on his premise.
[14] Jones, p. 22 “…it was Gandhi who aroused (the rural people), made them shed their fears, and made them conscious of their destiny. Before the advent of Gandhi, the nationalist movement was among the intellectuals.”
[15]The Words of Gandhi, selected by Richard Attenborough (Newmarket Press, New York, NY, 1982), p.9.
Mother Mary is the world’s most famous mother. Her son Jesus honoured her while being crucified by passing on the care of his mother to the Apostle John. In one of the seven last words from the cross, Jesus said: “Dear woman, behold your son, and to John: “Here is your mother.” What an amazing honour and privilege that Jesus was giving John: to look after his mother. How would you like to have been asked to look after the blessed Mother Mary?
Jesus, who loved the Bible, rooted his life in the Ten Commandments. At the heart of the Ten Commandments is the call to honour our mothers. To honour is to love, to value and to cherish. Mother’s Day reminds us that we need to honour our mothers 365 days a year, not just for 24 hours in May. The Good Book tells us that if we honour our mothers, everyone wins. Honouring our mothers even benefits ourselves by giving us a longer and better life.
Because Mother Mary was a widow, Jesus was especially concerned about protecting and providing for his mother. The Good book says that taking care of widows is at the heart of genuine religion. If we do not honour the widows in our family and community, our religion is nothing but an empty pretense. It is too easy for widows to be forgotten and discarded particularly when their health is failing and they become shut-ins. Perhaps Jesus at this moment is reminding you of a widow you know whom you need to give a call. Mother’s Day is a great time to let widowed mothers know that they are important parts of our community.
When Mary became a mother, she faced rejection and misunderstanding, even from her own fiancé Joseph. God had to speak to Joseph and tell him that everything was okay. It is never easy being a mother, especially in our current high-pressure culture. Children are too easily seen as an inconvenience and a financial burden. Mother Mary chose to sacrificially welcome her baby son Jesus into the world with her arms of love. Motherhood is a life of sacrificial love. Mothers love their children with a depth and passion, similar to how much Jesus loves each of us. Right before his crucifixion, Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives crying “How often I wished to take you into my arms like a mother hen would her chicks”. The well-known song by Mark Lowry includes the line: “Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?” This Mother’s Day, we can honour the Mother Mary for her courage in giving birth to the saviour of the world. We can also honour our own mothers who showed the courage to give birth to and raise us to adulthood. Thank you, Mom. We love you dearly. Where would we be without you?
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-an article previously in the North Shore News/Deep Cove Crier
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.
-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.
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
-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.
Restoring health: Body, Mind and Spirit made me look at the book of Titus in an entirely different light. The author has an in-depth knowledge of historical facts and takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of American history and the early pioneers of the Christian faith. I was impressed with the time Dr Hird took into researching and referencing all the facts in the book. There is much to learn from the author’s life experiences and I found his insights into the book of Titus interesting and insightful. His book was both educational and Biblically sound.
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.
-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.
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
-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.
Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit is a book meant to stir us into higher leadership in our lives. I really liked it but must confess I got a little swamped in the last chapter. While it made for interesting reading, it was mostly about Ben Franklin and I lost the thread of Titus somewhere in there. However, is this a great book? Yes. Worthy of the read? Absolutely. Recommend it to others. For sure.
p.s. from Ed Hird: The Benjamin Franklin story was intended to express the truth of Titus 3:14 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good in order that they may provide
for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”
Excerpt: “Even in the midst of sending personal greetings and asking for hospitality for fellow workers, Paul returns to the heart of his message. The Cretan ex-pirates need to turn from selfishness to goodness. They were to do their best and do everything they can to make a lasting difference. Instead of being plundering pirates, they are to be producing and providing for themselves and their families. Only by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit could an entire society shift to become a Kingdom- based culture. If this could happen to Cretan pirates, this can happen in North America.
Because our hearts are deceitful, it is very difficult to see and acknowledge one’s own pirate tendencies. We North Americans would rather point the finger at other people’s piracies. Only those pirates who admit the toxic truth about themselves can move towards good health. Who were the real pirates in the American Revolution: the British, the Americans, or even both?
Whether one was a pirate or a legal privateer was often in the eye of the beholder. The British had a long history of employing government-licensed privateers like Sir Francis Drake who rescued England from the 1588 Spanish Armada. Sir Francis Drake is remembered by the Spanish as the pirate dragon, El Drako. Such pirate tendencies re-emerged during the American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin protested to the British Lord Admiral Howe about the pirate behaviour of his British military:
…the most wanton barbarity and cruelty burnt our defenseless towns in the midst of winter, excited the savages to massacre our peaceful farmers, and our slaves to murder their masters, and is even now bringing foreign mercenaries to deluge our settlements with blood.
In 1778, while ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin raised up a privateer fleet to capture British sailors and use them to exchange for the Americans held by the British in very difficult conditions. Around 800 American privateer ships were commissioned, resulting in the loss of around 600 British ships. Between ten to thirty thousand American privateers were imprisoned by the British and treated as common pirates treasonously rebelling against King George III. At the end of the American Revolution, Franklin unsuccessfully attempted to include in the Peace Treaty a ban on future privateering. Like Titus, Benjamin Franklin taught the American people to devote themselves to doing what is good, to live productive lives. I remember as a young child being taught Benjamin Franklin’s proverb: ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise. As a brilliant philosopher, he shared wisdom through short pithy sayings like ‘He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas.’ Many of Franklin’s sayings are so well known that people confuse them as coming from the Bible. ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is from Franklin, not from Jesus. Many of his sayings were published in Poor Richard’s Almanack, a book series that has had a profound impact on North American culture and identity. Some would say that the middle class dreams and ideals can be traced back directly to Benjamin Franklin’s homespun philosophy. Many of us unknowingly quote Benjamin Franklin on a regular basis: haste makes waste; no pain, no gain; and nothing is certain but death and taxes. Most of Franklin’s sayings were about encouraging diligence, honesty, industry and temperance. Franklin saw the Judeo-Christian ethic as “the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.” Not everyone liked Benjamin Franklin. DH Lawrence said: “I do not like him….that barbed wire moral enclosure that Poor Richard rigged up….Benjamin Franklin tried to take away my wholeness and my dark forest, my freedom.” Benjamin Franklin’s father had intended that his son Benjamin train to be a clergyman, but lacked the resources to do so. Instead Benjamin became a printer and an inventor. Benjamin Franklin is world-famous for his kite experiments with lightning, proving that lightning was made up of electricity. Some see him as the world’s first electrician. While visiting England, he attached his latest invention, the lightning rod, to St Paul’s Cathedral. He also created hot-water pipes to warm up the chilly British House of Commons. Other significant Franklin inventions were bifocals and the Franklin stove. Benjamin Franklin was far ahead of his time in terms of understanding workplace toxicity. As a printer, he discovered that newspaper workers were being poisoned through handling hot lead type, causing stiffness and paralysis. Franklin found out that this lead poisoning was also affecting glazers, type-founders, plumbers, potters, white-lead makers and painters. Benjamin Franklin was so successful in business that he retired at age 42 and devoted the rest of his life to public service. He moved to England twice in order to help the relationship between England and its American colonies. While in England, Franklin wrote most of his autobiography at the home of the Bishop of St. Asaph, Jonathan Shipley. His book became the world’s most popular autobiography, and has been translated into most major languages. Franklin’s autobiography was the one book which Davy Crockett had when slaughtered at the Alamo. Despite his being a strong Royalist, Benjamin Franklin ended up being resented by the British House of Lords who publicly humiliated him for his efforts to bring reconciliation between England and its American colonies. This was Franklin’s tipping point where he became a strong advocate for Independence. As America’s first postmaster general, Franklin was also put in charge of establishing the first US currency. In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, Franklin recommended that Americans give up tea drinking as a way to fund their new government. The constitution’s phrase ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident’ was the direct result of Franklin’s editing. Franklin was the only one to sign all four of the USA’s founding papers: the Declaration of Independence, the treaty with France, the peace accord with Britain, and the Constitution. His unsuccessful proposal for the American Great Seal was to have Pharaoh being swallowed by the Red Sea, along with the words ‘Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.’ Franklin’s greatest popularity was among the French who lined the streets when he entered Paris as the USA’s first foreign diplomat. The French saw him as a simple frontier sage, and promptly put his likeness everywhere, causing the French King to become very jealous. Without Franklin’s winning the moral and financial support of the French, it is doubtful that the United States would have survived. Franklin was a very complicated, even tragic individual with strong approach/ avoidance tendencies. He loved the United States but spent most of his last years in England and then France. His relations with the opposite sex were muddled and confused. He loved his wife and family but was away more than at home and suffered a painful split with his son William over politics. Despite Franklin’s reputation as a religious skeptic, he went out of his way in his newspaper to promote the Rev George Whitfield who led North America’s first Great Awakening in 1739-1741. As a scientist, he was amazed that Whitfield’s voice could be heard without amplification by over 30,000 people at one time. Franklin published all of Whitfield’s books and posted his sermons on the front page of his Philadelphia Gazette. This renewal of the Holy Spirit clearly impacted Franklin. Whitfield wrote to Franklin, saying: “As you have made a pretty considerable progress in the mysteries of electricity, I would now humbly recommend to your diligent unprejudiced pursuit and study the mystery of the new-birth. It is a most important, interesting study, and when mastered, will richly answer and repay you for all your pains.” His friend Whitfield knew that the washing of regeneration could change any North American’s heart. After jealous clergy closed their pulpits to Whitfield, Franklin and other trustees built a large hall where Whitfield could preach. Franklin commented: “It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants.” After the revival ended, Franklin converted the hall into the Academy of Philadelphia which later became the University of Pennsylvania. As Governor of Pennsylvania, Franklin in 1748 proposed a day of fasting and prayer. In 1778, Franklin wrote to the French Government, saying: “Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principals of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.”, recommending that every French home have a Bible and newspaper, and a good school in every district. At the 1787 American Constitutional Convention, Franklin commented: “the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” On that basis, Franklin arranged that prayers led by local clergy would be held each morning before Assembly business. Franklin said: “If I had ever before been an atheist, I should now have been convinced of the Being and government of a Deity!” Franklin was passionate about finishing well and making amends. To that end, he died viewing a picture of the Day of Judgement by his bedside. Three years before his death, Franklin became the President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. As a young man, he was a slaveowner and sold slavery ads in his Pennyslvania Gazette newspaper. Shortly before his death in 1790, Franklin’s last public act was to unsuccessfully petition the US Congress to abolish slavery. In particular, the petition implored that the US Congress “devise means for removing the Inconsistency from the Character of the American People…promote mercy and justice toward this distressed Race…for discouraging every species of Traffick in the Persons of our fellow men.” Franklin stated in the petition that: mankind are all formed by the same Almighty being, alike objects of his Care, and equally designed for the Enjoyment of Happiness the Christian religion teaches us to believe, and the Political Creed of America fully coincides with the Position. Ten percent of Philadelphians and over seventeen percent of all the four million Americans were trapped in slavery. After a fiery debate, Franklin’s anti-slavery petition was referred to a select committee and then tragically tabled. Imagine how the USA’s history might have been different if this act of piracy had been abolished in 1790, rather than seventy-three years later by Abraham Lincoln during a bloody civil war. Imagine what might happen if a modern day Benjamin Franklin would speak out for the rights of our youngest and oldest North Americans in this age of dehumanizing abortion and euthanasia. I have to believe that justice and human rights will eventually come for our unborn and elderly North American neighbours. There must be a more humane solution than the current North American status quo. Franklin memorably commented: “Think of three things: Whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must give account.” May each of us, like Benjamin Franklin, be willing to be accountable to God in choosing the way of health, the way of life, the way of godliness.”
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.
-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.
To receive a signed copy within North America, just send a $20 cheque (USD/CAN) to ED HIRD, 102 – 15168 19th Avenue, Surrey, BC, V4A 0A5, Canada.
-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 receive a signed copy within North America, just send a $20 cheque (USD/CAN) to ED HIRD, 102 – 15168 19th Avenue, Surrey, BC, V4A 0A5, Canada.
– In order to obtain a signed copy of the prequel book Battle for the Soul of Canada, please send a $18.50 cheque to ED HIRD, 102 – 15168 19th Avenue, Surrey, BC, V4A 0A5. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $4.99 CDN/USD.
-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 Hird’s analysis of the book of Titus from the Bible is a compelling blend of history, personal anecdotes, leadership training and Christian teaching that should hold great value for any reader who is mentally alert for any kind of guidance that may be from the Holy Spirit. From explaining why exercise should be an aspect of every Christian’s life to describing the sheer courage of people such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ed translates the teachings of the book of Titus from the language of theology into the language of meaningful application to everyday life.
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.
-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.
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
-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.
The book Canadian Mantles of Revival is both a challenging and hopeful book. It reminds us that revival is nothing new in Canadian history. We often do not know our own history. Canadians and others would benefit from learning about Henry Alline, Phoebe Hamilton, Hunter and Crossley, Charles Price, each of which have a chapter in the book. Reading the book convicted me to more deeply appreciate how central prayer and repentance will be in the coming Canadian revival.
If only we as Canadians would take this book to heart, the coming Canadian revival would not tarry. Do we want revival badly enough to take to heart the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, self-examination, repentance, bible-reading, and generosity to the poor? I believe that revival is coming to Canada. May we co-operate with God in His desire to quicken his people in Canada.
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.
-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.
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
-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.
While at the local library with my wife, I ran across Bruce Cockburn’s fascinating new autobiography and spiritual memoirs Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory[1]. A true Canadian icon, Cockburn ironically gets more airtime now on US radios than in Canada. Until recently, he has been called one of Canada’s best kept secrets.[2] Over the past five decades, he has released thirty-one albums, selling over seven million copies worldwide, including one million copies in Canada.[3] The New York Times has called Cockburn a virtuoso on guitar.[4] His accomplishments include 12 Juno Awards and 21 gold/platinum certifications. As well as being a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, Cockburn is an Officer of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.[5] He even has his own postage stamp![6] It is easy to put famous people up on pedestals, only for them to come crashing down.
Cockburn noted: “What doesn’t kill you makes for songs.”[7] He is very transparent in his memoirs about the ‘cage of reticence’ that he has been trapped in, saying that it took him decades to open up enough to allow another human beyond the courtyard of his heart.[8] Due to the flat lining of emotional content, he bottled up his feelings and failed to connect.[9] Cockburn commented: “It was almost impossible for me to communicate from the heart, especially if the subject required deep openness….I remained too trapped inside myself…”[10] Even positive attention could be off-putting to him.[11] Being terrified of audiences, he initially pretended that they were not there.[12] Through his music, Cockburn temporarily came out of hiding: “Music is my diary, my anchor through anguish and joy, a channel for the heart.” His self-described penchant for withdrawal led to several painful relational breakups: “Relationships of the heart though require exposure of the soul.”[13] Being a travelling musician can be very hard on relationships. In his memoirs, Cockburn notes:
…a long history of failing to communicate our deepest fears, resentments, and longings was at the core of our unraveling….Neither of us would entertain for a moment the notion of going for counseling…I’d leave on tour. My wife would be left in a stew of resentment and loneliness.[14]
There are endless internet interviews with Cockburn about his spirituality. Few authors are willing to be interviewed in such detail about their spiritual journeys. Cockburn’s spiritual reflections are very paradoxical, evocative, and nuanced: “Anyone who has spent any time exploring Bruce Cockburn’s music knows what a complex artist he is. He is as spiritual as he is political, and as much a master musician as a lyrical poet.”[15] He is a free spirit who cannot be boxed in. Bruce has a strongly developed social conscience and passion for justice that is expressed through his music, particularly in the 1980s.[16] The more interior 1970s led to a more exterior 1980s, focusing on the love of oppressed neighbours in the Global South. [17]
While raised in the United Church by agnostic parents, his first spiritual encounter occurred while taking communion in St George’s Anglican Church in Ottawa: “it felt like something happened.”[18] He called it a wondrous shiver of contact, of connection.[19] At his wedding at St George’s, all of a sudden there was someone there “as vivid as I could see them, but I couldn’t see them, this loving presence…So I started taking Jesus very seriously at that point…that image has never left.”[20] Sadly, in moving to Toronto, Cockburn ‘didn’t find another church that had the same spirit attached to it.”[21]
It has been said that Cockburn has a spiritual GPS in him that doesn’t want to shut off: “I’m trying to get people to be aware of how much more there is to life than just what they see.” [22] There are people who love Bruce Cockburn just for his music,” said Mr. Brian Walsh, explaining each has their reasons be it his guitar virtuosity, his lyrics or his political stance. “They don’t always get the spirituality.”[23] Cockburn’s quest for deeper meaning is a lifelong spiritual journey: “I believe that my relationship with God is central to my life. It is the most important thing in my life.”[24] “Eventually, through a series of personal stuff in the early ’70s, I ended up giving myself to Christ and asking for help, and I figured at that point I better start calling myself a Christian,” said Cockburn. “I think a personal relationship with God is what we’re supposed to be after and what God is after. That experience was a very crucial part of discovering and attempting to develop that relationship,” said Cockburn.[25] The song All The Diamonds was written on the night of Cockburn’s conversion: “When Jesus came into my life, in 1974, he also came into my music.”[26] Only God, said Cockburn, can fill that hole inside of us.[27]
My three favorite Cockburn songs are Lord of the Starfields, All the Diamonds, and Wondering Where the Lions Are.[28] The autobiography gave a fascinating backdrop to Cockburn’s life and songs, illuminating the rumours of glory. Bruce is very experimental, experiencing himself into faith and relationship with God. Then he reflects on it later, sometimes in very confusing and ambiguous ways.
Cockburn has always been a restless spirit: “I craved adventure. I needed to throw myself into something unknown, travel with only vague destinations, expose myself to the elements, sail the seas.”[29] He says that a lot of his nomadic rootlessness and constant longing for home comes from mistrust when his father destroyed his first poems: “I have a great deal of mistrust. I have a mistrust of authority. I have a mistrust of things I don’t know intimately. I have a mistrust that takes the form of “OK, God, I am here for you and you are here for me. But I don’t want to go all the way because you might ask something of me that I am not capable of giving or don’t want to give. So I hold myself back from that piece because of that. I am working on that piece…”[30] May Bruce Cockburn continue to inspire others to seek for home.
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.
-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.
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
-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.
[1] Bruce Cockburn: “It’s supposed to be a spiritual memoir, so whatever that means. I’m not even sure what that really means, but that’s what the publisher asked for.” Bruce Cockburn by Dan MacIntosh on February 22, 2013. http://stereosubversion.com/interviews/bruce-cockburn-2 (accessed March 6th 2015)
[7] Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory (HarperCollins, New York, NY, 2014), p. 419. ; p.137 “Anything that touches me with a sense of meaning is likely to make its way into a song…”
[8]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 103, p. 105 “…trapped forever in a cage of reticence.”
[9]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p.104 “Forging close ties has been particularly hard for me, given the flat lining of emotional content that was the unstated rule in my childhood home….I learned how to bottle up feelings which would later lead to psychic capitulations and failures to connect, sabotaging deeper relationships with others.”
[11]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 19 “I didn’t like attention anyway, except on my own terms. I still don’t. Even positive attention can be oppressive.”
[12] “In the beginning, I was terrified of audiences. The only way that I could deal with it was to pretend that they were not there. “ Brian Walsh Interviewing Bruce Cockburn 4 – “Kicking at the Darkness” May 20, 2012 at the recent Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing (April 19th 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5OveKtPSQ&spfreload=10 (Accessed March 6th 2015)
[13]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 4, p. 84, p. 106.
[16]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p.119 “An honest reading of 1 Corinthians 13 and other beautiful passages in the Bible speaks to a humanity dedicated to serving all creation through active benevolence, through love.”; Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 41 “Jesus instructs us to love, to seek the Divine in the everyday, to foment real peace and real freedom, to share bounty among the poor, and to challenge malevolent forces even if it means placing yourself at great risk.”
[17]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 198 “If the seventies were marked by a deep introspection, the eighties were largely characterized by a more exterior orientation….This redirection reflected the teachings of Jesus – reach out to your fellow human, love your brother and sisters and serve them…”; Stephen Bede Scharper, “Bruce Cockburn: Faithful troubadour of a dangerous time”, Nov 03 2014, “Such a stance has led him to trouble spots around the globe, including Guatemala, Mozambique and Afghanistan, performing and speaking out on crushing Third World debt, native rights, landmines and the environment.” ; “…The amalgam of Cockburn’s activism, Christian belief and musical virtuosity led him to work with many international human rights and eco-groups such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth and Doctors without Borders.” http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/11/03/bruce_cockburn_faithful_troubadour_of_a_dangerous_time_scharper.html (accessed March 5th 2015)
[18] Bruce Cockburn: “I was raised going to Sunday school, with the obligation to wear grey flannels on Sunday mornings, which was horrible.” The United Church of Canada: It’s one of the least attended churches in existence…” “My parents are agnostics and the only reason we went to Sunday school was that, well, my great aunt would be unhappy and the neighbors would talk. This was the 50s. You don’t buck the system in the 50s. We did what we were supposed to do. And that basically was kind of clear from the beginning that that was what we were doing. Because my parents would go to church from time to time but we didn’t hear any talk of religion in the home at all.” Lori E. Pike , “The Thinking Christian Man and His Music: Bruce Cockburn”, http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/artists/bruce-cockburn/features/the-thinking-christian-man-his-music/ (Accessed March 5th 2015); Brian Walsh Interviewing Bruce Cockburn 4 – “Kicking at the Darkness” May 20, 2012 at the recent Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing (April 19th 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5OveKtPSQ&spfreload=10 (Accessed March 6th 2015)
[21] Brian Walsh Interviewing Bruce Cockburn 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5OveKtPSQ&spfreload=10 (Accessed March 6th 2015); Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 192 “I never found a church that had the same feeling of community, of being filled with spirit, as St George’s. That church, with its healing services and its congregation half made up of ex-cons, was more special than I had realized. Gradually the habit of attending worship services gradually faded away.” Ed: St. George’s since left the Diocese of Ottawa, and is now called St. Peter’s & St Paul’s.
[25] Allison, Hunwicks, The Catholic Register, April 26th 2012, “Bruce Cockburn and his longing for home” http://www.catholicregister.org/item/14360-bruce-cockburn-and-his-longing-for-home (accessed March 6th 2015); Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p.133 “I wanted a healthy relationship with Kitty. It wasn’t long before I was begging on my knees, consciously asking Jesus to help me, to fortify my mind and salve my soul, to make me the person he wanted me to be. I prayed like a child without reserve. Suddenly it was there, the same presence I had felt during our wedding ceremony, in the room with me, its energy filling the air. I felt my heart forced open. He was there! … I made a commitment to Jesus. From that moment I saw myself as a follower of Christ.”
[26]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p. 2; “A boat ride through the Stockholm archipelago – barren islands, sun on waves – the balance tipping toward a commitment to Christ. ” – from “All The Diamonds” songbook, edited by Arthur McGregor, OFC Publications 1986. http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/atd.html (Accessed March 1st 2015); “The song ‘All the Diamonds in the World’ was the song that sort of marked that turning point.”- “Bruce Cockburn – A Burning Light and All the Rest” by William Ruhlmann, Goldmine magazine, 3 April 1992. Anonymous submission. (Accessed March 1st 2015)
[28]Bruce Cockburn: Rumours of Glory, p.151 ”I wrote the song Lord of the Starfields as an attempt at a Psalm. One clear summer night, walking on a gravel road…Deep space overhead, far from urban light spill, blazed with millions of distant nuclear furnaces. All the way to the edge of everything, love resounded.”
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.
relationship with each of us. It has been said that Jesus died on the cross from a broken heart. He poured out his heart of love for each of us from Calvary’s tree. Most Canadians believe in God, but we can easily keep God at a distance. God is into intimacy. God wants us to open our hearts to his love. This love can never be forced. It can only be offered. When we open our hearts to the Father’s love, something happens at the core of our being.
My wife, being a prolific reader of novels, is always going with me to return books to the local library. At the very front of libraries is a section for recommended new books. While there, I was pleased to find a brand new book 
Sermon on the Mount, motivating Gandhi to peacefully love his adversaries. Jones, who had been a friend of Gandhi in India for many years, said once to him: ‘You understand the principles. Do you know the person?’ Gandhi was very drawn to the person of Jesus Christ. My prayer for those reading this article is that we may embrace both the principles and person of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. 
honoured her while being crucified by passing on the care of his mother to the Apostle John. In one of the seven last words from the cross, Jesus said: “Dear woman, behold your son, and to John: “Here is your mother.” What an amazing honour and privilege that Jesus was giving John: to look after his mother. How would you like to have been asked to look after the blessed Mother Mary?
When Mary became a mother, she faced rejection and misunderstanding, even from her own fiancé Joseph. God had to speak to Joseph and tell him that everything was okay. It is never easy being a mother, especially in our current high-pressure culture. Children are too easily seen as an inconvenience and a financial burden. Mother Mary chose to sacrificially welcome her baby son Jesus into the world with her arms of love. Motherhood is a life of sacrificial love. Mothers love their children with a depth and passion, similar to how much Jesus loves each of us. Right before his crucifixion, Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives crying “How often I wished to take you into my arms like a mother hen would her chicks”. The well-known song by Mark Lowry includes the line: “Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?” This Mother’s Day, we can honour the Mother Mary for her courage in giving birth to the saviour of the world. We can also honour our own mothers who showed the courage to give birth to and raise us to adulthood. Thank you, Mom. We love you dearly. Where would we be without you?
Titus in an entirely different light. The author has an in-depth knowledge of historical facts and takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of American history and the early pioneers of the Christian faith. I was impressed with the time Dr Hird took into researching and referencing all the facts in the book. There is much to learn from the author’s life experiences and I found his insights into the book of Titus interesting and insightful. His book was both educational and Biblically sound.
higher leadership in our lives. I really liked it but must confess I got a little swamped in the last chapter. While it made for interesting reading, it was mostly about Ben Franklin and I lost the thread of Titus somewhere in there. However, is this a great book? Yes. Worthy of the read? Absolutely. Recommend it to others. For sure.
revival is nothing new in Canadian history. We often do not know our own history. Canadians and others would benefit from learning about Henry Alline, Phoebe Hamilton, Hunter and Crossley, Charles Price, each of which have a chapter in the book. Reading the book convicted me to more deeply appreciate how central prayer and repentance will be in the coming Canadian revival. 
fascinating new autobiography and spiritual memoirs 
There are endless internet interviews with Cockburn about his spirituality. Few authors are willing to be interviewed in such detail about their spiritual journeys. Cockburn’s spiritual reflections are very paradoxical, evocative, and nuanced: “Anyone who has spent any time exploring Bruce Cockburn’s music knows what a complex artist he is. He is as spiritual as he is political, and as much a master musician as a lyrical poet.”
Edhird's Blog 