It is good that Joseph Bowes is admitting the need for such seniors facilities. Despite the title ‘Parkgate Highrise not about Seniors’, the discussion is in fact all about negotiating for seniors. Our judeo-christian heritage teaches us to advocate for widows and orphans. Our senior residents need to hear that they are welcome and wanted at the centre of their Seymour-Deep Cove community.
Joseph Bowes’ alternative locations would not meet the needs of our Seymour/Deep Cove seniors. Because these alternative sites are remote and out of the way, they are not near enough, nor accessible enough. Seymour seniors can’t afford to be tucked away in a corner. These alternative suggestions are non-starters and perhaps red-herrings.
The uniquely flat topography makes 3600 Mount Seymour Parkway ideal for seniors access. Many mature seniors find it more challenging to negotiate stairs. The elevators would give these seniors more access and greater mobility to their own community.
Let’s clearly tell the Seymour Seniors that they are both wanted and welcome at the core of their own community. I hope that our civic leadership will put people ahead of bureaucratic plans. The Seymour Seniors population has tripled from 515 to 1500+ since the OCD plan was first envisioned. Our Seymour seniors are worth adjusting for. Seniors deserve better choices as their needs evolve. Independent living is a healthy choice not currently offered in the Seymour community.
I urge others who value the place of seniors to come out and support this application on June 22nd 7pm at North Vancouver District Municipal Hall, 355 West Queens Road.
Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
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 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.
I will always remember my ‘star’ Christmas performance back in kindergarten days. There I was dressed up as a Christmas shepherd, with my staff, bedrobe, and head-scarf. I was so excited about being a shepherd that I forgot where I was supposed to meet the rest of the cast. So I sat down at the front of the stage and waited for them to find me. Unfortunately that lost kindergarten shepherd was never found, until the whole pageant was over. I was most disappointed, and ‘vowed’ that day to never become a famous Hollywood actor.
Almost 2,000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem (not Bellingham, as we’d often sing as children), a little shepherd baby was born in a filthy cow barn. Many shepherds were drawn to admire this tiny little child, little knowing that this baby would one day become a Good Shepherd for many. Years later, this christmas baby-turned-thirty said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep”.
It is amazing how much that Christmas Carols speak to the hearts of adults and children alike. Those of us living on the North Shore are well aware of the remarkable popularity of the Carol Ships travelling past Deep Cove and Cates Park year after year.
Carols have a certain poetry, romance, and mystery that draws us unfailingly year after year. When we sing: “Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by”, we almost feel like we were there when the Christmas Star first shone bright. Christmas Carols teach truth, but in a subtle way that feels entirely natural. In singing “Yet in thy dark street shineth the everlasting Light”, we are reminded that there is a battle between good and evil, light and darkness, but that Light is always more powerful than darkness. No wonder the Christmas baby later called himself the Light of the World. He also said that whoever followed him will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
No wonder we love to sing: “The hopes and fear of all the years are met in thee tonight.” There is something about the Christmas baby that inspires hope and banishes fear, no matter how cynical or jaded we tend to be. Many Christmas Carols have a beautiful sense of stillness and quiet about them. There is so little quiet and stillness left in our fast-paced, frenetic culture. Maybe that is why we are drawn to sing: “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.” All of us need more inner peace, more shalom in our lives. All of us need the stillness and tranquillity of the Christmas baby, known in Hebrew as Yeshua.
The deepest truths of Christmas go far beyond the beautiful tree, the tasty turkey, the colourful lights. The deepest truths are invisible and silent, but still very powerful and real. That is why we sing that “no ear may hear his coming.” Just like with the love between a man and wife, the most important things in life can’t be scientifically measured or technologically formulated. Christmas is a mystery that defies all logical attempts to explain it away. Christmas is the miracle of new birth, not only 2,000 years ago, but also potentially in our hearts. That is why so many of us never tire of singing: “Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”
My Christmas prayer for those reading this article is that many may discover afresh the joy of the inner meaning of Christmas Caroling.
-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 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.
Struck by cancer, Sandra Crawford never let it defeat her. In this very succinct and transparent book, she explains from the beginning of the journey till the end what it is like to go through all the emotional and physical experiences of breast cancer. By reading this remarkable book, friends and family can better understand the different stages of this journey.
One of her tools for defeating cancer was to keep a daily journal in which she recorded her thoughts, feelings, and prayers. This journal later proved invaluable in writing her remarkable book ‘In the Arms of My Beloved: A Journey through Breast Cancer’*.
Cancer is devastating not only to the person but to the family. It was helpful to read and understand how much someone with cancer needs encouragement from their loved ones. Sandra’s way of writing motivates you to want to come alongside her and be one of her cheerleaders. It made us want to be more caring as a friend and family member to those who are hurting.
Sandra writes: “In my small village of Deep
Deep Cov
Cove, we see many rainbows in the spring. Carrying on the tradition of my mum, whenever I see one, I run to the window to take in the wonder of God’s beauty…” Deep Cove rainbows represented for Sandra victory over cancer.
The suggestions for those going through treatment were very practical. Her down-to-earth way of describing chemotherapy and radiation treatment gave the reader an understanding of what cancer patients really go through. It also removes much of the fear and mystery that surrounds this often taboo area.
Dr. Ruth Demian, MD, commented: “Throughout her journey with breast cancer, Sandra has refused to stay down or be embittered, but has overcome every challenge with faith, courage and determination. Her inspiring story offers hope and practical wisdom to those who are walking through difficult times, especially when faced with serious or life threatening illnesses.”
Sandra is a fighter. She never let cancer defeat her and steal her reason to live. Her sense of humour even in the midst of great challenges was inspiring. Her humour reminded us of her late mother Jackie Crawford. As a young girl, Sandra often sat on the floor of her mother’s office, pecking out cheerful letters to “Mummy” on an old Underwood typewriter.
Coming from a long line of letter writers, she soon demonstrated a natural ability to lift even the saddest heart with a simple note of encouragement or a heart-felt poem. Pastor Lina Gabeli commented: “As you read the pages of this book, you will be strengthened in your faith and fall more in love with Jesus, knowing that with God all things are possible when you believe in His promises and appropriate His word. This is a must read for everyone who is facing sickness or a personal crisis.” In the Arms of My Beloved can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore or ordered online. We give thanks to God for raising up Sandra Crawford to give hope to others facing cancer.
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 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.
Perhaps one of the most famous and versatile English writers has been the Oxford, and then Cambridge, scholar: C.S. Lewis. Some readers, especially children, find the Narnia tales among the most captivating books they have ever read. First BBC and then Disney have come out with versions of the Narnia Chronicles that have been seen by tens of millions. University students often reserve their greatest appreciation for C.S. Lewis’ science fiction trilogy. Clyde Kilby describes him as “the kind of writer who can usher the reader into a new world, into a continuing process of discovery that reconstitutes his way of thought and life.”
Where did C.S. Lewis get his vivid skill at being able to describe fantasy and science-fiction worlds that fascinate and delight the imagination? Scholars attribute the development of this creative ability to his childhood love of nature.
If C.S. Lewis had moved to Canada, I could easily see him wanting to live in the Deep Cove area, with its magnificent forest, water, and mountains. Lewis’ love of nature was something that he never outgrew. Once his older brother brought a toy garden into the nursery. It made Lewis vividly aware of nature — not as a storehouse of forms and colours but as something cool, dewy, fresh, and exuberant. Years later, he stood beside a flowering currant bush on a summer day. Suddenly there arose within him without warning an “enormous bliss”, a joy that made everything else that had happened to him insignificant in comparison. The rest of his life became the search for that authentic joy that makes all life meaningful. He went through a long period of atheism and cynicism about the world. But he could not ultimately deny the mysterious beauty that he saw in nature.
In his first step to faith, he began to hold that “Beauty is the call of the spirit in that Something to the spirit in us.” Gradually Lewis started to realize that the more that he grasped after the Joy in nature, the less of it he would experience. It was his very tendency to analyze and tear apart all his experiences that robbed him of the joy of his experience. As C.S. Lewis discovered, “It is impossible to both kiss one’s girlfriend and analyze the kiss at the same moment.” To do so is to dissipate the reality of the kiss.
Lewis began to realize that his search for Joy could not be found in Joy alone, but in that to which Joy points. It could not be found in nature alone, but in that to which nature points. C.S. Lewis began to discover the supernatural behind the natural. As Lewis put it in a letter to a friend, “Today I got such an intense feeling of delight that it sort of stopped me in my walk and spun me round. Indeed the sweetness was so great, and seemed so to affect the whole body as well as the mind, that it gave me pause…Everything seems to be beginning again and one has the sense of immortality.” C.S. Lewis later wrote an autobiography entitled “Surprised by Joy”, to express how shocked he was to find that Jesus Christ could make such a difference in his everyday life.
My prayer for those reading this article is that we may open our eyes to the beauty around us and that we may experience the Joy of knowing the Supernatural behind the Natural.
-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 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 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
To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
At 5:34 a.m, a shaggy grey and white St. Bernard wanders along. Two black-necked geese are gliding overhead. One solitary shining white cloud awaits the rising of the Summer Sun over the Deep Cove Bay.
Everywhere I look from Panorama Park, my eyes are pierced by trees, a ring of unending trees like a green cocoon that encircles and protects Deep Cove from the intrusions of that other world. There is a stillness about Deep Cove that grips me and will not let go.
Thirty fuzzy grey baby geese, with their adult protectors, casually swim up to the Panorama Park beach, and begin voraciously pecking on the grass by the beach. All is silent, all is still, all is at rest. Not a human is in sight. Not a car can be heard. The only sound is the unending swirl of water crashing down over the rocks in Panorama Creek,
At 6.00 a.m., the Summer Sun is now bursting forth over the nearby mountains. The warmth of the blinding rays touches my park bench, and my heart soars. How jaded we’ve become to the miracle of the returning sun. How grateful our ancestors must have felt to welcome back the day after a dark fearful night.
As I sit on my Panorama Park bench, I am reminded of the well known song Morning has Broken.. “Morning has broken like the first morning. Black bird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the Singing, Praise for the Morning, Praise for them springing, fresh from the Word.”
How easily I become jaded to the beauty of Deep Cove. How hardened I can be to the wonderful gift of God’s natural beauty. How busy and distracted I can be in the rush and hub-bub of the daily frenzy. Thank you Jesus, for Deep Cove, for Panorama Park, for the beauty you have put right here in our neighbourhood to draw us back to You, to Your peace. Happiness is seeing a beautiful sunrise and knowing who to thank!
-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 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.
I’ll always remember big Glen and little Glen, Paul, Jimmy, Steven, and Brian. We all grew up in the Arbutus area in Vancouver in the early 60s. We played football together on our front lawns. We built tree forts together in the bush across the street. We even tried to “Dig to China” together around the side of our houses. Everyone in our neighbourhood knew each other (even the adults!). There was a warmth and community feeling that I took for granted until I moved to Montreal in 1965.
Suddenly I lived in a city where no one knew their neighbours, where French and English people rarely spoke to each other, where wealth and success swallowed up all the time people used to have for their neighbours. I enjoyed the excitement of Montreal and Expo’67, but I missed the intimacy and warmth of the local Arbutus neighbourhood.
While obtaining a degree in Social Work, I worked for the North Shore Neighbourhood House with “high profile pre-teens”. During that time, I became aware of many groups on the North Shore using the word Community. There were Community Schools, Community Centres, Community Health Clinics, Community Cable Companies, Community Resource Boards, Community Recreation Programs, etc., etc. It always puzzled me as to why with so many community agencies, there was often so little sense of real community at the neighbourhood level. Why had it become so hard to even know who your neighbours were, let alone “Love Your Neighbour as Yourself”?
In reading Lewis Drummond, part of the “Community” puzzle began to fit together. He said that for most of humanity’s history, people lived in small, rural close knit (even tribal) communities. They fished, hunted, worked, farmed, and played together. Communication and community came easily in such an intimate environment. But since the industrial and high tech revolution, over 90 percent moved to the burgeoning cities. In these massive urban areas, our neighbours are no longer our fellow workers or even necessarily our acquaintances. With the advent of television, radio and the Internet, the need for and the interaction with one’s community has been further reduced. Leisure time can now be spent inside the four walls of one’s own castle, the home. Humanity, as Gavin Reid puts it, has moved into the “Post Community” era.
Some have seen urbanization with the breakdown of community as a blessing. At last, they say, we can be alone and live our own lives without the gossip or interference of others. But in losing community, we lose a sense of belonging and security. Worst of all, when community collapses, so does genuine communication. For real communication is only possible in the context of a genuine community where trust and caring exist.
Each of us must play our part in this fragmented world to rebuild genuine community, to reach out to the lost and the lonely. Each of us can decide to live by the Golden Rule: to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Each us of us can choose to truly love our neighbour as ourselves. The world can change, if we begin with ourselves. What are you willing to do this week to help restore community?
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
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 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
I opened my bedroom curtains today at 6:41 a.m. to experience the brilliance of a radiant summer sun. It felt very warm, peaceful, and invigorating. I love the sun. My moods, thoughts, and attitudes can be significantly impacted by the “presence” or “absence” of that strange dwarf star that we call “SUN”.
Most of us are sun worshippers at heart (even with the threat of skin cancer, or worse). I remember lying on the beach at Waikiki, reading Paradise Lost for an upcoming exam, and desperately trying to get a tan before the flight back to Vancouver. All I got for my troubles that day was a soggy book from the tropical rain showers.
Everyone loves the Summer Sunshine! We love it so much that we have even named a day of the week after it (Sun Day, from the latin dies solis: day of the sun). The sun is vital to virtually everyone’s well-being and career. Imagine Greater Vancouver in August without a single day of sunshine. It would almost feel immoral.
Greater Vancouver residents may be willing to accept liquid sunshine throughout the rest of the year, but in August genuine summer sunshine is a must. Even one day of experiencing the beauty of a sunny summer day is enough to make you forget a dozen rainy days.
Why this love affair, this fascination with the sun? Perhaps because of its mysterious nature and its overwhelming size. The sun’s volume is 1,300,000 times that of the earth. If the sun were a skyscraper, the earth would be the size of a person. The moon would be the size of a cocker spaniel standing next to the person.
Scientists tell us that the centre of the sun is about 27,000,000°F (1 5,000,000°C). If we were any closer to the sun, we’d be burned to a crisp. Being at a healthy 93 million miles away, we merely toast on a summer day rather than roast. Fortunately for us, only about one two-billionth of the sun’s light and heat reaches the earth. The rest is lost in space.
The Egyptians, Greeks and many other ancient people thought that the sun was a God. They literally worshipped the sun, made offerings to it, and built massive temples. The ancient Jewish people, in contrast, pointed to the One behind the Sun.
The Old Testament predicted that some day “the sun of righteousness will come with healing in its wings” That sun came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible often described Jesus as being “like the sun shining in all its brilliance” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world … Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become children of light”
My prayer is that as you experience the SUN SHINE of a summer day, you may also experience the SON LIGHT of the eternal Son.
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 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.
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.
remarkable book ‘
Pastor Lina Gabeli commented: “As you read the pages of this book, you will be strengthened in your faith and fall more in love with Jesus, knowing that with God all things are possible when you believe in His promises and appropriate His word. This is a must read for everyone who is facing sickness or a personal crisis.” In the Arms of My Beloved can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore or ordered 
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.
Where did C.S. Lewis get his vivid skill at being able to describe fantasy and science-fiction worlds that fascinate and delight the imagination? Scholars attribute the development of this creative ability to his childhood love of nature.
more that he grasped after the Joy in nature, the less of it he would experience. It was his very tendency to analyze and tear apart all his experiences that robbed him of the joy of his experience. As C.S. Lewis discovered, “It is impossible to both kiss one’s girlfriend and analyze the kiss at the same moment.” To do so is to dissipate the reality of the kiss.
Park beach, and begin voraciously pecking on the grass by the beach. All is silent, all is still, all is at rest. Not a human is in sight. Not a car can be heard. The only sound is the unending swirl of water crashing down over the rocks in Panorama Creek,
springing, fresh from the Word.”
In reading Lewis Drummond, part of the “Community” puzzle began to fit together. He said that for most of humanity’s history, people lived in small, rural close knit (even tribal) communities. They fished, hunted, worked, farmed, and played together. Communication and community came easily in such an intimate environment. But since the industrial and high tech revolution, over 90 percent moved to the burgeoning cities. In these massive urban areas, our neighbours are no longer our fellow workers or even necessarily our acquaintances. With the advent of television, radio and the Internet, the need for and the interaction with one’s community has been further reduced. Leisure time can now be spent inside the four walls of one’s own castle, the home. Humanity, as Gavin Reid puts it, has moved into the “Post Community” era.
of the week after it (Sun Day, from the latin dies solis: day of the sun). The sun is vital to virtually everyone’s well-being and career. Imagine Greater Vancouver in August without a single day of sunshine. It would almost feel immoral.
Scientists tell us that the centre of the sun is about 27,000,000°F (1 5,000,000°C). If we were any closer to the sun, we’d be burned to a crisp. Being at a healthy 93 million miles away, we merely toast on a summer day rather than roast. Fortunately for us, only about one two-billionth of the sun’s light and heat reaches the earth. The rest is lost in space.
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