My eye surgeon Dr. Kirker had me lie face down for three days. I had just had laser eye surgery for a microscopic macular hole. This condition was not noticeable until I was out at UBC reading tiny 19th century print.
Upon going to an eye specialist, I discovered that I did not have either lense correction, cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment or macular degeneration. Over time, the gel or vitreous in our eyes shrink and detaches from the retina. In rare cases, it sticks and causes a microscopic hole. Before 1970, they could not do anything about this. After laser surgery, the surgeon filled my right eye with gas which temporarily held everything in place. In order for the gas to do its job, I had to be horizontal for 90% of the time. Fortunately I was able to rent a massage desk and full-body massage pillow. Sleeping facedown for four nights was a brand new experience for me. My wife Janice said that I didn’t snore at all. I never hear myself snore.
Lying on my face enabled me to listen to Elie Wiesel’s trilogy: Night, Dawn, and Day. Each of the trilogy was deeply moving and disturbing. Like my successful laser surgery, Elie’s trilogy gave me eyes to see what I had been previously somewhat blinded to. As a holocaust survivor, Wiesel has written over 50 books interpreting the meaning of the Holocaust for our modern age. Wiesel miraculously survived the Concentration camps when so many of his family and friends ended in Hitler’s ovens. In his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, they said of Wiesel: “From the abyss of the death camps, he has come as a messenger to humanity – not with a message of hate and revenge but with one of brotherhood and atonement.”
Lying face down prohibited me from watching TV or checking my computer. Because our North Vancouver Library system has a large assortment of talking books, I was able listen to John Grisham, Louis Lamour, and Elie Wiesel. All three authors were passionate about justice. Grisham sought justice in the court room. Lamour sought justice at the end of a gun. Elie Wiesel sought justice from God and neighbour.
Chronic and acute anxiety push us in the direction of requiring that everyone act and smell just like us. Elie Wiesel’s writings encourage us to celebrate differences and uniquenesses of other neighbours. Jesus quoted Leviticus in commanding us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Love is always the answer. Love gives us eyes to see when we are blind. Love is an expression of amazing grace, where I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. My prayer for those reading this article is that God will give us eyes to see that other neighbours are just as human, as valuable and as sacred as we are.
It is too easy to scapegoat other people and blame them for the problems in our lives. Racism seems to be deep in many of our cultures. It dies a hard death. Without regular self-examination and repentance, racism can easily slip back into our hearts. Anti-Semitism has proven in the past century to be one of the deadliest forms of racism. Jewish people have suffered deeply again and again through pogroms, inquisitions, and job discrimination. When conflict arises in the world, anti-Semitism and racism seem to spike. What would it take for us to truly forgive and love those who offend us, those who are different?
Too many people in our culture have either never heard of or hardened their hearts to the message of the Holocaust. It seems to some like water under the bridge, as ancient history. Wiesel’s book help us to enter into the story of the Holocaust as if for the first time. As a vivid story teller, Wiesel makes you feel that you were right there in the midst of the great tragedy. Would it be possible for Wiesel’s books to be included in our school systems as a way of reducing hatred and anti-Semitism? It could give our young people new eyes to see what it is liked to be bullied and rejected.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-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.
My wife and I loved seeing the highly-acclaimed baseball movie 42. When the movie was finished, no one left, and people began to spontaneously clap. In the lobby, I met some long-lost friends who told me in great detail how much the movie meant to them. We were all deeply moved by the costly courage of Jackie Robinson when facing intense hatred. Robinson was a ground-breaker in both Canada and the United States. Before playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson played in Canada for the Montreal Royals farm team in 1946. Delirious Montreal fans mobbed Robinson after his scoring the final hit that won them the Little World championship. Sports Reporter Sam Maltin commented: “It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind.” Mr. Robinson himself called Montreal “the city that enabled me to go to the major leagues.”
As the first Afro-American to play in Major League Baseball, Robinson faced much prejudice, but turned the other cheek, refusing to retaliate. Robinson said: “There’s nothing like faith in God to help a fellow who gets booted around once in a while.” Both Robinson and his Coach Branch Rickey, being committed Christians, knew that loving their enemies was key to a lasting breakthrough in the deeply racist baseball culture. As Jesus commanded us, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Quoting Giovanni Papini’s book Life of Christ, Rickey called Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek the most stupefying of Jesus’ revolutionary teachings.
Rickey, played well by Harrison Ford, unforgettably said: “I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.” At one point, Rickey pulled out hundreds of hate letters which had been sent to him with threatening messages. It was consistent nightly prayer that kept Rickey and Robinson from succumbing to the relentless animosity they faced. Rickey was told by a reporter that signing Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers would cause all hell to break loose. He replied, saying that signing Robinson would cause all heaven to rejoice. Rickey memorably said: “Jackie, we’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owner, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans may be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I am doing this because you’re a great ballplayer and a fine gentleman.” Robinson led the Dodgers to their only championship in 1955. Signing Robinson proved to be literally a game-changer for the game of baseball.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that Robinson was a legend and a symbol in his own time, that he challenged the dark skies of intolerance and frustration. King commented: “Back in the days when integration wasn’t fashionable, Robinson understood the trauma and humiliation and the loneliness which comes with being a pilgrim walking the lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom. He was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.” Dr Alveda King, Martin Luther King’s niece, commented that the movie 42 brings an inherent message of courage, compassion and composure that prevailed in the lives of Jackie and Rae Robinson as well as Dodgers Manager Branch Rickey. Robinson once said: “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me … All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” This movie reminds us that we all are made in God’s image, we all are people for whom Christ died, and we all are of deep worth in God’s sight.
Robinson played in six World Series, was chosen for six consecutive All-Star Games, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. He stole home nineteen times, more than any other player since WW2. In 1962, Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The number 42 is the only jersey number retired by all the Major League baseball teams. Once a year in April, all the Major League players wear the number 42 in honour of Robinson’s breaking the colour barrier.
I thank God for Jackie Robinson’s sacrificial refusal to give in to bitterness and rage. May his example of forgiveness be a shining light to those of us reading this article.
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
To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
Lying on my face enabled me to listen to Elie Wiesel’s trilogy: Night, Dawn, and Day. Each of the trilogy was deeply moving and disturbing. Like my successful laser surgery, Elie’s trilogy gave me eyes to see what I had been previously somewhat blinded to. As a holocaust survivor, Wiesel has written over 50 books interpreting the meaning of the Holocaust for our modern age. Wiesel miraculously survived the Concentration camps when so many of his family and friends ended in Hitler’s ovens. In his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, they said of Wiesel: “From the abyss of the death camps, he has come as a messenger to humanity – not with a message of hate and revenge but with one of brotherhood and atonement.”
Love is always the answer. Love gives us eyes to see when we are blind. Love is an expression of amazing grace, where I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. My prayer for those reading this article is that God will give us eyes to see that other neighbours are just as human, as valuable and as sacred as we are.
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.
Edhird's Blog 