You are invited to watch Janice & Mark Hird singing “Cornerstone”.
Janice led the music with the Hird family at the North American Christian Ashram retreat.
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 view Mark Hird and Janice P Hird singing the moving song Lord I Need You.
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 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
-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.
Through visiting my friend Pastor Marcel Kurtz at Valley Church, I learned how to do Facebook Live. To test it out, Marcel and I recorded a Facebook Live conversation, viewed by 195 people. Then I tested it a second time, seen by 365 people, with Pastor Owen Scott who co-ordinates the North Shore Pastors Prayer Fellowship with myself. After that, I did a Facebook Live about the upcoming Festival of Hope, viewed by 216 people. Then I did a Facebook Live at the gym on Restoring Health, viewed by 225 people. The next Facebook Live interview, with 191 viewers, was with Bob Grahame whom I am coaching about his upcoming bookThe Future Never Arrives: at least not as expected. Then Janice and myself did a Facebook Live Christmas Greetings, viewed by 730 people. On Christmas Day, we did a Facebook Live for our son Mark’s sermon, with 238 people watching. Our most widely viewed Facebook Live has been a Christmas Carolling with the Hird family, seen by 1511 people so far.
On January 1st New Year’s Sunday, I preached my first sermon being recorded on Facebook Live, viewed so far by over 1,800 people. You are invited to check out the New Year sermon from Hebrews 2:10-18 ‘Rising Life in 2017’
Blessings,
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 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.
We did a Summer Series on the Psalms which can be listened to by clicking on the following link. Along with myself, Mark Hird has preached a number of sermons on the Psalms both in audio and video format. You can watch Mark’s YouTube message on Psalm 42 pt 1 and pt 2 entitled ‘Soul Hope when God seems Distant’. You can also watch Mark’s message on Psalm 107 pt 1 and pt 2 entitled ‘Crying Out to the Lord in Our Times of Trouble’.
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.
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
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.
If the wise men at Christmas had been wise women, they might have brought Jesus practical Christmas gifts like baby toys, food or clothes (not myrrh, frankincense and gold). These wise men had no idea how their initial gift-giving at Christmas would eventually fuel the world economy, helping many businesses go from red into the black in December. Why is it that gift-giving at Christmas has become so entrenched in most people’s lives? Why is it that many of us struggle to unwrap the gift of Christmas? Why is it that Christmas, the most joyful time of year, is also the most depressing time of year for many?
As a child, I loved looking forward to opening Christmas presents waiting under the Christmas tree. Our public school still had actual Christmas pageants in which I took my part as a Christmas shepherd. As a teenager, opening Christmas presents was still fun, but it started to lose its Christmas wonder. I still unwrapped the Christmas presents each December, but I never stopped to unwrap Christmas itself. I never stopped to ask why we were making such a fuss about the Christmas season. I will never forget when my mother had me go to church on Christmas day. It felt like a radical intrusion into an important holiday time. Why would someone go to church at Christmas? Even though I had been raised in church, I had no idea that God came to earth at Christmas, that God became a little baby in manger. I never rejected the meaning of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. I just never thought about it. It was so familiar to me that I was blind to Christmas.
Home blindness, the tendency to become oblivious to what is in front of us, is a phenomena recognized by social scientists. People often say with regret that they never really appreciated what they had until they lost it. Each Christmas, there are a myriad of Christmas movies that express the theme of loss at Christmas, and rediscovering the joy of Christmas. The Christmas blockbuster ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ [originally called the Greatest Gift] went unnoticed at its 1946 release, so much so that the copyright license in the late 1970s was not even renewed. This meant that television studios could show the movie for free at Christmas. After a few years of this, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ became a cult classic. Who can forget the conflict around the Christmas tree as Jimmy Stewart/George Bailey was close to committing suicide? Who can forget the final scene around the Christmas tree when all his friends come together and unite in support?
Who can forget the joyful Christmas Carols sung by Jimmy Stewart, friends and family as they thanked the baby Jesus for the true meaning of Christmas? This Christmas, let not forget to unwrap the true gift of Christmas, the Christ Child come to earth to save us.
The Rev. Dr. Ed and Mark Hird
-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.
Life is messy. Family is messy. Marriage is messy. Church is messy. How do we navigate through the complexities of daily life? A key to healthy sailing through life’s storms is gratitude.
The St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver community was birthed in 1945 seventy years ago in the Deep Cove Fire Hall. Many churches in the Seymour/Deep Cove area no longer exist. One of the keys to St. Simon’s ongoing vitality is the gift of gratitude. God has taught us that all things work together for the good for those who love the Lord. He has taught us that what was sometimes meant for evil, God means for good, even for the saving and helping of many other people.
On Harvest Thanksgiving Oct 11th 2015, the St. Simon’s NV community celebrated its seventy anniversary with a joint 10am service, followed by a complimentary barbeque. Here are some of the things that we are grateful for. We are thankful for our faithfully serving ACW Women’s Group that has served so many over the years in outreach and hospitality. Many of you will have attended an ACW Holly Tea or Garage Sale over the years. We are grateful for those women and men who have served others over the years at Lions Manor, Kiwanis Care Centre, Lions Gate Hospital, and the new Cedarsprings residence.
We are thankful for those who invested so much in working with our youth and young adults and in the local schools and rec centres, especially thinking of the Rev. Ken Bell, the Rev. Josh Wilton, Rebecca Bailey, Jill Cardwell, Tyler Gibson, and Mark Hird. St. Simon’s Church NV originally started as a Sunday school. We are grateful for the countless number of Sunday School teachers and co-ordinators who have invested in serving the children of Seymour/Deep Cove decade after decade.
We are grateful for the many home groups that people have led and hosted over the past decades, bringing a deep sense of fellowship and learning. We are grateful for our music ministry which was led by Janice Hird with many choirs and worship bands over the years. We are grateful for the faithful contribution of the late Charlotte Liberty who served as organist for twenty years. Music is one of the best ways to express our gratitude. We are grateful for those who are involved in our two Coffee Hours, for our faithful sidespeople, for our Flower Guild helpers, for our Sunday readers and Lay Administrators, for our Altar Guild ladies, for our St. Simon’s Prayer Chain, for our Church Council leadership, and for our Set-Up and Take-down teams. Many hands truly make light work.
We are grateful for the various clergy that have served at St. Simon’s NV in the past seventy years, especially remembering the late Rev. John Lombard, and the Rev. Bill Ferris who served as my predecessor. I often give thanks for Bill Ferris+ who laid such solid foundations that I was able to build on. We are also most grateful for the support and encouragement of other clergy and churches involved in the North Shore Pastors Prayer Fellowship. We are grateful for our St Simon’s NV missionaries who serve locally and around the world.
And last but not least, we are grateful for Bruce Coney and the Deep Cove Crier, for the great support they have shown to the Seymour/Deep Cove community over the years. Gratitude is the key to everything healthy in our lives. What are you grateful for on this Harvest Thanksgiving weekend? Happy 70th!
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-an article for the October 2015 North Shore News/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.
Comment from Mark Hird: A song I wrote. Feel free to pass it on
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.
St Philip’s Dunbar where I was priested and served
St Philip’s Dunbar courtyard
We lived in the upper floor of this house on West 36th in the Dunbar area
After ordination on May 18th 1980, Janice & I visited England
This is a photo of our visiting Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, UK with David, Sylvia & Claire Everett, Janice’s cousins
Through Living Stone Productions, we sponsored many Christian concerts including the Randy Stonehill Band at St Andrew’s Wesley
One of the wonderful fruits of the sometimes painful time at St Philip’s Dunbar was the birth of our first son James. What a joy he has been to us. We are so grateful for the gift of our three sons James, Mark and Andrew. They are irreplaceable gifts from God. I was age 26 at the birth of my first son.
Fatherhood is an amazing gift…
Lord, I give you my dear son. May he live for you all the days of his life.
God the Father loves us more than we even love our own children.
Grandma Olive , holding our first son James, was a very loving lady. She poured into our family in so many ways. We are immeasurably healthier because of her. I always loved to visit her and Grandpa Hird in Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast.
Grandpa Vic Hird had a deep love for children. It brought out the best in him. He had a soft spot for James who was key in Grandpa coming back to faith in Jesus Christ. When James was about two to three years old, he danced before Grandpa Vic, as Grandpa Vic cathartically sang ‘Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.’
One of our favorite places to vacation for the Hird family has been Penticton in the Okanagan. My parents even bought property there at one point, thinking of retiring in Peachland. When our eldest son James was born in 1981, we vacationed that summer in Penticton. Holding James, I was about to go off on the motor bike. Being a wise parent, I gave my son back to my wife Janice, before heading off. 😉
Every one loved our new son James. My in-laws Rev David and Vera Cline had a particular heart for James. David and Vera at that time were leading Brighouse United Church in Richmond, a booming evangelical congregation before the tragedy that happened to their former denomination.
Nana Allen dearly loved her new great-grandson James. Sadly Nana was to pass away the next year in 1982. We still miss her, but rejoice that she is with Jesus. Her godly example has been a great inspiration to us.
When my specialists advised me to step down from St Philip’s on Oct 1st 1981, my late father and mother rallied around us, being a great support. They were always very fond of our son James. Family is such a wonderful gift that we don’t always fully appreciate.
James as always is full of life and vitality. You can see why over thirty years later James does so well at floor hockey, and is such a strong Canucks fan. Go Canucks Go!!
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 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.
I have twice had the privilege of having one of my sons in the “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” musical. My middle son Mark, as part of a North Vancouver Choir, was in the Livent Production at the Ford Theatre in downtown Vancouver. My youngest son Andrew played Zebulun in a Joseph production at the Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. I want to commend all the young people (and not so young) in ‘Joseph’ for the excellent job that they did, pouring their hearts and souls into a high-quality performance. It was exciting to see my son Andrew shine with life and vitality as he experienced the joy of working together on a high-quality community theatre team.
‘Joseph’ is one of those musicals that never seems to wear out, probably because of its theme of biblical proportions! It was so much fun! Perhaps the most colorful musical ever! I especially loved that amazing coat: it was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and all those other 57 amazing colours.
The Joseph musical variety was remarkable: country (One More Angel in Heaven), French-bistro (Those Canaan Days), Disco-rock (Go, Go, Go Joseph), Calypso (Benjamin), and even Elvis (Song of the King). Weeks later, these catchy songs kept running through my head when I was waking up or going to sleep.
The Joseph musical began in 1968 as a 20-minute “pop cantata” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for a school Easter concert in the UK. Derek Jewell, then the jazz and pop critic for the SUNDAY TIMES, unexpectedly gave the Joseph Musical national exposure when he wrote: “Throughout its twenty-minute duration it bristles with wonderfully singable tunes. It entertains. It communicates instantly, as all good pop should. And it is a considerable piece of barrier-breaking by its creators.”
Tim Rice’s favorite Bible story had long been Joseph and his coat of many colors. Speaking of the Genesis 39 Joseph story, Tim Rice commented: “This great tale has everything — plausible, sympathetic characters, a flawed hero, and redeemed villains … It is a story of triumph against the odds, of love and hate, of forgiveness and optimism. As with all great stories, the teller has no need to spell out the messages if he tells the tale well…”
Five years later, Joseph was expanded to 40 minutes in London, and then to 90 minutes in New York. After Andrew Lloyd Webber’s huge success with Jesus Christ Superstar, his Joseph musical finally hit Broadway in 1982, where it became one of the most enduring and endearing shows of all time.
With tens of millions of people having seen Joseph worldwide, the Joseph musical now has a place in The Guinness Book of Records for the world’s longest running touring musical.
As well as twelve different professional casts in its thirty-one year history, Joseph has been performed in 15,000 schools or local theatres, involving over 500,000 performers of all ages. Nowadays there are nearly 500 school or amateur productions each year in the UK, and over 750 in the US & Canada.
The song that touched me the deepest in Joseph was “Close Every Door To Me”. Joseph poignantly sings: “Close every door to me, Keep those I love from me. Children of Israel are never alone, for I know I shall find my own peace of mind, for I have been promised a land of my own.” This song both faced the depths of Joseph’s despair in prison, and yet clung steadfastly to God’s promises of hope. Joseph never gave up on his dreams, and neither should we.
Even after betrayal again and again by his brothers and others, Joseph saw the big picture, and at the end extended forgiveness to his jealous brothers. “You meant it for evil”, he said to them, “but God meant it for good.” All things really do work for good for those who love the Lord. May you, like Joseph, discover His goodness today.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin
-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.