As a teenager, I first began skiing in the North Shore Mountains. Mountaintop views from Seymour, Grouse, and Cypress are often stunning. Mountains cause us to realize that the world is so much bigger than our compartmentalized life. They are a way to get away, to recover perspective, to remember who we are in the frantic busyness of North Shore life.
While I loved skiing the North Shore Mountains as a teenager, I still felt an inner emptiness. Something was missing that I could not put a finger on. I had no idea that I was on a spiritual journey. At age 17, in the final months of Grade 12, I had a mountaintop spiritual experience where I met God and within a week felt called to ordained ministry. My maternal grandmother and mother, who were more discerning than me, both knew already that I would end up as an Anglican priest. My plan had been to be an electrical engineer like my father. Instead I became a social worker before becoming a priest. As of this May, I will have been ordained now for thirty-two years.
I love the Anglican way, even with its challenges. I also deeply love the wider Church, with its rich interdenominational flavours. It is good to appreciate the strengths of one denomination, without being narrow or rigid about it. Anglicans do not have the corner on biblical truth, but we do have a contribution to make in the wider picture.
In January this year, I had the privilege of having a one-month mountaintop sabbatical. As I had done eight years ago, I went to a small cabin on top of Mount Sumas where I had the opportunity to spend time in solitude with God. Many people in the bible went to mountains when they wanted to deepen their walk with the Lord. Moses is one of the most famous examples. The Good Book tells us in Exodus 19:20 that “the LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up.” Moses spent forty days and nights with God face to face, coming down with the Ten Commandments. Mountaintops were also one of Jesus’ favorite places to pray (Mark 6:46)
While on Mount Sumas, I journaled on my IPhone what I was hearing from the Lord. While none of these impressions were ‘written in stone’, I sensed God speaking to me many times during that month. God reminded me many times that I am his adopted son, that I am loved and accepted. A prayer sabbatical is a wonderful way to slow down and just listen to the still small voice. God showed me that I don’t need to rush ahead of him, that he is in charge, and I need to surrender afresh to his will and purposes. While on Mount Sumas, God was renewing and refreshing my heart. Many times he reminded me of that original mountain top experience that I had with him in Grade 12.
My prayer for those reading this article is that we may be reminded that he is humble and gentle in heart, and that he loves to give rest to our souls when they are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28-30).
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.
Bill Good is undeniably one of the most, if not the most, popular Radio Talk Show hosts in BC. I was privileged to be interviewed by Bill Good on CKNW*, and to find out what makes Bill tick. What I have discovered is that one of the reasons Bill Good has a weekly listening audience of 256,000 people is that he listens deeply and very respectfully.
While waiting to be interviewed by Bill on the issue of Marriage and the Federal Government, I heard him passionately and extensively expound on the tragic demise of NHL Hockey.
When my turn came, I said the following to Bill: “I believe that Canada has two main core institutions. One of those is hockey and the other one is marriage. Hockey is in serious trouble. Why dismantle our second core institution?”
Bill Good responded by saying: “ Now I am a serious hockey fan, but aren’t you minimizing the importance or the significance of this issue when you relate marriage to hockey?”
To which I responded: “Not if you talk to my sons. Quite frankly they are passionate. There is a passion about hockey that is greater than most people’s passion for marriage. I am committed to marriage. Quite frankly our nation has lost the meaning and theology of marriage. And the look-alike substitutions are crippling it.”
We chatted all over the map after that. But I was eventually given an opportunity to talk about how Jesus affirmed the historic Jewish view of marriage. Jesus, quoting from Genesis Chapter 2, said: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife and the two will become one flesh” Jesus then added his own insight by saying in Matthew 19:6: “What God has joined together, let no one put asunder.”
I then said to Bill Good: “I used to think that marriage was just a piece of paper. I was very secular. I skied on Sunday (mornings) on Mount Seymour.”
Bill Good’s openness and inquisitiveness was so remarkable that I am including a portion of the actual transcript in this article:
Bill Good: So you found religion?
Ed: Yes, I met Jesus on a personal basis, and when I met him, I started to read the Bible. I had never read the bible before because I was a good Anglican.
Bill Good: How did you meet him? Were you skiing?
Ed: I met him through High School. I had friends who were happier than I was. They had joy, and I said to them: “Why are you smiling?” They said: “Come watch a movie, and I realized that a relationship with Jesus Christ could fill me up. So I took that chance and it made all the difference.
Bill Good: Does that mean that you are born again?
Ed Hird: Well, I was asked that question by (the TV Host) Laurier Lapierre: “Was I born again?” And I said: “What does that mean?” It means that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s the new birth. It means that you’ve gone from death to life. It means that you have said ‘yes’ to Jesus. Yes, I’m born again. It’s called the new birth. It’s a negative(…)People think it’s an American term.
Bill Good: No, I don’t. I don’t think that it’s a negative term. And I’ve known other people who claim to be born again. So I’m curious about what that process is, what it means. I’m not negative about it. I’m curious.
Ed: Well, all it means is you’re turning, as we say in baptism: turning from sin, from self-centeredness and turning to Christ, and making him your Lord. You’re basically opening your heart. He’s knocking at the door and you’re opening your heart.
Looking back on the interview, I am most grateful for the openness of Bill Good to allow me to share with his listening audience what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He could have cut me off at any moment, and switched the subject. My prayer for those reading this article is that all of us may show that same quality of deep listening and respect to one another particularly as we struggle with vital issues like hockey, marriage, and the new birth.
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
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.
I love sunny Deep Cove days! One sunny day in Deep Cove is worth a hundred rainy ones. The brilliant green trees, the sun on the water, the sense of being at home, all beckon us back to Deep Cove again and again. Within five minutes in either direction, there is an abundance of beaches, mountains, forests, and parks. There is something about Deep Cove that allows one to feel totally freed from the stress of urban madness, while only being just across the bridge from Vancouver, the third largest city in Canada. Described by one California mountain biker as the ‘sleepy sea side village of Deep Cove’, it was birthed in the early 20th century as a summer vacation resort, only accessible by water. Despite easy road access, the Cove still carries that ‘genetic code’ of ‘letting go of one’s work-a-day world’. Unlike many suburbs, Deep Cove has such a deep sense of roots that it even has a thriving Deep Cove Heritage Society , a Deep Cove Cultural Centre, two Deep Cove history books, and even our well-known annual Deep Cove Daze.
There is something about the Cove that calls forth the artist, the painter, and poet deep within us. Michael Hayward, an SFU Computer expert and Deep Cove resident, reminds us in his striking Quicktime VR Panorama of Deep Cove of the fascination that so many of us experience in the midst of such beauty and peace.
Maurice Jasaak in his beautiful photographic website of Deep Cove comments that “Deep Cove is as much a concept as it is a location.” “There is no community in the lower Mainland”, says Jasaak, ” with more of a mystique. Deep Cove is that place that seems forever shrouded in clouds and mists, getting the highest rainfall totals in the region. It is where two bodies of water meet, Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm. It has more recreational opportunities within reach than most other communities. Residents are very possessive of this image. All things considered it is one of my favourite destinations when getting away for a short while is the goal.”
At the visual heart of Deep Cove is the striking Deep Cove Yacht Club which has been in existence since July 31st 1936. During World War II, the clubhouse was requisitioned as an elementary school and it also served as a meeting place for the local Red Cross and Air Raid Precaution organizations. During its early years, the clubhouse was the focal point for most of the Cove’s social and recreational activities and present Cultural Centre.
Deep Cove is the starting point for hikes along the Baden-Powell Trail that cross the North Shore to Horseshoe Bay, as well as canoe and kayak excursions on Indian Arm. Its waterfront location, only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, makes the Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre defined. a favorite departure spot for people wishing to enjoy the relatively still waters of the Indian Arm. Everything about Deep Cove is laid back and yet pushing the boundaries.
As I wrote in the Deep Cove Crier 19 years ago, “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.” I have been privileged to baptize two groups of people at Panorama Park in Deep Cove. What a beautiful place to worship God. How the heavens declare the glory of God at Deep Cove. (Psalm 19). I thank you, Father, for ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ in this irreplacable setting.
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.
While I loved skiing the North Shore Mountains as a teenager, I still felt an inner emptiness. Something was missing that I could not put a finger on. I had no idea that I was on a spiritual journey. At age 17, in the final months of Grade 12, I had a mountaintop spiritual experience where I met God and within a week felt called to ordained ministry. My maternal grandmother and mother, who were more discerning than me, both knew already that I would end up as an Anglican priest. My plan had been to be an electrical engineer like my father. Instead I became a social worker before becoming a priest. As of this May, I will have been ordained now for thirty-two years.
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 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 