As a former personal trainer and health enthusiast, I believe that prayer and Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body. Rev. Ed Hird shows how we can embrace this holistically healthy life through the verse-by-verse commentary of the book of Titus. He opens up Paul’s letter and takes us on an interesting journey of discovery combined with history lessons. I recommend this book as an instruction manual for the next generation of healthy leaders.
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.
When the weather is warm and sunny, I love to swim outdoors. As a teenager, I was involved three days a week with the YMCA Flying Sharks, a junior life-saving team. My late uncle Don Allen was a career Navy deep sea diver, sometimes finding lost Caribbean treasure. When I first tried learning to swim at the UBC outdoor pool, it was so cold that I felt frozen stiff. It was only when I went to the warm Okanagan Lake that my swimming breakthrough came. I know that summer is coming to a close when outdoor swimming comes to an end.
During the summer, most gyms and weight rooms are missing many regular participants. September is the ‘Back to the Gym’ time, ‘Back to School’ time, ‘Back to Church’ time. September is the time when our life rhythms reconnect. We all need times away, times of refreshing, time of letting go. We also need times of reconnecting, of gathering, of pressing in. Sometimes in the summer, we can relax and feast too much. Back to the Gym helps us refocus, restart and recalibrate our lives.
My wife Janice encouraged me to start going to the gym in 1999 after I was a passenger in a rear-end car accident. I naively thought that I would become physically fit and healthy almost overnight. Instead restoring my health has been a gradual process. When I have striven and pushed too hard, the result has been injury and setback. God has been teaching me that I need to be more patient with myself and my weight room renewal. There is no quick fix. My exercise plans often suffer from good intentions. So many weight room friends start with the best intentions, but give in to frustration and disappointment. It takes too long to become healthy! Before you know it, they disappear and slip back into their old patterns of inactivity.
My encouragement this September for those reading this article is to not give up when you go back to the gym. Your health is worth it. Your life is worth it. You are worth it. By your regularly working out, you will see gradual benefits that initially elude you. Anything worth doing is worth fighting for. Your health matters, not only to yourself, but to your spouse, your children, and your friends. When you invest in your health, you open doors to your future. When you invest in your health, your knees will thank you, your back will thank you, your neck will thank you. Excessive sitting is one of the greatest curses of our post-modern culture. What will it take this September to get back to the gym? What is holding us back in doing the right thing? Why are we often our own worst enemies when it comes to our health? Overeating, oversitting, and overdrinking are too often eating us alive.
God wants us to be healthy in body, mind and spirit. He wants us to be physically fit, emotionally fit and spiritually fit. Worship is meant to be a stretching experience where we encounter God with our whole person, all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Why am I passionate about both worship and calisthenics? Because both are about being healthy, both are about making a difference, both are about investing in one’s future. I invite you to go back to the gym, for physical, emotional and spiritual renewal. Make an investment that will pay lasting dividends. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.
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.
It was such a privilege to spend this extended time in Kigeme. In the last two days, we had a personal visit with Bishop Augustin, had another two music workshops, and met with Pastor Assiel from All Saints Kikongoro.
It was a privilege to spend time with Bishop Augustin Mvunabandi, hearing about all the good things that God is doing in the Kigeme diocese.
Click to hear a greeting to Canada from Bishop Augustin.
We met again with the leaders who displayed the gifts from Canada which had been carried with our six suitcases.
A Rwandan mom with two new twins.
From Canada to Rwanda, blessing the Rwanda mums in practical gifts.
Esther with the new twins.
Janice with the healthy twins.
Meeting with the people involved with the Kigeme Cathedral guesthouse.
Meeting with Pastor Assiel of Kikongoro at the Kigeme Cathedral area. Click to view a Greeting to Canada and sharing about Kikongoro from Pastor Assiel. He ultimately became the current Bishop of Kigeme.
One of Janice’s final music workshops at the Kigeme Cathedral
The Rwandans were very eager to learn, especially in learning English language music.
Janice with a young Rwandan child.
Older and younger sister at the music practice.
The Joy of the Lord is my strength.
The participants in Janice’s music workshop. Click to see a video of the Music workshop.
We told people about the Christian Ashram movement in BC, North America and around the world.
This young man still kept a photo of our 1st Rwandan Mission trip from six years ago.
The final Music Workshop with Janice at the Kigeme Cathedral, using the new guitar. Click to view a video of this workshop.
Meeting with a Bible Study Group at the Cathedral, and teaching on Titus Chapter 2.
The Kigeme Cathedral Guesthouse where we stayed.
The Kigeme Cathedral Guesthouse with the traditional mosquito net.
We were well taken care of daily, with healthy meals.
Esther, the late Pastor Paul, and Janice.
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.
After a night’s sleep, Janice and I continued our explorations of the Kigeme area with the most helpful assistance of the late Pastor Paul, Dean of the Kigeme Anglican Cathedral.
The beauty of Rwanda’s hills is truly breath-taking.
Through the late Pastor Paul, we led a Marriage Preparation session for four couples about to be married at the Kigeme Cathedral.
Pastor Francis is one of the Anglican clergy serving in the Kigeme diocese.
We were fortunate to be there the same time as the team from Christ the Redeemer Pender Harbour, led by the Rev Caroline Spence.
We were privileged to be hosted by the Bishop’s wife Virginia and her family.
Rev Jean Chrysostom and his family.
A music workshop led by Janice in Kigeme Cathedral
The Pender Harbour mission team
Janice Hird at the Kigeme Anglican High School
The Kigeme children did not need much to enjoy themselves.
Lush and tropical wherever you look, with two harvesting seasons each year.
An outdoor Bible Study held on the Kigeme Cathedral grounds.
Some of the newer diocesan outreach facilities.
The Kigeme Diocesan offices.
Being welcomed for tea by Virginia, the Bishop’s wife.
Previous Rwandan bishops
The hospitality of the Bishop’s wife was most appreciated.
The Bishop’s family with Janice
Janice really appreciated the welcome that we received.
The gracious hospitality of the Rwandan Anglicans in Kigeme was a real blessing.
Greetings from Kigeme to Canada
14,000 kilometres to meet these dear people.
The door was wide open to our ministry among the Kigeme Anglicans.
High School education means a lot to the Kigeme Anglicans.
Many people in Kigeme are very gifted at carrying goods on their heads.
Walking up to the Kigeme Anglican High School.
Welcome to the Kigeme Anglican High School
We were given a tour by the Chemistry teacher.
It was starting to become darker quickly as we toured the High School.
A sign encouraging the High School students to wait until marriage.
Day is done, gone the sun, as we finish our tour of the Kigeme Anglican High School.
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.
Bishop Charles Dorrington, Keynote Speaker for the BC Christian Ashram retreat. Both +Charles and his wife Claudia returned for our 39th annual BC Christian Ashram retreat on July 27th to 30th 2012 to share on ‘Moving in Freedom’.
Claudia Dorrington who co-taught with her husband +Charles on the theme of ‘Healing the Whole Person’.
The Rev Josh Wilton of the Table Church, Victoria BC who served as our Bible Teacher on ‘The Life of Jesus’.
Group shot of the BC Christian Ashram retreat
Many delicious meals at Summit Pacific Park from Terry and the kitchen team.
The Christian Ashram youth preparing to do a skit at the Talent Show
Humorous and insightful scenes from the life of King David skit by our youth group
A younger David seeking to placate a grumpy older King Saul
How would you, David, like to marry my daughter Michal?
James Hird sharing his latest song that he wrote at the BC Christian Ashram
The BC Christian Ashram Choir led by Frank Mierau at the Talent Show
Enjoying the talented people at the BC Christian Ashram Talent Show
Frank Mierau leading the BC Christian Ashram Choir
The BC Christian Ashram Choir at the annual Talent Show
Daily Devotional time at 7am each morning focusing on 1 Corinthians 1-3
Rev Josh Wilton gave three excellent Bible studies during the BC Christian Ashram retreat.
The Christian Ashram always wraps up with the session of the Overflowing Heart where people give thanks for what they have received from Jesus during the weekend.
We sit in a circle to wrap up the BC Christian Ashram weekend
Thanks be to God for an amazing weekend! Jesus is Lord!
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.
-an excerpt from my book ‘Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit’, a sequel to ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’.
Have you ever been stuck at a key transition-point in your life?[i] I have. Being stuck sometimes feels very painful. At other times I’m oblivious to it. A key turning point for me was when as National Chair for Anglican Renewal Ministries, I attended the 1998 ARM/SOMA Pre-Lambeth Leadership Conference at Canterbury’s University of Kent. Walking into a seminar, God ‘whispered’ to me that I would be receiving a message. The Rev Freda Meadows, who ministers with the International New Wine Director Rev Bruce Collins, suddenly called me out of the crowd and said:
You don’t need to run in keeping up with others. Enter into God’s rest. Keep your eye on the finishing line (which is Him). You will be moving into new things…word of knowledge… You will be gifted in this area…You are in an apprenticeship time at present. You will disciple others. You are a man of God’s Word, things of the Kingdom. You are a person of vision…a visionary…long-range. God is going to put you in a key place and you will find yourself training and discipling others.
Ten years later, the Rev Freda gave further insight into the 1998 Canterbury prophecy, saying:
…the underlying thrust was to trust God for the outcome of the plans He had in using you and that while you were to do all that was necessary, it was not for you to try and make anything happen but to follow the Lord’s leading using the gifts and skills He gave in the best way you knew and through what you had learned as your experience grew.
I had no idea how powerfully God was going to use the 1998 ARM/SOMA Pre-Lambeth Leadership Conference. Most of us as Anglican Westerners were still stuck in the ‘inside strategy’ mindset. Being conflict-avoiders, we were going to ‘fix’ the North American Anglican churches while still inside the old institution. Institutionalism is a mental virus that can slip inside the mind of even the most sincere believer, turning us toxic. We Canadian Anglicans were still quite ‘gung-ho’, but the American Anglicans/Episcopalians at the Canterbury Leadership Conference were unusually quiet. They lacked their usual American ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude. When Americans go quiet, you can tell that something is up.
At the official Canadian night, Bishop Eddie Marsh of Central Newfoundland invited the Americans to come up and share. I will never forget how Bishop Alex Dickson and Dr. (now Bishop) John Rodgers stood up and repented to our African colleagues for the shame that the USA has brought on the Anglican Church, and for Bishop John Spong’s castigating of African Anglicans as just one step out of animism and witchcraft:[ii]
“(Bishop Spong) has insulted you. We are ashamed for him; we are ashamed for ourselves. We ask your forgiveness and we assure you that he does not speak for us.”[iii]
Hundreds of African bishops and clergy spontaneously flocked forward and hugged the Americans, weeping and declaring God’s forgiveness. Todd Wetzel of Anglicans United said that ‘this was one of the American Church’s finest moments in decades.’ This prophetic action of repentance and forgiveness, I believe, was the birth of the Global South Anglican movement.[iv] Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini and Moses Tay were the first Global South Primates to publicly adopt North American Anglicans into their Provinces through the Anglican Mission in the Americas. God used that 1998 pre-Lambeth Leadership conference to help Anglicans to become unstuck.
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.
Being on the board of Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada was a wonderful and sometimes very painful experience. As Board Chair, God gave me the opportunity to move ARM Canada in the direction of reconciliation with other Anglican movements, resulting in the birthing of the Essentials movement in 1994. The Essentials movement did not accomplish all that we dreamed, but it was a key stepping stone to our realigning with the faithful Global South Anglicans. Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada, as a founding partner of the Anglican Essentials movement, helped birth the Montreal Declaration of Anglican Essentials which we affirm in the Anglican Mission in Canada.
While on the ARM Canada board, I worked with high-quality faithful Anglicans from across Canada. My Vice-Chair was Emmie Marsh, the wife of Bishop Eddie Marsh of Central Newfoundland. They invited me to do a ten-day mission to their diocese in 1996 in which I did a retreat at Grand Banks with 60 ACW presidents on the beatitudes, followed by a Renewal Mission at Gambo. Rev John Torley was the Rector of St Luke’s Calgary, before planting Holy Trinity Church in a shopping mall. He led one of our early Renewal Missions and had a tremendous sense of humour. My first exposure to John Torley+ was when he led a Renewal Mission at St Matthew’s Abbotsford where I served in the mid- 1980s.
Our ARM Board met several times a year in what we called the Golden Triangle, either in Ottawa, Montreal or Toronto. We often met in Retreat Centres, and would always celebrate the Eucharist together. It was wonderful to worship with such Spirit-filled, Jesus-honouring brothers and sisters. We had no idea that the storm clouds were coming in. I remember when I celebrated the Eucharist using the Book of Common Prayer, something that was almost unthinkable in those days for charismatic Anglicans. Why not, I asked, have a Spirit-filled BCP Eucharist?
My entrance into the Anglican Renewal Ministries Board came through my involvement as the Publicity Co-ordinator for the 1990 ARM Canada Renewal Conference at UBC with Bishop Moses and Cynthia Tay ( & Rev. Gerald Khoo). They spoke in eighteen cities across Canada reaching many thousands of people. We had 450 registered for the UBC Conference, with 800 people to the final Renewal Eucharist.
In 1991, our Anglican Renewal Ministries leaders from Canada went to the ARM/SOMA Conference in Canterbury and Brighton, England. My wife Janice was sitting next to Susan Rivers of St Andrew’s Delta at the 1991 Renewal Conference. Susan was the person who recruited me to the national Anglican Renewal Ministries Board.
As part of our international involvement in Anglican Renewal, many of us from Canada went to the 1998 Pre-Lambeth Leadership Conference at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Our family was blessed while in London to be hosted for a week by our good friend the Rev Dr. Jim Dainty, a fellow Anglican priest with a heart for spiritual renewal. We only knew Jim+ by email before we visited England. He has since come to visit our congregation in North Vancouver, and we skype together.
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.
As Publicity Director for the Vancouver March for Jesus, St Simon’s NV was very involved in the MFJ, with a peak of 18,000 peak marching through the streets of Vancouver.
At the heart of the St Simon’s NV vision is worship: Praising, Serving, Sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
John Leeburn on drums, Frank Dorst, Janice and Ed Hird. Janice as a professional musician from the UBC School of Music was our Music Director at St. Simon’s NV. She has raised up many choirs and worship bands over the years, helping people to go from good to great.
Every Christmas we have a special Christmas Communion at Kiwanis Care Centre, and going carolling through the complex with our St Simon’s NV Choir. We visited Kiwanis for 13 years every 4th Wednesday, giving them Holy Communion. John Leeburn was my first assistant. Marina Ireland helped bring people by wheelchair to the service.
A picture taken of myself in 2001 while on a graduation boat expedition with BCCA School where my three sons attended.
After seven years in the Public School system, we switched to Christian School, and involved our sons in a wonderful Drama program at BCCA, led by Mrs. Birth. Two of our sons Mark and Andrew played the role of Tevye and Lazar Wolf in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.
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.
Rev Dr Murray and Diana Henderson (then of St Aidan’s Church in Winnipeg) led our 1995 Renewal Mission on the theme of Spiritual Warfare. Diana was very involvement in the Crisis Pregnancy Centre ministries.
Bishop Malcolm Harding speaking at Renewal Mission 2003. Between us is Archbishop Gregory Venables, the retired Primate of the Southern Cone visiting St. Simon’s NV.
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.
Each Father’s Day we remember and give thanks for the fathers that have impacted our lives. Pastor Bob Birch is one of those fathers that has made me a stronger person, a more prayerful person, and a more hopeful person.
I still vividly remember Bob Birch in his mid-eighties leading a Good Friday Cross Walk procession down Lonsdale, carrying a huge cross on his shoulders. I had the privilege of interviewing Bob four years ago right before his death. He passed away just three weeks short of his 100th birthday. Perhaps his longevity comes in part from his passion for prayer-walking. Bob loved to prayerfully hike up the North Shore mountains. Fittingly for Pastor Bob’s retirement, he was given a pair of walking boots.
As a father of spiritual renewal throughout BC and Canada, Pastor Bob has raised up many spiritual sons and daughters. In 1966, he went down to hear the Rev Dennis Bennett, an Anglican priest in Seattle, Washington. Pastor Bob was deeply transformed by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He described this new experience of praying in the Spirit as ‘this very sacred gift, of intimate spiritual communion with God’. His life story is loving recounted by Bev Carson in the biography ‘Pastor Bob’.
One of the unexpected consequences of the spiritual encounter was that hundreds of hippies began to be attracted to Pastor Bob at St Margaret’s Church near the PNE. They knew that he could help them in getting off drugs and putting their lives back together. His wife Margaret noted that Bob was ‘kind but firm’ in establishing healthy boundaries. As a result, said Margaret, there are now ‘outstanding young people all over the world, proclaiming the Lord’.
Without healthy father figures, it is easy to default to cynicism and detachment. Bob Birch lived his life in a way that motivated others to strive for excellence. Bob motivated me to seek first God’s Kingdom in every area of my life. Bob showed me that prayer is not an optional extra, but rather is at the heart of a healthy, vibrant life.
Bob was someone who deeply cared. He was willing to get involved even when it was messy or awkward. Healthy fathers are willing to be there in good times and in tough times. Healthy fathers are willing to go the distance when others disappear.
Fatherhood is costly. Fatherhood is time-consuming. Fatherhood is worth it. I thank God for all the fathers who sacrificially make a difference in the lives of their families. I thank God for Pastor Bob Birch who was willing to pay the price of being a father for many. Happy Father’s Day!
-previously published in the Deep Cove Crier/North Shore News and the Light Magazine
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.
enthusiast, I believe that prayer and Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body. Rev. Ed Hird shows how we can embrace this holistically healthy life through the verse-by-verse commentary of the book of Titus. He opens up Paul’s letter and takes us on an interesting journey of discovery combined with history lessons. I recommend this book as an instruction manual for the next generation of healthy leaders.
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.
At the official Canadian night, Bishop Eddie Marsh of Central Newfoundland invited the Americans to come up and share. I will never forget how Bishop Alex Dickson and Dr. (now Bishop) John Rodgers stood up and repented to our African colleagues for the shame that the USA has brought on the Anglican Church, and for Bishop John Spong’s castigating of African Anglicans as just one step out of animism and witchcraft:
As a father of spiritual renewal throughout BC and Canada, Pastor Bob has raised up many spiritual sons and daughters. In 1966, he went down to hear the Rev Dennis Bennett, an Anglican priest in Seattle, Washington. Pastor Bob was deeply transformed by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He described this new experience of praying in the Spirit as ‘this very sacred gift, of intimate spiritual communion with God’. His life story is loving recounted by Bev Carson in the biography 
Edhird's Blog 