The Joy of Les Miserables
January 22, 2013
By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
People have been raving about the new musical version of Les Miserable which has already had around three hundred million dollars in worldwide box office sales.
Nicky Gumbel calls it a superb film, a triumph of grace over law, good over evil, love over hate. Eric Metaxas said that it is one of the most vivid, most moving examples of God’s goodness and mercy currently playing at a movie theatre near you. I enjoyed the new movie so much that it inspired me to again watch the 1998 version with Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman. Though my wife and I saw the Les Miserables production many years at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this time round seemed to be striking a deeper chord with myself. The original novel, which I now have in eBook version, has been in print for over 150 years. Upton Sinclair calls the novel Les Miserables one of the five greatest novels of the world. With 1500 pages (1900 in French), it is also one of the longest novels ever written.
Many of you already know this delightful story of how an embittered ex-convict named Jean Valjean stole from a bishop who turns the other cheek and challenges Valjean to become a new man. Victor Hugo has the bishop say: “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.” In gratitude, Valjean spends the rest of his life showing amazing grace, love and forgiveness to others. The forgiven forgive. Valjean’s life is based loosely on the life of Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a thriving entrepreneur known for his good works. In 1828, Vidocq, like Valjean, rescued one of his factory workers by lifting a heavy cart on his shoulders.
The tension in the movie between forgiveness and judgment is expressed through the police inspector Javert relentlessly pursuing Valjean. Javert tells Prisoner 24601 (Valjean) that ‘men like you can never change’. Again and again Valjean shocks Javert by forgiving the unforgivable. Valjean offered to Javert the same radical reconciliation and healing that had been given to him. Javert cannot handle forgiveness because he is so fixated on people getting what they deserve. Javert was legalistic and self-righteous. This caused him to persecute the very person whose life had been transformed, the very person who was doing so much good for others. Javert’s compassion is completely lacking. Life becomes no more than following the rules and trusting in one’s own efforts. For Javert, God is an unforgiving moralistic tyrant. For Valjean, God is personal, caring and loving.
Anne Hathaway’s performance as Fantine was spectacular, particularly in her singing of ‘I Dreamed a Dream.’ In 1841, Hugo personally rescued a prostitute from arrest for assault. We grieve with Fantine over the injustice of her losing her job and being forced into prostitution to feed her child Cossette. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times notes that Les Miserables ‘delivers an emotional wallop when it counts. You can walk into the theater as an agnostic, but you may just leave singing with the choir.’
Les Miserables reminds us that anyone can change; anyone can become a new person. We are not fated to be bitter and miserable. We can choose the way of forgiveness and joy. We can choose to be a new creation like Valjean. My prayer for those reading this article is that the movie Les Miserables may inspire each of us to forgive and serve one another as did Valjean.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector, BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas
-an article for the January 2013 Deep Cove Crier
award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Videos from the Doole/Cline Wedding
January 5, 2013
2012 in review
December 30, 2012
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 190,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 3 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!
Breaking the 500,000 barrier
December 26, 2012
I found it ironic that the 500,000 barrier was broken on Christmas Day. Thank you for the 500,000 viewers over the past three years.
Thank God for Rear-view Mirrors
December 18, 2012
By The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird 
Every New Year sends us on a new journey along the Highway of Life. Where do we want to drive? What do we want to see? What do we want to become? My forty years of driving in BC have shown me that I am better off when I check my rear-view mirror. Even though ICBC gives me one of the top categories for safe driving, I had a close call once when I neglected to check the rear-view mirror. Without a rear-view mirror, we are driving partially blind.
I am so grateful this New Year 2013 for all the hard work by Janet Pavlik, Desmond Smith and Eileen Smith in producing the brand-new ‘Echoes Across Seymour’ history book. Without a sense of history, we are driving blind. History makes us a safer driver on the journey of life. History helps us discover where we want to drive, what we want to see, what we want to become. History is our rear-view mirror.
The longer I live, the more that I love the gift of history. History is about story-telling, story-remembering, and story-celebrating. Janet Pavlik and her dedicated team remind us that life has meaning, pattern and flow. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Life feels chaotic and overwhelming. History helps us realize that we are not alone, that there is direction on the journey of life.
The book Echoes Across Seymour took six years to be born. There were many anxious times when it seemed like there might not be a way forward. Congratulations to Janet and team who kept going and never gave up. Janet’s team gave immaculate attention to each subneighbourhood in the Seymour/Deep Cove area. You will want to have your own copy, as it is a great conversation starter. Special thanks are due to Pacific Arbour for making it possible to have the book in colour. The photos make the book a real keepsake.
History is about real people. Literally hundreds of key residents had their stories told and their family history recorded for posterity. Anyone who has lived or worked for any time in the Seymour/Deep Cove area will recognize face after face of gifted dedicated people who have made a lasting difference. It is remarkable how many local residents have given hundreds of hours to serve their community. An example of such unselfish dedication is seen in the Mount Seymour Lions birthed under the leadership of Joe Thornley. We are a stronger and healthier community, thanks to the investing of the Lions in affordable housing for families and seniors. They do indeed live up to their motto: ‘We serve’.
I was very pleased to see the recognition given to Bruce Coney and the Deep Cove Crier, a unique community newspaper that has done so much to bring the Seymour/Deep Cove community closer together. Jesus gave us the famous Golden Rule, that we should do to others as we would have them do to us. I am thankful for so many people illustrated in Echoes Across Seymour who seek to do to others in practical ways. Thank God for the gift of this memorable ‘rear view mirror’, as we drive into a happy New Year 2013.
p.s. The book can be purchased online or directly at
Deep Cove Heritage Society
4360 Gallant Avenue
North Vancouver
British Columbia
V7G 1L2
T: 604 929-5744
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector, BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the January 2013 Deep Cove Crier
award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
The Next Big Thing
December 6, 2012
I have been tagged by Kimberley Payne of Trees of the Book – Learning from God’s Creation
- What is the title of your book?
Battle for the Soul of Canada
- Where did the idea come from for the book?
Seeing the loss of our Judeo-Christian heritage in Canada
-
What genre does your book fall under?
Devotional Commentary, and Canadian history
-
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Canadian history buffs.
- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Raising up the emerging generation of leaders
-
Is your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Independently published.
-
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
2 and ½ years
-
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Similar to the Alpha Course genre of books and to E Stanley Jones’ devotional books.
-
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The vision of Acts 20 where Paul warned that wolves would attack the church even from within.
-
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
History buffs will love this book.
5 recommended authors websites.
Marcia Lee Laycock www.vinemarc.com
Heidi McLaughlin www.heartconnection.ca
Donna Fawcett www.donnafawcett.com
Bill Bonikowsky www.billbonikowsky.com
Paul Beckingham http://walkingtowardshope.blogspot.com
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby: man of steel?
December 3, 2012
By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
The excitement about +Justin Welby’s appointment has been remarkable. Biblical Anglicans around the world have welcomed his appointment with open arms. Perhaps the fact that Bishop Welby has visited Africa sixty times has helped endear the Global South Anglicans who have often felt left out in the cold. It has been said that in the Anglican world, the Africans pray, the Americans pay and the British set the rules. Because of the enormous financial clout of the American Episcopalians, they have openly flaunted the global Anglican standards on biblical marriage. Will Welby have what it takes to bring the errant Episcopalians back into biblical Anglicanism?
John McManus writing for BBC News said, “Justin Welby’s appearance was characterized by one very important quality – his steeliness.” It will take a man of steel to bring North American Anglicans to biblical transformation. Welby has the reputation of being a consummate negotiator, who deeply listens while holding clear principles. Charles Moore of The Telegraph says that Justin Welby can provide the tough love that has been so sadly lacking.
Perhaps Welby’s time as an oil industry executive will prove useful in his bringing order out of the Anglican moral chaos. Perhaps Welby’s involvement in Holy Trinity Brompton with its world-famous Alpha Course will help him birth an Anglican Church that is both vibrant and faithful. Anglican leaders that I trust are telling me that we need to give Welby the benefit of the doubt. My prayer is that Archbishop (designate) Justin Welby will prove to be a spiritual man of steel who can give new hope to the Anglican Communion.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector, BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the Light Magazine
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Love Came Down at Christmas
December 3, 2012
By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
Christmas is about love. It is so easy to be cynical about love, to be hurt by what looks like love, to give up on ever being truly loved. What is love, sang Tina Turner, but a second hand emotion? When we are hurt, our heart can shut down. We can grow cold and jaded, singing with Tina: “Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?” Sometimes in my life, my heart has grown cold. Sometimes I lose my passion. That is when God has broken in and renewed my heart with his love. I remember one time when he literally baptized my heart with love. It seemed like I was walking in an ocean of God’s love and healing. I wish that I could live there daily.
Love means many different things to many people. For some, love is expressed through gift-giving. We can thank the three wise men bringing gifts for the flood of presents given every Christmas. But love is more than just giving people gifts. Love is also about quality time. We live in a frantically busy culture, particularly on the North Shore, where it seems like there is never enough time to do all that we want to do. It is so easy in our task orientation to lose the relational focus. Love stops to listen. Love puts down the newspaper and the cell phone to give true face-to-face time. Love is curious, open and present. Love is willing to change. Love is willing to grow. Love is willing to admit that we are often wrong.
Love chooses to encourage when everyone else is tearing down another person. Love, in the words of 1 Corinthians 13, never gives up on you, always believes in you, always takes a chance on you. Love realizes that sticks and stones do break our bones, that words will hurt and crush us. Love says no to bullying. Love grieves over the tragic loss of Amanda Todd. Love never gives up, never lets go, always speaks blessing. Love adds value. Love cares. Love respects. Love allows you to be yourself.
Love doesn’t just talk the talk. It walks the walk. Love is practical, down-to-earth. Love is a cup of cold water, the gift of a meal, a roof over our head. Love is the washing of another’s feet, the wiping of their brow. Love is meeting people’s needs. Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche Community, said that love doesn’t mean doing extraordinary or heroic things. It means knowing how to do ordinary things with tenderness. The Great Physician said that he came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Love is the way of the cross, the way of suffering, the way of unselfishness.
Love is both a verb and a noun. To say that God is love is true, but it can feel abstract. What if God put love into action by entering our neighbourhood? What if God came down at Christmas? What if Christmas is actually about God embracing us?
This Christmas I invite you to look again at the baby in the manger, the Christ child. Ask yourself if love came down at Christmas. Ask yourself if this love might touch your heart. The greatest is love. May love fill you, your family and your friends to overflowing during this Advent/Christmas season.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector, BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the December 2012 Deep Cove Crier
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Bella: Lightning a Candle
October 20, 2012
By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird 
Many of us are unaware that BC was once a Spanish Territory. Our famous Captain Vancouver, after which our city is named, was sent to the West Coast by the British Government to receive this land from the Spanish. I took one year of Spanish in Grade 10 after finishing Grade 12 French in Grade 9. Languages have always fascinated me, perhaps because I spent two years in Montreal learning French during the time of Expo 67.
Our St. Simon’s NV community has been on many mission trips over the years, especially to Mexico and Rwanda. Our first St. Simon’s NV mission trip was to the Hispanic Anglicans in Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the world. It was a wonderful opportunity to refresh my Spanish, preaching, teaching and even singing on the radio in Spanish. Our Latino Honduran friends were very kind to me as I sought to improve my Spanish diction. I think that they appreciated my making the effort to speak in their heart language.
The largest ethnic minority in North America is the Hispanic-speaking people with over 52 million in the United States, 14 million in California, and almost 5 million in Greater Los Angeles. Fifty percent of all those recently added to the USA population were Hispanic. Many commentators have predicted that the very close American Presidential election (now concluded) will be won on November 6th by whichever way the Hispanic voters lean. (Hindsight comment: It was.)
One of the most delightful movies that crosses the Hispanic/Anglo divide is Bella. My wife and I recently borrowed Bella from the local library, after a good friend recommended we check it out. We were not disappointed with our ‘date night’ movie. This stunning ‘once in a lifetime’ movie left us both in tears. It left me with the conviction that Bella has the potential to do something beautiful in the world. Bella lights a candle in people’s heart.
Bella struggled for visibility until winning the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as a Heartland Film Festival award. Then our North Shore-based LionsGate Films and Roadside Attractions became the distributors. LionsGate Films is part of the reason why with so much film activity, the North Shore is often called Hollywood North.
As the top-rated movie on the New York Times Reader’s Poll, the Wall Street Journal called Bella ‘the fall’s biggest surprise’. With more than $10 million in domestic box office, it became one of that year’s top-ten-grossing independent films, breaking the record for a Latino-themed film in total box office earnings.
Alejandro Monteverde, Bella’s Producer with Metanoia Films, wanted to
produce a movie that showed the real face of Latinos. So often Hispanic people are portrayed in movies in less than flattering ways. We need more culturally sensitive movies like Bella. For Latino people, the kitchen is at the heart of the family.
Everything in Bella was food-related, whether speaking of the key actors who worked in restaurants or the intimate family times where Nina a pregnant non-hispanic waitress is welcomed into their Latino hospitality. Bella reminded me that the Hispanic people have a rich family heritage and deep spirituality that is an important contribution to our North American multicultural mix. In an age where marriages and families are often collapsing, the Latino people have much to teach us about human dignity and making room for everyone.
The gist of the story is that Jose, a famous soccer star, becomes involved in a tragic car accident that ends his career. He lost his passion for life and for soccer. Meeting Nina changes everything for him and for her in a most unexpected way. More than romance, Bella reveals the beauty of sacrificial love. I thank God for Bella’s celebration of family, food, music and life-affirming Judeo-Christian values. You could check this movie out of your local library or view it online. My prayer for those reading this article is that we will daily rediscover the importance of family, kindness and compassion for others in need.
Bella Movie Trailer (click to watch online)
Bella Movie Trailer (en Espanol/Spanish)
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector, BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the November 2012 Deep Cove Crier
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
October Baby a Quiet Hit
September 11, 2012
By The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird
How many of you are October babies or have October baby children? My children’s birthdates are in March, June and November, and I and my wife am born in January and August. So no October babies for us.
This past month the Deep Cove community was privileged to have the first BC showing of the acclaimed film October Baby. We were pleasantly surprised by the great interest shown and wide variety of people who turned up for the first viewing. For those of you who missed the first presentation, we anticipate October Baby being shown again on the North Shore. It has just been released as well in DVD and Blu-Ray edition. You can obtain your own copy online .
October Baby is a surprise hit opening at No. 8 against THE HUNGER GAMES and other big-budget movies, although opening on half as many screens. October Baby ranked No. 3 in per screen average sales. The film earned more than $5.3 million at the box office, appeared on page A-1 of the New York Times and was named among Entertainment Weekly’s “15 Most Impressive Box Office Performances for 2012.” New York Times called October Baby a ‘quiet hit’. Film directors and brothers Jon and Andy Erwin have been amazed at the strong response to their film.
The movie begins with the heroine Hannah hesitantly taking part in her theatrical debut in college. Before her first lines, she collapses. Numerous medical tests all point to one underlying factor: Hannah’s difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to discovering that she was actually adopted with complications for an early traumatic birth.
Hannah is frustrated and baffled that her medical doctor father never told her that she was adopted. This cast Hannah into an identity crisis: “My parents are not my parents. I don’t know who I am. They lied to me. Whom can I trust?”
Hannah goes on a road journey with Jason, her oldest friend. Her dad was not pleased. In the midst of her incredible journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her unknown future, Hannah sees that life can be so much more than what you have planned. I particularly appreciated the way that Rachel Hendrix played the part of Hannah. It was engaging, believable and transformative. My hunch is that Rachel has a great film career ahead of her.
Everytime I have watched October Baby, I found myself weeping. It is an amazing story of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. Hannah was told: “You have the power to forgive, to choose to forgive. Let it go. Hatred is a burden you no longer need to carry. Only in forgiveness can you be free, Hannah…if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.” October Baby is really a love story with a surprising ending. If I tell you any more, I will spoil the story.
My prayer for the those reading this article is that we will all be reminded that life is beautiful.
edhird
