Jackie Robinson: Number 42

By Rev. Ed Hird

My wife and I just returned from seeing the highly-acclaimed baseball movie 42.  When it was finished, no one left, and people began to spontaneously clap.  In the lobby, I met some long-lost friends who told me in great detail how much the movie meant to them.  We were all deeply moved by the costly courage of Jackie Robinson when facing intense hatred.  Robinson was a ground-breaker in both Canada and the United States.  Before playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson played in Canada for the Montreal Royals farm team in 1946.

 

As the first Afro-American to play in Major League Baseball, Robinson faced much prejudice, but turned the other cheek, refusing to retaliate.  Robinson said: “There’s nothing like faith in God to help a fellow who gets booted around once in a while.”  Both Robinson and his Coach Branch Rickey, being committed Christians, knew that loving their enemies was key to a lasting breakthrough in the deeply racist baseball culture.  As Jesus commanded us, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Quoting Giovanni Papini’s book Life of Christ, Rickey called Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek the most stupefying of Jesus’ revolutionary teachings.

 

Rickey, played well by Harrison Ford, unforgettably said: “I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.” At one point, Rickey pulled out hundreds of hate letters which had been sent to him with threatening messages.  It was consistent nightly prayer that kept Rickey and Robinson from succumbing to the relentless animosity they faced.  Rickey was told by a reporter that signing Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers would cause all hell to break loose. He replied, saying that signing Robinson would cause all heaven to rejoice.   Rickey memorably said: “Jackie, we’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owner, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid that many fans may be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I am doing this because you’re a great ballplayer and a fine gentleman.”  Robinson led the Dodgers to their only championship in 1955. Signing Robinson proved to be literally a game-changer for the game of baseball.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. said that Robinson was a legend and a symbol in his own time, that he challenged the dark skies of intolerance and frustration.  King commented: “Back in the days when integration wasn’t fashionable, Robinson understood the trauma and humiliation and the loneliness which comes with being a pilgrim walking the lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom.  He  was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.”  Dr Alveda King, Martin Luther King’s niece, commented that the movie 42  brings an inherent message of courage, compassion and composure that prevailed in the lives of Jackie and Rae Robinson as well as Dodgers Manager Branch Rickey.   Robinson once said: “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me … All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”  This movie reminds us that we all are made in God’s image, we all are people for whom Christ died, and we all are of deep worth in God’s sight.

 

Robinson played in six World Series, was chosen for six consecutive All-Star Games, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949.  He stole home nineteen times, more than any other player since WW2.  In 1962, Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The number 42 is the only jersey number retired by all the Major League baseball teams.  Once a year in April, all the Major League players wear the number 42 in honour of Robinson’s breaking the colour barrier.

 

I thank God for Jackie Robinson’s sacrificial refusal to give in to bitterness and rage. May his example of forgiveness be a shining light to those of us reading this article.

 

A Short Biography on Jackie Robinson (click to watch on YouTube)

 

Rev. Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-an article for the May 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

My Beloved on Valentine’s Day

 by Rev Ed Hird

 

Valentine’s Day’s full title is St. Valentine’s Day, because it was named after two St Valentines. They were both Italian clergy martyred in the 3rd century AD for their Christian faith.  Because of their sacrificial love, it has become one of the most popular annual events celebrated by hundred of millions around the world. It has become a traditional date night where a wise husband remembers to take his wife out for dinner, followed perhaps by a movie or theatre production. (Husbands, please note that such dates are much less expensive than divorce lawyer’s fee; so put Feb 14th in your IPhone or Blackberry). 

 

Nineteen years ago in a Deep Cove Crier article about marriage, I wrote the following words: “Inside the heart of each and every one of us there is a longing to be understood by someone who really cares. When a person is understood, he or she can put up with almost anything in the world.”  After being posted (unbeknown to me) on hundreds of Romance websites, I was approached to write a chapter for the upcoming Canadian anthology “Hot Apple Cider 2’  about this romantic quote.  In Hot Apple Cider 2, I commented that my beloved wife “Janice and I are learning afresh the joy of ordinary pleasures: taking regular time together for peaceful walks, chatting over a cup of tea, listening to each other’s daily experiences, watching a video together, going out for dinner, and even reading together.”

 

Recently I picked up the North Shore News, read Martin Millerchip’s article about Presentation House, and on a whim said to Janice: “Let’s go out on a date night to see Antony Holland’s St Mark’s Gospel.”  Being remarkably adaptable, Janice agreed.  What a wonderful evening. Unplanned, unexpected, and totally memorable.  Happy marriages need to have that sense of adventure, of the unexpected.  Boredom in marriage is the devil’s best tool. 

 

Sadly many husbands stop dating their wives after they marry them.  “What happened to the man I married?”, many wives wonder.  Why was he so attentive before marriage, and now he would rather hang out on the golf course or stay late at work?  Our wives deeply need to be romanced, pursued, won over every week.  That is one reason why the romance novels are a Billionaire dollar industry, because we husbands are not always putting our wives first.  My wife Janice needs to know that she is more important than my work, my hobbies, my writing, my sports.  She needs to be Number One under God in my life.

 

I love to hold my beloved Janice’s hand when we are out on a date.  Sitting there in Presentation House, watching Antony Holland perform St Mark’s Gospel, I often reached out to her and gently squeezed her hand when something was really moving. Many people don’t know that Mark’s Gospel is high drama, and when done by a gifted artist, can bring you to tears.  Antony Holland, at age 91, is literally North America’s oldest leading actor.  If I have half as much energy when I am in my nineties, I will be deeply grateful.  As Martin Millerchip of the North Shore News put it, Holland’s ‘hard to resist, perhaps like Jesus’.  Holland directed plays throughout the Middle East for the WWII Allied forces, and founded Studio 58 at Langara College where my parents attended his plays for many years. (My mother tells me that Studio 58 initially rehearsed its play in our St. Matthias Oakridge church basement.)

 

I first became aware of Antony Holland from watching his phenomenal acting in ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’. No one dances quite like Holland in the final ‘Morrie’ scene. Antony Holland is the quintessential actor. He loves what he does. At age 91, he has just started.  Love is what motivates him. Love of acting and love of people.  In both St Mark’s Gospel and Tuesdays with Morrie, the love of God overflows through Holland.

 

This Valentine’s Day, may I love my wife even more deeply than Holland loves acting and loves his audience.  May my beloved wife know that she means everything to me, that she must never come second, that my heart is still aflame with tenderness for her, thirty-three years after I said ‘I do’. May this gift of tender romance be real and life-changing this Feb 14th for your marriage, for your family, for your community.  

 

Rev Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver 

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

-published in the February 2011 Deep Cove Crier

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 $9.99CDN/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

Golfing Religiously

By Rev Ed Hird

 

A very intense business man went to the local doctor suffering from stress.  His GP said to him: “I have a simple solution for stress.  If you don’t golf, start.  If you do golf, stop.”

 

Our Lead Bishop Chuck Murphy comes from Pawley Island, South Carolina, an area which has dozens of world-class golf courses.  So naturally he loves to tell golf stories.  While in Vancouver BC at an Anglican Celebration of Orthodoxy, he gave us one of his favorites: “Moses, Jesus, and an old man are golfing. Moses steps up to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap . Moses parts the water and chips the ball onto the green.

 

Jesus steps to the tee and hits the ball. It goes sailing over the fairway and lands in the water trap. Jesus walks on the water and chips the ball onto the green.

 

The old man steps up to the tee and hits the ball.  It goes sailing over the fairway and heads for the water trap, a fish jumps up and grabs the ball in its mouth. As the fish is falling back down into the water, an eagle swoops down and grabs the fish in its claws. The eagle flies off over the green, where a lightning bolt shoots from the sky and barely misses it. Startled, the eagle drops the fish When the fish hits the ground, the ball pops out of its mouth and rolls into the hole for a hole-in-one.

 

Jesus then turns to the old man and says “Good shot, Dad!”

 

Our local Seymour/Deep Cove area is a bit of a golf haven, with two golf courses: Seymour Golf & Country Club , Northlands Golf Course and two driving ranges: Takaya Golf Centre and Seymour Creek Golf Centre. 

 

With three active sons in their twenties, I have  had the pleasure of giving them golfing tips.  I have many happy memories of caddying for my father at the UBC Golf Course.  As a teenager, I had a membership at Langara Golf course and used to golf religiously three times a week.  I even golfed in the snow which was quite a feat.  Because my parents had paid for my membership, I remember feeling guilty if I wasn’t golfing enough! 

 

My eldest son, who has worked over seven years at Safeway, wanted to be ready for a Safeway Golf tournament.  After teaching my son everything I knew about golfing, I decided that it was time to go to the Parkgate Library and listen to the pros.  Fortunately the library had dozens of golf books and videos.  There is even a ‘Golf Rules & Etiquette for DUMMIES’ book!  Every book and video had literally hundreds of helpful tips about one’s grip, a proper backswing, a proper stance, getting out of bunkers, and secrets of putting.  From Jack Nicklaus to Arnold Palmer, all of them seemed eager to turn my sons and I into the next golfing superstar.  You may be happy to know that after looking at many videos and books, I have decided not to quit my day-job.  As professional golfers are away on tournaments for well over half the year, my wife would miss me too much.  And then there is that little problem of getting it on the green.

 

One of the most fascinating golf books that I found at the library was The Way of An Eagle by  Robert Darden and PJ Richardson.  It features the stories of more than forty top golfers who shared the secrets of their success on and off the golf course.  Common to all the golfers was a realization that golfing itself was not enough, that there was more to life, and that life could be discovered through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  All of these golfers had found a greater inner peace and serenity that carried them through the ups and downs of intense tournament life.

 

As a teenage golfer, no matter how well I did, it didn’t feel good enough.  I struggled with perfectionism and performance-orientation.  But now like the pro golfers in the Way of the Eagle book, I have found that my identity doesn’t come from how well I do.  It comes from God himself who loves me no matter how well or poorly I play.  God has given me an inner peace through Jesus Christ that nothing can steal away from me.  As I help my sons learn how to golf, I pray that they may carry this message of inner peace with them wherever they go.

 

The Reverend Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-previously published in the 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

A Tough Call Indeed: Letter to the North Shore News

Letter to the Editor

North Shore News

 

Dear Editor,

 

Regarding your June 25th 2010 Editorial “Tough Call’, I would agree that the North Vancouver District Council decision regarding the proposed Seymour Seniors Residence will be a tough call indeed. No matter what they decide, some will be disappointed. It is significant though that speakers at the NVDC Public Hearing supported the Seymour Seniors Residence by a 2-1 ratio.

 

In your editorial, you commented that “Rev. Ed Hird is correct when he suggests an OCP, unlike the Ten Commandments, is not written in stone. A municipality’s vision for its future evolves as it matures, external and statistical factors affecting planning.” Somehow this 10 Commandment/OCP contrast has struck a chord with many, even being re-quoted in your sister newspaper The Delta Optimist.  As the massive population of North Shore babyboomers begins to hit age 65 as of 2012, something needs to change.  Some at District Council argued that the OCP was an unchangeable covenant. Perhaps it’s time for a New Covenant, a fresh beginning that makes room for our valued Seymour seniors. 

 

In your editorial, you stated that “…the excellent services envisioned by Pacific Arbour might justify breaking existing zoning height in Lynn Valley where there are more seniors and more available services…”.  I fully agree with you that Pacific Arbour offers excellent services and is ‘a respected company’.  The demographics of Seymour/Deep Cove where I have served for 23 years clearly show a significant increase of seniors, tripling since the OCP plan. The Seymour seniors love their Seymour community. They don’t want to be forced to relocate to Lynn Valley.  They need and deserve real options in their own backyard, where they can walk to their own Parkgate seniors centre, to the Parkgate Rec Centre, Shopping Centre, Library and other amenities.

 

When Mary and Joseph turned up in Bethlehem, they were told to go away. There is no room in the inn for you.  Fortunately one innkeeper made room for them in a manger.  Let’s not kick our seniors out of Seymour. Let’s tell them that there is room at the inn for Seymour seniors, even when their health changes.

 

As stated by some several very involved citizens, people must come before plans. This is exactly what would occur if the Seymour Seniors Residence was approved by Mayor and Council. A good plan would become a great plan as it allows an much needed amendment. Community leaders see this. Let’s trust that Mayor and Council will reflect this in their upcoming deliberations.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rev. Ed Hird

*Note: The District of North Vancouver Council ended up voting unanimously 7-0 in favour of the Cedarsprings Residence which is now nearing completion.

Letter to the Editor, North Shore News re Seniors Housing

Letter to the Editor

North Shore News

 

It is good that Joseph Bowes is admitting the need for such seniors facilities. Despite the title ‘Parkgate Highrise not about Seniors’, the discussion is in fact all about negotiating for seniors.  Our judeo-christian heritage teaches us to advocate for widows and orphans.  Our senior residents need to hear that they are welcome and wanted at the centre of their Seymour-Deep Cove community.

 

Joseph Bowes’ alternative locations would not meet the needs of our Seymour/Deep Cove seniors.  Because these alternative sites are remote and out of the way, they are not near enough, nor accessible enough. Seymour seniors can’t afford to be tucked away in a corner.  These alternative suggestions are non-starters and perhaps red-herrings.

 

The uniquely flat topography makes 3600 Mount Seymour Parkway ideal for seniors access. Many mature seniors find it more challenging to negotiate stairs. The elevators would give these seniors more access and greater mobility to their own community.

 

Let’s clearly tell the Seymour Seniors that they are both wanted and welcome at the core of their own community.  I hope that our civic leadership will put people ahead of bureaucratic plans.  The Seymour Seniors population has tripled from 515 to 1500+ since the OCD plan was first envisioned. Our Seymour seniors are worth adjusting for.  Seniors deserve better choices as their needs evolve. Independent living is a healthy choice not currently offered in the Seymour community. 

 

I urge others who value the place of seniors to come out and support this application on June 22nd 7pm at North Vancouver District Municipal Hall, 355 West Queens Road.

 

Rev. Ed Hird