King of Hearts on Valentine’s Day
January 8, 2012
By Rev. Ed Hird
The symbol of Valentine’s Day is the red heart, symbolizing love, passion, and affection. Recently I was sent by a good friend Rod Ellis his new book entitled ‘King of Hearts’. Rod comments in the book “Where is our heart?…It is my hope that we discover where our heart is by the true meaning of devotion and know a life filled with passion, power and purpose.”
Until something touches our heart, it has not reached the core of our being. Until the heart is engaged, little will change. As Nicky Gumbel of the Alpha Course puts it, our spouse will not be impressed, if after our being away, we merely shake their hand and say ‘I love you with my head’. Valentine’s Day is about the heart. Spirituality is about connecting the head with the heart, only eight inches away, yet what someone called the greatest distance in the universe.
When learning about the power of the Holy Spirit in the early 1970’s, I got it at a head level very quickly, but was more cautious at the heart level. It was not for another seven years in 1979 that I had a heart-felt encounter with the Holy Spirit. I remember in 1975 going to the Sign of the Fish bookstore on Lonsdale, devouring their books on the Holy Spirit and asking for prayer from the store owners. While touched at a deep level, I still had the brakes on. So I left that bookstore inspired but still stuck.
My Rector Ernie Eldridge became involved in a Renewal Mission/Festival of Faith with the Rev David Watson from York, England. I had no intention of going to it as I feared that they might be ‘swinging from the chandeliers’. Because I respected Ernie, I decided to go once, but to sit in the back of the church where I would be safe. To my surprise, David Watson was very sensible, down-to-earth, and even a little boring. This made me want to come back for the rest of the week. By Friday, I decided to give it another try, and went up for prayer. Not much seemed to happen, but on my way home, I was touched by the Holy Spirit on a deep heart level, and began praising in the Holy Spirit. My hardened heart opened up. My head and heart connected at a profound level.
For the past almost 33 years, I have been on a daily journey with the Holy Spirit. By having a daily time of prayer and bible reading, my intimacy is deepened. Only 10% of church goers have a daily quiet time in our busy, frantic culture. Our Bishop Silas Ng has been writing two online blogs to help people deepen their intimacy with our Lord. http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com
The Good Book says that above all else, we are to guard our hearts, for everything flows from the heart. It also says that our hearts are deceitful. We are amazingly gifted at conning ourselves and believing our own press. That is why King David prayed: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.’ King David was known as a man after God’s heart. I want to be like King David, to have an open heart and an open mind to the Father’s heart of love.
For twenty-five years, St. Simon’s NV has been offering annual Renewal Missions bringing in top Renewal speakers from across North America and around the world. Renewal is about connecting our heart and head, about deepening intimacy with our maker and one another. We are so grateful this past Feb 24th-26th as Rev Dr Bob Grant from South Carolina led us in a journey of heart-felt renewal through the Holy Spirit.
This Valentine’s Day, my prayer is that each of us may come out of hiding and share our heart with God and with those we care for.
Rev. Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the February 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
Photos of our Pearl Harbour tour
April 20, 2011
viewing Hawaiian Government buildings on the way to Pearl Harbour
Statue of the famous Hawaiian King Kamehameha
Another view of King Kamehameha
The only palace in the United States
Our Pearl Harbour tour group stopping at the King's memorial statue
Our tour guide explaining about the historic Hawaiian monarchy
The Punchbowl Cemetery
Pearl Harbour survivors signing the Pearl Harbour memorial book
The massive anchor from the sunken Arizona battleship in Pearl Harbour
Submarine at Pearl Harbour
The Arizona memorial from across the Pearl Harbour bay
USS Oklahoma memorial at Pearl Harbour
Shakespeare's 'Band of Brothers' at the USS Oklahoma memorial
USS Oklahoma memorial
Proceeding towards the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour
USS Missouri Battleship
USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour
USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour
USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour
The site of the signing on USS Missouri that ended World War II
Looking out from the deck of the USS Missouri
The signatures of those leaders present for the end of WWII
The WWII document on USS Missouri
Photo of the signing ceremony on the USS Missouri
up and down the stairs of the USS Missouri
the giving of last rites to a kamikazi pilot whose bomb did not explode when he crashed into the USS Missouri
Greetings from the 'innards' of the USS Missouri
close quarters on the USS Missouri
Leaving the USS Missouri
USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbour
On the USS Arizona memorial
USS Arizona memorial plaque
a closer look at the USS Arizona memorial plaque
Looking at the USS Missouri and USS Arizona sites
Final view of the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour
My 'pirate' look: one of my sunglass lenses popped out leaving USS Arizona
Returning by boat from the USS Arizona site
Greetings from Pearl Harbour
Our Hawaiian Tour Guide at Pearl Harbour
Explaining more about the history of Pearl Harbour
The early radar warning system at Hawaii
My father was an RCAF radar technician during WWII
early radar: my father went on to become an electrical engineer at UBC
From his WWII radar background, my father eventually became the President of Lenkurt Electric
a minature replica of the USS Arizona
A side-view of the USS Arizona minature replica
reflecting on the Pearl Harbour tragedy
A Hawaiian survivor of Pearl Harbour
Doris Miller, the famous African-American sailor who fought back at Pearl Harbour
Giving Thanks for Partners in Hope ministry, Vancouver
March 9, 2011
Here are some pictures from the Shrove Tuesday Volunteer Appreciation dinner for Partners in Hope. PIH’s Executive Director is Elsie Quick, who is one of the missionaries to whom St. Simon’s NV gives partial financial support in our annual budget. PIH focuses on “Offering hope, support and healing, helping people out of harmful circumstances, and walking them through the process of building productive lives.”
Elsie Quick the Executive Director of Partners in Hope, Vancouver
Roger Adams, the President of the Board of Partners in Hope
Elsie Quick leading in worship music at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Elsie Quick sharing about the vision for Partners in Hope's new directions
Rev Barclay Mayo, a PIH Board member who runs a Food Co-op at Mountain Valley Mission, Squamish
Rev Paul Carter, one of the earliest supporters of the Partners in Hope ministry
The Joy of the Lord is our Strength
Richard Campbell of Immanuel Church Vancouver
Rick and Kelly, longterm supporters of Partners in Hope
edhird
