Canadian Mindset

http://www.maranathanewspaper.com/home.php
Canadian Mindset
By Johanne Robertson

We're doing ourselves a disservice. We're passing over our own homegrown, God-given talent and prophetic voices, and looking to another country's citizens to educate and entertain our minds, feed our spirits and tell us how to think and feel.

Need proof? Look no further than your local Christian bookstore. There are hundreds of Canadian Christian bookstores in Canada, but the vast majority of the books lining their shelves are not by Canadian Christian authors.

Walk into any Christian bookstore north of the 49th parallel, and you'll see aisle after aisle of books by American writers. Want a book by a well-known, award-winning, Canadian Christian author? Chances are you'll have to order it directly from a supplier, because you probably won't find it stocked in your local Christian bookstore.

It's a deeply-rooted problem. Perhaps those roots begin in the soil of a Canadian identity that's based on a sense of Canadian inferiority; perhaps deep down we still believe all things American are somehow better than all things Canadian. Or maybe it's that David-sized Canadian publishers just don't have the marketing budgets and resources to compete with their Goliath-sized U.S. counterparts. Perhaps we should blame the media, who find it easier to promote the latest, big-name American author or artist with their polished media kits and substantial advertising and public relations budgets, than to support the next potential Canadian bestseller.
But of one thing I am certain: this problem is definitely not the fault of Canadian Christian writers.

Canadian Christian writers are a talented, dedicated and determined bunch. (It's not easy to dissuade people who feel called by God to speak to their nation.) And so, while Canadian readers continue to shell out their money for American books, writers like Keith Clemons, Denyse O'Leary, Margaret Davidson, Marcia Laycock, Angelina Fast Vlaar, Ed Hird, Phil Callaway, Carolyn Arends, NJ Lindquist, Deborah Gyapong, Eric E. Wright, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Paul Boge, Sue Augustine, Paul Beckingham, Donna Carter and Keturah Leonforde continue to pound away at their computer keyboards - expressing with great passion and skill - all they believe God has given them to express. Meanwhile organizations like The Word Guild and InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship continue to cultivate up-and-coming writers, even as they strive to encourage and promote more experienced writers across the country.

It's time Canadian Christian bookstores and the Canadian media upheld their responsibility to ensure Canadian Christian voices are heard across our nation. Readers of books, periodicals and newspapers alike enjoy and benefit from Canadian content - so I urge Canada's Christian booksellers to make it available to them on-shelf, and promote it through in-store and online promotions. Keep comprehensive lists of Canadian authors at hand; church librarians will thank you for them. (Lists and downloadable Readers' Guides are available at http://www.thewordguild.com/ or http://www.inscribe.org/.)

There are signs of hope on the horizon. Mitchell's bookstore plans to host their first ever "Canadian Authors Day" at all eight Mitchell's locations simultaneously on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and an evening book-signing at their Willowdale location, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (For more information visit http://www.maranathanewspaper.com/ Several national ministries are also doing their part to ensure the voices of Canadian authors and artists are heard. I applaud Margaret Gibb, President of Women Alive, for taking such a stand, and purposefully choosing an all-Canadian group of speakers for their Toronto Conference and Expo. Ron Hannah, President of Promise Keepers Canada has also been using Canadian talent to speak to the needs of Canadian men. And Reynold and Kathy Mainse co-hosts of 100 Huntley Street, showcased an all-Canadian roster of musical recording artists at Heaven's Rehearsal in September. Jude Hodgson, Executive Director of MissionFest Toronto has always opened the door of opportunity for Canadian speakers.

God has fired the imaginations and stirred the souls of countless authors, journalists, speakers, recording artists, film and television producers in this country. He's inspired and equipped them with messages for us. They are vibrant, educated, well spoken and committed. They need only the opportunity to be read and heard.

Let's stop doing ourselves a disservice. We have what we need right here in Canada. It's time we were better stewards of the resources God has given us, in our home and native land.


Johanne Robertson is the editor and co-founder of Maranatha News. She can be reached at editor@maranathanewspaper.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

Canadian Christianity Newspaper on Canadian Writers & Bookstores

http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/071026writers
Canada's Christian writers, booksellers face tough times
By Frank Stirk

TORONTO-AREA book publisher Larry Willard sees a possible way out for struggling Christian bookstores that have been hurt by lost sales of popular American titles -- such as the Left Behind series, The Prayer of Jabez and The Purpose-Driven Life -- to retail giants like Costco, Wal-Mart and Indigo.

"I think the focus needs to get off American product," he says. "They should be looking at Canadian product. They have an unique product and that's what they should be trying to put out the door."

Markham, Ontario, novelist N. J. Lindquist (Glitter of Diamonds) goes further. The founder in 2002 of The Word Guild, a support network for about 300 Christian writers, she believes something needs to be done to "get bookstores across Canada that are Christian to actually care that Canadian authors are promoted."

"I find it really, really difficult to get my books into the [Christian] stores," she says. "Frankly, I'm selling more in the U.S. than in Canada, and I find it much easier to get into the mainstream than I do into the Christian stores."

But Kevin Lee, proprietor of Sign of the Fish, a small Christian bookstore in North Vancouver, BC, counters that while he will do what he can to promote local authors, the fact remains his profit-margin depends on him offering the products his customers want.

"I don't feel guilty or overly mercenary in doing that," he says. "It has to be operated as a business . . . as a prudent piece of stewardship. You can 'minister' yourself into the ground operating a bookstore, I think, and that's not going to do anybody any good."

"We do in fact actually sell a really good selection of . . . lesser known authors simply to provide an unique kind of selection," says Margo Smith, co-owner of Hull's, a family-run Christian retailer in Winnipeg. "There's a lot of pressure that's been put on us with the taking away of the cream of the crop."

They may differ on how to resolve the problem, but no one who writes, publishes or retails Christian books in Canada denies that their industry faces some serious challenges.

Of the upwards of 700 Christian bookstores across Canada, over half operate as small or very small businesses. But regardless of size, says Smith, "Sales right now are a challenge for all bookstores. . . . There's just so much competition."

Not only are the high-volume stores siphoning off the most high-profile Christian titles and selling them at discounted prices, more and more people are also buying products online. But Lee, who spent most of his career in marketing before buying Sign of the Fish last year, believes these "seismic shifts" are not unique to the Christian marketplace.

"This industry is undergoing the same changes that the book industry at large is undergoing. . . . Good grief! Indigo alone controls more than 50 per cent of the book trade overall in Canada -- and that's a monster astride the country," he says.

Smaller publishers are also being overshadowed by their more powerful American rivals. "Our sales are down this year a good 30 per cent. It's been terrible," says Willard, who owns Castle Quay Books and Bay Ridge Books, which between them publish about a dozen titles a year.

Some Canadian authors, such as Alberta humorist Phil Callaway (Golfing With the Master) and Vancouver Island pastor Mark Buchanan (The Rest of God), have succeeded in getting U.S. companies to publish them. But most writers are far less fortunate.

"It looks to many people that unless you have an American publisher, you can't get a Canadian distributor, and if you can't get a Canadian distributor, you can't get in the bookstores," says North Vancouver Anglican priest and author Ed Hird (Battle for the Soul of Canada). "So basically you're shut out of the market."

For Hird and others, including Lindquist, their only recourse has been to handle their own publishing and distribution. Since last year, Hird has sold (2,100)copies and has managed to get the book into (over 100) bookstores across Canada. It also won him The Word Guild's award this year for best independently published non-fiction book.

"There's a lot of negativity and timidity in Canadian culture around the area of books, and so . . . a lot of people basically tell you why things won't work," he says. "What I've discovered is that it's not easy, but it can work."

"Ed's an example of an author who maybe is doing what you need to do these days, which is getting out there and marketing your book . . . talking to every last retailer in the country," says Lee. "Locally, he was selling them out of his car."

But it is not an experience Hird would like to repeat. "For my next book, I'd rather have an established publisher who was able to run with a lot of it," he says.

Some opt for so-called vanity publishers, who turn manuscripts into finished books. But Lindquist, who has written nine books, does not recommend it. "You don't have quality control and a lot of things can happen," she says.

Even authors who have landed an American publishing deal caution this does not necessarily guarantee fame and fortune. Montreal writer Marg Buchanan's two books (Famous Jerks of the Bible and Parenting with Purpose) were both published in the U.S. -- breakthroughs that she credits ultimately to the sovereignty of God.

"Your manuscript has to land on the right day with the right person in the right mood. . . . It kind of has to be a slow period for the big names and they're looking for something to talk about," she says.

But despite twice getting accepted, Buchanan adds, "I got lost among the giants. The sales reps are not going to necessarily promote my book if the same house has put out a Max Lucado book that month."

In 2004, Buchanan put her book-writing projects on hold, so she could focus on raising her three children. She now works full-time for a Christian charity.

"If anybody thinks you're going to make money writing books, you need to take a long, quiet nap," says Lindquist. "It's not going to happen. Most people are subsidizing their writing either by working or, in my case, my husband has a good job."

Indicative of the challenges facing this community was the disbanding this spring after 39 years of the Christian Booksellers Association Canada. Faced with a declining membership, its board decided it had neither "the time, energy, finances or will to turn this ship around," chair Lando Klassen wrote in a statement to members.

In its place, Lindquist hopes to see a new national group emerge that embraces everyone involved in creating and selling Christian books.

"We all need to be working together," she says, "because really we're on the same team and we're all trying to do, I hope, the same thing, which is to get the books that need to be read into the hands of the people that need to read them."

Smith sees more than a little irony in their current circumstances. "We got into this believing our products were worthwhile and of value in terms of spiritual development," she says. "And now that they're quite widely available, we're in a tough spot."

But for all the challenges and frustrations they face, neither can they overlook what they have going for them. As Buchanan realized, there can be a downside to signing with a big American publisher.

"You really are a small fish in a big sea, whereas in a smaller publishing house, you can be the big fish even if you're just a beginner, because maybe they only print four or five books a year and they can invest a little bit more time in your title," she says.

For Buchanan, the writing can be its own greatest reward. "I learn a lot by putting pen to paper," she says. "The book that I needed to read to change my own life [was the book] that I wrote. It impacted my life going through that process. And so that was a success."

Hird is thankful for The Word Guild. "They have been so helpful. These guys have been through the ropes," he says. "I have learned so much."

As for the booksellers, Smith believes they need to capitalize on what their secular competitors can never offer-a meeting place for people of kindred spirit.

"We really value service in a much deeper sense than others might," she says. "We are one of the few environments in which people of different backgrounds, different denominations, different churches, actually interact."

Lee too has a soft spot for people who come in with their new self-published book. "Even if it's kind of hokey looking and the cover's kind of sideways and I don't like the font, I'll take some and put them on the shelf-because I've been through this," he says. "I understand the gumption that requires."

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

BC Christian News on the CASJAVA Achievement Award

http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/070927ottawa.html
OttawaWatch: K-John's passion
By Lloyd Mackey
IF THERE is a source of influence for faith-based social conservatives, it could well be found in a law office on West Broadway in Vancouver.

That is where K-John Cheung practices law half of his working day. The other half is spent leading the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association (CASJAFVA).
Cheung is slight, energetic, friendly and clearly in charge. At CASJAFVA's annual fundraiser banquet this past Sunday night (September 23), he told the restive crowd that if they did not stop talking and listen, there would be no food. He was smiling as he spoke, but the slight edge to his voice showed that if the noise continued, he might just lose his patience. And no one who had plunked down $38 for a ticket to this evening was about to risk giving up on this 12-course dinner.

Edna and I had occasion to attend the gala event, which draws around 1,000 each year to Floata, arguably Canada's largest Chinese restaurant. As it happens, the member of parliament for whom she works as administrative assistant, Maurice Vellacott, was this year's guest speaker. (Previous speakers at this event have included veteran Conservative MPs Art Hanger and Jason Kenney, as well as Stephen Harper, when he was opposition leader.)
Vellacott needed some organizational help in Vancouver, thus Edna's reason to be there. And, in turn, she -- out of her own pocket -- found me a reasonably-priced airline ticket, so I could tag along.

As a result, OttawaWatch readers will get a glimpse, this week, at one example of the social virility of many of the Christian-based Chinese communities in Canada.
* * *
CASJAFVA reflects the activist socially-conservative part of the Chinese community in BC.

The group carefully selects a range of issues on which they can become involved. Their annual fundraiser contributes to the costs of research and advocacy, as they take an issue forward.
The Floata event was, as it was supposed to be, fun. After all, not only the Lord, but the leaders of advocacy groups, love cheerful givers. The more cheer, the better the dollars roll in.

But there were three points in the evening when a serious message was being communicated.
The first was what the theme speaker communicated. Vellacott delivered an inspirational, non-controversial homily -- a personal witness, if you like -- about his upbringing, preparation for service and the influences that these factors had on the way in which he functions as a member of parliament. He drew on his parents' influence, his own faith journey, his education (he has an earned doctorate in ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), the growth and development of his own family and his experience both as a pastor and a community health board member in Saskatoon(...)

At the same time, however, he was prepared to recognize the achievements of other groups and encourage them to keep working away at their goals.

The recipients of the CASJAFVA 2007 achievement award were Dr. Vellacott, Tristan Emmanuel (a Christian polemicist who leads Equipping Christians for the Public Square) and Edward Hird, an award-winning author and Anglican priest who has been active in the struggle against the use of same-sex blessings in that communion.
* * *
Lloyd Mackey is a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa and author of Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance (ECW Press, 2006). He can be reached at lmackey@canadianchristianity.com.
September 27/2007

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

Achievement Award for The Battle for the Soul of Canada

Dear Colleagues,

On Sept 23rd Sunday night I received an 'Achievement Award 2007' for my book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada' http://battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com/ and for our ACiC/St. Simon's NV biblical stand from 'The Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association' http://www.canadianalliance.org/pdf/71.pdf .

In receiving the plaque, I was given an opportunity to address the 1,000-strong crowd at the annual CASJFVA Chinese Food dinner in historic Vancouver China town. CASJFVA http://www.canadianalliance.org/ is led by the well-known Christian lawyer, K-John Cheung.

The large percentage of the 80 tables present were Chinese people. The entire evening was bilingual, in both Cantonese and English. Chinese people generally have a very strong commitment to family values and the traditional definition of marriage.

It was a great opportunity to share about the values of the Anglican Coalition in Canada http://www.acicanada.ca/ with our Chinese Canadian community.

Sincerely, Ed Hird+

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

Abbotsford News: Hird's words garner non-fiction award

http://www.abbynews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=38&cat=46&id=1024446&more=0

Hird’s words garner non-fiction award

JOHN MORROW / The Abbotsford News
Rev. Ed Hird won the Word Guild Award for non-fiction in mid-June for his book Battle for the Soul of Canada. The priest began writing in the 1980s, through a spiritual column for The Abbotsford, Sumas and Matsqui News.

By KRISTINE THIESSEN

Abbotsford News
Jul 12 2007

Rev. Ed Hird’s book has a lot to say about Canada’s younger generations: They have developed an anti-marriage culture where they wed later and have difficulty staying married. They lack a vision for the future of Canada. They must not be ashamed of our Christian heritage.

Hird combined his concern with Canadian youth culture, the conviction of his faith, personal stories, and his passion for Canadian history in Battle for the Soul of Canada: Raising Up the Emerging Generation of Leaders.

In mid-June, the book won the Word Guild Award for non-fiction.

Hird says he sees a lot of Canadians struggling from discouragement and insecurity, and hopes his book helps people “grab their future.”

“Particularly, my hope is to encourage the emerging generation of leaders,” he says. “A lot of younger people have felt kind of stuck, and I want to help them move forward.”

In Battle for the Soul of Canada, Hird points to famous historical figures who shaped Canada, such as Captain George Vancouver and Louis Riel, to highlight character traits he hopes will be embodied by Canadian youth.

“May we, too, as Canadian pioneers, discover the passion of Louis Riel for our Savior Jesus Christ,” Hird writes.

He does not shy from serious, controversial issues such as sexual and physical abuse, and strengthening traditional marriages.

Five years ago, the issue of homosexual relationships led the priest to instigate a break-away faction of the Anglican Church, called the Anglican Coalition in Canada.

The ACIC split – or, “moved sideways,” says Hird – from the Anglican diocese of New Westminster when the church sanctioned the blessing of same-sex relationships.

Today, Hird and the ACiC serve under the Archbishop of Rwanda, Emmanuel Kolini.

But for all the passion and conviction involved in directing a break-away faction and writing a novel to inspire youth, Hird is soft-spoken and composed.

The 52-year-old has been a priest for 27 years now, and amid all the personal developments, he has spent the last 16 years preaching and writing on the North Shore.

However, it was in Abbotsford that the beginning of his writing career began, when from 1982 to 1987 he was an assistant priest at St. Matthew’s Church.

At the time, a few pastors and priests took turns writing a spiritual column for The Abbotsford, Sumas and Matsqui News, as The Abbotsford News was then titled.

He recalls one column in which he discussed teen suicide. A teenage girl read his column shortly after a suicide attempt, and reached out to him to talk.

“I had so much response to [the columns],” says Hird.

He continued to write for the Deep Cover Crier and North Shore News, but four years ago he began to seriously toy with the idea of writing a book.

“I went up to Mount Sumas, hung out there, and prayed,” says Hird. “I sought the Lord for direction.”

The book found its niche among others written from a Christian framework, and was recognized on June 13 at the Word Guild, a group of Christian Canadian writers and editors.

“I try to do this instinctively and reflectively,” says Hird. “I’ve been told I have several more books inside of me.”

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

Christian Writers Honoured

http://www.nsnews.com/

http://acicanada.ca/node/169

-an article for the North Shore News ‘Spiritually Speaking’ column

Friday July 13th 2007, p. 50

The Word Guild Writing Awards

Christian Writers Honoured

-BC Entries to contest more than doubled

By the Rev. Ed Hird+

I was recently privileged to attend a black-tie affair at The Word Guild Writing Awards Gala at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. The Awards Gala was hosted by Christine Williams, the producer and host of On The Line on CTS TV; and by Rick Gamble, formerly a reporter at CTV's Kitchener affiliate CKCO, now a communications instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Rudy Wiebe, one of Canada's most famous authors, was awarded the Leslie K. Tarr Award for outstanding career contribution to Christian writing and editing in Canada. Wiebe, 72, of Russian Mennonite heritage, is a twice-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for his novels “The Temptations of Big Bear” and “A Discovery of Strangers”. Wiebe’s latest book Of This Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest (Knopf Canada) recently won the $25,000 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction.

Wiebe admitted that he was surprised to be chosen for the Tarr award because he is better known in the secular market than in Christian circles. "I write realistic stories about people in tough situations who have problems and conflicts that are not easily resolved—not romances where everything ends nicely, " he explained in an interview. "But I think the Christian faith is pretty useless if it can't face the realistic things that happen to us in the world." Wiebe feels called to be a radical Jesus-follower in all that he does and writes. As he read to us in the plenary sessions from his eight novels, his Christ-centered passion for peace and reconciliation came strongly through.

There are now 270 writers with The Word Guild, a national organization of writers and editors who are Christians. I was privileged to join this year in the professional writer category, since the publishing of my new book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’. The Word Guild Awards honoured the most outstanding work published during 2006 in 31 categories of nonfiction books, novels, articles, columns, poems and song lyrics. A total of 53 awards were presented, to both winners (who received cash prizes) and to award of merit recipients, whose marks were close to those of the first-prize winners and who received certificates.

Best-selling Vancouver Island author and pastor Mark Buchanan won the Christian living category for the fourth time with his fourth book, for The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath (Thomas Nelson). The Rev Dr. J. I. Packer of Regent College, Vancouver, received an award of merit for co-authoring Praying: Finding our Way Through Duty to Delight (InterVarsity Press). In the same hotly contested category, medical specialist Dr. Brad Burke of Windsor, Ont., received awards of merit for three books in his series An MD Examines, titled Is God Obsolete?, Does God Still Do Miracles?, and Why Does God Allow Suffering? (Cook).

BC authors have never done better than at the past Award Gala. The number of entries more than doubled in the past three years in The Word Guild contest, which is open to any Canadian citizen or permanent resident who affirms The Apostles' Creed. A total of 231 entries were received. I myself was privileged to win top prize for independently published nonfiction book for Battle for the Soul of Canada: Raising Up the Emerging Generation of Leaders. I am so grateful to the North Shore News for all the encouragement they have given me in getting the word out about this North Shore-based book. I am also most grateful to Kevin Lee of Sign of the Fish bookstore and Indigo North Vancouver for supporting me through their book-signing event. So far I have sold over 1,400 books in around 55 bookstores across Canada.


The Reverend Dr. Ed Hird

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.

Battle Wins National Book Award

http://www.nsnews.com/ by Joanna Habdank, jhabdank@nsnews.com North Shore News 

 On June 13th, Rev. Ed Hird from North Vancouver was recognized in Ontario by his peers for his recent book "Battle for the Soul of Canada". That day he won The Word Guild award for an independently published non-fiction book. The guild is an association of Canadian writers and editors who are Christian. According to Hird, there were 231 applicants for a number of key awards, so naturally he is pleased with this feat. "I really feel privileged and honoured to have been chosen and I'm very thankful to the national organization The Word Guild," says Hird. "I'm also thankful for the people on the North Shore," he adds, explaining that some of those articles and chapters were previously written on the North Shore. Hird has been a regular contributor to the North Shore News' "Spiritually Speaking" section and for a smaller publication (The Deep Cove Crier) distributed in Deep Cove. Currently Hird is Rector at St. Simon's Church North Vancouver, part of the Anglican Coalition in Canada. Ordained in 1980, he's been on the North Shore since 1987, and has at one point served as the National Chairman for the Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada. Hird says he wrote the book because it was simply inside of him and because he was encouraged by friends to put his thoughts in this volume. "The first 5,000 words were quite painful," he recalls. "Then it really started to flow. At one point, about a year and a half ago, I wrote for about 24 hours without stopping." Battle for the Soul of Canada, Raising up the Emerging Generation of Leaders works on several levels, says Hird, explaining that his primary target audience is spiritual seekers. His secondary focus is providing a guide to 'raising up Timothys' or leaders of tomorrow, based on the devotional commentary on letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy in the New Testament. "Drawing on First and Second Timothy in the Bible, I would say they are the most practical leadership manuals ever written in history. I drew on the wisdom of the two books as the framework and model for our generations," says Hird. The passages are intended to guide Generation X and Y on how they can come into their own destiny, potential and purpose, he explains. A third feature is born out of Hird's passion for Canadian history. One of the common themes is looking at people in the Canadian past and looking at them as metaphors for the future, says Hird. He includes the stories of (thirteen) Canadians, such as Louis Riel, Simon Fraser, and Sir Alexander Mackenzie. So far, more than 1,400 copies of the book have been sold, says Hird, and it's now gone into its second printing. He's also been on five national TV programs, and BC Christian News has asked him to write an article about the award-winning writer Rudy Wiebe. He stresses tha the message is directed towards both Anglicans and people of different faith. "Whether people are Christian, Jewish or Muslim, they all believe in what we call Judeo-Christian values, like the Ten Commandments...and I believe that Canada's legal system...and its education and political system were profoundly shaped by interaction with Judeo-Christian values." Therefore, in the book, he looks at people who would symbolize our heritage, and how society can reclaim it in terms of shaping the future, and in giving hope for the future, says Hird. 

 p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book 'Battle for the Soul of Canada', or 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.