The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church (C&MA), was founded by an unsung Canadian visionary, A.B. Simpson. He once said that people “must always dream dreams before they blaze new trails and see visions before they are strong to do exploits.” D.L. Moody said of Simpson, “No man gets at my heart like that man.” Simpson was a man of the heart, even experiencing what he … [Read more...] about A. B. Simpson: A Canadian maverick
Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird
Books by Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird include God's Firestarters; Blue Sky, a novel; and For Better, For Worse: Discovering the keys to a Lasting Relationship. Dr Ed’s newest award-winning book The Elisha Code is co-authored with Rev. David Kitz. Earlier books by Dr. Ed include the award-winning Battle for the Soul of Canada, and Restoring Health: Body, Mind, & Spirit.
The remarkable General William Booth
Everyone nowadays loves the Salvation Army (the Sally Ann), but such admiration was not always universal. Violence and bloodshed was the order of the day when William Booth first reached out to the down-and-out in East London, England. Few people today realize that one of the main purposes of the famous Sally Ann bonnet was to protect the heads of wearers from brickbats and … [Read more...] about The remarkable General William Booth
John Newton from slavery to freedom
A violent storm was the turning point in John Newton’s life. His godly mother had loved him deeply and prayerfully taught him the scriptures. When Newton was just six years old she died and left him motherless. On his 11th birthday he was sent to sea. He soon became a teenage rebel. He was press-ganged into the Navy and flogged for desertion. His captain was not … [Read more...] about John Newton from slavery to freedom
Dr. Livingstone I presume
While recently teaching on marriage in East Africa to tens of thousands, we asked many Africans what they thought about Dr. David Livingstone. It was encouraging to learn how fondly he is remembered in Africa. Some other westerners may have come to exploit, but Livingstone came to bless and set free people free from their chains. Livingstone prayed: “God, send me anywhere, … [Read more...] about Dr. Livingstone I presume
The unforgettable Charles Dickens
Idealistic and Scrooge-like At a recent birthday party, I had the joy of meeting a fellow UBC School of Social Work alumni, whom I had not seen since our 1976 graduation. As we renewed our friendship, he gave me a Charles Dickens biography as a Christmas present. This sent me to our local library to get out numerous Dickens books, biographies and movies. Dickens was perhaps … [Read more...] about The unforgettable Charles Dickens