Preface
We have all been painfully
stuck. Being at a key transition-point
in our lives, we do not know how to move forward, finding ourselves
immobilized.[i]
I have been there many times. My
perfectionism makes it worse. A key
turning point for me was when as I attended a Leadership Conference at the
University of Kent in England.[ii] Walking into a seminar, God ‘whispered’ to me
that I would be receiving a message. The Rev Freda Meadows suddenly called me
out of the crowd and gave me a specific prophetic message, saying:
You don’t need to run in keeping up with
others. Enter into God’s rest. Keep your eye on the finishing line which is
Him. You will be moving into new things,
having words of knowledge. You will be gifted in this area. You are in an apprenticeship time at present. You will disciple others. You are a man of God’s Word, things of the
Kingdom. You are a person of vision, a long-range visionary. God is going to put you in a key place and
you will find yourself training and discipling others.[iii]
I had no idea how
powerfully God was going to use the 1998 Pre-Lambeth Leadership
Conference. Most of us as North American
Anglicans were still stuck in the ‘inside strategy’ mindset. Being conflict-avoiders, we were going to
‘fix’ the North American Anglican churches while still inside the old
institution. This virus of
institutionalism can slip inside the mind of even the most sincere believer,
turning us toxic. It is so easy to
become the hollow, stuffed men of TS Eliot’s poem: “We are the hollow men. We
are the stuffed men Leaning together...”[iv] We Canadians were still quite ‘gung-ho’ at
the Canterbury Leadership Conference, but the Americans were unusually quiet.
They lacked their usual American ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude. When Americans go quiet, you can tell that something
is up.
At the official Canadian
night, Bishop Eddie Marsh of Central
Newfoundland invited the Americans to come up and share. I will never forget how our American
colleagues Bishop Alex Dickson and Dr. (now Bishop) John Rodgers stood up and repented
to our African colleagues for the shame that the USA had brought on the
Anglican Church, and for Bishop John Spong’s castigating African Anglicans as
just one step out of animism and witchcraft.[v]
“(Bishop Spong) has insulted you. We are ashamed for him; we are ashamed for
ourselves. We ask your forgiveness and
we assure you that he does not speak for us.”[vi]
Hundreds of African
bishops and clergy spontaneously flocked forward and hugged the Americans,
weeping and declaring God’s forgiveness.
Todd Wetzel of Anglicans United
said that ‘this was one of the American Church’s finest moments in
decades.’ This prophetic action of
repentance and forgiveness was a new beginning for Anglican Christians around
the world.
I am convinced that we are
not to despise prophecy, and that the prophetic gift is still in operation
today. Prophecy does not just address
the global picture. It can also address
our personal situations, even regarding writing a book. Through prayer, I have received very clear
direction about the topic of this current book.[vii] Pushing through our toxic stuckness is key
to restoring health, and key to strengthening a new generation of healthy
leaders.
The purpose of prophecy is
to encourage, build, and strengthen.[viii] Yes, all prophecies have to be tested. As children of the New Covenant, we only
prophesy in part.[ix] Prophecies help me push through my ‘what ifs’
and ‘if onlys’. In the 21st
century, a sensitive use of the gifts of prophecy and exhortation will be
essential to getting unstuck, to becoming a healthier and more Christlike
leader. As Paul said to Timothy, by
following prophecies made about us, we leaders more effectively ‘fight the good
fight’ and live out our daily lives.[x] Out of these prophetic encounters, I have
become convinced that North America desperately needs to recover from its
toxicity, and that the key to restoring its health is found in
strengthening a new generation of holistically
healthy leaders, as illustrated in the person of Titus.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector
BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon's Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in Canada
BSW, MDiv, DMin
St. Simon's Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in Canada
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 PAYPALusing the e-mailed_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
[i] Terry B
Walling, Stuck!, (ChurchSmart
Resources, 2008), p. XIII “Without
transitions, and the paradigm shifts that occur, Christ followers would stay
stuck!”,
[ii] This
Pre-Lambeth Leadership Conference was jointly sponsored by Anglican Renewal
Ministries/ARM and SOMA/Sharing of Ministries Abroad. I was serving as the Chair of ARM Canada.
[iii] Freda
Meadows ministers with the International New Wine Director Rev Bruce Collins http://www.new-wine.org;
Ten years later, the Rev Freda gave further insight into the 1998 Canterbury
prophecy, saying:
“...the underlying thrust was to trust God for the
outcome of the plans He had in using you.
While you were to do all that was necessary, it was not for you to try
and make anything happen. But you were
to follow the Lord's leading using the gifts and skills He gave in the best way
you knew and through what you had learned as your experience grew.”
[v] “African Christians? They're just a step up
from witchcraft: What Bishop Spong had to say about his fellow Christians, John
Spong interviewed by Andrew Carey, Church of England Newspaper, July 10th 1998 . Newspaper & Andrew Carey. "They've
moved out of animism into a very superstitious kind of Christianity. They've
yet to face the intellectual revolution of Copernicus and Einstein that we've
had to face in the developing world. That's just not on their radar screen."
[vi] Doug
LeBlanc, Lambeth, 1998, “Episcopal Dissidenta, African Allies”, Dr Miranda
Hassett, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill , http://anglicanhistory.org/academic/hassett2004.pdf
[vii] On
October 17th Wednesday 2008 while at the Anglican Coalition Clergy Retreat at
Cedar Springs, I received a distinct impression from the Lord while in deep
quiet group prayer: “Yes, it is Titus.” While
attending the Henry Wright ‘Be in Health’ conference, I heard a still small
voice saying: “Write 3rd book on Titus for North American Audience.”
[viii] 1
Corinthians 14:3
[ix] 1st Thessalonians 5: 19-21: Do not put out
the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold
on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.; 1 Corinthians 13:9.
[x] 1
Timothy 1:18, 4:14
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