About Esther

Welcome to my website. Let me tell you a bit about myself. My husband, Fred, and I moved to Vernon, B.C in 2024 after living in Burnaby, BC since 1986. We have two grown children and two grandchildren.

I work as a spiritual director and writer. I was trained as a spiritual director (SoulStream) 2007-2010. In 2013, I was also trained to give the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and from 2013-2018 was an active member of the Jesuit Spirituality Apostolate of Vancouver (a fancy name for a group of us who have been trained to give the Spiritual Exercises). In 2023-24 SoulStream began offering the Spiritual Exercises Retreat in Daily Life and my friend and colleague Jan Evans and I co-facilitate this program. I am also a co-facilitator in SoulStream’s spiritual formation course Living from the Heart and co-facilitate retreats. I  am a SoulStream partner and currently on the leadership team of this dispersed, contemplative Christian community.

I published my first book, Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, in 2015 and my second one, Seed Cracked Open: Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, Volume 2 in 2019. My third book, In the Heart of the Beloved: Stories of an Everyday Pilgrim, Volume 3, was published in 2022. See also Published Works.

You may like to listen to this interview with Rod Janz about contemplation on Hints of Gladness Sept 29, 2022.

And this one, in which is about my new book as well as all three books in the Everyday Pilgrim series (November 2022) https://www.hintsofgladness.com/new-book-in-the-heart-of-the-beloved-with-esther-hisza 

Here’s a link to a video I did for Living from the Heart about Prayer in 2014.

Here I are two more podcasts, also with SoulStream https://substack.com/home/post/p-144608125  and Fitting in vs Belonging

Rod Janz and I had a conversation while walking along Kalamalka Lake in 2025. You can find our conversation in two parts: https://estherhizsa.com/2025/10/21/a-walk-with-rod/ and https://estherhizsa.com/2025/11/08/a-walk-with-rod-part-2/

From 2006 to  2014, I worked part-time as the associate pastor of New Life Community Church. I oversaw local outreach, helped new people get connected, led a contemplative group that meets weekly, preached occasionally, and organized arts collective gatherings and our annual arts worship service. It was a princess job because I got to do what I enjoyed. But God called me to be less busy so I left that job on December 31, 2014. We attended St.Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church, in Burnaby, where I got just as busy with the Wednesday Lunch Club, Community Meal and church leadership with a lovely bunch of human beings. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, Fred and I spent a year travelling back and forth to Vernon, B.C. where she and my dad retired. Eventually, we fell in love with this beautiful little city and moved here in 2024/25. Once again, God is inviting me to slow me down. In 2025, I found a church home with Trinity United in Vernon.

My first career was in nursing, but I gave that up nearly four decades ago when our daughter was born. It wasn’t a fit anyway. I liked writing songs, stories, and poems for kids, and teaching Sunday school better. In 1991 I recorded Ride Your Dreams and performed at Christian schools and church events.

But God was calling us on another adventure. We sold our house, packed up our things, bought a forty-foot sailboat, and from 1992-95 we went sailing. We travelled west around the world as far as Turkey. Our children were 10 and 7 years old when we left and when we returned three years later they received awards as seasoned offshore sailors from the Bluewater Cruising Association.

Back home again I worked as a youth and children’s pastor until 2003, a residential care worker with developmentally disabled adults (sleep-over night shift on weekends) until 2007, and completed my Master of Divinity degree from Regent College in 2005.

I like riding Gracie, my road bike, with Fred, hanging out with family (particularly our two grandchildren), playing Scrabble, Skipbo and watching movies.

You can contact me at aneverydaypilgrim@gmail.com

Here’s why I started this blog.

Credits:
Photo of cycling Fred and Esther by Ron Frehner. Used with permission.
Photo of Tieras and crew in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, 1993 by Cheryl Green. Used with permission.
Banner photo: “Tofino, untouched” by Tony Horabin. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, Everyday Pilgrim 2013 http://www.estherhizsa.wordpress.com.