The Valley of the Shadow

Michal Tkachenko, The Valley of the Shadow 1, oil on canvas, 48”x 36”, 2025. Photo provided by Michal. Last year I received a message wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. The message reminded me to make margins for rest and restorative care. The flesh in me was furious to receive a message like this, as I interpreted the message the wrong way. In that moment I allowed the flesh in me, my ego, my pride (1 John 2:16 ) to speak instead of listening to the wishes of a fellow Brother/Doctor in Christ. I chose to think that my credentials of post-doctoral training, etc., allowed me to not listen, to see if the Spirit was using him to speak to me (Ephesians 4:15-16) . Years ago I created the R³ Method. This was a method to remind my patients to practice, rest, restorative care, and rejuvenation. However, I myself am guilty of not using the method I invented to practice self-care. I have often stated that “Doctors are their worst patients.” I have often seen many of my colleagues who work in medic...

The above painting is by Michal Tchachenko, part of her series on her own journey through a valley. Lately, the valley of shadow has meant treating my eyes. I have severe eye strain and fatigue, light sensitivity (especially to blue light and bright sunlight), headaches, nausea, and balance problems that get worse on uneven surfaces. Last week, while rucking and walking my parents’ dog, I lost my balance and fell. I struggle to wear contact lenses, as my eyes don't naturally produce tears anymore. I finally saw a neuro-optometrist in Vancouver. Her assessment described post-trauma vision syndrome with binocular dysfunction and convergence insufficiency, meaning my eyes and brain aren’t teaming up as they should, especially for close work like reading and screens. This diagnosis also explained how disrupted visual processing after injury can make ordinary environments feel exhausting.  What comforted me most was the verse in Psalm 23 “thy rod and thy staff” can look like structure a...

The first time anyone publicly referred to me aloud as Dr. Joshua Sievers in Canada was by  Rev. Dr. Aaron Kenny, Lead Pastor at Bridgewater Baptist, on September 19  at his church. He said it not with hesitation, but with certainty — explaining I was visiting. My plan to sneak into his Baptist church unannounced - and see him and his wife Erica quietly after service, thwarted by the movement of the Holy Spirit. I was late to church after a rehearsal at Mahone Bay Baptist (UBCMB). Aaron was naming something true about me, and little did I know that in the coming weeks I would be referred to as Dr. Josh, Dr. Joshua Michael-Sievers, Dr. Sievers, or Dr. Joshua both on the East Coast and the West Coast. The painting “The Valley of the Shadow”. Photo provided by the Artist Michal Tkachenko. For the first time since moving back to Canada in 2022, I felt seen for who I was and the titles I held.    Titles have never meant much to me; we didn’t hear the titles of Prophet, Do...

The name of this blog is the German text for "Valley of the Shadow," as inspired by a verse in Psalm 23 from the Bible. This blog was also inspired by the painting "The Valley of the Shadow" from a series of paintings by my friend   Michal  Tkachenko.  On my birthday, I had a chance to see Michal's installation of her series based on the Psalms at the Zack Gallery in Vancouver, after which we had the chance to fellowship and pray together over borscht and other Mediterranean delights. The above media is from her show at the Zack Gallery with music tied to Psalm 23 and "No Longer Slaves" by Bethel Music . You can read more about her series here .  Psalm 23 has played a vital role in my life since childhood. It was the first piece of scripture I memorized and the scripture was used as the liturgical text when I was baptized via full immersion. Music tied to the passage has always spoken to me. The Hymn "The Lord is my Shepherd" was played at bo...