The Practical Parson

 In this festive season of the year, it is more than desirable that those of with means should make some provision for the poor and destitute; or whatever it was the Charles Dickens wrote in "A Christmas Carol".  As a pastor, I am always more than happy to assist with charitable endeavors when they are undertaken in goodwill; however there are trends in "charity" which are increasing in popularity and insanity each year.   The first trend is people making demands of charity.  Not in the sense of people asking for assistance who are truly in need of it, mind you; but those who, when faced with a gift from the heart, turn it aside and demand something else instead.  For example, when you see a person on the street corner with a sign "homeless and hungry, anything will help" and you bring them food; yet they yell at you and demand cash instead.  This is enough to put many people off the idea of giving to those in need; because if your sign you hold claims...

 This evening after listening to some reports about illegal immigration to the United States, this question floated through my mind in the Julie Andrews sort of sing-song manner that some of you might have heard when you read the title of this post.  Whether the numbers are up or down at this point is completely immaterial, the truth is that over 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States over the past 3.5 years; and that number is only official encounters with Border Patrol, not including people who have entered undetected.  When one approaches members of the 2 prime political entities of the US and asks about immigration, you will usually get one of 2 manner of responses: 1. We need to scrap the immigration system as is and create something new where anyone can come in at any time for any reason.  2. We need to close all the borders and stop this here and now.    Perhaps unsurprisingly, these 2 mentalities spar furiously at the highest l...

Over the past 4 or 5 years, I have sat back from my chapel porch and watched the world go by; as it is wont to do.  I have watched flowers grow, the trees in my garden sprout new branches and fruit, the grapes in my small vineyard grow and produce their first batch of wine.  I have also watched other things around the churchyard which have needed intervention- weeds which needed pulling, peeling paint which needed re-touching, stains on chapel carpeting which needed cleaning.  There has been much that has gone on here, though most of it only noticeable to my own eye as the one who is caretaker of it.  In this, I feel a connection with the eternal Father: who watches over the whole of creation like the great gardener and caretaker of the universe which He is, and I begin to understand the problems of this world through an empathetic place with our Lord. Our world today demands ever-increasing progress: Progress for "rights", progress for technology, progress for moral...