Weblog of a Country Priest

I hate the hypocrisy that wrings its hands over poverty and disease and then spends billions of pounds on space exploration.

I despise you who are responsible for failing to address the problems of the home nation and then spend billions of pounds on making unnecessary war.

I hate, despise and warn all who ignore the differences I have created and so build up tension and conflict.

I hate, despise and warn all who do these things in my world, and yet I so loved this world that I gave my only Son so that all who believe in Him may not perish but have eternal life.  For I love all such sinners even though I hate and  despise their  failures and sin.

Thus says the Lord in addressing me and my part in such departures from the way of the Lord.

Watching and listening to the actress Liz Smith on the Paul O'Grady show tonight I remembered that like her I was enabled to answer my call late in life.

She found herself on the stage; I found my self on the brink of ordination; she at 50; me at 40.

Which calls to mind another thing - we each are called to some specific task in God's economy; no one of us should regard another's work with disdain.  We are all called; God will enable us!

 

Though the lawns need cutting and the lilies dead-heading, the gardens and surrounding fields are shewing signs of approaching winter.

The great straw cart wheels stand like pre-historic monuments and the shears with long handles have arrived from the mail-order garden shop so the overgrown ramblers are about to be attacked with vigour.

When everything gets in this state I think about the countryman leaning on his front gate when the vicar greeted and congratulated the man on the beautiful state of his garden.  He closed by saying, "God has been very good to you giving such a great garden".  "Ah", replied the countryman, "but you should have seen it when He had it completely to himself".

It has been a long time since I last blogged.

The reason is that we have just had a bruising encounter with part of the NHS.  Foolishly we thought that when we felt ill and went to the doctors that we would be treated with kindness and compassion.  It don't work like that.  The bureaucrats that actually run the NHS surgeries pay more attention to  form than the substance and are skilled in hitting a sick person when he or she is  down.

Not only that but they act as prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner in their own cause.

However we have come through the ordeal, bloody but unbowed, and now want to forgive and forget the whole experience.  So here's to New Labour and all its targets and penalties.

We shall not be moved...etc!

 

I was asked to present the prizes at our village flower show today.  It was a tremendous event.  Representatives of every part of village life were there; and many were exhibitors.  The standard was very high, and afterwards the goodies were auctioned.  We were lucky with a medley of fruits, now a cooling bowl of summer fruit compote, and some lovely large english tomatoes, which actually smell like tomatoes should.

It is very sad that the lad shot at Stockwell lost his life, and that it has caused such heartache for his loved ones, but however the error occurred he is one more victim of the suicide bombers.  Society and its servants may make mistakes, and mistakes must be put right so far as they are able to be so.

But don't let us loose sight of the fact that the police officers involved were doing what they did because they believed they were protecting first those nearby and ultimately all of us.

We should pray for a reasonable and responsible approach to this whole matter.