Brian Parr – Pastoral Counsellor
- Who are you?
Brian Parr, Pastoral Counsellor and Coordinator of Pastoral Care at St Pete’s - Where do you come from and what is your background?
I was born in Oklahoma City in the United States and lived there most of my life. I have also lived in San DIego, California, Wichita Falls, Texas and most recently St Louis, Missouri, where I attended Covenant Theological Seminary. While there I earned a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Counselling and met and married my wonderful and beautiful wife Karsee. - Tell us a bit about your family?
My wife Karsee is also a Licensed Professional Counsellor serving the people of St Pete’s and the surrounding Dundee community. Karsee and I have been married for nine years and we have three incredible children: Madeline (5), Joseph (3) and Ava (<1). Madeline is in primary school and Joseph will soon start Nursery. Ava spends most of her day sleeping and smiling. - What brought you and your family to St Peter’s?
We were invited to Dundee in 2004, by Pastor David Robertson, to help establish a counselling service in conjunction with St Pete’s. We took a while to get here, but did so in May of 2011. - What is your favourite Bible verse?
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - Who is your Biblical hero?
Joseph, after whom our son is named. Israel’s son was brash and relationally clueless as a youth, with which I can sympathise. Throughout his life, though, he kept hold of the big picture of God’s character (especially his holiness and loving care), as well as his own place in the world God created. This enabled Joseph, in times of both feast and famine, under harsh treatment and favourable, to praise and honour God despite his circumstances. He was a willing participant, despite the cost and without having to know why, in God’s grand story of redemption. - What do you like to do to relax?
I love taking Karsee out to the movies and exploring / travelling with our children. I also enjoy leisure cycling and tinkering with electronics. - What is your favourite music?
Too . . . many . . . choices . . . do you mean genre? . . . or musicians? . . .
To relax I love the English ensemble Stile Antico’s 16th century a capella hymns, John Tavener’s compositions as well as any well-written and performed classical music written for cello. When exercising right now I most like Franz Ferdinand’s Tonight or The White Stripes‘ Icky Thump. And a list of others listened to in the last month: Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Flaming Lips, Waterdeep, Beastie Boys, Aranda, Jaydiohead, Ali Farka Toure, Sufjan Stevens, Harold Budd, Wicked Tinkers, Gillian Welch, Andrew Peterson, Christine Burkley & Karsee Parr, Josh Pearson, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Swell Season, Jeff Buckley, Ray LaMontagne, Van Morrison, Bauhaus, De La Soul, Mos Def, Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Belle and Sebastian, Mumford & Sons, The View, Solas, Anuna, Gaelic Storm, Buddy Rich, John Coltrane, El-Funoun, Coldplay, David Gray, Jack Johnson, Seal, The Police, Rush, Pink Floyd, Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3, Lush, Duffy, Sade, Bob Marley, Pixies, Wilco, Lenny Kravitz, U2, Vigilantes of Love, Bill Mallonee, Air, Archive, Boards of Canada, Portishead, Tosca, Zero 7, Burlap to Cashmere . . . - If you were marooned on a desert island, what three essentials would you take with you?
A sailboat, a magically-imperishable supply of Cathedral City Extra Mature Cheddar and a treasure map for that particular desert island. - What type of biscuit would you be most like and why?
I feel as though I cannot answer tis question adequately as I have only been in Scotland for five months at this time and have not had sufficient opportunity to try each of the millions of biscuits produced in the commonwealth. Were I to choose from what I currently know, however, I would have to say I would most closely be likened to a Toffee Apple Border Biscuit. My wholesome and hearty oaty-ness is complimented by a sweetness (the toffee) that invites you to deeper healthfulness (the apple). Please be assured, however, that I will be conducting thorough research on this topic in the coming years and this answer will change to reflect my findings as need be. (c: - Random fact
In my youth I was a decorated diver and swimmer, tiny Speedo bikini swimsuit and all.