"Against logic there is no armor like ignorance." - Laurence J. Peter

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Even after seven years the age and culture gap between the good people at Pathway and their pastor can surprise me. I made reference in my sermon last Sunday to Edward Hicks' painting, "The Peaceable Kingdom." None of them knew of it, but I expected that, and sent them this same link on Monday so they could look at it as his representation of Isaiah 11.
In the process I mentioned that Hicks painted over 100 versions of that scene, and that "he was the Thomas Kinkade of his day, without the whiskey bottle."
Nothing. Nada. Blank stares.
Heavy sigh.

The story behind "The Peaceable Kingdom" is pretty interesting, including his placement of William Penn and the Indians in the background.

We're going to try something different for our adult class at Pathway in the first part of next year. As part of the prep for that effort I spent several hours today looking at curriculum options for adult learners. Frustrating!
It confirmed and illustrated what I've known but not thought enough about, namely, that the American evangelical church is going fast food stupid.
OK, that's a little harsh, but what I saw today was evidence that the Sunday School hour is disappearing as the evangelical church has moved to Spiritual Lite. A minority of churches now have a second hour (typically called Sunday School) with classes for all ages, including adults. More typical now is one hour - repeated several times if the auditorium won't seat everyone at one service - with a high-production-values "worship service" for everyone Jr. Hi. and up. Kids younger than that go to their own age specific groups where they get a program loaded with activities and a "lesson" of some sort. And because the adult sermon is designed to encourage, inspire, and motivate (don't dare to rebuke, exhort, or challenge) it too often lacks any nutritional value, the equivalent of spiritual fast food, not biblical meat. If someone asks church leaders for substance they'll direct you to one or another "home groups" that meets to discuss one of the many celebrity Christian authors' books.

What did I see today as I looked for curriculum?
I started at the sites of what had been major publishers of curriculum and found they are now re-packaging stuff from decades ago (as in, public domain) or serving as clearing houses for the doctrinal tracts of denominations from all across the theological spectrum. Why? I gotta suspect there's no money in publishing adult curriculum; it's expensive to put out and the demand just isn't there.
Aaargh.

I didn't do anything with the truck today other than walk by it on my way through the garage. I'm waiting for parts I've ordered, but mostly I've hit a series of problems. The brake pedal play is wrong and I can't get it right. My polisher died so I can't finish buffing the interior. I need to cut a hole in the cab floor and I haven't yet screwed up the courage to tackle that don't-get-it-wrong! task. I have a lunch meeting and an evening meeting tomorrow so maybe in between I'll start on one of those things. Or I might just let it all sit another day. This is supposed to be therapeutic, and it ceases to be if I put pressure on myself.

After watching the Matt Lauer interviews with Janay and Ray Rice I hope a team picks him up this season. The guy screwed up big time, but it's pretty clear a) he realizes that, b) he's taken specific and proper steps to address the problem, and c) neither Ray, Ray & Janay, or society is well served by his continued exile.
Besides, the injury-riddled Cardinals are in need of offensive help. And you know the guy would work his butt off.

My go-to Pandora stations are opera arias, George Fredrick Handel, and classical symphonic. But lately I've been playing my Nora Jones channel quite a bit. I'm not sure what that says about my frame of mind, but I do like that sound.