"Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done." - Peter Drucker

Because Pam's in Phoenix visiting the kids and grandkids I went to church by myself this morning. I learned about this congregation from one of the regular guys at the coffee shop, a retired fire chief who's there two or three days a week. He's also a motorcycle guy and just bought a brand new BMW, so you know he's good and trustworthy.
It's a pretty small group, but we're fine with that. I pastored five relatively small churches. OK, maybe not this small, but what's a few dozen people between friends?
The pastor was gone this morning and his sub was a guy from within the congregation who began by reminding us he's a software engineer, not a trained preacher. So we'll go back together next Sunday and, if things continue to look promising we'll sit down with the pastor for a more focused conversation bout their priorities and commitments.

As good as Pam's paleo lasagna is I couldn't eat it for a fourth straight night, so I went over to Countryside for pizza. A small (10") thin crust with pineapple, pepperoni, and BACON for $8.95. Hard to argue with that price, and it's good pizza with a lot of BACON. While there I called my folks and talked to dad (mom is recovering from a bout with the Norovirus).

I also continued reading "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. It's a pretty complex book and I'd do better to read each day instead of picking it up every third or fourth day and struggling to remember the characters, their interrelations, and plot twists.

In between eating my pizza, reading the book, and talking to dad I thought about the difference between contemporary novels and the classics I didn't read when they were assigned in High School. I *think* more recent novels are stories about people and some kind of conflict. The good ones have fully developed characters, unpredictable plots, interesting details, and good pacing.

The classics have all of that and one thing more, an underlying lesson, a moral to the story.
Silas Marner - the value of simple compassion, especially on the life of a child.
Tale of Two Cities - ood overcoming evil
Robinson Crusoe - the power of the gospel (!)
The Count of Monte Cristo - the outcomes of revenge vs. compassion on the human psyche

Maybe that's why I've read those classics two or three times each.
That kind of moralism in literature is definitely not in vogue, at least not as it promotes traditional, Judeo/Christian values. I accept that reality. But I'll continue to go back to the classics.