Yesterday I showed Jordan that the second movement of the Decruck sonata we are studying is based on a French Carol.

This was news to him, I think. It was fun to watch him verify my suspicion. When we played through this movement I heard it in a very new way relating Decruck’s lovely music to the material of the tune.

I got my Mom in to see her internist yesterday. She went over her very thoroughly and pronounced her well on the path to healing and could not find a reason for Mom’s complaining about some burning at this point. She prescribed some drugs to alleviate the system. Today Mom has an appointment with Dr. Nykamp her psychiatrist. I’m hoping that he will have some insight into how she can continue to heal.

My boss and my friend Jordan were gracious enough to move around appoinments to allow me to take Mom to the doctor and still meet with each of them yesterday.

My boss and I sat down for a much delayed meeting of the minds.  As usual it was very fruitful. Today she has scheduled a luncheon and staff meeting. She is interested  in taking us closer to professional ministry. She approved of my ideas about how to constructively connect with the children’s choir director. It is such a privilege to (finally) work for someone as conscious and calm as she is.

Afterwards I met with Jordan. We chatted about historical performance practice especially in the Baroque. We are learning a cool transcription of a Bach flute sonata. We didn’t get to it yesterday  but are scheduled to meet again Friday of this week.  We did rehearse the two movements of the Decruck we are learning. Also we sat and did some minor editing of my transposed transcription of the original viola part for the first movement.

My copy of “The Flight of Peter Fromm” by Martin Gardner came in the mail yesterday.

It was a welcome distraction between my many tasks. At first it felt a bit klunky in its writing style. It is Gardner’s ficitonalization of an evangelistic Christian who attends the liberal University of Chicago and finds his faith completely changed from fundamental to radical.

I was surprised that it kept drawing me in to the ideas about Christianity that I know so well. By that I mean the radical post-post-death of God stuff. The fictionalized professor who radicalizes the Peter Fromm character of the title is a professed atheist who is an active pastor.  His approach to Christianity is one that not only is easy for me to condone but also reminds me of my father’s faith at its most lucid stage. So I continue to be drawn in to this goofy book.

Also my boss gave me a copy of jesus freak: feeding—healing—raising the dead, the book, that she has asked the worship commission to read this summer.

It is the sequel to the book she had us read a couple of years ago, Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion. I found that book kind of fun, especially the descriptions of the author’s experiences in South America as a journalist and in NYC as a cook.

I read a few pages of jesus freak last night and see that it is a bit of a polemic for radical Christianity, which is the direction of my boss, which I strongly approve of.

Neither Gardner or Miles seem to be drawing me in other than awakening mild interest and application to my church gig.

My brother arrives to visit this morning. He is soon to move away to New Hampshire for an exciting new phase of his life, so he  feels a need to connect with Mom (and presumably Eileen and me) while he is still within easy driving distance.