Jazz on the Lawn

 

August 31, 2025

Thanks to an invitation from Meredith and David, Kelly and I attended Jazz on the Lawn on Sunday evening at Ashland, the Home of Henry Clay.

Here's the description of the event.

Lee Carroll’s C The Beat returns to Ashland’s Jazz on the Lawn, and they’re bringing the rhythm that makes your feet move and your heart sing.

A Lexington favorite, Lee never plays the same show twice—each year is a brand new sonic adventure featuring top-tier local talent, original tunes, and infectious energy. Bring a blanket, bring a friend, and prepare for a night of music you’ll feel in your bones. This year’s set? Let’s just say… you don’t want to miss it.

We took our good chairs, some layered bean dip and a cold beverage. Then, we settled in for some jazz. The crowd was huge. There were almost as many feral children as there were bugs. Good music. Good friends. Good time.

More later.

Jerry

August 31 Worship at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Mt. Sterling, KY

 

August 31, 2025

I decided to worship with First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Mt. Sterling, KY this morning. I have had a friendly relationship with FCC Mt. Sterling since I moved to Kentucky 40 years ago. When I was a 25 year old Associate Minister at FCC Richmond, KY, Mt. Sterling was in our district. I had a good working relationship with several ministers and associates along the way including the Rev. Dr. Olivia Bryan Updegrove. Olivia grew up at FCC Mt. Sterling and is the only ordained full-time Associate Minister I have had work with me. Last year our Regional Assembly was at FCC Mt. Sterling and during planning for that I got to know their Associate, the Rev. Michelle Ballard. I quickly decided Rev. Michelle was at the top of the heap among Associate Ministers in our denomination. She's fantastic. Her husband, Will, works at Morehead State University and is as wonderful as Michelle. Then, in July, at the General Assembly I was fortunate to sit next to Michelle and Will at several business and worship sessions. So, I decided to go worship with them.

Rev. Michelle has been in the pulpit the last several Sundays as their Senior Minister, the Rev. Scott Holley has been on sabbatical. Rev. Michelle has been preaching a sermon series on the faith of the generations of living Americans -- from the Greatest Generation, to GenAlpha. GenAlpha were worship leaders and did a special song in worship. 

Rev. Michelle preached a really good sermon on the faith and the cultural, educational and financial life of GenAlpha. For older members of the congregation it must have been a truly enlightening sermon. No Cap. I know that Rev. Michelle is gonna do big things for the Church of Jesus Christ. I admire and respect her work deeply.

Here are some photos from the day.

More later.

Jerry

Philbrook Visit in More Detail

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post I visited the Philbrook Museum of Art on Thursday, August 28th. I wanted to go into a little more detail about some particular aspects of the exhibits.

First, the focus on indigenous or First Nations artists is laudable. And the diversity of those works is impressive. It’s not all just southwestern plains people paintings. There are some very modern pieces and some pieces that would remind you of French Impressionists. Also, the collection of pottery on the lower level is just stunning. 

What really caught my attention was the exhibit entitled, “Japanisme.” It detailed the fascination of European painters in the late 19th century with Japanese painting, especially interested were the Impressionists. I had no idea that was the case before I saw this exhibit. This was a revelational moment in my sabbatical museum visits — which I have intentionally focused on French Impressionism. I had no idea that French Impressionists had visited Japan or seen works from its painters, or borrowed from its styles. The exhibit brought some new insights that shifted my perspective. 

One of the best instances of this Japanese influence was highlighted with two paintings from American painters, Wuilliam Edouard Scoot and Frederick Carl Fieseke. Here is the interpretive sign and the two paintings.

While neither identified as impressionist you can see the influence of impressionism, but with a nod to Japan in these paintings. Revelational. I am not sure where this learning is headed, but, it is a learning point.

More later,

Jerry

Oklahoma in August

 

August 31

I flew to Oklahoma on August 23 to visit my Dad. There will be a few more posts about this, but this is a bit of an overall look at that trip.

The flight left too early in the morning for normal people. Kelly had me at the airport by 6am, an unnatural time. I had earlier in the month decided to apply for TSA PreCheck since I am taking a few trips on sabbatical. Money well spent. Threw my bags in a bin, walked through, collected my stuff and headed straight for the Dunkin Donuts to get coffee. And you know what, that coffee was delicious. Surprised me how good it was.

I had also made a decision for this trip to carry everything in carry-on bags. We bought a suitcase last year that fits into an overhead bin, and with it came zipper bags to organize the inside. It's a revelation. Love it and recommend it.

Arriving in the ATL I had a 3 1/2 hour layover. I walked Concourse B from end to end. Got some serious steps in. I listened to some music. Watched some people. Waited.

The flight to Tulsa was fine. I picked up the rental car from Budget, a RAV4 and headed to Owasso. I picked up Dad and off we went to Aunt Kathy's house for a visit. She has been remodeling. She is a truly wonderful human being. Great visit. Coney I Lander for dinner. Met HS classmate, Anna Dixon Anderson and her son Evan at a local watering hole, for an evening drink then off to the Quality Inn for the night.

Quality Inn may get its own post but for now, it was a 6 of 10 hotel. But cheap, and that is what mattered.

Wednesday night we had dinner at the house of my nephew Jeff and his SO, Laura. I got to see my great nieces, both of my nephews and had a great dinner. Getting Dad out of the house was wonderful, but getting him loved on by his great granddaughters was even better. Jeff's girls are just delightful.

Thursday I visited the Philbrook. Another post coming about that also, but great visit. Except for the weather, and here is the big point of this post. It was Oklahoma; in August. I expected 95 degrees and sun so strong the asphalt parking lot at WalMart greets you with a wave of heat like a blast from the furnaces of iron factories. Nope. It rained. I mean, it rained. It was in the 60's. The day I visited the Philbrook it must have rained 5". I heard the news people say it's the third wettest Oklahoma summer in history. 

Oklahoma in August, chilly and rainy. 

The visit ended on Saturday morning and I flew back to Lexington, arriving about 6:45pm. All four flights landed ahead of schedule. 

Dad is doing ok. He has new limits and realities. I would love his will and his determination to be higher, but it's just not. I am so grateful to my sister in law, Karen and my brother, Richard for all they are doing day by day to care for him. He will be 88 on December 31 and his aging is accelerating. But, it will be ok. 

More later.

Jerry

Back Home: Declutter Project

 Kelly and I returned home on Wednesday, August 20 and on Thursday we commenced our decluttering project with good energy. We started in the garage.

When the house was built in 1960 a two car garage with a carport overhang was built. The garage has two separate doors -- but no access to the inside of the house (an interesting story for another day.) When we moved in we had access to both sides, but over time and with the building of the new Providence Christian Church, and the birth of Kelly's business, Stablemate Creative, along with the passing of grandparents and parents, we lost one side to stuff. Let's call it clutter. The clutter was a combination of boxes full of art project files, client files, tools, toys, soccer balls and cleats, and some things that are best described as, "oh, that's a nice box. We should keep that."

Thursday, that began to change. And we did a lot that day.

Here is the big thing for me from that day. I have a footlocker that belonged to my mother's younger brother, my Uncle David. I have had it since college days (1977-81, then 81-84 for grad school.) It was full of well-organized class notes, research/term papers, tests and such from every college course and every graduate course I took. Why did I keep all those? I don't know. But they are gone now. The footlocker is still here, because it's a good box. But the history of my academic career went to be recycled. And it didn't bother me at all. In the process, a couple of gems were found, and sorry to Dallas, but those are staying until I am gone from this earth.

Friday brought more work and more good experiences clearing out the garage. We are now within a couple hours work of reclaiming the lost side. But, a new issue has arisen. The lost side garage door opener broke several years ago, but now the other side is going too. Plastic gears, y'all. 

More later.

Jerry

Sabbatical 2025: Day One

 

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Winchester, KY has given me a sabbatical with some financial support this year. It runs from AUG 18 - OCT 18. I have an organizing idea that has helped me set up some travel and experiences during that 60 days. That organizing idea is to look at art, specifically Impressionism, Fauvism, Pointillism, and Modernist paintings, to learn about the creative process of painter/artists. Is there something I can learn from their processes that helps me develop a creative process for crafting sermons?

 

The first experience is to travel to Chicago with Kelly to visit the Chicago Institute of Art and its Special Exhibit of Impressionist painter, Gustav Caillebotte. Today, Kelly and I spent 3 hours walking the galleries of the museum. What a collection. The interpretive signs next to the galleries and paintings were well-written and helpful. The Caillebot Exhibit was especially interesting since the paintings spanned his career and one could see a progression of the artist's style and a clear movement into Impressionism. 

 

I am an Inductive preacher. My seminary Homiletics professor taught a deductive style of preaching whereby you state the main point of the sermon at the outset, then in outline fashion you should make three main points adding a poem or a joke. Seriously. That's what I was taught. Inductive preaching may well hint at the main point early, but the listener is asked to go on a journey, reflect on the passage of scripture, look for intersections with their own lives, and the main point is certainly at the end. Sort of like reading a novel or watching a movie. And the listener is expected to draw their own conclusion.

 

According to Wikipedia, Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, unusual visual angles, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience. Impressionism originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s. The Impressionists faced harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France.

 

Inductive Preaching is a movement which intends to be dialogical, and includes the listener to add to the sermon journey through reflection. It arose as a reaction to preaching that was monological and proclamatory. Inductive preaching has nuance and visible brushstrokes. Deductive preaching has clear lines and clear progression. Inductive preaching allows form and color to blend. Deductive preaching is angular and fixed.

 

Yes, that’s some mixed metaphors, but it encapsulates why Impressionism is of interest to me and my preaching. And that’s why we started with the Impressionist exhibit in Chicago today. Plus, it was Kelly’s birthday last Friday and this helps extend the celebration.

 

Here are some pieces that spoke to me today.

Thanks for following along. I will post every day (mostly).

Jerry

 

Sabbatical 2025 Begins

After worship today my 60 day sabbatical began. This is a very brief post because we got things to do. Kelly and I drove to Chicago today. We are in the Westin on Michigan Ave. Not swanky but a great location. Tomorrow we will head to the  Bean and the Chicago Institute of Art. There will be photos and more talk tomorrow. Thanks to the very good folks at Frost Christian Church in Winchester KY for this opportunity. 

Peace and love to all. 

Jerry