"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." - Wernher von Braun

They all passed.

Quick bits:

1. My flights to GR were blissfully uneventful. On the long flight from PDX to ORD I got a middle seat between two guys who could have been brothers but apparently didn't know each other. They were both mid-40's, big, shaved heads, bushy beards, tattoos...think Harley riders. The guy to my right had no sense of personal space, but I decided he could go ahead and use the armrest any way he wanted, including to turn my seat-back TV on and off throughout the 4-hour flight. 
2. Because of being in the middle seat between two BIG men I didn't get any sleep. By the time I arrived in Grand Rapids it was 9:30 a.m. and I'd been up since 4 a.m. the day before. Exhausted. It may take me a day or two to recover. It's Friday morning as I type this and I still feel hung over. 
3. I always forget how homogenous west MI is, including women who are so obviously Dutch. Tall, blond, fair skinned, big feet (it's true)....
4. If some of the characters I see on a regular basis in OR walked into a Starbucks in Grand Rapids I think they'd be asked to leave. Like the guy with pink hair, a skirt & blouse, and a full beard who drinks his latte while he puts on his makeup.
5. Another of the interesting things about going on a trip is the mental space to free-think, to muse about things other than the tasks that each day presents. Pam's home feeding the animals and doing all the chores associated with life on Baker Rd. So my mind is free to wander and ponder. Like:
6. Daniel, whose name means "God is my judge," was given the Chaldean name Belteshazzar when he was taken captive to Babylon. But he continued to live like Daniel, that is, accountable to God, not the Babylonian deity his Chaldean name referenced. So what if you had a name different from the one your parents gave you? What if you had a spiritual name, given to you by God? What would it be? What would you want it to be? 
7. I'm praying a lot about my sermon (Daniel 1). I have a preaching style different from most that could fairly be described as energetic (some would say frenetic). Every once in awhile I hit a sweet spot perhaps similar to what athletes refer to as being "in the zone." My brain is in hyperdrive, my thoughts are coming freely and easily, and it just explodes out of me. Other times I'm working to gather my thoughts and express them in words. Guess which one I'm asking God for come Sunday morning. There is SO much in this chapter, and I want to get as much of it in as possible. The base: Daniel chose to live as an exile in Babylon, eschewing assimilation despite its temporal advantages. In so doing he is an example for us while we live as strangers on this earth, headed for our real home. 
8. I heard a story on the radio this morning based on a survey some organization did that asked the question, "If you had $40 to spend on something that would make you happy, what would it be?" Apparently the most common (and best?) answer is to spend it on something that freed up time, like lawn care or someone to do housework for you. People want more time more than anything else. That sure wouldn't be my choice for the $40. But never mind my answer, what would yours be?
9. Less than 24 hours after leaving home and I already feel like I'm only half here. Monday is our anniversary, 46 years. T'ank you, Fadder. 
10. I am (we are) very happy with our simple life on Baker Rd., and I want to live like Daniel, as a foreigner on this earth. That said, sometimes I wish we had a lot of money (whatever amount that is). It would be nice to do what we'd like without the overriding, "can we afford this?" Like put in a better, more efficient wood stove, or a paint job for Sally. (We hope to afford the former and the latter is on indefinite hold.) 
11. The job of a pastor is certainly multi-faceted, including unequal parts teacher, care giver, CEO, entrepreneur.... I was much better at some of those facets than others, and downright lousy at a couple of them. In retrospect I'm not sure I was good enough at enough of them to pull it off, but I guess Somebody did or I probably wouldn't have spent 32 years doing it. (Natural selection generally has its way in most professions.) I do think, though, that I was best suited for the 10 years I spent as a teacher. Except for the politics and faculty meetings, the role of college prof most closely matched my abilities to the tasks. 
12. No employee at senior living residence gets paid enough money.