This week I am once again pastoring from Kansas City. Thanks to email and cell phones and a caring staff I don't think I am missed all that much. I always find these times away give me a chance to think outside of the context of Newark.

Sometimes a person needs to distance themselves from the normal routine to get a chance to think. These Assessment Centers are very hectic and go from early morning till late night but I still find that I am able to think while flying out and back.

These pictures are from the Assessment Center which is held at a Presbyterian Retreat Center outside of Kansas City. For all you Superbowl types I offer the following:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUPERBOWL I AND SUPERBOWL XLI

Life has changed since 1967 when the first superbowl game was played.
NATIONS POPULATION:1967: 200 million 2007: 300.9 million
WORLD POPULATION:1967: 3.5 billion 2007: 6.6 billion
MEDIAN WAGE AND SALARY INCOME:1967: Men: $5, 974 Women: $2,295 2006: Men: $34,926 Women: $23,546
THE MOST POPULAR BABY NAMES:1967: Boys: Michael Girls: Lisa 2006: Boys: Jacob Girls: Emily

By the way, this year's Super Bowl will cost employers $800 Million in lost productivity. Besides many people calling in sick the day after, workers will spend about 10 minutes a day talking about the game, making bets, surfing the internet for a new tv and other distraction like recipe searches.