We could be royals… or not. It depends on who you ask. Over the past 24 hours I’ve seen headlines that claim Harry and Meghan will drop the word “royal” from their brand and anything associated with their work. I’ve also seen stories that argue the British royal family does not own exclusive rights to the word “royal” so they cannot control it. In either case this is one of the popular stories Americans are following right now as it provides a nice distraction from our own political circus. Here are some others you may or may not have seen this week.

Find my phone. If you are a Samsung Galaxy user you probably got an alert this week from Find My Phone. The message was simply the number 1 with another 1 two lines below it. Tapping on the notification did nothing. I totally ignored it but apparently some users really flipped out. Find My Phone comes embedded in every Galaxy phone and can be used to locate your phone or even wiped the memory remotely. It seems the notification was meant to be an internal test and not go out to everyone. For iPhone users, it’s just one more thing you’re missing out on.

Ryan Newman is okay. I don’t watch NASCAR and had never heard of Newman before Sunday evening. But after he left the Daytona 500 in an ambulance, social media was inundated with memes and prayer requests. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is seen above in a widely circulated picture walking out with his kids. He has been laughing and joking with friends, according to sources that know who he is.

Not a good week for Chaka Khan. First she was unmasked as Miss Monster after being voted off The Masked Singer. Then at Sunday’s NBA All Star game she performed the National Anthem, the video of which went viral for all the wrong reasons. You can’t have it all. She may have to learn to make do with her 10 Grammy awards and 70 million albums sold worldwide.

IRL News: TDOT has been busy lately. In the image above, Tennessee Department of Transportation workers repair potholes on Clinton Highway. I can personally testify that I-75, I-40 and I-81 in eastern Tennessee are in deplorable condition, unless things have changed dramatically in the past week. None of the holes pictured look like they could cause severe tire or wheel damage… but the one we hit Sunday afternoon certainly did. I had been dodging potholes for miles and complaining about others we hit, but south of Knoxville on Interstate 75 one got me. The entire car was jarred, everyone screamed, the dog fell in the floor and I began listening for signs of serious problems. We had one. The right-rear tire of my Chevy HHR was not busted open but the tire rim was bent out far enough to break the bead from the rim. I could stick two fingers into the gap. I changed it out for the donut spare on the shoulder of the interstate highway and made the last two hours of our trip on Highways 411 and 225. You’re not supposed to do more than 45 on those things. I can’t believe I never took a picture of that wheel rim. I bought a used wheel from a salvage yard the next day and had a decent full size tire that I was saving for a rainy day mounted on it. The vast majority of pothole damage claims are denied. We didn’t even bother reporting it. The approval rate is like 1% and I am not exaggerating. We got home safe and sound, if not late and exhausted.

This Week on The Master’s Table: Happy Monday is published every Monday morning at 6 am with little exception. I shared my personal history this week in a two parter this week titled My Path Here. We are all on a journey and none of us have arrived yet. Teachers keep learning, hopefully, and leaders continue to learn from those that have gone ahead of us. A person’s systematic theology and collective body of knowledge are constantly changing. There are a few dramatic, life-changing moments along the way but we also take small steps on a daily basis. My Path Here: Part 1 is focused on beliefs while Part 2 is more about career path. I often write in a detached, almost third person, sort of way but these posts are the personal details of my real life.

And now for something completely different…

If Peppa Pig operated heavy equipment. (Look at the headlights.) Actually, this is one of many creations from an artist named Tom. He takes pictures drawn by his children, Al and Dom, and renders them in lifelike images using PhotoShop. Most of the pics are animals but they also draw people, cars and this unfortunate vehicle. You can follow them here for more imagination meets real life.