Trapper Keeper – There is no good reason a 2nd grader would need one of these. But they were all the rage in 1983 and I had one anyway. Then another in the 3rd grade and again in the 4th. By the time I started middle school, and may have actually benefited from the kind of organization these monsters offered, the trend had run it’s course. Seeing these at Walmart this week warmed that soft 80’s spot in my heart.

Speaking of retail offerings – Hallmark not only makes cards specifically for pastor appreciation but there are highly visible sections of such cards on the greeting card aisle. Dinner at Cracker Barrel is also appreciated by pastors and wives; at least that’s been our personal experience. Anything that lets your pastor know you’re thinking about him.

Time flies when you’re having fun. We must be having more fun that we realize. On June 29th the Earth completed one full rotation in 1.59 milliseconds less than 24 hours. That is the shortest day since scientists began using atomic clocks to record rotation speed. That rate of rotation represents the latest in a series of speed records recorded since 2017. If the trend continues they may need to adjust the atomic clock setting by skipping one second forward. That would apparently cause all kinds of problems with sensitive timekeeping hardware, according to experts.

Batting Average: 1.000 – Roy Gleason was recruited right out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After spending just a couple of seasons in their farm system, he moved up to the big show. Appearing in a few games as a pinch runner he finally got his first MLB at bat in a 1963 game against the Phillies at home in Dodger Stadium. He pulled a fair ball right down the third base line and ran it out earning a double. He did score a run that inning. The Dodgers would go on to win the World Series that year and Gleason got a ring – but not another Big League at bat. The next season he went back down to the minor leagues and was later drafted by the Army in 1967. He did come back and play baseball but his injuries in Vietnam affected his ability to play at the professional level. Adding insult to injury was losing his World Series ring during the conflict.

In 2003 The Dodgers brought Roy Gleason back to throw out a first pitch. They surprised him by presenting him again with a World Series Championship ring. He is quite possibly the only man alive that has a World Series ring, a Purple Heart for his service, and a perfect batting average going 1 for 1.

A good salesman could sell ice to eskimos but after seven years Domino’s is giving up trying to sell pizza to Italians. I was surprised by my own research that showed Domino’s is the most popular pizza chain in the U.S. outselling Pizza Hut and Papa John’s since 2017. I was not surprised they failed to win over hearts in the birthplace of pizza. There are no Taco Bell’s in Mexico but apparently it’s not from lack of trying.

Chop suey and fortune cookies are Chinese food items only in the United States. Check out this video for foods sold as American in other countries that miss the mark, sometimes by a long shot.

Olivia Newton-John was a breast cancer survivor for nearly 30 years. Her first bout with cancer was back in 1993 and over the years it would come back three more times.

This week on The Master’s Table – There are just two more episodes of the iMonk Radio Podcast and we will come full circle. We started with episode #104 two years ago, going through the end of the run and then starting as close to the beginning as we could get. I updated my defense of the Apostle Paul with perhaps the best argument that can be made, testimony of the Apostle Peter and a surprisingly glowing endorsement.