Our Trip to NYC

Our group at Newark Penn Sta.Lunch began at Phil and Polly's house with cold cuts and a season of singing and devotion. One hymn we sang was inspirational and provided food for thought, discussion, and prayer.

We left around 1:30pm and found out even before we left the house that we didn't know where we were going when Phil backed ever so gently into Jamal's car.

Jamal's words were, exactly, "That was my car."

We decided when we saw there was no damage that it was either the worst thing of the day which would only get better, or that it was a bad portent of things to come.

Read on and you decide.

Once we were on the road, we wondered: "Should we take the turnpike? Would we make the train at Princeton Station?" A glance at our watches answered the question: nope.

So, we wound up recalculating--at least that's what the GPS lady said--and at Newark Penn Station.

After that, we took a minute to "potty"--can you tell that some of us have small children?--and get some food before hopping on the train to New York.

That's when it got fun. Did we Jersey folk have any idea where we were going? No.

We were the ones squinting at the street signs and asking strangers, "Where's Manhattan?"

It didn't help that the iPhone GPS was knocked out also. (Did AT&T's network know that our GPS was from Jersey?)

When we did eventually find our subway, that's when more fun ensued. Half of us bought the wrong subway card and then Phil tried unsuccessfully to sell them to strangers. That was pretty funny.

Eventually we did wind up on the right subway and did arrive on time, with some even some to spare.

Dr. Keller spoke on the subject of the fruit of the spirit, and specifically, the fruit of "peace." He referred to Philippians 4 and one quote that stood out to many of us was that when God says no to our prayers, he gives us what we would have asked if we knew everything he did.

God had good plans in store for us after church as we found a NY diner just before closing called, appropriately, "Eat Here Now."

Marc thought this was the best name for a restaurant--ever.

By the time we arrived home in Jersey we were all tired, and gave thanks to God for the chance to be together, and shared some of what each of us learned.