Nelson Ledges Chaplain’s Notes  August 2008  Pecking Order Last month I was watching coverage of the American LeMans Series race from Lime Rock. Patrick Long, who is the only American driver under contract to Porsche, was interviewed. He was extremely happy to have out qualified the #7 DHL Penske Porsche team car in his #6 DHL Penske Porsche for the first time this year. As followers of Formula 1 know, it is difficult to keep your job if your teammate consistently out qualifies you. There is a pecking order. The quick guy is number one. I recently returned from a trip to England to visit my son who teaches in Bristol. As we boarded the plane for the flight to London, we couldn’t use the Elite boarding walk which was maybe two feet farther away. Boy, was it special to be special. It would have been nice to have that extra leg room, though. It is that way in so much of life. Most of us are not at the top of the pecking order. When I worked at Central Cadillac people would often ask me why I didn’t drive the hot CTS V. I always told them I was not high enough on the food chain. Sometimes even when you are supposed to be equal the pecking order shows. When I went to drivers school at the Ghost Track of Thompson Connecticut we sat in the stands for the usual lecture. At the end the Chief Instructor said “We have Paul Newman here this weekend. We don’t want anybody to bug him for pictures or autographs; he’s here to learn like everybody else.” The lady who was the chief registrar then pointed to Mr. Newman and stated, “And if anybody doesn’t know, that’s him right there!” Then when we did course rides six of us including Don Sherman and Pat Bedard from Car and Driver were crammed into an old Corvair while Paul was driven around by the Chief Instructor in Paul’s Porsche 911. Some of us were more equal than others. The Bible teaches us is there is no pecking order with God. Man or woman, from North, South, East, or West, we are loved the same. God breaks through the barriers man erects. What fellowship and blessing comes from that love. God Bless, Chaplain Gray    chapnlrc@aol.com