Thank you, thank you, thank you

Sabbaticals make sense only in the context of work. You have to have something to step back from; something from which to rest. It is true. All work and no play makes Dan a dull boy. I believe I have "played" enough to set any dullness on the run for some time to come.

I am ready to return to my work in and among and with all of my friends at First Church. I am rested and relaxed and renewed. My current state of mind, body, spirit, and soul is the product of my sabbatical. All of the travel and learning, playing and pondering, exploring and rethinking has more than filled my cup.

Some thank yous are in order. I am deeply appreciative to First Church for the time away. You are a visionary congregation that cares deeply for its leadership's vitality. I can't thank our staff enough for stepping up and filling in the gaps left by my extended absence. Thanks to my family for enduring my peripatetic ways. I was in and out and in and then out again quite often. Such an odd schedule generates unique strains on family life. I have thanked my sabbatical advisory panel before -- Bill, Woody, Mary Bruce, and Rossi -- but I'll do so again. Thanks. Your advice in helping me to develop and fine tune the form and shape of my sabbatical was and remains invaluable. In the late winter of 2006, I came to you with assorted notes on the staff. I hummed them for you. You listened. Your orchestration gave the notes a rhythm and a melody. The Lilly Endowment obviously concurred in awarding me a National Clergy Renewal Program grant to pursue some of my passions. Thank you Lilly.

I rediscovered something while away. I knew it. But would forget it occasionally for reasons of uninterrupted proximity. First Church is more than the place I work. It is home. It is my family. It is where my friends are. Not every minister can say these things about his or her place of ministry. I am blessed. Thank God.

That's it for the moment. Peace.

This may be the final posting to this blog. As I indicated earlier, blogging has been a great way of thinking aloud with you. Once I have reentered the hustle and bustle that is life and ministry at First Church, I will create another blog. I have yet to land on a name for the new blog, however. Any suggestions?