Experiencing New Life and the Pastor's Conference through a Trinitarian Lens

I feel thrice blessed today. I am blessed to be on sabbatical and to be able to spend most of the summer with Joan studying "Trinitarian Leadership".
I feel blessed to have been able to be in Little Rock to share the birth of my third grandson, Evan Daniel Rubio, and to be able to share the first two months of his life. And to share the summer with not one or two but three grandsons.
And I feel blessed to be in Hastings College this week to hear the preaching of Dr. Bill Carl and share the teaching of three Seminary Professors: Dr. Anna Case-Winters on "Science and Religion"; Dr. Brad Longfield on "Presbyterians and American Culture"; and Dr. Nancy Ramsay on "What Difference Does Difference Make in Pastoral Care". We heard each of the speakers today and they were each inspirational and thought provoking in their own way. I must admit that this year I am listening through Trinitarian ears, but that's good and I even received some encouragement in my study and writing on trinitarian leadership. It promises to be a good time to test some of my ideas and reflections and to learn in three very important areas of ministry.

I started the day today reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in Daniel Wolpert's "Leading a Life with God". Wolpert makes the point through the Lazarus story that our spiritual discipline includes not only our mind and soul but also our body. Then at worship Bill Carl preached on the topic "Becoming New Persons Altogether" using the II Corinthians 5:16-20 text: "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation." Certainly, both of these devotional themes spoke to me as I continue to feel renewed, refreshed and restored in my sabbatical time. Thank you to all who continue to make this a time of new life and rebirth. I feel blessed to have a partner in life and ministry in Joan. I feel blessed to have three wonderful sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law and now three wonderful grandsons. And I feel blessed to have a congregation to share and grow with in these adventures in faith. I am bragging about all of you to my colleagues in ministry here.