by Bret Capranica | Aug 15, 2007 | Blogging
Some of you know that I am currently in the midst of working on a Doctor of Ministry project with Southern Seminary. Writing has really been slow going while trying to keep up with normal ministry responsibilities and a few new (and beloved) personal responsibilities at home. So, in an effort to give some concentrated time on project writing, THE CAPRANICA will lie dormant for awhile (much more than normal). I am planning to spend a concerted writing effort over the next month on the primary chapters of the project. So, I’ll only be checking my e-mail accounts once per day, shutting my feedreader down so that it doesn’t even come on at all each day (no blog-reading – this one will be incredibly difficult). Checking voice mail at the office and on my cell phone once every other day, limiting my administrative responsibilities as well as any reading that I would normally do outside of sermon and teaching preparation. I would appreciate your prayers. I’m very excited about the project I’m working on and looking forward to how it might be used in our church and eventually in our region of the country. If I get enough of the project written, I may become a more consistent contributor to the blogosphere in the future. Blessings on the three of you who...
by Bret Capranica | Aug 9, 2007 | Ecclesiology, Southern Baptist Issues
A few weeks ago, I finished a little booklet by our favorite living Baptist pastor-theologian, Mark Dever called By Whose Authority? I don’t intend this to be a formal review of the booklet as much as a plea that you get not one, but many copies of it. Have one copy to devour personally and have several more to use in a group study as soon as you are able and many more copies to hand out. After reading a few comments from another famous and influential Baptist suggesting that elders aren’t all that necessary (since they aren’t named specifically in the BF&M), I may even make sure that I send a copy to him. A tiny bit of background on my part as to why I found this book so very refreshing and helpful. I pastored a small Southern Baptist Church in Texas from 1988 to 1997. I loved that congregation (and still love those who were there) with all that was in me. I began my eight and ½ years there at age 18 as an associate pastor. I became the Senior pastor and the junior age of 20. I followed my mentor in ministry, Dr. J. C. Traweek, who had planted churches and pastored for over fifty years. Before his resigning from our church and his subsequent passing on to glory, he had begun to set up what he called “an eldership” in our church. It consisted of the younger “preacher boys” (all were older than me by some fifteen to thirty years) and some of the prominent men in the church. He met with them...
by Bret Capranica | Aug 2, 2007 | Culture, Miscellaneous
As always, John Piper responds quickly and profoundly to the tragedy in Minneapolis. Our church’s pastoral team was just there this past February traveling across this very freeway. Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed :: Desiring...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 30, 2007 | Miscellaneous
Drink more Starbucks and then head to the gym!! Caffeine, exercise may help ward off skin cancer – Yahoo! News
by Bret Capranica | Jul 28, 2007 | Technology
Interested in Vista Eye Candy and nifty toys but don’t want the inevitable headache of switching? Read this incredible article (linked below). You will find links that will help you have the look and feel of Vista while maintaining the stability and cost-effectiveness of XP. Be ready to waste a little time on this (I took an hour on my day off), but it will provide an entire face-lift for XP. Here’s a few examples that I’ve employed: Get the Vista look at feel with Vista Inspirat Ultimate 2 Get the 3D feel of having four different desk-tops on your one computer (really nice when you have multiple monitors). Want the Vista transparency look? True Transparency will do it for you on XP. While these have been out for a while, the Vista Gadgets are better replicated using Yahoo! Widgets. These won’t be for everyone. They are the goodies I’ve been tooling around with. Make sure you have a strong running system and you can update XP with a new look and feel. How to make Windows XP last for the next seven...
