Apr 6, 2009 | Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry, Technology
Word Processing I’m wiggling out of the Microsoft strangle hold ““ well at least for a month. My goal is to live in the world of the free (or close to free) market of desktop and web apps, looking to see if cheaper, but high quality alternatives exist for the ordinary pastor. Ordinary pastors do not have IT departments at their church. IT budgets are small, perhaps non-existent in the majority of ordinary churches. But, technology is a given and a necessity in the world of today’s ministry. April is my time to test the alternatives. First up: word processing (I’ll include spreadsheets, presentation, and publication software). Microsoft Word (Excel, Power Point) is (are) the standard. Every other program tends to look up to it and pattern themselves after it. A few alternatives exist. I will be using Open Office during my trial (I may look at Zoho). I am impressed with Office 2007. It took me a little while to find all the features since they significantly changed the user interface. But, I’ve adapted and find it helpful and productive. Compared to free, it is quite expensive. Yes, you can get a copy for less than $100.00 (especially if you are a student). Many educational institutions require it. Can the free sources meet the challenge and provide an equally good product for the needs of an ordinary pastor? I find myself typing on a word processor many hours of most days of my week. Writing, taking notes, producing documents for meetings fills my time ““ a word processor is essential. Here’s what I use a word processor for... read more
Apr 5, 2009 | Technology
Tim Ferriss (Four Hour Workweek), discusses the basics of effective e-mail management. YouTube – How to manage your e-mail by Tim... read more
Apr 4, 2009 | Pastoral Ministry
C.J. Mahaney recently posted some excellent interviews with some well-known Christian personalities. But now, he’s about to open the door on some very ordinary guys. This ordinary pastor here at THE CAPRANICA, is looking forward to this series. “Ordinary”... read more
Apr 3, 2009 | General Theology
Of all the good that was seen in last week’s debate on the existence of Satan, Sean Higgins provides a very helpful critique of Mark Driscoll’s take on human free-will and the existence of evil. The Love of... read more
Apr 2, 2009 | Biblical Studies, Humor
I can’t determine if this is industrious or if these guys simply needed more homework. I’m sure our interns would love it! Perhaps this will replace the songs we learned as kids to remember the books of the Bible. Maybe this would revive Bruce Wilkinson’s Walk Thru the Bible. HT: Jeff... read more
Apr 1, 2009 | Technology
As I make the move to the world of free apps (at least for April), here’s a post that points us to some of the most useful ones on the web. 25 Free Web Apps That Make Life Easier |... read more
Mar 31, 2009 | Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Presidential History
Josh Harris posts some good food for thought for preachers in light of Michael Gerson’s recent article on President’s, teleprompters, and well-crafted words. Gerson argues that teleprompters have increased a President’s disciplined thought and communication. Josh Harris says preachers should learn from this and pursue a more disciplined approach to communicating Scripture. I don’t think we’ll see teleprompter preachers any time soon (nor should we), but we should be thinking and crafting our gospel communication more carefully. Gerson’s article is a good read. What the Teleprompter Teaches Preachers (Josh... read more
Mar 30, 2009 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Technology, Time/Life Management
I’m seriously considering leaving the world of Microsoft behind and going for something less expensive, easier to use, and more portable? Does anything out there exist like this? And if I leave my Office 2007 behind, will I be left behind in a whirlwind of little productivity? I really do enjoy using Microsoft Office 2007. It has been a very helpful system for me since the day it came out. They’ve really done a bang-up job on the bells and whistles. I love being able to post blog entries from Word. The visual enhancements to pictures, charts, and graphs are so far beyond previous versions of Office (not near the quality of the Mac world, but then again, few ordinary pastors can afford to live in the Mac world). I’m addicted to Outlook. I’ve never quite understood why people are down on Outlook. It’s been my right hand man for years. Outlook is one of the best organizational tools I have employed in ministry. I could go on. I really enjoy Office. But there is one thing I do not like about it. It is expensive. Whether the Mac version or the PC version, it is simply downright expensive. Until recently, Microsoft had us right where they wanted us. There were no other truly inexpensive options. True, Word Perfect was out there, but then again, you were stuck in the Corel Corral and could not interact with the rest of the world who was using and sharing Word docs. That may not be so now. Google is hot on their trail. Calendar is excellent and now boasts of offline... read more
Mar 29, 2009 | Christian Living, Interviews
Watch as Cindy Winters shares about the centrality of Jesus Christ through the tragic slaying of her husband. Fred Winters was shot and killed while on the platform during a Sunday service just four weeks ago. HT: @Ed... read more
Mar 28, 2009 | Culture, Interviews
See Mark Driscoll very capably defend the Christian faith and the validity of Scripture in a nationally televised debate over the existence of Satan. While the ABC links are a bit irritating to navigate through the whole show, it is worth your while to watch. Nightline Face-Off – ABC... read more
Mar 28, 2009 | Ecclesiology, Seeker-Sensitive
This was taken from Pastor Rick’s News and Views – Saddleback Church. Dear Saddleback Family, I’m not sleeping much. I’m too excited. THIS SATURDAY, March 28, will be THE GREATEST DAY in Saddleback’s history. OVER 2,000 people have already signed up to become members of our church family on a single day! They’re joining me for: BREAKFAST, BAPTISM & CLASS 101 WITH PASTOR RICK THIS SATURDAY AT 8:30 AM TO NOON IN THE WORSHIP CENTER. SIGN UP TODAY! Two thousand years ago – the Day of Pentecost was the first day of the Christian Church. Acts 2:41 tells us, “About 3,000 people were baptized and joined the church that day.” If you’ll join us this weekend, history could be repeated at Saddleback! Want to make history? Which of these requirements do you need to complete this Saturday? 1. Open your heart to Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more. 2. Attend Class 101: Discovering Your Church Family. Sign up. 3. Sign our membership covenant (explained in class). 4. Be baptized the way Jesus commanded and modeled for us. (Many of us were baptized as kids on our parent’s faith. Jesus modeled believer’s baptism at age 30 when he was baptized in the Jordan River) It would be my privilege to baptize you after Class 101. YOU CAN FINISH ALL 4 REQUIREMENTS IN ONE DAY – THIS SATURDAY! EIGHT REASONS TO JOIN THIS SATURDAY & NOT PROCRASTINATE: 1. I’m personally teaching Class 101 for the first time in ten years. 2. I’m personally baptizing after Class and you’ll receive a photo & baptism certificate. 3. You’ll get a free one... read more
Mar 27, 2009 | Miscellaneous, Personal, Reading
Ever wonder what tends to shape the mental meanderings of THE CAPRANICA? Welcome, THE CAP-STORE! Through the beauty of the web and the world that is Amazon, THE CAPRANICA can now offer an online store to house books and resources reflective of my personal tastes, convictions, enjoyments, hobbies, interests, etc. THE CAP-STORE is only in its beginning states so far, but will be ever expanding to include books and products you can purchase that have perhaps been reviewed or highlighted here at THE CAPRANICA. Or you can simply reference some of the materials I find intriguing or would recommend reading. Click over to THE CAP-STORE through the link at the top of the page and begin to peruse the... read more
Mar 26, 2009 | Humor
For Kel: Hemet/San Jacinto does not yet have one – thus far, our budget remains... read more
Mar 25, 2009 | Time/Life Management
Good steps here. I highly recommend Lencioni’s book Death By Meeting. Create Your Communications Experience: 10 Steps to Make Your Meetings... read more
Mar 25, 2009 | Eschatology, Humor, Music
Well, according to this contemporary worship song, breakfast will go the way of tongues, prophecy, faith, and hope: I can’t quit laughing on this one. HT: ... read more
Mar 24, 2009 | Christian Living, Miscellaneous
Good material here: 18 Tricks to Memorize More Scripture | Fallen and Flawed HT: Desiring God... read more
Mar 23, 2009 | Blogging, Featured Articles, Ordinary Pastor, Pastoral Ministry
Wouldn’t blogging be persona non grata in the life of the truly ordinary pastor? Maybe a few years ago, but no longer. I would suspect that the majority of pastors blogging today are among the ordinary variety. It helps that more than 99% of the pastors in our country are ordinarily flavored, so you would expect that the same percentage of pastors blogging will be ordinary pastors. With that in mind, why should a pastor blog? I wish more extraordinary pastors blogged ““ I mean really blogged. Not like those guys who have their staff post excerpts from the books. I wish they would actually take a half-hour a day and write something about their life, ministry, personal discipline, reading habits, family life, and the very unique experiences they have in ministry. It’s good to hear from some of the extraordinary guys who share from the overflow of their vast amount of time in the Scriptures and years of experience. But I also like hearing from the average Joe. In fact, I think there are a host of reasons why an ordinary pastor should blog (I have a few pastors in mind and would love to get them started – I may publicly expose them if they continue to resist). Here’s my list. It humanizes the ministry, allowing people to see the past the ivory tower facade. It allows you to speak to issues you could not cover in your sermon (even though your sermon was too long already). It gives another opportunity to write ““ and writing helps a pastor to be more clear and concrete with histhoughts.... read more
Mar 22, 2009 | Interviews
Bob Kauflin shares some excellent reflections on what God has done to allow him to do what he does in ministry. How I Got Here | Worship Matters read more
