I Have Converted!
It was quick. It was traumatic. It was devastating. It was thorough. It was liberating and it is humbling. But, I have converted. Many will be shocked by this news. Some will perhaps be saddened. Others will be happy, because they knew it was coming. But, nonetheless, I feel an obligation to admit my long-term fault. After what I have so boldly written on this blog and after leading others astray who I deeply care for – I cannot but publicly confess and make my conversion known to all.
RSS and An Ordinary Pastor?
Abraham Piper, over at the Desiring God blog, recently put up a post for those who are unfamiliar with the beauty and grandeur of RSS. I’ve been an RSS fanatic for a few years now. But what is RSS, how could it be helpful (or harmful) and more fundamentally, should a truly ordinary pastor bother with blogs or the technology associated with RSS?
If you follow more than 2 blogs and are not using an RSS reader, you are wasting more time than you should as you waste time reading blogs. While I do have a Google-Reader account, I rarely use it. Instead, I’ve been a FeedReader user almost since I began reading blogs. If you don’t know what RSS is or how to get it set up, check out Abraham Piper’s step-by-step approach to Google Reader (link at the end of the post). Also see Tim Ferriss’ interview with Robert Scoble and see how he keeps up with over 600 RSS feeds a day.
100th Anniversary for Mother’s Day; A First For Us
Mother’s Day celebration reaches 100th anniversary - Yahoo! News
Today marks the 100th Anniversary of Mother’s Day and the first official year of celebration of Mother’s Day in the Capranica Home. So, here’s my Mother’s Day Card to one of the most superior mothers I know of:
Mother’s Day has not been an easy one for you. A decade ago, your mother slipped from here to heaven. Over six years ago, we began asking God that we could be a mother and father. Over one year ago, He provided an 18 day old jewel for our thus far empty crown. Six months later we were blessed with a second arrow in our quiver, even though she may be with us only temporarily (aren’t they all only with us temporarily). Only a few months ago, God mercifully granted our request and allowed us to officially be parents.
While many mothers work hard in a vocation that demands nothing less, few work as hard and happily at motherhood than you. Not every day is easy and for two people who love to accomplish loads of tasks in every day; some days feel as if only one task is accomplished: being a mother. And still, I know of few mothers who can enjoy the accomplishment of that one task more than you.
Our children are an immeasurable blessing to us both. But, for me you still surpass them with the blessing you are to me as a wife and mother. I thank God for you: your love of Christ, your love for me, your love for our children, and your love for others. Mother’s Day has never been the easiest holiday to celebrate - and for more than one reason. Today will be a difficult day for many more women. We are mercifully blessed. I am incomprehensibly blessed and profoundly humbled by being married to one of the most amazing mothers.
I love you.
Bret
The Sweetness of God’s Sovereignty
On Sunday evenings for the past two months, I have been preaching through the ninth chapter of Romans. It is a difficult one to navigate exegetically and theologically. I’ve enjoyed the study and the preaching. God has used it in a number of people’s lives (as they have relayed it to me) to help them not only comprehend (what can be comprehended) but enjoy the sovereignty of God in the arena of salvation.
Questions abound when reading Romans 9. Emotions tend to flair when discussing it and it’s implications. However, I remember when I was in college and was coming to terms with God’s sovereignty in salvation, I read (in a secular English course) Jonathan Edwards’ Personal Narrative. To this day, it remains one of my favorites of all I have read of Edwards. It is one of my favorites, not because it is one of the most profound or earth-shattering of his compositions, but probably because of the personal effect it had on me when I read it. I used the following quote from Edwards in the introduction of my sermon this past Sunday evening. It sums up well my own struggles and sweet resolutions in understanding and enjoying God’s sovereignty in salvation:
From my childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God’s sovereignty, in choosing whom he would to eternal life, and rejecting whom he pleased; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented in hell. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be convinced, and fully satisfied, as to this sovereignty of God, and his justice in thus eternally disposing of men, according to his sovereign pleasure. But never could give an account, how, or by what means, I was thus convinced, not in the least imagining at the time, nor a long time after, that there was any extraordinary influence of God’s Spirit in it; but only that now I saw further, and my reason apprehended the justice and reasonableness of it. However, my mind rested in it; and it put an end to all those cavils and objections. And there has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God’s sovereignty, from that day to this; so that I scarce ever have found so much as the rising of an objection against it, in the most absolute sense, in God’s strewing mercy to whom he will shew mercy, and hardening whom he will. God’s absolute sovereignty and justice, with respect to salvation and damnation, is what my mind seems to rest assured of, as much as of any thing that I see with my eyes; at least it is so at times. But I have often, since that first conviction, had quite another kind of sense of God’s sovereignty than I had then. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delightful conviction. The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God. But my first conviction was not so.
I encourage you to read the entire Narrative. What sort of effect does it have on you? Click here for a little background on it.
E-Mail and the Ordinary Pastor
A few weeks ago, I linked to and posted a question about how to handle e-mail clutter. I think it is safe to assume that the vast majority of modern and ordinary pastors deal with e-mail and thus they deal with the clutter that comes with it. A significant portion of my conversation with a variety of people takes place via e-mail.
I am fully aware of the possible impersonal downside to ministry by e-mail. However, we should probably be slow to chide conversation by e-mail (For a humorous take on this see HERE). Long before the advent of the telephone and well before cars could take us a few hundred miles in a round trip visit within a day, pastors and people in general used to correspond and communicate via letter. E-mail, if done thoughtfully and handled carefully could be a good means of carrying on helpful, engaging, fruitful conversation – but that sounds like different post for a different month. While I don’t want to suggest that phone calls are unimportant or a hand written note is not valuable, I simply want to say – don’t discount e-mail as a valid and helpful means of communication.
So, how do I handle e-mail and use it for the benefit of an ordinary pastor’s ministry? My approach is my approach. I neither commend it or suggest it as THE most helpful means of dealing with electronic correspondence. I’m open to help and helpful recommendations. But, then again, I am but an ordinary pastor. Here’s some thoughts:
Keys to Quicker Responses and Clean In-Box
Those who know me well, know well that I have not always been the best in responding to e-mail. However, I would guess that my harshest critics would have to admit they have seen vast improvement over the past number of months. Regardless, I do have as a goal to have an empty e-mail in-box every day. Here are a few things I have done to respond more rapidly and readily to e-mail sent my way:
T4G Reflections
I had about three good days after arriving home from Together for the Gospel before getting sick and laying in bed for a week, so, while I’ve had some time to think about it, I have been unable to post any reflections on what was an outstanding conference.
Some of the items I found most helpful:
- The Simplicity Yet Depth of the Music. Mark Dever was responsible for the selection of the songs (as well as the choice of instrumentation). Bob Kauflin did a masterful job of leading from one lone piano on the stage. What I enjoyed most were the songs chosen after each speaker. The hymns fit the message as a perfect expression, both in content and passion of what our hearts were thinking and feeling. “How Sweet and Awful is the Place” was stunning as it was powerfully sung by over 5,000 mostly male voices, just after John MacArthur finished an excellent message on Human Inability. The singular instrumentation was perfect for allowing our voices to carry and our minds to remain focused on the truth of what we were singing. While I love lots of instrumentation, it was wonderfully simple and helpful to remain undistracted as Bob led from the piano.
- C.J.’s Charge to Bless Our Wives. After reminding us that “Conference Life” was not real life and that our wives were the only ones experiencing real life, C.J. exhorted all of us to return home, take our wives to an unhurried, childless dinner and share with her all we heard. I very much enjoyed doing this with Kel, who had dealt with two sick children and being sick herself while I was away. We had a great date night.
Conferences and Pastoral Team Building
As this post makes its way to THE CAPRANICA front page, I will be getting into Pastor James Billings’ car headed to meet Pastor Stacy Johnson (Lord willing and he is feeling better), and we will together make the hour and a half to two hour trip to LAX to catch a plane and an all day trip (with the time zone changes) to Louisville, KY, to attend the Together for the Gospel Conference.
The link below is to the article C.J. Mahaney recently posted about pastors taking time to make such trips for team building. I couldn’t agree more with his comments. In fact, our team has tried to do exactly as he has suggested and take a trip or attend a class together each year for the purpose of building our relationships as a team and taking in some great material that helps sharpen us and our ministry.
The Life of An Ordinary Pastor
This past Wednesday during my quiet time, I finished reading D. A. Carson’s book, Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor. I cannot think of a book in recent memory that has moved me so emotionally. I see myself as an ordinary pastor. In fact, weeks before the book was published I wrote a post about being an ordinary pastor. I had actually put down in writing a plan for a number of “Ordinary Pastor” posts, but I put them all on the shelf until I could obtain and read through Carson’s book.
The most compelling portions for me in the book are his stalwart commitments to work hard in study, evangelism, prayer and family. Reading of his unwavering commitment to his wife during her Alzheimer years challenged me now to be more devoted to my wife and children. Learning of his final years of life – how full they were of commitment to serving the church, study hard and give himself to future generations of pastors, inspired a sense of renewed devotion within me.
Previous Articles
Welcome to THE CAPRANICA
. . . the mental meanderings of Bret Capranica, slave of Christ, husband to Kelly, father of Brie, pasta chef extraordinaire and ordinary pastor in the thriving metro-plex of San Jacinto, CA.
Fresh Ingredients!
Savour the Sauce!
You Should Really Try:
More For the Twitter Freaks
Cap Cravings
My Reading
Planned books:
- Above All Earthly Pow\’rs: Christ In A Postmodern World by David F. Wells
- Grasping God\’s Word by J. Scott Duvall
- Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation by Dr. V. Philips Long
- The Unity of the Bible: Unfolding God\’s Plan for Humanity by Unknown
- Religious Affections (The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, Volume 2) by Jonathan Edwards
Current books:
-
Methodical Bible Study by Robert A. Traina
-
Validity in Interpretation by E.D. Hirsch
-
Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance (Invitation to Theolo by Donald Sunukjian
Recent books:
- A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D. A. Carson
- Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
- The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
- The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective by Russell D. Moore
- The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23 by John Piper
You Should Regulary Read:
Smell the Garlic!
Comments di Cap