Back from the Brink of Extinction

One of the ways you find out who is reading your blog is when you do what I have done and not write for about a month. Out of the five people (maybe ten at the most) who avidly consume the diatribes and brief discussions of The Capranica, they all seem to be quite upset that I have yielded little material lately. It is somewhat satisfying to know that The Capranica is a regular part of a number of people's lives to the point they are crying for more. Among these are a few of the men who are a part of my Doctor of Ministry cohort. I hesitate to mention their names so as to expose them to ridicule for reading this blog as a regular habit, so I will only mention their first names. Both Jason C. and David C. begged for more and regular content from The Capranica, especially posts similar to the blessing derived from Mrs. Hinn's video clip. Yes, that was a most edifying display. I'll try to help these men by being more regular. Not that many will care, but here's a run down of what has been going on over the past number of weeks. Our church's Christmas concert was held on December 18. It was one of the largest Adult evangelism events we have yet to have. About three hundred people were present for what was a newly arranged Christmas musical. We pursued more of a concert approach than a cantata or dramatic approach. One of our pastors preached the gospel clearly toward the end of the concert. I was thrilled with the way our congregation actively invited and brought unbelievers to the concert. Our choir and others who participated poured their lives into this event through many extra rehearsals and personally practicing during each week over the past number of months. I am so grateful to them for all of the hard work and great attitude through what was a draining time. The week after the concert, my annual cold cropped up. It put me down for about five days. During this time, one of our pastors passed away. Bro. Mac (Charles McMahill), one of the older men who is a part of our Pastors' Council succumbed to the cancer that had recently attacked his body. His funeral was held the week after Christmas and once again filled our facilities. He was a godly pastor who remained faithful to the gospel in public ministry for decades. All in our fellowship miss him greatly and anticipate the reunion we will have with him in glory. I was well enough to be a part of his memorial service and burial (it was a two day memorial). The day after the burial of Bro. Mac, I came down with a stomach virus that put me down for another several days. Not good. My wife can confirm, I don't "do nothing" with a very good attitude, especially when there is so much to do. Oh, I almost forgot, the day after Christmas we moved into The Capranica Villa (a future post). We moved all of our material possessions and have had little time to invest in arranging the new house. Kelly and I are very thankful for God's good provision in our life and we are looking forward to using our home for ministry to God's glory. One of the most intensive weeks was last week. My DMin program has me traveling to Kentucky twice a year to sit for a seminar. Most, if not all, of the required assignments are to be completed and turned in by the first day of the seminar. My current seminar was probably one of the least demanding of those I have participated in so far, but because of the crazy time constraints of the past number of months, I had yet to complete my work as of last week. I still had three books to read and lengthy reviews of each one to write as well as two sermon manuscripts to prepare. So, all of last week was spent in reading and writing - up to three hours from when I had to leave for the airport. Gladly, I finished all the work in time. That is where I am as of now - sitting in the Legacy Center at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I am currently a part of a seminary covering Expository Preaching and the New Testament, led by Dr. Bill Cook. We have had a wonderful time the past two days discussing the appropriate ways to interpret and preach from the Gospels. This is the first time for me to meet Dr. Cook and I have so thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from our discussions and lectures over the past two days. At this moment, Jason C., David C. and Michael S. are quite put out with me that I am not on the basketball court humiliating myself with them. There they were at my hotel door in their little shorts while it is a gray day and 46 degrees. Basketball requires a certain degree of coordination that God did not see fit to bless me with and I'm not quite sure that it would really honor the Lord for me to join my brethren in a game that is sure to bring harm not only to myself but those who may be run over by my rotund and awkward frame, while freezing at the same time (it's 75 back home). I will refrain from making any comments as to how these brethren look. I may try to post a pic of them soon. Now, I did have to teach them a few things about fooseball at lunch today, but outside of that, I have little desire to expose myself and others to needless humiliation. O.K. - long post, I know, but it has been a month. Since I do have an internet connection in my room, I'll try to say a few things over the next few days and post some pics. Stay tuned.