Derek's thoughts

The Power of Tiredness

2008-11-18T16:46:00.001-06:00

Tiredness is one of the most powerful forces on earth, as you'll see in this video.

Christian? Sick of Health Insurance?

2008-08-25T08:59:00.002-05:00

Watch this!

If you happen to call them, remember to let them know that Derek and Laura Thorp referred you. Thanks!

That's nuts

2008-08-07T10:27:00.001-05:00

Socialism or Freedom?

2008-08-01T11:05:00.001-05:00

Gid the Kid

2008-07-21T12:59:00.002-05:00

Sim Eating Grits

2008-07-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

Utah Trip Summary

2008-06-04T09:48:00.007-05:00

Awesome!

Kids had a great time sightseeing and going to the museum several times. My wife loved being able to rent a real house all week, rather than compressing into hotel rooms. I liked pretty much everything about the trip. The culture, the shopping, the mountains, the ease of getting around Salt Lake City, and definitely the seminar. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Oops

2008-05-30T07:40:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you do it right. Sometimes you don't.

Wow!

2008-05-29T21:47:00.004-05:00

We arrived in Salt Lake City on Saturday and are having a terrific time. We attended the Mountain Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Park City on Sunday. We were able to go downtown on Monday and visited Temple Square. On Tuesday, we made our way over to the Gateway, which is a really large mall. The kids were able to go to the museum there yesterday and today as well. The primary reason we're here is for the Urilife Advanced Marketing Seminar. I have become an independent distributor with Uri International and am very excited about this new chapter in wellness history and network marketing history as well. In case you didn't know, I do have a Uri blog.

The kids have done well, and our friend Katie has done an awesome job staying with the kids in the afternoons, so that Laura can attend some of the seminar. She's been a huge help the whole trip.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us. This trip has been very encouraging, motivating, and we feel like the Lord is directing us toward some cool things.

A lot going on

2008-05-19T11:07:00.005-05:00

Thanks to those of you who faithfully read this blog. I guess it's not really much of a commitment, since I don't post to it very often. Here are some things that have happened recently:

Laura, Simeon, & I went to College Park, GA for the annual convention for the Georgia Home Education Association. It was fun.

We've started to have a few people over for dinner again after getting off track for a while.

I posted some videos to YouTube related to home business stuff.

I purchased an effects processor that I have hardly used.

My gas mileage is starting to improve.

Here are a few things coming up.

Trip to Salt Lake City for a seminar and mini vacation. This is going to be awesome, and I get to take the wife and kids.

Silas will be starting coach pitch baseball in the first half of June.

We will be having more and more people over for dinner.

I am extremely excited about the Utah trip and I hope to be able to take a carriage tour of downtown Salt Lake City, among other things. Please pray that this trip would be helpful to our home business, a blessing to the kids, and opportunity to see what the Lord might have for us ministry wise in the future.

This picture below is me standing in front of Temple Square in Salt Lake City in 1993.

It's been such a long time...

2008-03-30T17:24:00.003-05:00

I think I should be blogging. Life has continued on as you might have suspected. Recent updates include:

I'm considering buying a Geo Metro for the drive to work.
Home business stuff has started to pick up. Ready or not!
Gideon is doing better and better, slowly but surely.
I'll be going to Georgia in May for a business trip.
The Easter holiday brought several relatives to our house, and we had a great time.

I have been writing more on some of my other blogs. Sorry to those who regularly read this one.

Happy birthday Mom!

2008-01-22T10:13:00.000-06:00

My mother, Patty Maher, who passed away on September 30, 2005 of cancer, would be 60 years old today. I'm not sure how the heaven to earth dynamic works, but I hope that she is able to peek in on her grandbabies once in a while. She loved them with the same unselfish adoration with which she loved me. Everyday I see more and more of my mom in myself.... and that's a good thing. Here's to you, Mom, on your day.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-11T13:51:00.000-06:00

It's certainly hard to believe that it's 2008 already. Maybe one of my resolutions should be to blog more often.

Anthony Hopp

2007-12-07T15:50:00.000-06:00

My good friend Anthony Hopp is coming out with a new CD. You'll want to get a hold of this when it's released. Get a sneak peek at his new MySpace Music page.

November update

2007-11-15T10:19:00.000-06:00

Well, it turns out that the glasses I'm wearing in the last post are not gonna work. Laura's picking up the new ones today, which will be a little different. I will post a picture as soon as I get one. Here are some things that have been going on....

I turned 35 on October 28
I'm picking out a new electric guitar as a birthday present from my wife
We have altered Gideon's diet per our trip to Dr. Mercola's office
Simeon's getting heavy
Silas is doing some of his chores before his mom even wakes up!
I finally acquired the 1994 Cadillac Deville for the commute to work. Great car.

Here are some upcoming events:

Laura's 30th birthday
A big Thanksgiving get-together at our house
Vineyard Christmas program
SMI Christmas party
Trip to Orlando for Christmas. We're driving this time!

Something's different...

2007-10-27T05:59:00.000-05:00

After 7 years, I finally decided to fork over the cash for some new glasses.

The Power of a Haircut

2007-09-30T09:28:00.000-05:00

Silas and Gideon started a new "instant" weight loss program yesterday, and they look great! Here are the "before" and "after" pictures.

Pumpkin Fest 2007

2007-09-25T06:14:00.000-05:00

I didn't get any really good pictures from this year's Fest. Here you see Laura and Silas on the Ferris wheel and me in the parking lot after the madness was over. It was a great day, but it had its share of challenges. I wish I had gotten a picture of the train derailing. I'd never seen an amusement park ride malfunction so blatantly. Everybody was okay, and the train was up and running in just 2 minutes! It was nice to connect with people I hadn't seen in a while as well.

Here I Am

2007-09-10T06:04:00.001-05:00

So, it's been a while, and perhaps you're wondering, what's Derek up to? Or, if you're like most of the people on the planet, you weren't wondering that at all. Here are a few bullet points spotlighting recent activity.

I've been working on setting up a new home based business.
I've been considering some changes in the ministry I do at my church. Pray for me!
The kids are growing like crazy. The amount of food they consume seems to be increasing.
I'm getting a 1994 Cadillac for the commute to Peoria.

A few upcoming events

Morton Pumpkin Festival
Laura's cousin's wedding
Former co-worker's wedding
TobyMac concert?
7th wedding anniversary

Thanks for reading my blog. One of these days I'll start posting regularly, or I'll create another blog that I start posting regularly to.

Free Ebook

2007-09-10T06:01:00.000-05:00

I just ran across this website you should take a look at. I think you'll find it really interesting. Here's the link:
http://yes.the7greatliesofnetworkmarketing.com/
It's called the 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing and it basically exposes all the myths and bad practices that cause the majority of mlmers to fail in their business.
It completely goes against the grain of anything you've ever been told about network marketing before, but it all makes perfect sense.

Oh, and it's free too.

It's about time

2007-08-02T05:50:00.000-05:00

Although we haven't gotten a professional picture done yet, here are a couple of amateur shots of the family. These were taken on July 16. Everybody's doing well. We've had a lot of company the last 2 weeks with relatives staying the night and such.

Super Seminar

2007-07-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

I am in North Carolina finishing up the Advanced Marketing Seminar for my new Uri business, and I have to say, "It's been awesome!" So much great content. If I'm not ready to take action now, I never will be. If anybody gets involved in this business, they'll, of course, have the opportunity to do the same thing. I strongly, strongly recommend you do yourself a favor and visit my website in order to find out what the heck is going on with this live, whole food business. If you could care less or think this is just another scam. Then give the products a try. Come on board!

Simeon

2007-07-12T16:08:00.000-05:00

Here's a new picture of Simeon at 2 1/2 months. He's pretty fun!

Oops

2007-06-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

Wow. It just occurred to me that I haven't posted a blog in a really long time. Sorry about that. The family's doing well. I started a new home based business for which I'll have some upcoming posts on my new blog.

It's a boy!

2007-04-29T07:25:00.000-05:00

We're happy to announce birth of a new Thorp! Simeon Matthias Thorp was born Saturday, April 28 at 2:41am. He weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz, and was 21 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well. Simeon decided he was going to give his mother a longer labor than his predecessors. He resembles each his brothers in some ways (so far), but seems to have his own look. Thanks for praying for us. Things went very well.

Derek

Countdown

2007-04-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

The new Thorp baby should be here very soon. Will keep you posted....

Sharpened up

2007-04-01T07:05:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of representing SMI at the Iron Sharpens Iron conference in Springfield. Nearly 1000 men were there and it was awesome. From Dr. Stowell's message in the morning to Bishop Jackson's finale, it was really good. One of the workshops I appreciated was Paul Coughlin's talk on the dangers of the passive lifestyle and of being a Christian nice guy. I recommend this conference and look forward to next year.

RDA met

2007-03-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

At SMI, we recently acquired Jack LaLanne's Healthmaster 100. You may have seen the infomercials. I just started using it yesterday, and, I must say, I recommend the thing. It's awesome! I'm able to grind up the fruits and veggies that I need for a day and drink them as a delicious smoothie. This morning I made myself two full glasses- one for breakfast, and one for an afternoon boost. I included broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, celery, kale, carrots, strawberries, and a banana. I simply added water and the Healthmaster 100 did the rest. It really does work just like the infomercial says. I think we'll go ahead and invest in one at home now. It's well worth it.

Spring fever

2007-03-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm certainly happy about the recent change in weather. I got to shoot baskets in my driveway last night. It's hard to believe that just a couple weeks ago, I was plowing through it with the snowblower.

What's been happening:
1) Gideon is now healthy again after a few weeks being sick and having a cold.
2) Silas is reading like nobody's business.
3) Laura has less than 7 weeks of pregnancy left.
4) I found out that I'll be going to a couple conferences for SMI later in the year. (Fun!)
5) At 22 months old, Gideon finally had his baby dedication.

Places I traveled to recently: Ikea in Bolingbrook, IL

Currently getting a lot of play on the iPod: Gordon Lightfoot, Bride, Bob Dylan

Movies I've seen recently: Unidentified, Superman Returns, Lady in the Water, America: Freedom to Fascism

Remembering my girl

2007-02-16T10:43:00.000-06:00

This weekend is Hannah weekend in the Thorp house. Hannah Joy Thorp was born at our previous home in Bloomington on February 17, 2003. She went to be with Jesus on February 19, 2006. We would be having her 4th birthday party tomorrow. It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year that she's been gone. This weekend we're going to celebrate the time we had with her through pictures, videos, and stories. We will be reminded also that within a very short time, we will be with her again. Praise God for his goodness to us and the promises He gives. See you soon, Han!

Tharp & Thorp a thing of the past

2007-02-12T08:36:00.000-06:00

Recently at SMI we said goodbye to Andy Tharp, who trained me in the ways of need sharing and such. What an asset to our team he has been. I will miss greeting him in the morning; (Hey Thorp, Hey Tharp) I will miss his great voice pumping out the Southern Gospel tunes at random. I will miss his Napoleon Dynamite doll, that, with the push of a button, uttered some of the finest quotes in recent human history. I will mostly miss his friendship and having him around. Andy was called to do ministry in Georgia. Go get 'em, Tharp!

Happy Groundhog Day

2007-02-02T14:24:00.000-06:00

Where I work, Groundhog Day is actually May 20. Please don't ask me to explain...

Blowout!

2007-01-10T05:49:00.000-06:00

On the way home from Wisconsin Dells, one of the rear tires on our van gave up the ghost, leaving us stranded on the side of the road. Fortunately, we were near the friendly town of Edgerton, WI and were able to get the tire replaced that night and get back on the road. Not to mention, we enjoyed a delicious bite to eat at Ray's Family Restaurant. Nice folks.

Christmas vacation

2007-01-06T06:05:00.000-06:00

This year we were away from home for Christmas again. This time we went to the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, home of the world's largest indoor waterpark. We had a great time in the pools, on the lazy river, and on the slides. Silas even had a turn on the Flowrider, a indoor surfing ride. The whole family went to a huge buffet on Christmas day.

Every day is New Year's Day

2007-01-04T16:09:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! One of my resolutions will be to blog more often. I should have some posts up soon with recent pictures.

I'm getting really bad at this

2006-12-07T11:12:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am again....over a month later! Lots of things have happened since my last post.
Here goes.
1) Laura's sister got married, and Laura, Silas, and I were in the wedding. I'm pictured here dancing with both the bride and the groom!
2) One of my brothers got married.
3) We had a huge Thanksgiving dinner at our house, with members of Laura's family, my family, and friends from our LifeGroup attending.
4) The transmission finally went out on the Cutlass, so we got rid of it.
5) The baby's been growing in Laura's belly.
6) I found out that Tim Barnes is coming back to Peoria! You heard it right. He'll be on staff at a church just down the road from SMI. See a picture of Tim & I from the 1990s here.
7) We had a big snowstorm which will hopefully melt next week.
8) Laura's grandfather passed away; visitation tomorrow, funeral Saturday.

Recently, I've been thinking about...
1) The relationship between the law and the gospel, triggered by my pastor's sermon series on Galatians.
2) 9/11 conspiracy theories
3) Getting serious about music ministry

Some movies I've seen recently- Nacho Libre, The Perfect Stranger, High School Musical

Just in case I'm too busy or lazy to post soon, Merry Christmas!

Miss me?

2006-10-27T11:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been over a month since my last post. Sorry about that. Here are few things that have happened since last time.

1) We joined HSLDA.
2) Silas started reading like a maniac and is picking up the Bible throughout his day and reading it. (He's getting help from Mom on the harder words.) This means that he can read song lyrics and can sing along with us easily as we worship. Cool development!
3) Silas finally got his mop chopped off.
4) We joined Netflix. This is one of the best entertainment choices I've ever made, if not THE best. I love being able to choose exactly what we watch. By the way, I highly recommend the TV Guardian in conjunction with your TV and video watching for filtering out any foul language.
5) The discussion on the role of women in ministry in Vineyard churches has intensified.

Upcoming:
1) Reformation Celebration at the Vineyard, October 31
2) Sister-in law's wedding
3) Brother's wedding
4) Christmas vacation in Wisconsin Dells

I noticed that I very rarely get a comment from anyone about any of my posts, which leads me to think that no one reads them. This may actually be the case. However, if you do read a post, please leave a comment that at least says "Hi Derek" so I know that you actually read it. If these comments (by some miracle) start to get out of hand, I'll have to deal with it at that time. Have a nice weekend.

Nice to see an old friend...

2006-09-21T06:33:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I got to see Adam, one of my old friends from the YAP and Oasis days. He's still joking around with the best of them, even in his old age. At his request, here's our picture right here on my world famous blog.

Pumpkin Fest

2006-09-21T06:11:00.000-05:00

We were recently at Morton's 40th annual Pumpkin Festival and had a great time. We started off the morning with the 90 minute Pumpkin Parade and enjoyed festival activities in the afternoon and evening.

The eye of the Needle

2006-08-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

I recently took my family to Seattle for a wedding. We visited, among other things, the world famous Space Needle. In just 41 seconds we shot up to the top, which gave us a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding area. Awesome. Breathtaking. 10 times better than the St. Louis Gateway Arch. If you're going to Seattle, it's worth the $14 ticket, and then some.

520 feet high

2006-08-29T17:39:00.000-05:00

Another incredible post

2006-08-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

Since the last time I posted:
1) I decided to put together an Oasis reunion for next year.
2) My wife got all of her hair cut off.
3) I took back an electric scooter that I had purchased impulsively.
4) I played dodge ball for the first time since high school.
5) We got a new (pre-owned) van.

Today I had lunch with an old Oasis friend I hadn't seen in at least 5 years.

Upcoming events:
1) I'm preaching at the Vineyard on 8/20.
2) Trip to Seattle for friend's wedding
3) Pumpkin Festival!
4) 3 other weddings, 2 of which Laura & I are singing at, and 2 of which Silas will be the ring bearer.

2006-07-15T07:48:00.000-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed my four days at the conference, and was touched by Jesus several times. What a time to get refreshed the already/not yet tension of the Kingdom!

Pictured are me with Dan Paxton, pastor of the Heartland Vineyard in Cedar Falls, Iowa, who had a great workshop on team-building. Also, worship leader Dave Fife during one of the ministry times.

Billy Graham Center

2006-07-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

While at the Vineyard conference at Wheaton College, I was able to visit the Billy Graham Center. Here are some pictures from the museum.

For those of you who care...

2006-07-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

You can also find me at http://www.myspace.com/thorpedo1 .

Thought I'd share

2006-06-15T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is last picture taken of the five of us together. It was taken at the SMI Christmas party in December 2005. We miss you, Hannah!

Here I Am

2006-06-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

Well..... here I am! It's been a while since my last post. I've been super busy. Here's a few things that have taken place since my last post.

1) I changed departments at work.
2) We moved into our new home across town.
3) Gideon turned 1 and finally started crawling.
4) I've been working hard on my mom and stepdad's estate.
5) I sang a barbershop hymn with some coworkers for our all staff monthly meeting. It was my first barbershop performance in more than a decade, and it was awesome.
6) I had to restart my iPod. It wasn't working right.
7) My pastor has continued to preach on Revelation. Listen here.
8) We got the Sky Angel hooked up at the new house.

Many other things have happened as well, but the time to share them simply does not exist.

Movies I've watched recently- Good Night, and Good Luck, Borrowed Hearts, Cheaper By the Dozen 2

I hope to start a recommend movie list sometime. Bye for now.

Goodbye to Olive Street

2006-05-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, in just 2 days, we officially move across town. This is going to be a very welcome change, and we're more than excited about God's provision with this new home. It does, however, seem a bit unreal that we're not going to live on Olive Street anymore. We've spent the last 4 1/2 years there eating, sleeping, bathing, worshiping, partying, and watching Sky Angel. 2 of our kids were born in that house. It will be hard moving everything out of there and watching it become an empty anonymous place. It will be hard to sell it and to not be able to walk in at will. I have made fun of it many times for being on the west side of town, for not being very attractive, for having a poor layout, among other things. But that house will always be in my memory as the place where we raised our kids when they were young. As I tear up here, I say publicly that I have no regrets about buying the home. I only regret not being a better neighbor and witness for Jesus while living there. By God's grace, may I actively share Jesus with my new neighbors across town.

2006-05-04T16:37:00.000-05:00

Overload

2006-04-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been majorly swamped with our upcoming move, a week long trip out of state, and some other major dealings. My stress level has been high, so please pray that I would get quality time with the Lord every day and "be anxious for nothing." Our camera broke, so I don't have any cool recent pictures.

WMBD

2006-04-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a note from Illinois candidate for Governor, Randy Stufflebeam.

Dear Family, Friends, and Fellow Constitutionalists,

Thursday, April 13, 2006 from 7:30am-8:00am, I will be interviewed on the "Greg and Dan in the Mornings" show on WMBD - 1470AM in Peoria, IL.

Following the interview, there will be a reception at the Godfathers Pizza in East Peoria from 9:30am - 11:30am. If in the area, please stop by, I would love to meet you. Bring a friend so that they will have the opportunity to meet the only conservative gubernatorial candidate that will be on the ballot here in Illinois, in November.

This will also be an opportunity to support the campaign financially. If you would like to help ensure that Illinois has a choice in November, please consider helping out the campaign.

Gateway to the West

2006-04-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Silas and I found ourselves in St. Louis, Missouri, traveling to the top of the Gateway Arch. 630 feet is a long way up! Silas kept moving from window to window to catch the difference in the view. Along with the breathtaking views of both sides of the Mississippi, Silas was able to locate where we parked our minivan and got to enjoy a soccer game that was going on directly underneath the Arch.

Life in the Fastlane

2006-04-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend we visited St. Charles, Missouri, where my sister-in-law lives. Part of our visit included a trip to Fast Lane Classic Cars, a museum/showroom of some really sharp vehicles. Silas and I thought about getting a new family car, the 1962 Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta station wagon. Just a little out of our price range, but a beauty none the less!

It keeps getting better

2006-03-29T15:47:00.000-06:00

Recently, Randy Stufflebeam asked my friend, Bryan Evans, to run with him on the state ticket as the candidate for treasurer. Great choice, Randy. If you're registered to vote, and an Illinois resident, you can help get these guys get on the ballot in November by downloading a petition here. Be sure to read the instructions before you start having people sign. Have fun!

Constitution Party Convention

2006-03-22T08:37:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned previously, Laura and I attended the State Convention for the Constitution Party of Illinois on Saturday. We had a great time, got to meet some cool people, and, more importantly, got excited about standing up for what we believe in. Maybe your values are consistent with those of our party. You can find out by reading the platform here.

At the convention, we got to listen to the bylaws, which were voted on for approval. Not super-exciting, but definitely interesting. The afternoon was the good stuff. We nominated Randy Stufflebeam (shown with me in the second picture) as our nominee for Governor of Illinois. We got to listen to keynote speaker, Cal Zastrow, (shown with me in the first picture) who is the chairman of the Constitution Party of Michigan and the chairman of Michigan Citizens for Life. Cal was not only inspiring, but gave us practical tools to use to build the party. Today, with the news of the Republican and Democratic nominees for Governor, we are excited to be able to tell the people of Illinois that there is a candidate who is 100% pro-life running this fall, and his name is Randy Stufflebeam.

Many folks volunteered to run for office at this convention as well. It looks like I'm going to be joining them. Details on my candidacy are coming later. I will say that I will likely be running as a "flagpole" candidate. This is a person who simply gets their name on the ballot for the purpose of giving the party more credibility in the eyes of the voters. Sorry, but their probably won't be any yard signs or anything like that.

We've been excited about the different things that God has brought into our paths during this season of life. With the passing of my mother, my stepfather, and my daughter Hannah, there has been a great deal of grief, and it is easy to just stop and do nothing. We have been active, however, and forward looking, and we're being used to touch others' lives. Thanks for praying.

I meant to post this on Wednesday, but I couldn't get the pictures to upload until today.

Busy weekend

2006-03-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

Laura and I have a busy weekend ahead. We'll be looking at more houses. I have this feeling that the Lord is going to lead us to the right place, we're just going to "know" when we've found the right one. I hope my feelings serve me well in this endeavor.

Tomorrow, Laura and I will be attending the 2006 State Convention for the Constitution Party of Illinois, which will be happening in Peoria. I've actively supported this political party since 1996 am glad that the Lord led me to a party that I can throw my support behind with a clear conscience. Randy Stufflebeam is running for governor of Illinois, and we'll be making him our official candidate tomorrow. Cool stuff.

Any dreams I had of relaxing on the love seat and watching Sky Angel this weekend have wilted. It'll be worth it.

Doing well

2006-03-16T16:06:00.000-06:00

Gideon is doing much better these days. Thank you for praying. He's also moving up in the development department, and it's exciting to see him doing more stuff and becoming more aware of the world around him. And one thing's for sure: I'll be really glad when he is too big for the outfit in this picture.

Many new developments

2006-03-10T08:39:00.000-06:00

Well, what can I say? Life goes on, and we have many things and many friends to be thankful for. Laura and I are in the midst of looking at houses in Bloomington-Normal, and we're leaning toward moving sometime soon. While dealing with Hannah's loss, this has been something that has been reasonably positive and has kept us forward-looking.

In our church, we have LifeGroups, frequently called cell groups or home groups, where folks from the church get together in a home to worship together, pray for each other, study the bible, and fellowship. Our LifeGroup is going through some changes currently, and we feel that God is wanting to split us into 3 separate groups this year. As the Lord leads, Laura and I will likely be starting our new group in the next month or two. I look forward to this fresh start of sorts.

Gideon has been sick most of this week, and it's affected our sleep and health as well. Feel free to pray for us in that regard.

This week I went back to work, and the transition has gone pretty well. I am so thankful for the extended family we have at Samaritan Ministries. With all due respect, Hannah's transition would have definitely been a much more difficult situation at one of my previous employers.

Today's recommended website: Time Changer
I watched it with Silas yesterday.

Very pleased

2006-03-04T06:47:00.000-06:00

I couldn't have been more pleased with the visitation and funeral/celebration services for my daughter Hannah. Hannah obviously affected a lot of lives and continues to do so. We have been bombarded with love the last two weeks in the form of flowers, meals, fruit baskets, cards, money, visits, phone calls and a host of other ways. If you have a picture of Hannah taken with your camera, and have doubles, we would be happy to take one of them off your hands. Thanks to everyone who participated. I talked with people I haven't seen in several years, which was a huge deal to me. Truly there is not enough that can be said about this whole event. The Lord continues to work in people's lives and has opened some doors. More to come...

John Branyan

2006-02-26T17:30:00.000-06:00

Just hours before Hannah passed away, we were enjoying a dinner at my mother-in-law's church with Christian comedian John Branyan. He and his brother did a terrific job, and it was a pleasure be able to meet him and chat for a few minutes. He seemed pleased that we owned his DVD. Visit John's website here.

Prayers of the saints

2006-02-24T08:40:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us this week. We have received much encouragement from the Lord and from many people. Please specifically pray that God would get as much glory as possible through the events of this weekend and that many would come to Jesus.

Services for Hannah

2006-02-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone for the love you've shown us over the last few days. All services will be at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Bloomington.

Visitation- Friday 4:00-6:30pm
Funeral/Celebration service- Saturday 10:00am

Hannah Joy Thorp, February 17, 2003 - February 19, 2006

2006-02-20T11:31:00.000-06:00

Last night I said goodbye to my little girl. I have never been so sad. She was the best daughter anyone could wish for, and we rejoice with her as she's now walking with Jesus. Please pray for us. This is an undescribably devastating time for us and has been an incredible shock. God bless my happy girl.

Revelation series

2006-02-15T13:23:00.000-06:00

My pastor, David Bielby, just started a new series on Revelation, which I'm pretty excited about. He has been reluctant preach on this for the entire time that he has been at the Vineyard, but now he feels like it's time. You can read his sermon notes at his Revelation blog. This is a big topic and, of course, there are many different views on this book. I really want to land somewhere with one of the views, but, as of yet, I've not been fully convinced by any particular camp. Dave is not going to emphasize any particular view in this series, as far as I can tell, so it should be interesting.

Great website

2006-02-14T09:23:00.000-06:00

Last night I found out that Dr. Sam Storms is coming to my church this year to speak and possibly do a seminar. It was tremendous news, and I very much look forward to it. Sam has put together a great website for Enjoying God Ministries. If you're like me and are interested in an excellent internet resource for new studies, reviews, commentaries, all kinds of good theological stuff, and a place that will help you know the Scriptures more deeply, and increase your passion for Jesus, than take a look!

Just a thought...

2006-02-10T09:56:00.000-06:00

I wanted to start another blog where I could just share some of my thoughts and where you can comment on them. Thoughts about life, parenting, theology, music, movies or whatever else are what I'm thinking about posting. I'll try to reserve TV stuff for my Sky Angel blog here. Enjoy and please comment!