Blake Thompson daht NetI'm just saying….

So now we’re at 3 or 4 days away from going to BigStuf….depending on how you’re counting. But we’re leaving on Saturday. This will be the TENTH summer in a row that I’ve taken a group down. That in and of itself should tell you how highly I think of this organization.

Our worship will be led by the BigStuf Band and Jared Herd and Louie Giglio will be doing the speaking. Jared is not known far and wide, but he knows how to bring it. I’ve been able to hear him a couple of times already at BigStuf and have never been disappointed. And this guy named Giglio…well let’s just say that he really knows how to bring it too.

From my experience, BigStuf is probably one of the, if not THE, best camp I’ve ever carried kids too. It provides the best combination of worship, teaching, and fun. The crew that puts this all together is very professional and wows me every time I’m there. Never been disappointed.

I used to want to keep it a secret because I didn’t want the summer to get to crowded. That was back when I fist started coming and they had only four weeks of camp in the summer. I could fax in my registration in April and pretty much get the week I wanted.

Now the have TEN weeks of camp and registration starts in OCTOBER! And things are mostly full by January! It’s grown. But it’s grown because it’s a quality camp experience and God’s blessed them for following after Him.

So…please pray for us while we’re gone. I’m going to try to do some updates while we’re away!

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When I was really young, my dad went to work in South Dakota for a year. So he bought a camera while he was away to take pictures of all the pretty landscapes up there (ha ha!) But when he came back I wore that big Canon SLR around my neck as if it were my favorite necklace. I took lots of photos. And wasn’t it great that you had to buy film and pay to have it developed back then?

Later on in middle school he got me a little Canon point and shoot. I used it a lot. Wore it out. But when I was in high school I decided I wanted to step up w/ the big boys. So the summer after my sophomore year in high school I mowed yards and pulled weeds for a lawn care service. I saved most all of my money and bought myself a camera just as school started. Had to use my grandmother’s credit card for it and everything!

I started taking pictures for the school yearbook and the local newspaper. I did almost all of my schools sporting events. And I loved doing it. Even got to learn darkroom techniques. I became known as the “Picture Man.” I’d take photos on Friday nights at football games, then develop them first part of the week. And then I’d bring them to school and watch people ohh and ahh over them. Made me feel good. I knew that was my creation from start to finish.

But life moved on. I used it a little more while working in Amory. But everything w/ newspapers was moving Digital and I didn’t have that. But now I want back in the game!

We just bought Read the rest of this entry »

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So…this totally flipped everything upside down, didn’t it? I mean, after Season One and Season Two…you didn’t have all the answers, but you knew where things were pointed. At this point, we don’t know where and the world this is headed. And probably not ever going to be the same again.

It wasn’t just questions that this finale raised, but overall direction of the entire series. And although these are strong words, I might have to say that Wednesday night’s two hours of LOST was quite possibly the best two hours of television I’ve ever seen.

That said, here are some questions I’m wanting answers to:

• Who was in the coffin?
• Is Christian Sheppard still alive?
• Is Patchy really dead this time?
• Who is Naomi working with?
• Is Kate pregnant?
• Who all left the island?
• Why did Jack say to Kate “I can’t keep lying.”? What is he lying about?
• Why is Locke so stupid?
• Is Charlie really dead?
• And where can I get one of those Golden Passes to use on the airlines?

As great as LOST was the other night, the eight month wait is going to seem like a few years.  Just plain…wow.

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I just upgraded to WordPress 2.2.

I think that’s supposed to make me post more often and some really, really interesting things.

Like Phil Collins said, “I can feel it coming in the air tonight.”

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Today was another busy Sunday…and we’re halfway there.

This morning was Baccalaureate Sunday. That means that I get to preach in “big church”. It happens like once a year. So this morning I spoke on “The Revealed Will of God”. So often it seems like we try to ask God what we should do about this or that. Who should we marry or where to go to school or what sort of job….but we overlook the things that He’s pretty obvious about in the Bible. It tells us a few places “This here is God’s will…” or “This is what God wants and expects of us…”

Here were a few things I mentioned: He wants us to have fellowship w/ Him. He wants us to be filled w/ Him instead of worldly things. He wants us to honor Him w/ our bodies. And he wants us to be willing to suffer (as He suffered.) Also to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all things…

I think it went well…and I think that I, of all people, need to take those words to heart.

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Feast Number One Forty Four

Appetizer
List 3 emotions you experienced this week.
Shock, happiness, confusion

Soup
Name a car you’d love to have.
The Volkswagen Passat
Salad
Describe your typical morning routine.
Get up, get the girls some breakfast and eat with them, get a shower and then dress. Then go to work.

Main Course
Have you ever emailed someone famous?  If so, who, and what did you say to them?  Did they reply?
Not sure what famous means…but probably not.

Dessert
Do you listen to podcasts?  If so, which ones?
Heck yes. The Village Church, Relevant Magazine, Simply Youth Ministry, Mars Hill Bible Church, The Official LOST Podcast, Jay and Jack, Kidd Kraddick In The Morning, Coffee Break Spanish.

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 Feast Number One Hundred and Forty Three 

Appetizer
Tell about a time when you had to be brave.
When I was in a wreck back in high school and had to call the parents of some girls that were in my car to tell them about the wreck.

Soup
Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?
Live Free or Die Hard

Salad
Name an item you try to always have on hand.
My cell phone or my wallet.

Main Course
Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of.  Now describe it!
Either on the beach or in the mountains. But with lots of windows. Some fluffy cushions. Some cinnamon roles baking. Listening to Explosions In The Sky.

Dessert
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?
8

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 Feast Number One Forty Two

Appetizer
Name something you would not want to own.
A chihuahua. I hate those dogs

Soup
Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).
I’ve been cutting it myself lately w/ some clippers. So it’s short and dark.

Salad
Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.
The day I saw my 2nd daughter born in the passenger seat of our Ford Explorer.

Main Course
Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?
Steve Jobs. So I could go ahead and see if the iPhone is worth all the hype.

Dessert
Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.
I’m about to go to the gym because I love it so much!

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The last few Christmases have been kinda weird. I guess it’s sorta the same as it’s always been. But the last minute rushing around trying to find a few presents for people that you hardly ever see. Presents that you know they probably won’t like, but you gotta check their name off the list. And you know there are people somewhere checking your name off a list getting something they don’t really think you’ll like (and you’re not expecting fireworks when you open that box either.)

But Rick McKinley and friends up at Imago Dei in Portland came up with Advent Conspiracy. Seems intriguing:

 “What if this Christmas your family, your friends, your church entered the story of Christmas and celebrated the birth of Christ in a way that was accurate, prophetic and transformative personally and globally. Could this baby that was born over 2000 years ago lead to something that dramatic today? We think so.

What if Jesus came to earth today? Would it change the way we celebrated his birth? Would we still be overwhelmed by holiday consumerism? Would we continue to be content to just sing about him on Sunday and shop for ourselves throughout the week? Would it still be simply a nice story of the birth of God among us? Or would it radically change the way the church lived out the reign of God among us in a consumeristic culture?”

Very interested to see what comes of this.
(ht to Sikora)

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::Three down and hopefully none to go::

Saturday night the Fam went to eat at Mazzio’s Pizza. It’s a pretty good place to eat and you can get some food w/o feeling gouged when you leave. We ordered and took our number and cups to the table. I got everyone’s drink and went back to the table. So then The Wife went to make her salad. I got a text message and while I was looking at my phone I started getting wet. But where was there any water coming from?

It was just to my left as Addie was vomiting all across our table. She’d not complained or said she felt bad or anything. But it all came out in a few waves. But even between waves she said she felt okay.

So after cleaning her off, get a new shirt from the car, clean off the mini lake on the table, and all wash up, our food gets there. Addie says she’s feeling fine. But we only let her nibble at a piece. But afterwards she’s wanting to go play video games and such. All good, right? Right?

After a bath and pajamas on, she comes in the kitchen to Read the rest of this entry »

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