TrevorCarpenter.com

In my formative years, I was a part of the New America Singers. The NAS are a youth choir and performing group. We would spend the fall each year preparing for an annual performance the Southern Baptist State Youth Conference. The choir had been started at Magnolia Baptist Church, in Riverside, CA. That church is across the street from the largest, most influential Baptist institution in the state, California Baptist University.

But the big fun was the annual summer tour. The group has traveled throughout the USA and internationally. During my tenure we did a Pacific Northwest tour; (California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia), and England and Zimbabwe.

These trips made significant impacts upon my life. The largest being that the relationships I formed directed me to Azusa Pacific University, where I attended college.

I’ll bore you with more details another time. Here, I simply wanted to give you a brief background to my most recent photos. I attended a 25th anniversary celebration this past weekend, and of course, I took a few photos. You can see the album here. Below are a few samples…

Popularity: 9% [?]

One Hundred Great Americans

Today is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. He was born in Boston, Mass., on January 17th, 1706. A great American who contributed not only to the forming of this great nation, but in many unique ways as well.

Hey, do you use bifocals? Ben did that! The circulating stove, aka the Franklin Stove, Ben did that. How about checking out a book at the library? Do you like that? Ben did that. You live in a rural area, with volunteer fire departments, Ben did that.

The first volunteer fire department in the United States was created by Ben, The Union Fire Company in Philadelphia.

Of course, Ben contributed so much more to our world. Not just being a creative thinker, but a tremendous writer and entrepreneur as well. Ben ran several successful business during his lifetime, including Pennsylvania Gazette and contributing to the first newspaper in Boston, The New England Courant, of which his brother started and published.

Uniquely enough, many don’t know what a large contribution Ben had to our independence. Yes, he was a part of the 5 who wrote the Declaration of Independence, even though Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of it. Yet, as I’ve read more and more of Ben’s writings, I’m inclined to believe that Ben had a much larger role in the construction of that great American document.

However, another large contribution was that Ben took off for France as the first American ambassador, to France. Whilst there, Ben worked hard to secure not only a treaty with France, but many of the funds necessary to finance the upcoming war of independence.

After the war, he returned to his home in Pennsylvania, and served in a few capacities in public office. One of his last public acts was writing an anti-slavery treatise in 1789.

Ben Franklin, a great American.

(source: Wikipedia:Ben Franklin)

Popularity: 15% [?]

I want you all to see my “Best of 2007″ collection. I’ve compiled my top photographs from Zooomr and Flickr, from over this past year, and organized them with a pretty nice tool. Click on the ones you want to see up close.

Take a look!

This nice tool came to me from a photo buddy, Kevin Devin. You can see his gallery too.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Today, I celebrate 9 years of marriage to one amazing woman.

This woman has not only supported and encouraged me through some difficult times, but she has driven be to grow into a much stronger husband. I completely believe that without my life being blessed with her, I would not be where I am at today. I would not have four beautiful children, who are learning to love the Lord. I would not have a great home, where I can get the rest and security that I need. I would not get the care and encouragement that a man needs.

I am in the Lord’s debt for so much, including the love of my wife.

Popularity: 14% [?]