I'm sitting in front of the computer, trying to figure out what to write at a time like this -- what to say to the many people who love my father, Herb, and are troubled by his illness and what to say as the new owner of FP. So, I'm just going to share from my heart.

My father and I always have been close. He's been an incredible father, spending every free moment with his family. He taught my brother, Daniel, and me to ride dirt bikes, which we did for many years together and share fond memories of. Later, he and my brother got into windsurfing, which my dad was still doing up to a few years ago when his back went out.

Many of you probably didn't know that my dad's a gifted ventriloquist. He'd perform Bible skits with his wooden dummy, named Sammy Sticks, that were popular in our local churches. I share all this to give a little more insight into my dad.

From the time I was a small child, my father began passing on his faith to me. He would talk daily about prophecy. I couldn't even guess how many hours we've spent discussing it -- along with the rest of the Bible. I was probably one of the few five-year-olds who knew about the "woman who was drunk with the blood of the saints" and other terminology from Revelation.

I've seen many people on the discussion board describe my dad as humble. That's because he's never got over the fact that Jesus saved him -- someone who had lived such a life of sin. He'd tell everyone about Jesus' grace that was also available to them.

During his 30 years as the owner of an insurance agency, he would always carry his Bible to work in his briefcase. Just about every person who walked into his office heard the gospel -- Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and all types of people. One of the things I've always admired about him is his love toward the down-and-out. He treated poor people, social outcasts, and people who wandered in from the bar next door the same way as his more "respectable" customers. During our nightly prayers, he'd pray for all these people -- for salvation, healing, financial help, or whatever their needs. More than once -- when people were in desperate straights -- he gave them money from his own pocket.

His faith formed my faith, and he's always been my role model. That might tell you a little about myself, this stranger who's coming in and taking over FP. It's an awkward situation to be in -- trying to fill the shoes of this man. I know it can't be done. He has a remarkable gift for analyzing the geopolitical landscape that I've never claimed to have.

But I share his views of the end times. I still remember being at work one day and getting an excited phone call from him, just moments after he discovered the Western European Union's document "Recommendation 666." He read excerpts from it and then said, "You'll never guess what this document is titled." I was stunned. I knew he'd been following the Western European Union for some time, so I immediately grasped the document's significance.

In fact, I bought him the FP Web site as a Christmas gift in December 2001 to encourage him to start it. I was there as he taught himself how to create a site, and I watched in amazement as his traffic quickly grew from zero to being the No. 1 end-time news site on Alexa. When I'd express my amazement, he'd always tell me, "It's not me; it's the information. People want this information." I also edited his book, and one of my treasured possessions is the first printed copy, which he gave to me as a gift. 

So, I'm no stranger to FP. Even so, during the past few days, my dad has advised me -- and my husband, Adam, who is taking on this site with me -- not to try to be him and do everything just like he did. He told us that trying to copy him would be a mistake because we are different people. He said, since God has chosen to give us this site, we have to follow our areas of giftedness and how God leads us and has prepared us. He said God might want to take FP in a little different direction, while preserving the information that has already been reported. What that might be remains to be seen.

I guess I should say a little about myself. Like my dad, I'm a reporter. I work at Biola University, where I graduated with a degree in English and a master's degree in Christian apologetics. For the past eight years, I've been the managing editor of Biola's magazine, Biola Connections. I've also written for the Christian Research Journal and have a blog, called "Spirit of Error," that examines a growing movement known as the "New Apostolic Reformation." This movement has been my area of research for the past four years. 

Discernment ministry -- examining cults and off-base Christian movements -- has been my niche. Yet, my dad and I have always felt like our ministries are flip sides of the same coin. He's often told me that he focused on the beast rising from the sea (the revived Roman Empire under the leadership of the Antichrist), and I focused on the beast rising from the earth (the false religious system under the leadership of the False Prophet that will lead to Christians' persecution during the tribulation). He's told me several times that he believes the Alliance of Civilizations may play a crucial role in this false religious system and has advised me to keep my eyes there. So I am.

Having a ministry as large and important as FP fall so suddenly into our laps is daunting. The full implications are still sinking in. Yet, the bottom line is, Adam and I believe God called us to take on FP at this point in time. My dad told us that God wouldn't give us something He didn't equip us for. So, as my dad has done, we're walking by faith. We'd appreciate your prayers for guidance and strength.