StaddonFamily.com

posted by Michael on 10/20/07

On July 4 through 7 (Wednesday through Saturday) Dad had four days off work in which to put up the shed. Uncle Alan would be here to help on Thursday and Friday. The lumber had been delivered and we had been able to finish the sill plates, band boards, and some of the floor joists ahead of time. It still seemed like a lot of work for a 4-day period, but with a good start, and Sam Potter here to help, we hoped to get it under roof by the end of the week.

On the 4^th of July Dad, Donald, and I finished the floor joists and put down the plywood floor. Sam and Jonathan helped us pound nails.             

Thursday morning Alan arrived, on schedule as always, and despite some rain we were able to put up all the walls. We also figured out how to do the rafters and put up the first one.

Friday we finished the rafters, plywood, facia board, drip-edge, and tar paper, and even got a start on the shingles! We were so grateful for Alan’s knowledge, time and diligent work!

Saturday was hot and sunny. Taking the shingles to the roof was a task I dreaded, seeming like a job far bigger than me. One bundle was a chore of its own! But they had to go up, and there was no one else to do it. Alan was gone, Donald had to pack for his trip overseas, and Dad was not quite up to it. Well, if you must, you must! Holding a bundle over my back with one hand and holding onto the ladder with the other, I made one slow trip after another. The edges of the shingles had a way of digging into your neck and shoulder and backbone.

Thinking back now, it was not as bad as I expected it to be. What would have been far worse is a fool’s wrath. Yes, a stone is heavy, and the sand weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. A fools wrath is a severe hindrance to a team that is trying to work together and I am very grateful that we did not have to deal with such a weight in our project. To tell the truth, Dad, Jonathan, Sam, and I had a jolly good time up there! And before evening on Saturday, the roof was finished. Victory!

7 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Esther on 10/18/07

Imagine you were George Washington or any of the other Founding Fathers and it was up to you to get the United States off to a good start. You want to found it on God’s principles but wonder exactly how. Where would you turn? Yes, the Bible itself; but high on the list of the second most-quoted sources is the name of William Blackstone.

This man’s goal was not to assist our founding fathers but that was the side-effect of fulfilling what God led him to do.

12 year old William was orphaned in London in 1735. His uncle took him in and provided for his education at Oxford which he began at the age of 15. Through the next decade and a half his progress was slow and when he did begin practicing law he was not considered a talented advocate. On top of this he also struggled with his health.

But William had a burden from God. He saw a need. English laws were taught poorly if at all at this time so he began classes on the topic. This teaching is what later led to the writing of his priceless Commentaries on the Laws of England. These works would one day be a guiding light to the founders of our nation giving insight on the separation of powers and prompting many phrases such as “the laws of nature and nature’s God”. He wrote: “This law of nature dictated by God Himself is, of course, superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no huan laws are of any validity if contrary to this…” He knew that God’s way works! No wonder our forefathers regarded Blackstone’s Commentaries as the foremost leal authority of the day. By 1775 there were more copies of his Commentaries sold in America than in England! Once Abraham Lincoln was asked what the best mode of obtaining a thorough knowledge of the law was. The first recommendation out of his mouth was “Begin with Blackstone’s Commentaries…” Blackstone didn’t know God would use his writings to guide a new nation in the forming of there law system, he was simply meeting a need he saw and had passion for.

Following his 6 years of lecturing, William Blackstone successfully held many positions in England including not only lawyer but judge, serving as the King’s Counselor and being elected to the House of Commons. He was also knighted and for the last 10 years of his life served as Justice of Common Pleas.

I write this example of William Blackstone to encourage you to also give 100% of yourself to what God has called you to do and trust Him to use it in many great, unexpected ways in His time.

5 Comments » | posted in Historical Glimpses

posted by James on 10/16/07

With autumn coming on, the birds are gearing up for colder weather. Thanks to Michael for providing them nourishment with his ingenuitive, homemade birdfeeder, it has been easier for me to get some good pictures of them. On Wednesday morning last week, I slowly approached the feeder, quietly set up the camera on a tripod, and clicked away for the next hour or so, thoroughly enjoying the crisp autumn air and cheerful company of many local birds.

I deliberately positioned myself so that this Tufted Titmouse would be silhouetted against a blurred, colorful background of fall foliage. The contrast between light and dark was less than 3 stops so I was able to experiment with the creative lighting without completely silhouetting the main subject.

My first position worked for awhile, but I soon became discontent with the lack of contrast in the shaded subjects. The sun, still slowly rising over the hill behind me, shed some light on the situation. Now the foreground was flooded in light creating beautiful contrast and unique detail. Contrast is the key to detail.

I was quickly filling up my CF card on Tufted Titmice so I decided I had better get some shots of the Black-capped Chickadees. They preferred the upper branches of the tree but occasionally, and thankfully, they landed in the area on which I had focused. Following an animal through the viewfinder is frustrating. Discern frequented spots and wait for it to arrive; then your chances for success will be much higher.

The White-breasted Nuthatch was another visitor, only extremely elusive. I observed that it arrived about every 5 minutes, scurried down the trunk of the tree, quickly jumped to the feeder, picked out a seed, and immediately flew away. The sun had risen enough now to shine on the trunk so I repositioned my camera, a little closer this time, and patiently waited. The perfect picture was never captured the first few tries, but the last time it came, with only 4 more pictures left, I finally captured what I was looking for.

Though I deleted about 75% of the pictures I took, walking away with a select few wildlife photos is a huge success for such a quick photo venture. The more I practice with common backyard birds, the more experience I will have when circumstances are not quite so easy.

“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them…” Mat. 6:26

8 Comments » | posted in Photography

posted by Robert on 10/14/07

It was minutes before the evening session was to resume at the annual IBLP Counseling Seminar in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Gothard had asked David Waller and I to play a piano/violin duet together that evening so now we were working on our arrangement.

Realizing there just wasn’t time to practice it enough to get it down well, we paused and prayed. We told the Lord that our goal was simply to glorify Him in our playing, and to edify and encourage our listeners. As we prayed, I felt assured that God would do that through us.

To introduce the duet, David briefly shared the incredible testimony of his brother, Isaac Waller, and the outpouring of grace and peace that God gave to their family amidst the tragedy of his death. This set the stage perfectly for our arrangement of the classic hymn, “It is Well With My Soul”.

As we walked out of the auditorium after the session had concluded, David and I were met by several Spanish ladies. With tears in their eyes, they explained how much the message of the song had ministered to their spirits. One of them said, “Your song was the very best part of the whole seminar for me, it was the highlight of my entire week!”

All of the heartwarming feedback from this hastily-arranged duet was just one of many blessings that God poured out during this year’s Counseling Seminar. “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness … Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” (Psalm 150)

4 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by Donald on 10/11/07

Teaching English is life work.

Last month we received a reminder of this that has really stayed with us. After the day of touring in Hualien we went our separate ways for supper in the city. Thanks to our tour guide, Jonathan and I found the dumpling restaurant that was a particular favorite of Chiang Kai-Shek when he was living. It was definitely worth a wait in line.

Meanwhile Mr. and Mrs. Martin took supper at a nice Chinese restaurant. As they made their way back, a middle-aged man, recognizing that they were foreigners, stopped them and started a conversation in English. In the course of the conversation, they told him that they were teachers and were volunteering their time here for a short while. He was surprised to hear this and began to thank them for their willingness to come and teach their native language in a far-off country. Tears of gratefulness welled up in his eyes to complete the message of the gratefulness he was trying to convey. It was a moving scene and the Martins were more than ready to pass the story of his gratefulness on to us when we met again.

During the trip home I reflected on the incident. A little goes a long way here. How much impact a few willing teachers can have!

The Martins will be returning home sooner than the rest of us and will leave their now-well-known Science Class in our hands. Their whole-hearted involvement and passion for seeing young minds grasp the treasures of science have been contagious! Thank you Marlin and Kathy for your example to us. May you continue to reap the rewards of heart-to-heart teaching.

6 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports