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posted by Staddon Family on 08/20/10

“And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against  them with an army of a thousand thousands, and three hundred chariots. And Asa went out before him, and . . . called to Jehovah his God, and said, ‘O Jehovah, it is nothing to You to help between the mighty and him with no strength. Help us, O Jehovah our God; for we rest on You, and in Your name we come against this host’” (II Chronicles 14:9-11a,  Interlinear Bible).

 
The topic for the Virginia FEW Conference was maturity. A mature person can take great pressure and be changed for the better, as coal is changed into a diamond through pressure. A mature Christian can handle the trials of everyday life when viewing those pressures as God’s “character development program”, intentionally allowed by Him for good. Going further, we can picture a mature Church as a group of maturing Christians who have purposed to learn and grow together in the face of pressures and uncertainties. And guess what: a mature family can do the exact same thing. What could be more encouraging?!

With a couple weeks having passed since the conference, many of us have been refreshed to go over the many notes we took and remember the simple things that were shared there. Allowing   pressure to make us better (rather than bitter) helps us to get on God’s side of the battle. Then we can deepen our message and let God widen our ministry.

For more pictures and testimonies go to the websites of the Wilkes, Hynes, Neelys, or Girottis. For a list of character qualities and their operational definitions see this comprehensive list. Lord-willing, we will have the messages up and coming at www.FEWconference.com.

5 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Esther on 08/18/10

Saturday I flew into MN to meet up with our In The Gap team for a staff retreat! At the airport I enjoyed observing many grand reunions of those who had had a long day of travel. Suddenly faces lit up from across the room as people ran to greet their loved ones with a long hug. Ecstatic waves sent a warm welcome across the baggage claim.  One cute boy ran up exclaiming “Daddy!” and was swooped up in the man’s big hug. I saw a family with a mentally handicapped daughter enthusiastically reunite despite the fact that she couldn’t outwardly respond. Big smiles and laughs, loading the car.  Together at last! It was such a reminder that life is a journey which will end in the presence the Lord. For some it will be a joyous day; for others the worst nightmare. Which will it be for you? For more insight on how to use your life to build a relationship with God visit www.livingwaters.com.

5 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Staddon Family on 08/12/10

One of the things the Staddons have always done is make their own granola! It’s great as a topping, as a breakfast cereal, or even a special gift. Our method of making it has changed in small ways many times and we have tried many different varieties, some of them unforgettable! At the present time we make a no-bake variety (technically called “muesli”) that will keep just fine for a week or more. We double the recipe below and it feeds seven of us for almost one week. The recipe can change depending on what ingredients are available, so we will include our recipe here and let you experiment and come up with your own favorite!

Combine dry ingredients and mix well:
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raw or roasted wheat germ
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds or raw chopped walnuts
1/2 cup oat bran (optional)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Add and stir in wet ingredients:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup local raw honey
1 1/2 Tbsp molasses

We’ve never used a processor to mix the thick wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, so we get a healthy work-out doing it with a big wooden spatula. Try to chop up the clumps and mix in the loose powder from the corners of the bowl. If you would like to bake it, you can bake it in an ungreased casserole dish at 350 degrees until it reaches the desired doneness, perhaps 1/2 hour, but be sure to take it out of the oven and stir it once about every 10 minutes. When using it for breakfast cereal, we like to top it with fresh or dried fruit.

Other ingredients to try in place of or in addition to similar ingredients above include: dry milk, grape nuts cereal, chopped walnuts, peanuts, or other nuts, pumpkin seeds or other seeds, vanilla flavoring or other spices, flavorings, and extracts. It is fun to make “theme” granolas such as “pumpkin granola” using pumpkin seeds, pieces of pumpkin leather, and pumpkin pie spices like ginger and nutmeg.

6 Comments » | posted in Recipes

posted by Michael on 08/10/10

It is troubling when a nominee like Kagan is considered mainstream. Senator Kit Bond of Missouri knows that “The massive expansion of government power we’ve seen over the last 18 months puts our country at a unique time in history”. His bull’s-eye assessment: “Putting a check on activist government power and adhering to our Constitution is too important to take a chance on a nominee with a lack of judicial experience and history of liberal advocacy.”

Senator Alexander from Tennessee who supported Obama’s nomination of Sotomayor to the Supreme Court recognized that “Because Ms. Kagan has never been a judge, assessing what kind of Supreme Court Justice she might be requires a close look at her professional conduct – including her six years as the dean of Harvard Law School. In denying military recruiters equal access to Harvard Law students, Ms. Kagan ignored Harvard’s obligations under federal law. Instead, she acted based upon what she thought the law should be. The use of her authority as dean in that way leads me to believe that she would use her authority as a Supreme Court Justice to advance her own policy preferences.”

The vote was closer than may be expected for a “moderate”: 63 to 37. How can anyone be considered moderate without a voting record? At least Justice Kagan seems less liberal than Stevens, who she replaces. Will she uphold the U.S. Constitution? The proof will be seen in the decisions to come.

Supreme Court Justice Oath of Office:

“I [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [title] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.”

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posted by James on 08/6/10

“So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16).

Our family is now in Brandy Station, Virginia, helping out with yet another incredible Family Encouragement Weekend! I’ll see what pictures I can take, but our main purposes for being here is to work together in sharing testimonies, encouraging other families and young people in personal conversation, and to receive all the encouragement we can from others of like heart.

Thanks for praying for the families (200 and some people are signed up) who will be gathered here this weekend! The theme is spiritual maturity: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” (Colossians 2:6).

1 Comment » | posted in Family News