“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” – Colossians 3:1-2

It was so neat to see God put together all the details. That very morning I happened to read Matthew 20:27 which talks about being a “servant” of all. The Lord also brought my attention to the section a couple verses earlier in the chapter, where the sons of Zebedee with their mother approached Jesus and asked for “special seating arrangements.” What was his answer? This “is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” (Matt. 20:23).

HQ Valentines Banquet 2011 from Chad … on Vimeo.

The night before we had been rearranging the tables to accommodate the new number of guests that were expected for the banquet, but we came up one chair too short – and we had already packed the seats in as tight as possible! At that very moment we received a call from one of the couples saying the wife would not be able to attend. How often do problems get solved that easily?

Then, during the evening of the banquet, soon after we had begun seating each couple, one couple came up to us with a special request to be seated at one of the far tables. Scrambling through our charts, we worked out a last-second switch to accommodate them. In the middle of getting this all worked out, two other guests asked to be seated early. I thought all our careful plans to seat the guests table by table were being totally thrown off, but the Lord gave me a peace that this had all been “prepared of my Father.” It was then that I suddenly realized where these two guests were supposed to sit: directly across from the first couple at the far table! Everything could not have worked out more perfectly.

This was just one of the many ways that we saw the Lord pour out his blessing on the entire event. There is joy in serving Jesus!

I did not want to write the book. When would I have the time? What would I write about? How would we get it published? We had never done anything of the sort before, and I honestly had a hard time catching the vision. I had always kind of dreamed about being an author some day, but not until I was 80 or 90 or so.

However, my brother Robert had a different opinion. And if you know Robert, he defended his opinion passionately, of course. “Daniel, you should write a book!” he said. “This is a fleeting opportunity you have to encourage future Bible Bee contestants and countless others to develop a love for Scripture.” And the more I thought about it, prayed about it, and discussed it with the rest of the family, the more I was convinced that he was right. It couldn’t do any harm just telling the story of how God taught me the value of His Word through the whole Bible Bee experience. So Robert won. I wrote a book. The vision Robert had back at the very beginning carried me all the way through to completion, until that startling day when I held in my hands for the first time a printed copy of the finished project.

Robert’s vision and the support and encouragement of countless others is truly what turned the book from a dream into a reality. My brother James is responsible for the masterful layout and design of the book, and the rest of the family (especially Donald and Esther) spent hours critiquing every word. Mrs. Rees rendered her professional editing services completely free of charge. Dr. Gothard offered words of rich wisdom and insight. I am also grateful to Barak Lundberg, Mr. Ondrovic, Tony Oliverio, Steve Mugglin, and perhaps most of all my parents, without whom the book never would have been completed. And, to tell you the truth, the only thing I had to write about was what my Heavenly Father did in my life through the Bible Bee. To Him be the ultimate glory!

The book is available on the IBLP Store. We hope to also have it here on our family site in the near future. Enjoy! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

Perhaps the most memorable event of all was blowing up their gingerbread house. Wild? Maybe. But a blast none the less! The pyrotechnicians in the family had discovered that you could create quite an explosion by combining balls  of foil with a special cleaning agent in a plastic bottle. All we had to do was take the experiment one step farther – why not place the bottle inside the gingerbread house! (It was no longer edible anyway. Otherwise it probably would have met a different fate… ) I personally was rather skeptical, thinking it would probably give a little pop and roll over. No way! It shot gingerbread, icing, and candy over 10 feet away!

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our visit. Thank you Neely Team for opening up your home and taking the time out of your full schedule to  encourage us with your gracious southern hospitality! You launched 2010 off to a thrilling beginning!

Later we saw how God was working it all out for good. Because we began swimming after it had started to sprinkle, we had the beach pretty much to ourselves. Then the sun came out, we had a blast riding the waves, and we were ready to head home just as all the crowds started pouring onto the  beach. And now we can all say we went swimming—on Christmas Day!

“Daniel Staddon! You may step forward and recite Psalm 145.” Amidst roaring applause and flashing lights, the moderator’s voice boomed out over the loudspeakers of the spectacular Ball Room at the J. W. Marriott, where the final three contestants in the Senior group of the 2009 National Bible Bee were embroiled in a grueling tie-breaker for the first place prize of  $100,000. There I stood. I cannot explain the excitement, intensity, and suspense that rushed over me as the reality of the situation broke upon me. My mind was still a little confused over the rushed events of the past few days, making all the weeks and months I had spent preparing seem like a dream. A dream waiting for this very moment.

This was when it was so helpful to remember where the Lord had led me to place my focus months earlier! When I began preparing, I had carefully calculated exactly how much memorization and study needed to be done every day in order to master all the content and be 100% ready for the Local and National Contests. But alas! I found myself constantly getting farther behind schedule. If I wanted to be totally prepared, I was going to have to begin sacrificing time with the Lord and the rest of the family. They wouldn’t mind if I skipped a few family nights, would they? Jonathan and David can do a few things without me for a while. My morning prayer time isn’t that important, is it? But then the Lord stopped me short, “Daniel, which is higher priority – people or the prize?” After thinking long and hard over this, I replied, “Lord, I’m not going to be able to prepare like I had planned. But I purpose to put my relationships with You and others above winning. I’m going to do my best, but if you want me to win, it’s really going to have to be a miracle of your doing.”

From then on, it was up to Him!

And it was an exciting ride.

This is what I shared last Saturday, when friends and family gathered at our home to celebrate my high school graduation. I can hardly imagine the day being more perfect!Everyone was so generous and encouraging. I came away with a new excitement and passion to continue running the race of life and enjoy all that God has in store for the years ahead.

The excitement comes from understanding the difference between long-term and short-term goals. God may not tell me exactly what the rest of my life is going to look like. However, he has given me the key to understanding my basic purpose for existence on this earth (see Revelation 4:11 and Matthew 22:36-40). Once I have the finish line in view I am free to concentrate all my energies on the very next step (Psalm 119:105).

The most immediate next step I see ahead for me is preparing for this year’s National Bible Bee Competition. Also on the horizon may be serving at the IBLP Headquarters in the Finance Department to get more experience with the details of accounting. Farther down the road, if we ever decide it would be necessary for met to get a degree, I would like to bypass the traditional college route if it all possible and explore pursuing a degree through other options such as Verity or Accelerated Distance Learning.

“But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit…” (I Corinthians 2:9-10)

The whole house changed when David, Jonathan, Esther, and Michael left to help with OEI Virginia, leaving only Dad, Mom, and I at home. But being an “only child” has not turned out as I expected it to. What fun is dessert without a dispute on how to divide it equally with Jonathan and David? How different the dinner table feels with only the three of us huddled at one end. I’ve caught up some on my studies, but how I miss the interruptions! The house is so quiet, and there is nothing like silence to sharpen the cruelty of loneliness. The ripple of Esther’s cheerful, contagious laugh…no more. Jonathan to talk with as we get ready for bed at night…no more. David faithfully checking me out on my verses each evening…no more. Michael’s hearty, wholesome breakfasts to wake up to…no more.

How I long for their return! How insignificant the small things I complained about before now seem!

Don’t take your family relationships for granted. Take the time to appreciate those who are around you!

Oh no! I forgot and brought it home with me.

• Plan B – No problem! Just take the Teacher’s Book with us to evening church and leave it on the classroom table.

Oops! We got in a rush and I left my Bible at home, which unfortunately happened to have the book in it. The seriousness of the situation was quickly escalating. Especially when I found out we would not be at church the next Sunday.

• Plan C – Let’s see. Michael might be attending a church meeting Tuesday night. He could just take it then.

Hmmm… Michael ended up not going to the meeting.

• Plan D – Dad will be at the Parish Meeting Thursday night. Perhaps he could give it to Willis Ash, who lives near the church and attends just about every church-related event. (I finally got around to calling our teacher – who had been looking all around the church for her Teacher’s Book – and she said this plan would work fine.)

Uh-oh. Minutes after Dad left for work Thursday I realized he wasn’t coming home before going to the Parish Meeting – and we hadn’t given him the book! Surely it wasn’t my fault… There were a lot of other things I had to remember that morning… um, like taking out the trash, brushing my teeth, and other mind-engrossing tasks… By now I was becoming an expert in this field of explanation formulations (in other contexts known by a less flattering name – excuse-making :/ ).

• Plan E – Relax. Esther and Mom had already planned on stopping at Grandma and Grandpa’s house during a trip into town, so they can take the book and leave it at their house for Dad to pick up on his way to the meeting.

Horrors! Willis called and said that due to some unexpected chain of events he would not be able to make it to the Parish Meeting. It seemed our last possible link to get the book to the church was slipping away…

• Plan F – After telling Dad the situation over the phone, he says that it would be possible for him to stop at Willis’ house on his way home from the meeting and give him the book, so that Willis could take it to the church (he was the only one with a key) and leave it on the classroom table for our Teacher to come pick up the next day (and hopefully have time to prepare a lesson for Sunday – which was now only a couple days away!)

One “small” mistake, which at first seemed easy enough to correct, turned out involving nine different individuals, eight separate exchanges, and many inconveniences for everyone involved!

Learn from my bummer and spare yourself a headache or two: Do things right the first time!

Then God’s Spirit convicted me. “Wisdom is better than rubies.” How quickly had my priorities shifted out of balance! If I truly value wisdom more than money, I will have an even greater driving passion for digging into the Scriptures than I have for winning any monetary award.

We still did not hesitate to enroll, but it was with a whole new understanding of Proverbs 8:11 and 16:16. In fact, it does not greatly concern me whether I win or not. There is no way to lose! Studying God’s Word and getting to know Him on a deeper personal level will yield a lifetime of rewards and benefits far more valuable and precious than any amount of money!

There are only a couple more weeks to sign up. Click here to learn more and join the competition now!