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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 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 Staddon Family on 08/2/10

The Senate is expected to vote this week on Kagan, Obama’s recent Supreme Court nominee. Since Kagan has never before been a judge, and therefore has no judicial record, how do we know where she stands on the issues? Thanks to many who have done the research for the rest of us, some very startling things have come to light. It turns out she is very pro-homosexual and very anti-2nd Amendment rights. It appears that she is already biased in favor of homosexuals and possibly even harboring hatred against the morally conscientious.

Here is criminologist John Lott’s concerns over Kagan’s anti-gun stance. Severe concerns have also been raised by Americans United for Life regarding Kagan’s record of support for partial birth abortion.

This Senate decision may affect our country for many, many years. Supreme Court Justices are usually in office for life. Take responsibility as an American citizen to call your senators as soon as you possibly can. Politely make it clear that you will not tolerate your representative voting in favor of Kagan for the Supreme Court of the United States. Senator Ben Nelson (Democrat, Nebraska) decided to change his stand and oppose Kagan as a result of hearing from the people of his State. You can find your senators’ phone numbers right here or call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for them by name.

5 Comments » | posted in Politics

posted by Staddon Family on 12/21/09

The huge snow storm turned our original 6-hour trip to North Carolina into an exhausting 20 hours on the road. What a joy and refreshment it was to finally reach our destination, the Altizers! It was 10:00 in the morning and Karen had a feast prepared for us, which energized us for an exciting snowball fight. Their boys, Joshua, Caleb, Jonathan, and David had lots of creative ideas for a snowman: upside down with two noses, a tail, and a bow tie!

We spent the afternoon boxing up pictures, books, and canned goods. When we had first contacted Karen about the possibility of visiting, she had written back, “Your visit is of God!” and explained how perfectly timed it would be to help with the preparations for their move. We were very much grateful for their kind hospitality, even amidst all the busyness of this big transition.

3 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by Staddon Family on 06/5/09

Our annual trips to the ATI Regional Conferences have always been packed with excitement! On the way to Nashville this year, we passed the time in the van by listening to Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre audiodrama of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This detailed account of his life was a definite inspiration to live wholeheartedly for Christ. It amazed us how relevant his message is to our time in history; the parallels between the rise of Nazism in Germany and the rise of Socialism in America are alarming.

At the conference, we were impressed with God’s hand of providence. Even though it rained on several occasions, we never had to use an umbrella! The thunderstorms would let up during the breaks as we walked from building to building! We thank God for His sovereignty over the weather.

Courtship was a main theme in many of the sessions. We learned that the man, as the leader in the relationship, is responsible to assist his fiancee in conquering the fears and hurts that result from believing lies in the past. For example, a fear of failure can be conquered by tracing it back to a lie such as, “I can never do anything right”. Quoting the truth instead brings freedom. In this case, the truth of Ephesians 2:10 would apply: “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” As for the fear of rejection, it can be traced to a lie such as “I must be like the world to be accepted.” But the truth is, “…be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). What a privilege it was to sit under the teaching of so many great men of God and tap into the rich truths they have found in His Word!

And, of course, other highlights of the week were the times we spent in fellowship with friends who stopped by our hotel for visits in the evenings. We swapped witnessing stories, shared testimonies, contemplated riddles and enjoyed ice-cream with with the Wilkes’, Westfahls, Christiansens, Allen Parfitt, and Hannah Burnett. Thank you all for letting the Lord use you to encourage our family!

Attending the conference was a huge blessing from the Lord and we praise Him for the safe travels and an edifying trip.

9 Comments » | posted in Family News, Photography