Stanton Newsletter

Hi Everybody!

The word which would best describe 2011 is “Transition”. This year the Stanton Family wants to give our extended family and friends a glimpse of our busy and sometimes hectic life. We have been very blessed this year and we are most grateful for Nathaniel who was born in January; if any of you have lost count, he is child number 9 and increases the boys in the family to a total of 5. The following is a condensed version of the highlights of the year.

January

Anna-Kate turned 7 and child number 9 Nathaniel Lee joined the family on the 29^th. Joel began a car washing business while taking tests to earn college credit. He passed every test he took.

February

Gerald, Joel, Samuel, Gabrielle, and Benjamin went to their first defensive handgun class in Nevada. Gabrielle also turned 15. Samuel created and began posting on our family blog. You can visit us at: http://theisleofstantons.blogspot.com/. Joel applied for an internship with the National Center for Family Integrated Churches (NCFIC) in North Carolina.

March

Gerald, Joel, and Sam went to a family economics conference on North Carolina and Joel was interviewed for the NCFIC internship. They had a great time and came back with all sorts of new ideas. David turned 3. Sarah and Danielle participated in a 4-H food presentation event. They worked hard to plan a meal, create a place setting, and prepare a dessert. Nathaniel was not gaining weight well so Heather began pumping to increase her milk supply. This is significant because the next several months became focused on Nathaniel gaining weight, going to the doctor, and trying to determine why he was not thriving.

April

Joel was accepted as an intern in North Carolina. Joel and Gabrielle also participated the Certificate of Merit piano evaluation for levels 7 (Gabrielle) and 10 (Joel). They both passed the levels and received the honors award for their performances and received an invitation to a special recital. Joel qualified for a California-wide piano convention for one piano piece he presented. Sarah, Samuel and Gerald all had birthdays with Sarah turning 12 and Samuel turning 17. Nathaniel improves but was not “on track” with the growth charts. He was perfectly “on track” developmentally so we were happy we were only dealing with a weight issue.

May

Gerald and Heather celebrated 20 years of marriage. J The impact of Joel’s absence had on the household was extensive. Everyone felt the change, even Nathaniel!

June

Samuel graduated from High School and gave a speech at the graduation ceremony. Gerald began an 8 week family leave during which he, Samuel, Gabrielle and Benjamin went on another firearms training trip. Samuel applied to an emergency response training academy based in Big Sandy, TX called ALERT. (Air Land Emergency Resource Team).

July

We took a short family trip to Big Sur CA; we had a lot of fun. The campsite was just beautiful, and we enjoyed hiking around the surrounding area. Nathaniel, it was discovered was a very good camper who loves to be outside. Gerald, Samuel, and Benjamin went on a two day backpacking trip at the end of the month. Samuel was accepted by ALERT and left on the 25^th to start the basic training.

August

With both Joel and Samuel gone we spent the first part of the month adjusting to the change. Gerald’s family leave also ended so he was back at work. Gabrielle started a soap business called, “Song of the Suds” with Psalm 28:7 as her business verse. Benjamin turned 14 at the end of the month. Anna-Kate and Benjamin were baptized on Aug. 28^th for which we heartily rejoiced! What a delight to see God work in their lives!

September

We started school at the end of August and by September were in full swing. Joel celebrated his 19^th birthday, his first birthday away from the home and the family. Samuel completed the basic training phase of the ALERT academy which was the hardest endeavor he had attempted in his life. Gerald, Sarah, Danielle and Anna-Kate flew out to Texas to see him graduate. Both of Samuel’s grandparents from Texas came to the ceremony which provided a great chance to catch up with Gerald’s family in Texas. Samuel stayed at the academy for the second phase of the training during which he learned several useful skills, specifically, underwater rescue, diving, wildfire training, firefighting, basic tree removal, rope repelling and professional CPR certifications.

October

At our local church, Reformed Heritage Church, we celebrated Reformation Night on Oct. 31^st instead of Halloween. The night was a time of fun and reflection starting with games, performing a play and ending with dessert. Benjamin collaborated with a couple of other amateur writers in the church and scripted the play on a lesser known Protestant Reformer named George Wishart. Danielle turned 10. Nathaniel weighed in at 17lbs 12oz which was an encouraging milestone as it was twice his birth weight. He had improved measurably in all areas and we delighted in his cheery and responsive personality.

November

We all took a deep breath as we headed into the final stretch of the year. We had multiple responsibilities at church each Sunday and began preparing for Joel’s return. He arrived home on Nov. 21^st with much joy and many experiences to share. This month also marked Gerald’s 8^th year with his company. In 2003 he began working for Atheros but the company is now a part of Qualcomm; Atheros was bought in May of 2011 and retained the name Qualcomm- Atheros only in the wireless group. We had a relaxed Thanksgiving and spent the next week anticipating Samuel’s return.

December

On Dec. 3^rd, Samuel returned from the training academy with a vast amount of skills mentioned above and is hoping the Lord will use them either in work or ministry. In the interim he will be studying computer networking as part of his higher education and vocational training. Joel started working at Target. Christmas is just a few days away and we wonder where the month, let alone the year, has gone.

Our year passed full of blessings and new challenges. We all learned many things about ourselves, each other and most importantly about the grace of God. He carried us through some trying times and gave us joy and victory in untried areas. We can honestly say with David in Psalm 34, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear it and rejoice! “

The Stanton Family, Gerald, Heather, Joel, Samuel, Gabrielle, Benjamin, Sarah, Danielle, Anna-Kate, David and Nathaniel Lee

The Stanton family caroled at a local coffee shop at the request of a friend who works there. We had a great time singing and laughing. Although we sang a few secular Christmas carols like Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, we preferred to share distinctly Christian holiday classics like O Come All Ye Faithful. This is our second year caroling at this particular location. We hope to make this kind of outreach a family tradition. Pictures are at

https://picasaweb.google.com/107135971969230798575/ChristmasCaroling?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCL6-yp2_7cqlKQ&feat=directlink. Enjoy!!

Have a Merry Christmas!!!

William Byrd and Early Music

One of my favorite evening musical activities is to listen to what is known as, "early music", especially performed live. For those who don't know, early music is defined as Western music written before the 1650's or Baroque musical period (1650-1750). Early music was predominantly church music written for large choirs (my favorite) but also included secular songs like The Greedy Hawk by William Byrd in his collection called Songs of Sundry Natures (1589).

With that introduction, Stanford University has included in their Music Department a small choir for singing early music. The choir performs about four times a year and last night was their last performance for the year 2011. Naturally, after a seven month long withdrawal, I was very eager to attend the last early music performance of the year and I was not disappointed. The choir sang selections from an English composer named, William Byrd (1540-1623) which were absolutely gorgeous. Some of my favorites were Byrd's Latin church music from his collection Cantiones Sacrae (1575). Below is an example of what that kind of music sounds like...





It always amazes me how these early composers were able to create such beautiful and solemn music. Remember that this is a cappella singing; nothing but the human voice. I also always enjoy the fact that much of the church music from this period has Scripture as its text or is a prayer to God put to music.

In closing, here are the words to one of the Christmas songs Byrd composed that was performed by the Stanford choir last night...

This day Christ was born
This day the Savior did appear,
This day the Angels sing in earth.
The Archangels are glad.
This day the just rejoice, saying:
Glory be to God on high, alleluia!

May God be praised continually, now and forevermore.

Formal Pictures of the 2011 NCFIC Interns

Here is the best picture of the 2011 NCFIC Intern class. The sun went down so fast and the camera was being difficult but we managed to get a couple good ones...



This is another of my favorites...epic pose by the famous Intern-mobile!

Thank God for His many blessings throughout that six month time with the NCFIC. It was such an amazing and beneficial experience. Now it is my duty to make the most of what I was given for the glory of God and the advancing of His glorious Kingdom.

Luke 12:48 says "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."

Time to roll up my sleeves and begin working with my family once again!

Interns at the GCM Conference!

This is a picture taken at the Gospel-Centered Marriages for a Glorious Church Conference in October.

It also happened to be Tim's 21st birthday and so his family and church friends from back home made him a cake that defied the limits of artistic creativity (as you will see) :)

10 Reasons to study about the Trinity

The last book that the NCFIC interns read was "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" written by Bruce Ware. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in reading an engaging and incredibly helpful book on the Trinity. Below (in italics) are ten reasons Ware gave as to why Christians must study the Trinity with my comments in normal font.

Enjoy!

1) “It is one of the most important distinguishing doctrines”. No other religion has a God that is one God and yet has three distinct Persons. We are the anomaly of the world from the very foundations of our beliefs.

2) “It is central and necessary for the Christian faith”. Without the Trinity, we could not be Christians.

3) “Worship of the true and living God must acknowledge the Trinity”. This is sobering to consider. If we do not understand the basics of the Trinity, we end up worshipping a God who is of our own imaginations, not the God who created us and deserves all our worship.

4) “Christian prayer must rightly acknowledge the Trinitarian God”. There is a reason why we pray to the Father in the Son’s name. Simply by following Jesus’ instructions concerning prayer, we testify to the Trinitarian God we serve.

5) “Christian growth and sanctification is understood through our Trinitarian God”. Each Person of the Trinity plays a distinct role in our sanctification and we would do well to learn what each part the three Persons played.

6) “The triune relationship causes us to marvel at God’s unity”. The three Persons of the Godhead are perfectly united and in harmony. There never was, is, or ever will be any disagreement or friction in the Trinity and this should boggle our minds considering how often we experience both of those things in our relationships.

7) “The triune relationship causes us to marvel at the diversity within the Trinity”. In the Trinity we have the amazing balance of unity and diversity.

8) “The triune relationship causes us to marvel at the social relationality of our God”. We were made in the image of our Creator, thus it’s no surprise that we were created to be relational since our God is Himself relational. By studying how God operates within the relationships between the Persons of the Trinity, we can learn how God desires us to copy Him in our relationships with one another.

9) “The triune relationship causes us to marvel at the authority-submission that exists in the Godhead”. Given the exaltation of rebellion and anarchy in our culture, it is refreshing and inspiring to see that in the very Godhead there are Persons in authority and Persons in submission. If it’s good enough for God, it had better be good enough for us.

10) "The doctrine of the Trinity provides vital patterns for our living"

Interns, Sand, & Florida!

This is a picture taken on a gorgeous Florida beach. The interns traveled with Pastor Brown down to Pensacola, FL to attend the Family Conference put on by Mt. Zion Bible Church. We had a fantastic time and got to meet Pastor Jeff Pollard, one of the great voices in advancing God-honoring culture and the sufficiency of Scripture. I highly recommend Chapel Library to you. Chapel Library is a ministry of Mt. Zion Bible Church and it primarily publishes small pamphlets on issues and doctrines in the Christian faith with the thoughts of the Puritans, C.H. Spurgeon, A.W. Pink, J.C Ryle, Horatius Bonar, and many others.

Here is their website....

Courageous the Movie

Last night I went to see “Courageous”. Here are some of my thoughts on the movie…

First, I thought it was very well done and my highest compliments go to the Kendrick Brothers. I would definitely say “Courageous” is their best work by far, even better than “Facing the Giants” or “Fireproof” which I also really liked.

Second, I really, really appreciated and enjoyed the overt and unapologetic Christian message. As the movie ended, Joshua 24:15 was displayed on the screen and I just had to sit back and wonder how long it had been since Holy Scripture had been displayed in a respectful and intentional way in a movie theater. It was extremely refreshing to hear the Christian message of Christ alone as the only way to life and courageous fatherhood. If nothing else, “Courageous” receives my high commendation for the way that they say to all the men in America, “God has a lot to say about fathers in His Word and, by the way, we are all failing. So let’s fall on our knees in repentance and return to the Scriptures and see what God would have us do.”

Third, I know some people who have brought up concerns that Courageous manipulates emotions in order to bring about change. These naysayers accuse the film of using tactics similar to the altar call method which seeks to stir the emotions of those listening through passionate appeals or testimonies, emotionally charged music and atmosphere, and a sense of urgency and haste. “How can we reject altar calls and yet support a film like Courageous?” they would say. My response is this: a well done film will have an impact on your emotions, just like a well done book, speech, sermon, or piece of music will stir your emotions. God created emotions and to reject anything which moves us emotionally as wicked is, in my opinion, wrong. We would then have to say that one of Bach’s organ compositions, which inspire us with awe and grandeur as we hear the majestic sounds the organ produces, is evil. We would have to require all preachers to deliver their messages in a flat monotone so as to avoid the “wicked” stirring of his congregation’s emotions. Here is my point. Some people without a doubt will watch Courageous and have an emotional response which leads to a shallow commitment that will die out soon. This is something that cannot be helped. In fact, we see from Scripture that this happens even with the preaching of the Gospel. In Matthew 13:20-21, Christ explains to His disciples that there will be men who hear the Gospel and receive it joyfully, but they fall away when troubles and persecutions arise because they “had no firm root”. If the very preaching of the Gospel will cause men to make decisions based off of emotion, how can we expect any less from something we create? The question is not, “Will this cause an emotional response in some men?” The question is, “Are the filmmakers intentionally banking on the emotionally charged nature of their film to convince their audience of their point or are they simply portraying real life?” I would argue that the Kendrick brothers are not counting on the power of emotions to bring about change. To the contrary, I would say that, from their heavy emphasis on Scripture and the need of Christ as Savior in your life, the Kendrick brothers understand that only the Word of God has any power or lasting impact on men. To level the accusation of manipulating emotions to change people at Courageous’ door is wrong.

So what are my hopes for the movie?

My hope is that Courageous brings glory to God and advances His Kingdom.

More specifically, it is my hope and prayer that Christian men everywhere watch this film and be convicted, on the one hand, with their failings as fathers, and on the other hand, that they return to the Scriptures as the only sure foundation. In some respects I view Courageous as a Gospel tract. It should highlight to men their condition of sin and abandonment of duty while at the same time directing those men to the solution. If someone were to only rely on the Gospel tract, they would be incomplete and the solution would only be half accomplished. Similarly, if someone watches Courageous and gets all fired up for biblical fatherhood, but then neglects the Scriptures, he has missed the mark and his resolve will not last for long or accomplish much. But if men, both young and old, watch Courageous and as a result return to the old paths, the solid rock of Christ and His Word, then I think Courageous will have sounded a much needed call to fathers. If the men of this country will not repent of their sins, fall before the cross, and walk on the paths of righteousness, there is little hope for the next generation of men and women. As I thought about the movie Courageous, the words of the great hymn, “Rise Up, O Men of God” came to my mind…

Rise up, O men of God!

Have done with lesser things;

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings

Rise up, O men of God!

The Church for you doth wait,

Her strength unequal to her task;

Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!

Tread where His feet have trod;

As brothers of the Son of Man,

Rise up, O men of God!

It is my hope that God uses the film Courageous to call out His men who will rise up, have done with lesser things, and instead turn their hearts back to their families and to the Church. It is my hope that young men, future fathers and husbands, watch this film and resolve to end the curse of fatherlessness in their family. It is my hope that the latest film by the Kendrick brothers directs men to the Scripture and impacts the men and boys to be courageous for Christ their captain.