Hiking in the Bay Area

This morning, Joel and Samuel Stanton went for a hike with a long-time friend.  Our destination was a local hiking trail that led up to Mission Peak, about 2,500 feet above sea level.  We started the hike at 9:00 in the morning and got the top of the peak by 10:20 AM.  Returning back down, we reached the parking lot by 11:20 AM.  All in all, it was a great trip and we had some fantastic California weather for hiking.  Here are some of the pictures.  Enjoy!
Joel Stanton

 Spirits were high as we set out!  Joel foolishly chose to wear long sleeves :)

 The scenery from the bottom of the trail

 The scenery from the top of Mission Peak...that's a lot of houses!

From right to left:  Joel Stanton, Tim Callahan, and Samuel Stanton.  We were tired but very satisfied to have reached the top!

Psalm 8:1-4,9

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!  From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

The Church Covenant Conference!

Well everyone, as you all have probably already noticed, the Stantons have been very backward in their posting of current events which transpire in the Stanton home.  So, to make up for lost time, I want to share with you all what has most recently been consuming the whole family's attention and energy.  It can be summed up in two words:

A conference

That's right!  The Stantons were involved in helping our local church, Reformed Heritage Church, put on an in-house conference called, The Church Covenant Conference.  What's in the name you ask?  Well, quite simply, the goal and purpose of this conference was to strengthen the relationships and ministries within the covenantal community of Reformed Heritage Church that we “may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head—Christ” (Eph. 4:15).  We also wanted to spend some time as a church thinking about how we were to put into practice the principles and statutes found in Deut. 29:9-13 with the goal of focusing on the practical application, for both families and singles, of implementing their covenantal obligations and anticipating the blessings that accompany obedience.

The theme verse for the conference was Deuteronomy 29:9, which says, "Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do."

With hearts full of gratitude, the Stanton family was able to say that the conference was a fantastic success.  We were able to work together as a family in a way that we never really had before.  One of the practical ways we noticed this was that the whole family got "conference uniforms" of a blue polo (or button down for some of the ladies) and khaki pants for the guys and khaki skirts for the girls.  Seeing the whole family in the same outfit was pretty cool and a humorous reminder of just how many Stantons there are :)

God blessed our efforts and we sincerely hope that the whole church was blessed from this time together.  That said, we are also glad the conference is done and we have a new appreciation and respect for those who put on conferences annually.

Here are some of the best pictures from the conference.  Enjoy!

Joel Stanton

Our dad spoke on the complementary roles of church and family, showing that both the Church and the family have the same basic goals and purposes, namely, bringing glory to God, advancing the Kingdom of God, and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also emphasized that both of these God-ordained institutions carried out those goals listed above in unique ways and were intentionally designed to cooperate together.  The family that seeks to distance itself from the Church suffers.  Likewise, the Church that seeks to break up the family also does harm to itself.  Both institutions are to be complementary, hence the title of his lecture :)

Some of the conference staff tried to arrange people for the group picture.  One of them looks like an old intern ;) Apparently, he is having a hard time getting his point across...

The Church Covenant Conference Staff and Attendees!

Thanks be to God for His abundant mercy and lovingkindness toward His covenant people!