GET TO
KNOW ME
PERSONAL LIFE + STATEMENT OF FAITH
THE PEOPLE OF SPAZIO
STANLEY SOUTH
FOUNDER
NATALIE CRAIG
FOUNDER
DONALD FAY
OFFICE MANAGER
MARTHA SMITH
INTERIOR DESIGN
TINA LI
INTERIOR DESIGN
SOL MA
INTERN
Playing with Dog
My 4-year-old spaniel mix may not technically be a puppy, but he still has the energy of one! Our weeks include trips to the dog park and lots of playing fetch.
Running
I've completed dozens of half-marathons across the country. Currently training for a race in Walt Disney World next November.
Disney
I'm a big fan of classic Disney movies and all of the various Disney Resorts around the world including Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Europe.
Gaming
Gaming has been a way to stay connected with my brother and friends while being separated by distance. Some of my favorites are Minecraft, Europa Universalis 4, and Subnautica.
Baking
I learned to bake from my Grandmother. I have expanded my baking by watching neat videos on YouTube for crazy, sweet creation ideas.
Theater
Enjoying Musical Theater, either live or in recordings, is one of my favorite ways to spend my downtime.
Studying Bible
I rarely go a day without reading the Bible, listening to a Bible Study, or watching an apologetics video on some new hot-button topic.
My wife, Sabrina, and I will be celebrating our first anniversary in November 2022.
We have a 4-year-old Spaniel mix named Mack and look forward to growing our family in the future.
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE BIBLE
Favorite OT: Daniel
Favorite NT: Revelation
These two books more than any of the others succinctly describe the First and Second Coming of the Messiah/Christ respectively. They also show the contrast between the two comings: the first was specified to the day so that the Jews would know Him, the second is predicated on world events so that the learned will know, but the foolish will not.
FAVORITE HYMN
Martin Luther’s, A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Luther describes how our ancient foe, Satan, is powerful, but God is mightier and through His Christ will conquer that foe. If we are secure in the LORD, we will endure all of the onslaught of enemies and be victorious over them.
BIBLICAL PERSON I MOST RELATE TO
the Apostle Paul
Just as Paul reasoned with the learned from the Scriptures about how Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah/Christ and that all should repent, I too have striven to be as learned as possible so that I may too reason for the Glory of the Kingdom.
BEST CELEBRITY SIGHTING
Dame Angela Lansbury
I had the wonderful experience of meeting Dame Angela Lansbury as she exited the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. She was wonderful in the play and I just love her as one of the leading ladies of the Disney Company being in so many memorable Disney movies.
MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON
Billy Graham
His mission to preach the Gospel unabashedly throughout the world on his Crusades is one of the many highlights of the twentieth century. His example of how to preach to the world is truly inspiring.
BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK
EVANGELIST
People are born lost, an enemy of God, and a member of Satan's family until we are born again into God's family. Consequently, I have a high calling to spread the Gospel to as many as will hear it.
IMPUTATIONIST
The penalty and record of sin have been removed from the believer and placed on Christ. God sees the righteousness of Christ when he looks at His children, who can now claim the title of Saint.
INERRANTIST
The Bible is the inspired word of God with no errors of any kind. God's Word starts with Moses on Sinai and ends with Jesus' revelation to John on Patmos. There are no extra parts of the Bible and all things God wishes to tell us have been written down for our edification.
CREATIONIST
God created everything as stated in Genesis 1:31 ex-nihilo (out of nothing) in a six literal day creation week).
CATASTROPHIST
The flood described in Genesis 6-9 is an accurate description of the historical event in which every inch of the Earth was covered with water. All of creation, other than the 8 people and assorted animals within the ark built by Noah, was destroyed. The fossil and geological record was created by the pressure of the water of the Flood.
CESSATIONIST
The miraculous gifts given to the Apostles during the transition period of Acts were only there until the canon of the New Testament could be completed. Today we are blessed with spiritual gifts, though not to the magnitude of the Apostles. No spiritual gift can give new revelations about God.
MAXIMALIST
If the Bible says anything about science, morals, history, ethics, or any other topic, the Bible is true and correct. In the event that human knowledge conflicts with the Bible on any topic, the Bible is correct and Man is wrong.
DISPENSATIONALIST
Israel, "God's Chosen People of Promise," does not equal the Church, "God's Chosen People of Salvation." The promises given to Israel are not the same as the ones given to the Church. God has interacted with His creation on earth in different ways in the different Dispensations of Time:
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Innocence - Creation to the Fall of Man
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Conscience - Fall to the Flood
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Human Government - Flood to Calling of Abram
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Promise - Abraham to Moses
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Law - Moses to the Cross
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Grace - The Cross to the Kingdom
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Kingdom - The Kingdom to the New Heaven and New Earth
LITERALIST
The Bible must be interpreted using the LGH model:
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L - the text of the Bible must be interpreted literally unless there is a good reason not to (e.g., genre or grammatical syntax indicators)
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G - the text must be placed in its correct grammatical and genre context. Poetry must not be interpreted the same as narrative prose. Metaphors and Parables must be allowed to explain themselves.
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H - historical context of the passage must be studied to get the correct interpretation. We must put ourselves, as best we can, in the place of those who first received the words.
FOUNDATIONAL
BELIEFS
The Trinity
I believe that there is but one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving worship and obedience.
God, the Father
I believe in God the Father, Almighty, the first Person of the Trinity, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the absolute, omnipotent ruler of the universe. He is the father of all mankind as their Creator and spiritual Father only to believers as He saves all from sin who come to Him through Christ Jesus; adopts all those who come to Him; He becomes, upon their adoption, their Father.
God, the Son
I believe that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. He was born of the virgin Mary, entering this world as fully human and fully God. He lived a perfect, sinless life therefore fulfilling the precepts of the Law. Sacrificing Himself on the Cross, He became the propitiation of our sins. On the third day, Sunday, Jesus bodily rose from the dead as a testament to the work done of the Cross. For forty days He showed Himself to believers before ascending to Heaven. His Church will be called to Him in a twinkling of an eye in the Rapture before the Tribulation begins that last seven years of planet Earth. He will come again in full Glory on the clouds, destroying His enemies, judging the remainder of peoples on earth and usher in His thousand year reign. After that there will be a resurrection of all peoples who will be judged by Him either to eternal life or eternal damnation.
God, the Holy Spirit
IN REVIEW
God's Word
I believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, and thus the sixty-six books of the Bible given to us by the Holy Spirit constitute the plenary (inspired equally in all parts) Word of God. I teach the literal, grammatical, and historical interpretation of Scripture which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days, describe the special creation of man and woman, and define marriage as between one man and one woman. I teach that the Bible constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
Nature of Mankind
IN REVIEW
Salvation + Eternal Security
IN REVIEW
Eternity: Heaven & Hell
I believe that after the closing of the millennium, the temporary release of Satan, and the judgment of unbelievers (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:7-15), the saved will enter the eternal state of glory with God, after which the elements of this earth are to be dissolved (2 Peter 3:10) and replaced with a new earth wherein only righteousness dwells (Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 20:15, 21-22). Following this, the heavenly city will come down out of heaven (Revelation 21:2) and will be the dwelling place of the saints, where they will enjoy forever fellowship with God and one another (John 17:3; Revelation 21, 22).
The Church
I believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church, the bride of Christ, of which Christ is the Head. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. The church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age. The church is distinct from Israel, a mystery not revealed until this age. I teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches are clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies.
Ordinances
The Church should observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Apologetics
Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In an increasingly secularized Western World, it is more important than ever that all Christians be able to steelman arguments for the faith especially in the areas of creation, God’s character and attributes, the nature of Man, the fallenness caused by Sin, the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as well as His Divinity, the coming judgment, and eternal destiny. Just as Paul reasoned to the Greeks of Athens in Acts 17, Christians should be well educated in Scripture and evidence that support the Biblical World View, so that they too can spread the Gospel in the secular world. It is also incumbent on parents and the Church to be able to sufficiently answer the criticisms of the world so that each new generation of children will be raised and stay in the Church.
THE TRINITY
GOD, THE FATHER
GOD, THE SON
GOD'S WORD
GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT
NATURE OF MANKIND
SALVATION
ETERNITY
THE CHURCH
ORDINANCES
APOLOGETICS
FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS
I believe that there is but one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving worship and obedience.
THE TRINITY
I believe in God the Father, Almighty, the first Person of the Trinity, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the absolute, omnipotent ruler of the universe. He is the father of all mankind as their Creator and spiritual Father only to believers as He saves all from sin who come to Him through Christ Jesus; adopts all those who come to Him; He becomes, upon their adoption, their Father.
GOD, THE FATHER
I believe that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these, He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. He was born of the virgin Mary, entering this world as fully human and fully God. He lived a perfect, sinless life, therefore, fulfilling the precepts of the Law. Sacrificing Himself on the Cross, He became the propitiation of our sins. On the third day, Sunday, Jesus bodily rose from the dead as a testament to the work done on the Cross. For forty days He showed Himself to believers before ascending to Heaven. His Church will be called to Him in a twinkling of an eye in the Rapture before the Tribulation begins that last seven years of planet Earth. He will come again in full Glory on the clouds, destroying His enemies, judging the remainder of peoples on earth, and ushering in His thousand-year reign. After that, there will be a resurrection of all peoples who will be judged by Him either to eternal life or eternal damnation.
GOD, THE SON
I believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity including intellect, emotions, will, eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness. In all the divine attributes He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to execute the divine will with relation to all mankind. I recognize His sovereign activity in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of salvation. The broad scope of His divine activity includes convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ, and transforming believers into the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit also indwells, sanctifies, instructs, empowers believers for service, and seals them unto the day of redemption.
GOD, THE SPIRIT
I believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, and thus the sixty-six books of the Bible given to us by the Holy Spirit constitute the plenary (inspired equally in all parts) Word of God. I teach the literal, grammatical, and historical interpretation of Scripture which affirms the belief that the opening chapters of Genesis present creation in six literal days, describe the special creation of man and woman, and define marriage as between one man and one woman. I teach that the Bible constitutes the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
GOD'S WORD
I believe that mankind was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness. Mankind was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God. God’s intention in the creation of mankind was that mankind should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and by this accomplish God’s purpose for mankind in the world. In Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, mankind lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, mankind is hopelessly lost. Therefore, since all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men from Eden to Present Day, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All mankind is thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration.
NATURE OF MANKIND
I believe that salvation is wholly of God, by grace, on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ - the merit of His shed blood - and not on the basis of human merit or works. Regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and divine life are given, and is manifested by fruits, worthy to be completed by those regenerated, as demonstrated in righteous attitudes and conduct. Election is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies. Furthermore, sovereign election does not contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord. I teach that justification before God is an act of God by which He declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins and confess Him as sovereign Lord. Every believer is set apart unto God by justification and is therefore declared to be holy and is identified as a saint. This justification is positional and instantaneous and should not be confused with sanctification. Sanctification is a process enabled by the Holy Spirit to enable the believer to become more Christ-like day-by-day. All the redeemed once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.
SALVATION
I believe that after the closing of the millennium, the temporary release of Satan, and the judgment of unbelievers (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:7-15), the saved will enter the eternal state of glory with God, after which the elements of this earth are to be dissolved (2 Peter 3:10) and replaced with a new earth wherein only righteousness dwells (Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 20:15, 21-22). Following this, the heavenly city will come down out of heaven (Revelation 21:2) and will be the dwelling place of the saints, where they will enjoy forever fellowship with God and one another (John 17:3; Revelation 21, 22).
ETERNITY
I believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church, the bride of Christ, of which Christ is the Head. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. The church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age. The church is distinct from Israel, a mystery not revealed until this age. I teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches are clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies.
THE CHURCH
The Church should observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
ORDINANCES
Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In an increasingly secularized Western World, it is more important than ever that all Christians be able to steelman arguments for the faith especially in the areas of creation, God’s character and attributes, the nature of Man, the fallenness caused by Sin, the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as well as His Divinity, the coming judgment, and eternal destiny. Just as Paul reasoned to the Greeks of Athens in Acts 17, Christians should be well educated in Scripture and evidence that support the Biblical World View, so that they too can spread the Gospel in the secular world. It is also incumbent on parents and the Church to be able to sufficiently answer the criticisms of the world so that each new generation of children will be raised and stay in the Church.