Remembering the fallen

Both of my brothers, along with my father, many uncles and other family members and friends have served or currently serve in the US military. My oldest brother currently serves in the US Marines and has had the job at times of informing families of soldier's deaths. He has had to deal with "churches" that protest military funerals, and many things that I wish no one ever had to deal with.  I wish to distance myself from those that preach hate and therefore dishonor God's name. This is not an anti-military post. 


It has been pointed  out that my views on this holiday may offend some. Maybe it would be better if I wrote this last week or in January, but in considering all those that have lost their  lives in war, I was drawn to think (perhaps selfishly) of those who I labor alongside and those that have gone before in the battle for lost souls. We do what we do to glorify God, and I am sorry if this seems offensive. As you read on, you will see this was not the intent. I would never dishonor those who have given their lives to save others. I have often heard people talk about non-veterans and other loved ones on this holiday, and that inspired this post. 


This weekend, as the United States of America remembers it's men and women that died in military service, I find myself in a strange place. I find myself remembering the heroes that have fought and died in the army of the Lord. For these soldiers who endured torture, loss of family, loss of homes, and loss of life, there are not any parades or sales at Walmart. 


You will not find their names in  most history books, but as I read my Bible I cannot help but see the stains from the blood they shed to keep God's Word spreading throughout the earth, following the commands of their King. They shed innocent blood in view of what 1 Peter 2 tells us  is "our example" to  follow "in His (Jesus Christ's) steps" Truly, these soldiers that have died for Christ wish no memorial for themselves, but desire that any attention given to their lives and deaths be all for God's glory. That is what they pledged allegiance to long before the USA or many modern governments existed. These often have no graves, no mourners, and even their bones were burned or fed to the lions for sport of those looking on.


It was because of the blood of the martyrs for Christ that I can enjoy the comforts of North American Christianity. It is because of God's Word and the stories of Paul, Stephen, and Christ Himself that I can appreciate other fallen soldiers. This list of "others" would include countless fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, from every part of the world. They will be rewarded, and already are, to be in the presence of the King of Kings for eternity, having died for His cause. 


As surely as each country honors their military members, there ought to be honor given to those who give not just their lives in death, but every moment of every day in life for the only cause that will be worth dying for in the light of eternity.I guess as I get older, my heroes are changing. Those that I used to idolize and look up to have been proven to be no less flawed than myself. I choose now to serve, to honor, the only one who is worthy, my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I have no more idols, I pledge allegiance to God.


I find myself asking, why do I know the names of many soldiers in physical armies, who are praised in the history books? Are we teaching our children that these are more important that died for earthly kings and those things considered to be patriotic? If I were to try, could I even remember as many names of those who were willing to die for the cause of the Living God, making Him known throughout the earth? We put military heroes in flag-draped coffins, but generally disregard those who have died for Christ. 


We hear of Christian martyrs today, pastors, evangelists, teachers and many faithful witnesses of the Gospel killed for preaching God's Word, and they get a blip on the news, if that. We tend to forget that both sides of every war think they are right. One side of these wars is wrong, maybe both. Can we be honest enough to admit that we all tend to be more worried about health care, taxes, and the economy than honoring God? As always, the more I write, the more I am convicted in my own heart and have to repent before the Lord for my unfaithfulness.


I find myself seeing the full scope of what it means to be a stranger and an alien in this world. My days are no longer wrapped up in politics, in the church or outside of it. There is little profit in politics in the secular world, with most everyone I know being dissatisfied with whatever person has been given authority to make laws, enforce them, or interpret them. It seems we have become, too often, a nation of complainers and grumblers. 

For years I have been told in regard to some subjects to keep quiet, and I have had to learn to choose my words more carefully. Know that nothing less than a pure spirit of love for the brethren and glory to God is my sincere motivation in speaking today. I am not calling out any sin, nor separating myself from my brothers and sisters in Christ in regards to this topic. I have spoken out for God in public, in private, and have felt the wrath of many people. Still, I sit here today and write this note. I loathe, as does God, disunity among His church, the bride of Christ. My only aim is the glory of God in Christ through His people. 

I understand that there is a time to speak, and a time to be quiet. There have been times that I have tried to make a point, and then been misunderstood. That happens, as I am human and have many faults. This note is simply my Memorial Day post.  

What I have been looking at today is what matters for eternity, and many Christians will distance themselves from me for such thinking. Some will agree, but most will take this post as an attack and lack of patriotism. If you read this and see nothing but that, you must search  much deeper. You must start with God's Word and its view on the world we live in. You must see the world through the heart of a God who created all things, the reality of our existence. 

God is the Creator of Muslims and Christians, liberals, conservatives, and abstainers, too. God cares about unborn babies, and He also wishes to be reconciled to murderers, rapists, and tax cheats. If Hitler had repented of his sin before his death, then I would welcome him  as a brother when I get to heaven. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not understood the complete forgiveness that removes ALL sin as far as the east is from the west. 

God made me, and I sinned against Him. For that, I deserve hell for eternity. Yet, God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Do we really believe that? Is that the most important thing to you today? Have we put God on the back burner so that we could try to fix the injustices of the world via laws, armies, and politics? Surely God has set these things in order, but they are never to be seen as our salvation. 

Our salvation came in God the Son, who came as a man to die in my place. Our salvation is Jesus Christ. He is the only one I serve, the only one I will pledge my allegiance to. That statement has gotten scorn before, but it is the cry of the disciples of Jesus when they were told to not speak in His name. This singular allegiance has caused the death of men and women in every civilization in the Common Era,  so called. Allegiance to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has cost the lives of great men all through recorded history. It may some day cost me my life, and I will be proud to lay down my life for the Lord, should that be in His will for my life. If that day never comes, I wish to be memorialized as one who lived in light of eternity serving the only King worth dying for. I fall short often, but God is merciful to grant yet another chance to give  Him glory with each breath that He gives me.

URGENT: A fire that engulfed the whole town

We have now been in Kansas for just 10 days, but what an action packed 10 days it has been! We were blessed to meet many Christians in Shawnee, Lawrence, Baldwin City, and Ottawa, Kansas since our last writing. We have been out to the neighborhoods, parks, and streets with the message of salvation through Christ. The Bible studies at the Humes home have reaped fruit for the Kingdom. What a blessed time this has been so far, and it has only just begun.

We look forward with anticipation to the revival God wishes to bring to all who will seek Him with a whole heart, giving up whatever  remains of ourselves in the flesh, filling us with a generous portion of His spirit. I am no prophet, but I know a work of God when I see it. Praise God for His love poured out upon us, the blessings of mercy that we so desperately need, but do not deserve. This work is being bathed in prayer, constantly before the throne of grace, not on our own behalf, but crying out for the salvation of lost souls to add to the bride. The wedding day is coming soon, and we only have so much time to invite guests. Jesus deserves our labor, our sacrifice, our all. We must not stop short of giving all. Pray that we never stop short of complete surrender!

Justin and I contacted every church in Ottawa that we could reach, to inform them of the upcoming Gospel meetings and other Gospel outreach here in Ottawa. The response was quite good, with many encouraged to hear what God was doing and some wanting to help get the word out. Praise God for the unity we have seen with many of God's people here in town. In  part due to this  effort, we found out that there has been a specific burden for Ottawa in other churches, with some that have moved to town recently to make the name of Jesus Christ known to those who have yet to receive of the grace and mercy that God gives to those who will repent and call on the name of Christ as their Savior. God is calling, and people are stepping out in faith knowing that He that calls will not disappoint. If this is a work of God, we must obey. We must follow our Commander, our King, and take this ground for His name.

Getting to know the people here has been a tremendous blessing. We are especially encouraged to get to know a few that we made acquaintance with previously, but have only recently gotten to know better. One young lady has been a renewed blessing for us. I notice that it seems often the ladies are disregarded in the Gospel work, but we have met many young ladies that seemingly have one desire: to make Christ known in all the world, to the glory of God the Father.

One young lady here has been a wonderful encouragement and blessing to us already, SaraGrace Hinton. We are also happy that Jesharelah Sax is here for a while, and soon we will be blessed with many more, including Bethany Henning, a few Harmon's and I am sure many more. The list would get too long. Just trustme, God is using the ladies, too. They have different roles, but what a valuable asset to the Gospel work these ladies are!

Many men have crossed our path that also have a fervency for the Lord, a burning desire to surrender all and live for nothing the world would call gain,,but count it all loss for the surpassing knowledge of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for these men, young and old! We must be sure to encouraged each and every one of them to fulfill all God has given them to do. The list of young men specifically is much too long to write out, but includes many of the GNOM and C3 teams of years past and present. We have been blessed to have been "adopted" by a few of these young men, and look forward to helping them in whatever way we can to build them up in the Lord. What a blessing it has been to see these young men grow and serve God in their families, their local churches, and so many other ministries that God has given them!

Too often, the pattern is set by parents that the young  men and women must get settled into education, jobs, and everyday life and then see where God fits in. Education is right for some of them, and others will stay in their local church to be used mightily by God. Some will hold jobs and live the "normal life", but none should ever let the desire for fame, finances, and fun come in the place of serving God with everything. Many of these young ones will be called to labor away from home, here in the US and Canada, and all over the world.

We must not set the fences too quickly to reign them in, but be sensitive to the Lord's leading, praying for discernment as they seek God's direction first. We must pray that God will make all the plans and that we submit ourselves and our children to His plans, not our own. I know as a father of a teenager, at times I want my son to do what I want for him. Much more important is that Nathaniel seek God's will, and be willing to surrender all for his King. I want nothing less for my children than for the power of God to be at work in their  lives, for no glory of their own, but giving it all to Him who is worthy of our everything.

These folks will not settle for less than "all to Jesus I surrender" and we MUST be sure that we do not become the wet blanket brigade, seeking to douse the flames as they come close and singe us, but rather cozy on up next to the little fireballs and help spread what Jeremiah called "a fire shut up in my bones" that he could not keep in no matter how hard he tried.

One day, a day I believe is not far off, God will consume the world with fire as He pours out His wrath on this sin cursed earth. Until then, we ought to consume it with the fire of God, not of wrath, but of love and refining. We must die to self, to the flesh, to our own goals and dreams, so that we will fulfill all that the Lord has given us to do. The world is lost, dying, and headed to Hell for eternity. Do we really believe that? How can we in good conscience sit idly by while each day 150,000 people (many in your home towns, neighborhoods, families) are headed out of time and into eternity? We must not waste a moment, but be boldly proclaiming the holiness of God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the desperate need for revival's fire to engulf our lives.

An old preacher said, "Get on fire for God and people will come to watch you burn!" Let us have that fire, refining us moment by moment, consuming all the dross, until we are pure  before God. Let us serve the God that makes all things  new, that works by His Holy Spirit to bring sinners to repentance. Let us stand together and give the angels something to rejoice about as we rescue souls from the pit of everlasting destruction. We must start with ourselves and teach our children, our young people, and even challenge those who may have been consumed in times past, but have wandered from the inferno, that have settled in to a warm spot, content to watch the fire burn. There are no bystanders needed. No ticket sold.

So, you see we are not fighting the fire. We hope it keeps burning. We are recruiting fire starters and fire spreaders. We pray that it engulfs the whole town, county, state, country, the world. But we need soldiers that are willing to live and die for their cause. We need soldiers that swear allegiance to their King, knowing that His cause is worth any cost, any sacrifice.



Hebrews 12:25-29 "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  For our God is a consuming fire. 

Good News, Eastern Kansas

Just wanted everyone to know! If you can come to Kansas June 6-12 for the Good News on the Move final outreach, we would love to have you. If you cannot come, we would ask you to pray for those that will be coming from all over to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hope to see some of you here. Prayer is greatly appreciated

updates from Kentucky, Good News Eastern Kansas

Greetings from Williamsburg, Kansas

This past week we were in Richmond, Kentucky to visit the folks at Bluegrass Bible Fellowship. Shortly before our arrival (with all our vehicle troubles) a terrible storm hit the Richmond  area and caused flash floods with some serious damage. You can see a video of the  Harmon's driveway here. You see, we are learning that no matter how bad our day seems to have been, we are  truly blessed  and the Lord is merciful and gracious. We have no right to complain, and we just happened to have been memorizing James 1:1-3 that week. "...consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance..." Naomi learned that passage well, and you can hear her version on our Youtube channel along with the other kids memorization.

Richmond is like home to us, and we were glad to get back for another visit. We helped clean out water damaged books, cleaned up a bit on the Harmon farm, and got lots of time to visit with the saints there, who are always such a blessing to us. We got to sit in on the "Christianity Explored" study, which was very good, with brother Allen Tucker teaching. John Frasher spoke about mothers on Sunday, as it was Mother's Day, and challenged us to appreciate the godly women that affect our lives so much, but often do not get the recognition. Often, a godly woman just serves and quietly does so many things that make our lives so much more enjoyable, I know my wife  is one of those that tends to be taken for granted. Thanks to John for the reminder, and God's Word being opened to us.

The family hitched  up and left Tuesday evening, headed for Belleville, Illinois. We visited the folks at Villa Hills Gospel Chapel there in Belleville. A small group of faithful Christians are there, and they are planning an outreach in August. We were asked to help coordinate the effort, though we will be in Kentucky for the actual event. We pray that we can help organize, and especially pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in leading His people to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost souls of Belleville. We all need to be earnest in prayer and lean on the Holy Spirit to lead us, direct us, and to convict the hearts of sinners of their need for repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ who died to pay sin's penalty for us all. What a privilege it is to be able to share the truth that leads to eternal life and relationship with our Creator, our God, our Savior.

On we went early Thursday morning,  headed to Williamsburg, Kansas, arriving around noon. We got the camper set up for our stay here (one month, maybe longer) and then headed to see our friends, Justin and Jocelin Humes, along with their girls. We had not seen our friends since November, and it was great to hear so much of how the Lord is using them and molding them into the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus. The girls are all growing up, as kids tend to do.

The Humes will be staying in Ottawa and coordinating much of the work in Ottawa for the final outreach of GNOM 5. We welcome you all to join us, and if you cannot be here, to please keep us all in prayer. Many will be coming from around the country (and maybe other countries) to spread the Gospel in this town. Justin's home is being used for Bible studies open to the community on Tuesdays and Fridays each week, and some have already started to come after just 2 weeks. God has blessed the Humes to be able to rent a house right in town so that they can host these studies and get involved in the community. Others have come to help, and it is great to see a spirit of unity among Christians as we go together to reach the lost with the message of hope and life in Christ.

I will try to keep up with writing as often as possible, we will have internet here, a great blessing. Sara will be, or rather has been, posting about our school days going through God's Word with the children. Sara will be helping with food and such things during our time of outreach here. We will continue our school, as we have taken some days off with busy schedules, and want to keep momentum with that. So, as always, we are quite busy and seeking God's will be done as we preach the Gospel and continue "one anothering" in the body of Christ. We always appreciate your prayer, and would love to hear from you if you have the chance.

Serving a risen Savior,
Mark for the Cowperthwaites

lots of repair work, Hinton, West Virginia and Richmond,Kentucky updates

It seems that it has been a long few weeks with all the traveling we have done. Our last newsletter was written in McDonough, Georgia. We had a great time with the Scarbrough and John- Baptiste families. God is doing a beautiful work in the hearts of those involved with the Gospel work and Bible studies, and we see the hand of the Lord bringing it all together. Georgia was a great experience, even if there were a few speed bumps along the way.

Praise the Lord for keeping us safe in our travels. We had some mechanical issues on the way from Florida to Georgia, including 2 new tires for the trailer. Then, 11 hours labor for the van with ignition problems. 10  new spark plugs(evidently hard to change in E350) a new coil pack, and a fuel filter and we were back on the road. Before leaving Georgia, we scheduled an inspection for the trailer, just to be safe. Good timing, as God knew we would have an interesting ride soon enough. We praise God for the quick and professional work to replace all the brake shoes on the trailer. You know it's not good when the mechanic comes into the waiting room, shaking his head, and saying "y'all gotta see this!" No worries, as the Lord provided for the work to be done in a timely manner, and we were back on the road and headed for Hinton, West Virginia by lunch time.

Of course, God knew that we were going to need new brakes when the GPS put us in the wrong place on a dirt road (goat trail is more like it) coming down the side of a mountain. Loose gravel and hairpin turns accompanied our 1200 foot drop in elevation over the last 2 miles on this road. The new brakes held up, along with a newly tuned engine, praise GOD! This harrowing tale ended up being a good conversation started with locals, and I think we may have earned a spot with the Darwin awards folks for following that road with a 33' camper in tow, but here we are safely. All is well that ends well, they say.

Hinton held in store for us God's marvelous work, evidenced in the Sandstone Falls (see our Picasa albums for pictures) , Grandview, and much of Creation's testimony to the marvelous and creative nature of our God. Another marvelous work of the Lord that we saw was in the hearts and lives of the people of Riverview Chapel. Of their own admission, this was a dying church and many of the men there told the stories of how they allowed religion to trump relationship with God in their lives. We were so blessed to see the revival of hearts toward God that has come in the recent past.

A brother in Christ recently moved there with his family. His name is Avedis Bastajian. We met at the Myrtle Beach Bible Conference this past winter, and Avi invited us to visit Hinton, WV if we ever had the chance. The brothers in Hinton shared personal stories of how their lives had lost focus of what God had for them to do, but with the loving correction of God's Word, they have repented and renewed their passion for Christ as the gathering center of the church. These men labor together in the Lord's work, and I saw great love among them evidenced by their humility and service one for another.

As a result of this repentant spirit, God has given them a renewed desire to reach out with the Gospel, to live out the command of Jesus Christ to love one another, and I am excited to see what will happen as time goes by. There are plans and schedules for a Vacation Bible School, a week of kid's camp, and a weekend family camp for this summer. The chapel has been sending out evangelistic and informative newsletters to 500 homes in this little town, with invitations to upcoming Gospel meetings and such. There is much more to tell, but I only have internet at the local library right now. We are just so blessed to see the spirit of the Lord working in the folks of Hinton, West Virginia. They admit that there is much more to do as they grow in the grace and knowledge of God, but I am encouraged to see a self professed "dead church" come to life, and what God can do when His people humble themselves, seek His face, and get to work for His glory.

We will be with the saints of Bluegrass Bible Fellowship for the week. We always enjoy our time here, and we will try to write more about some of the other things the Lord has been showing us in our personal walks with Him. Sara has posted a blog post recently, be sure to check it out. I pray it is an encouragement to you all.

May the grace of God be with you all.