Josiah Matthew Cowperthwaite

Josiah Matthew Cowperthwaite was born at 606pm on July 14th, 2012. This was a long, arduous labor but definitely worth the work! Josiah is our earliest baby yet, at 23 days prior to "due date", but all in God's perfect timing. Lots of stories to tell in this labor and delivery, but the important parts is he is here, everyone is healthy, and God has richly blessed our family yet again.

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.

5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127

"Children are a blessing" video FREE viewing in April

We have heard about a video produced by the Moore family called "Children are a Blessing" for some time now. We finally got to watch the video tonight, a 30 minute film that is available until April 30th free online.

Following the lives of this God honoring and faithful Christian family, the film concentrates on the contrast between the modern views of family planning and child bearing. Preventing pregnancy through contraception along with chemical and surgical abortion is challenged in light of God's Word which states without exception that children are a blessing from God. Families like the Moores leave the results of how few or how many children they will have entirely up to the Lord.

You can watch the film online HERE until April 30th. The DVD version of Children are a Blessing
includes much more footage and extras about the family, and is available at the link below through Amazon. As always, your purchases through our links support our family and ministry.

Sara and I enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing more films like these that speak of the sanctity of human life and the blessing that children are. We hope this film challenges folks to consider that God has given us a charge to be fruitful not only in producing children for His glory, but to train those children to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not about having as many children as possible, but rather trusting God with the planning of our families. 

Time4Learning.com

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

We are excited as a family to try this program. My kids don't realize how much they are learning when they are on the computer.  I am excited to see them learn new things and enjoy the process.

sara

Biblical Patriarchy- responsibility for the father/patriarch

I found this article online recently and wanted responses from folks. This is in relation to the recent discussion on men standing up to the call of God to be spiritual leaders. I believe the author wished to remain anonymous, but I felt the content was important enough to share. I know the last article ruffled a few feathers, but again I wish to stress that what we are considering is the responsibility of men in the spiritual realm. We are not attacking women for any reason, but hoping to encourage and help them. Our goal is to see the family live up to what God planned in all things, for His glory. ~ Mark Cowperthwaite

The Patriarch's Teaching Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the patriarch to teach his family the Scriptures. No one else has been given this responsibility. It is a responsibility that he cannot delegate to others. He is the divinely appointed head of the home, and he alone is responsible for the spiritual welfare of those under his headship. This is a God-given responsibility that cannot be surrendered to anyone. This is a serious matter before God.

This, by the way, relates directly to the truth of "the church in thy house." A home, with extended family and guests, led in ministry by the head of that home - the husband and father. As a general principle, other family men may from time to time be there - ideally on a temporary learning basis, until they too can or will learn to take on their own God-given family responsibility. The primary teaching place is home. That is the standard of Scripture.

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

"The father to the children shall make known Thy truth" (Isaiah 38:19b).

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deuteronomy 6:7).

"And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home" (I Corinthians 14:35).

James Wesley Stivers (Restoring the Foundations) writes concerning the truth of these verses:

"Can a pastor do this for your family? Can your child's Sunday School teacher? No. It is impossible. What God is describing in this text is a live-in spiritual tutor. One must live with the person he is discipling [training]. Jesus lived with His twelve disciples for three years. They ate and slept in His presence. All this talk about church discipleship is fantasy. So is the concept of home cell groups. These are phony substitutes.

"There seems to be something lost in a relationship between a parent and a child, if it is the decision of the parent to commission a third party to provide biblical instruction and spiritual nurture to the child in his stead. I argue that it is a dereliction of duty. Parents are to disciple their children. It is an immutable part of the vocation of parenthood.

"We naturally suppose that the 'institutional church' is the primary agent in proclaiming the Gospel and teaching the Word of God. That is the primary role assigned to the 'church' in our day. But it has not always been so. In early America, as it was in the earliest church, the Christian home was the spiritual center.

"It is impossible to provide the basis for Christian character and spiritual experience in one or two hours a week. Constant contact with a Christian leader is necessary. That is why the 'discipleship movement' was so popular in recent years. It recognized the inadequacy of the 'institutional church' to provide even the basic spiritual foundations in a persons life.

"Some people believe, as I was prone at one time, that if one wishes to do anything for God, one must do it within the confines of the 'church' apparatus that God's work is done primarily at 'church.' Actually, the family is the chief agent for the passing-on of the Christian faith from generation to generation.

"Even the work of evangelism, once thought to be the principle purpose of the pulpit preacher, is better done through the home. The most effective evangelist, as many men and women with tender emotion admit, is that of a godly mother or father. Better than three-fourths of all conversions come through the work of family and friends.

"It is a personal faith which must be transmitted, not an abstract and institutional one."

Wanted: Men of Honor to fulfill James 1:27

‎"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: 

to visit orphans and widows in their trouble." ~ James 1:27

How do you think we can best live out this verse (and its context) within the church with our sisters in Christ and the fatherless children? I know that words are not enough, rather actions will ultimately show our true heart. I can not say "Be warmed and filled" or expect a woman to adequately fulfill the role of mother and father to their children, especially  when I have the ability to do more than speak, but act. God has granted me a wonderful wife who helps me see the needs of others, who sacrifices herself for the sake of others. I am so blessed! 

What of those multitudes of children in our churches who are fatherless due to "deadbeat dad syndrome"? Are they our "orphans" too? I believe they are as the word more commonly used in other passages is actually "fatherless" and I am ready to do my part to help. Are these children supposed to pay for their mother's or father's past sins? Should the past promiscuity of a woman who has now come to Christ continue to keep her outside the protection and leadership of a godly man in marriage? Will men stand up and seek to help our sisters even though it is a difficult task? Will a brave man among us stand up and marry a single mother and help raise her children as his own with love and integrity?

Do single mothers recognize that raising children on their own, while necessary at times, is not usually the best thing for their children? Do we see the God given call of men to lovingly lead and nurture women and children in the grace of God in Christ? Men of God, rise up and be counted, love and protect your sisters in gentleness and purity. Women of faith, will you submit to the leadership of a godly man as to Christ Himself? Do you think there are no such men in the church? I believe there are such men, though many don't see the immense need!

My heart is burdened tonight, and Sara and I have a passionate desire to help ease the burdens of our sisters in Christ who labor night and day to make a living and raise children by themselves, and we pray that God will make clear His will for what we can do as we are not satisfied to merely talk. We would like to help, but don't know where to start. We encourage unmarried ladies also to consider marrying a man with a child, as this is how our family began. My first marriage ended in divorce, and I was a single father for 5 years. Sara had the courage to step into our lives and become the mother my son needed, and God has blessed us with 4 more children since. We see the blessings of the Lord that come from this selfless sacrifice, and you know what? It doesn't feel like sacrifice when you realize the love of a child, the bonds of family, and how good it feels to obey our Father's commands.

Please feel free to email us if you are involved in or interested in such a ministry. Our desire is to glorify our Savior by living out the love He has given to us for sharing. I believe this is a critical part of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Thanks for listening, we appreciate your insights and prayer. Confidential emails will be kept private, so please let us know if you would like us to share your suggestions with others. 

Mark and Sara Cowperthwaite

cowperthwaitefamily@gmail.com

Baby News!

Some families choose not to find out the gender of their baby during pregnancy, others use the modern technologies available to find out. Our family is not terrible patient and we love to share good news. With all that in mind, Sara had her 20 week ultrasound (actually 19 weeks) yesterday and we found out we are expecting a boy. Yes, just one from all we can tell. Sara is finally "showing" in mid pregnancy, and is happy that people ask her if she is pregnant. You see, until she was pregnant with Samuel, nobody had asked, as she is so tall that babies tend to hide in all the vertical room available.

We gathered around the ultrasound room to find the verdict with the other 4 children, and realized again that the technology we take for granted in this day and age is truly amazing. More amazing still is the fact that God can open the womb and bless the union of a man and his wife with a child. We understand the biological process of this, but how God creates a human being with thoughts, a soul, and a functioning body inside a mother's womb is still amazing to me. It causes us to worship God even more, to understand His creative nature and love for His people. I am brought again to bow low before the Lord of glory that He would trust us with another child to raise for His glory. This is both a great privilege and responsibility, and we appreciate your prayers for us as we seek to do all things for the glory of Him who made us.

Mark and Sara
Nathaniel, Virginia, Naomi, Samuel, and "baby boy" Cowperthwaite