Love and Respect Experience Devotional - Review

We didn't plan for this, but today seems like good timing to do our book review of
"The Love & Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional that Wives Truly Love"  by Emerson and Sara Eggerichs. My wife and I have never been too excited about holidays, and like to think that we express our love to one another often enough and well enough that we don't need a holiday to remind us. That being said, many folks do enjoy having a special day to celebrate, so if you are one that likes to give gifts we would suggest that you might enjoy this devotional book.

Sara and I have been reviewing this book from Booksneeze.com, having received a free e-copy for our Kindle for PC. As we recently watched the Love and Respect DVD series with a small group at our church, many of the principles and concepts were fresh in our mind. Some of the things learned during the DVD series have already begun to take root in our lives and the Lord has brought blessings from our understanding of Biblical principles and practical knowledge. We are learning together, and we praise God for our the materials along with our wonderful friends who introduced us to Love and Respect. 

The devotional is, in my opinion, true to the title. It is husband-friendly and my wife also loved it. With short devotionals that open up topics of discussion, we found it best to read the devotionals together. The author suggests that it may be well for husbands and wives to read separately, but our preference has always been to read things together and discuss. I believe either way would be beneficial, but as it is a marriage devotional it seems to make sense to spend this time together talking about your marriage and how you can work together to build it up in Christ. 

The Kindle version seemed especially appropriate, as folks tend to spend a little time before bed reading. This relaxed and uplifting material seems quite appropriate to read before bed, as making other time during the day or even once a week other than in the evening for us tends to become neglected, rushed, or muddled with the chaos of having 4 children in the house. We have enjoyed so far all the materials produced by Love and Respect Ministries and look forward to learning more about ourselves and our relationship as we practice the principles of God's Word and this material.

The link above is for the Kindle version, which is cheaper. That is what we preferred, using Kindle for PC which is free from Amazon. To buy a printed copy, use our Affiliate search tools in the right column of this blog. Thank you for supporting our ministry through your regular purchases. 

One Human Family- full message

This is a Gospel message I wrote when living in Key West. There was a shorter version of this message on a postcard sized tract, but I wanted to share this message here for those who have never gotten a chance to read it. I have never formatted this message onto a brochure type tract, and it is too long for any other format. I welcome input as to a good place or situation to pass this tract out.

ONE HUMAN FAMILY

God made everyone unique in many ways. We see diversity naturally in skin color, eye color, or height. We see our chosen individuality in things like food preferences, taste in clothing, and sexual preferences. Some of these things are not necessarily right or wrong, while others are specificallyagainst God's commands. While each person is unique, there are some things that are the same in everyone. Some things that unite us are good, some are bad.

We are all human, and we all miss God's mark of perfection, the Bible says that “There is none righteous, not even one.” This “missing the mark” is called sin. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.” No human being will ever be good enough to go to Heaven.

We have seen people calling themselves “Christians” holding signs that say terrible lies: “God hates fags” and “All fags go to Hell” I want to apologize to anyone who has been hurt by man's perversion of God's Word. God does not hate people of any sort. God is just, and will punish those that sinagainst Him, but He hates no man. We will talk more later about how much God loves everyone.

While considering God's love, we must also look at God's standard. As it would not be fair to sentence a person to jail without knowledge of the crime and adequate proof of guilt, so God has given us all a conscience that shows us right from wrong. I encourage you to read the following passage from the Bible. Here we read God's response to man's attempt to change His Word.

Romans 1:18-32 says:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.*

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Whether it is lying, stealing, adultery, idolatry, homosexuality, or any other sin, the judgment that comes from God is just. I am a sinner myself, so I have no reason to judge homosexuals any more than I should liars, thieves, or prideful hypocrites. All sin is the same to God. None of us can achieve God's standard of perfection. Not the priests, pastors, or any other person that we might think of as good. So, who could ever get to Heaven? The truth is nobody can.

That is the bad news, but there is good news, wonderful news! God loved the world so much that he gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. You can find this verse in John 3:16 in the Bible. It is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, but many people skip the rest of the conversation. I encourage you to find a Bible and read all of John Chapter 3 to see how Jesus told a seemingly religious man the only way to get to Heaven. Jesus told this man that he must be “born again”, which is a spiritual rebirth in Christ.

Jesus' sinless life and sacrificial death on our behalf paid the penalty for every sin: past, present, and future. He paid for all our sins, but to have that payment accepted on your account requires that you repent, or change your mind to agree with God about sin. Only then can we accept what Jesus paid for us. This is God's “good news”(Gospel) for the ages! Sinners can be saved from Hell and given eternal life because of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. This is the greatest love story of all time; a perfect Father who sent His Son to earth, who willingly gave up His life not for His friends, but His enemies.

Now that you have this knowledge, what will you do with it? You can deny it and go on with your life, but when the day of your death comes, God will judge you justly, and He will punish sinners with eternal Hell. Don't let this happen, it is not what God wants. The Bible says, “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” Will you accept Jesus' death on your behalf, turn from your sinful ways to serve God, your Creator?

Email- onehumanfamily@live.com God loves you more that you could ever imagine.

God wants you to be part of His family, but first “You must be born again!”

Gospel Tract Friday

This week, I have been considering many aspects of the Gospel message. We have talked about redemption, grace, forgiveness, and mercy just to scratch the surface. I would like to continue to put together some Gospel materials that would be well received and even get people thinking, but I don't want to waste time reinventing the wheel. While I work on another Gospel tract of my own, I continue to enjoy the resources provided by others also. I know it is hard to catch people's attention nowadays, and I do so appreciate what others have labored over to share the Gospel. This week, I would like to highlight some Gospel materials by Living Waters.

The first is these curved illusion tracts. We have used these with kids for years, and they are always well received. Even if you have a hard time speaking to kids about the Gospel or fear what parents might do or say if you talked to their kid, you can share this tract with little interference.

The text on the back shares some trivia about how your eyes are easily deceived and a short Gospel message. We passed these out one Halloween and shortly after a family came back to us to talk. The kid had gotten no candy, as he was too busy showing his friends the trick. They all came back to get these tracts from us, all in all a pretty easy night's work in getting the Gospel out.

Another great tract from Living Waters is this "Ticket to Heaven" which is printed on paper that cannot be torn. It is also water and oil resistant, making for some fun when talking to teenage boys! I have loved watching people show off their strength with this one, get frustrated and humbled, and then often sit and listen to the Gospel message while they recoup their energy from the effort.

One reviewer writes of this tract: "Perfect for giving out after football games when guys are throwing the ball. "Good arm. How's your finger strength."

We hope these tracts get you thinking about sharing the Gospel, who the Lord has placed in your path, and what it is you would share with a lost soul if they were willing to sit and listen and talk with you. Be ready all the time, the Lord uses those who are obedient, prepared, and available.

Water on the fire

Yesterday, I posted a new gospel tract that I put together. Just a simple verse from God's Word and a short message on the back of this 2.5" x 3.5" card, but a message that needs to be shared. You may be wondering what this has to do with water and fire. There are a few ways in which we can allow water to put out our fire, so bear with me as I share some things that have been on my heart. 

One incidence of water on the fire happens when a Christian gets excited about sharing the Gospel. Those who are not obedient to the call of every Christian to go and tell the good news are sometimes guilty of watering on the fire. You have probably seen this before, or maybe even been guilty of it yourself. A believer has such a fire for the Lord, they want to see all their friends and loved ones come to Christ. I have to add that those faithfully obeying the Lord's call to share the Gospel should never become prideful in their obedience, but rather desire to serve the Lord and be an example, to encourage others to come along in the work. This is to be done in love and exhortation, not judgment.

Let's be honest here and admit that when someone else is excited about the Lord and we have become apathetic about reaching the lost, these fired up new believers make us feel guilty. And well they should! We ought never let the fire burn out in our hearts. Those with more years following the Lord should be serving as an example to the new Christians, teaching them to follow what the Lord commands. We should stand with Jeremiah the prophet in saying:

"If I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it. 

~ Jeremiah 20:9 ~

Moving on , we see another way we can have water on the fire. We can also water down the Biblical message so that it will be more palatable to the hearer. While I have no desire to be offensive, and I have great love for those I wish to reach, I must see the importance of being honest to what God's Word actually says. The message of the Gospel is offensive to those who reject God, hate Him, or deny His existence. Not all are ignorant of God, and many unknowingly have placed themselves in God's place, deciding for themselves what is right and wrong for them. God's creation proclaiming themselves wiser than the Creator is offensive to God, and we ought to remember that we belong to Him, purchased with the blood of Christ.

Christians are called as ambassadors, to speak on behalf of the Lord, not to be politically correct in an attempt to please men. There is a reason that when Paul spoke in Acts 17, the result was mixed. Some mocked, others agreed to hear more. Of those who heard, not many believed. We must be honest in our proclamation of the Gospel. Paul spoke of God as Creator, of judgment, and of repentance. Note the text of the message I wrote: 

God created the Earth and all it contains. Some day He will destroy the Earth in judgment, by fire. Do you think God will save from judgment those who hate Him and deny His existence? Sin separates you from God and makes Him your enemy. God is just, and those who die in their sin will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Please humble yourself before God, for you, as all others, have sinned against Him. Jesus Christ took the judgment on Himself., to redeem those who will repent and believe. Only Jesus Christ can save you.

This was a hard message for me to write, even after all these years of preaching the Gospel. Why? Because in the flesh, I want to be liked, and I know that most will reject a message of judgment. I would like to have more space, more words to say, but if I only have so much time, what is the most important thing to say? Due to the watered down message so often preached, many don't believe God will judge anyone. It has been said by many that God forgives all by default, but that is not the message of the Bible. God will punish eternally those who die in their sin. God will burn up the heavens and the Earth, the elements will melt with a fervent heat! That is God's Word, and a warning to those who are attached to the material world and neglect God. 

God's Word says that being friends with the world is to make oneself His enemy. James 4:8-10 is a harsh passage, written to Christians. Proclaiming God's righteous jealousy when His own cross the line, going from seeking and saving the lost to dismissing sin, and God calls it adultery against Him in James 4:4. This passage does not paint a pretty picture, but rather speaks of the need for purity, mourning, weeping, and humility as we approach the Lord. 

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

We don't find in the Bible anyone being led in a "sinner's prayer", telling someone to "just ask Jesus into their heart", or any such thing. The message of Jesus was "Repent, or you will all likewise perish" and "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Peter's message to the Jews was that they killed the Messiah. Stephen preached the history of the Jewish nation and pointed his  finger at those responsible for the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, I believe some have gone too far in the love movement and forgotten that sin separates us from God. Sin deserves the payment of death. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, and that is a just penalty for all, as all have sinned and fallen immensely short of God's glory. All have sinned, but not all have been saved. One must repent and believe.

I don't believe we should join the crowd who is crying "God hates you" or protest funerals, as some have done. I also don't think we should create crafty slogans and fun church services to attract sinners to attend, lulling them to a false sense of security if they indeed are headed for Hell. We must love the lost enough to show them the Light. We must do as Jesus commanded, to go forth, preach the Gospel, and live a life that is a living sacrifice as an example of what it truly means to follow Christ. In our desire to bring people to Christ, let us be careful not to lead them to water that will not satisfy, to a false sense of security for those who have not repented or trusted in Christ. They cannot just come to the church and try to clean up their lives in their own strength, they must come through Christ. 

I urge you to consider how you ought to share the Gospel in your home, workplace, school, and neighborhood. I am not saying the same methods will be used by all, but the message cannot be changed to make people accept it. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and is for all who believe. Let us proclaim the truth in love, and let God convict the hearts of the hearer. We must not attempt to do the work of God, or even worse, to subvert the power of God's Word in order to see what we believe to be better results. 

Today's CBD special- WOW Hits 2012

I have not yet figured out how WOW knows the following year's hits, but anywho....

This CD has a lot of the songs that we like to sing along with on the radio. People often ask what kind of music our family listens to, and this CD contains a lot that we like. There are a few songs on every compilation CD set that I don't care for, but the good certainly outweighs the not-so-great on this set. 33 songs for $10.99 is a great price that you won't often see, so grab this up for yourself or as a gift. 

For the record, family favorites on this album include "I refuse" by Josh Wilson, "Jesus Saves" by Jeremy Camp, "Lead me" by Sanctus Real, and "Glorious Day" by Casting Crowns. This Saturday evening, we plan to visit a local church. Eagles Landing Baptist is just down the road, and the church where Mark Hall from Casting Crowns is on staff. We hope to attend their Christmas Eve service Saturday at 5pm.

WOW Hits 2012 By Various Artists / Emi Cmg Distribution Thirty of the year's best pop, rock, contemporary, and worship songs! Includes "Lead Me" (Sanctus Real); "Jesus Saves" (Jeremy Camp); "I Will Follow" (Chris Tomlin); "Everything I Need" (Kutless); "Tonight" (tobyMac); "Stronger" (Mandisa); "Light Up the Sky" (The Afters); "This Is the Stuff" (Francesca Battistelli); "Glorious Day" (Casting Crowns); "You Love Me Anyway" (Sidewalk Prophets); and more. Two CDs.

Fishless Fishermen- video and review

I was sent this video by Way of the Master. Emeal Zwayne shares a cautionary tale with a very important point of obedience that should be heeded by every Christian. Please watch this short video (3 minutes) and see what we should be doing as those called as fishers of men by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.



My experience tends to imitate this video. For some time I was passionate about sharing the Gospel. I had lots of experience and stories to share, and I praise God for the fruit He brings out of our faithful obedience to spread the seed, plant, and water. It is God alone who brings the increase.

As time went on, many figured that my passion for sharing the Gospel was the gift of evangelist found in Ephesians chapter 4. Sadly, I believe that though God granted much grace and fruit from this ministry to the church, I am not truly gifted as an evangelist. I do know a few who truly have this gift, and I am happy to share names and contact information for those seeking this ministry for their church. The gift of an evangelist is, according to my understanding of Scripture, a divinely given desire and ability to share the Gospel in truth, to labor hard in the field of harvest, and to equip others to do likewise. Many believe that a true evangelist  will also have great fruit to show from his labors, but this lacks certainty from God's Word in specific.

Partnering with a true evangelist, a brother we still minister in partnership with today, we took the job seriously of not only sharing the Gospel but also equipping others to adequately do the work. Time was spent teaching from God's Word what the true Gospel is, sharing tips on how to start conversation for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel. I still often encourage and teach others in the work of evangelism, and have written custom Gospel literature for many outreach situations. I plan to put together a new tract each week and post it here on the blog. All these tracts are free for download, though you will have to pay printing costs for whatever you would like to have printed. We do this because we love the Lord, we love God's people, and we love to help any way we can in the proclamation of the Gospel.

What saddens me most as I think about the difference between a faithful witness and an evangelist is that most every time I see a young man or woman who is passionate about reaching the lost, they are told they have the "gift of evangelism". I have not yet found such a term in the Bible. Instead, Jesus commands all His followers to preach the Gospel faithfully, to be true fishers of men. There are those who are gifted as evangelists, that is what I believe we see in Paul's words to the church at Ephesus. For those who are scratching their heads as to the difference, let's look at God's Word.

And [Christ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. ~Ephesians 4:11,12 NKJV

Let us all be careful not to relegate the spread of the Gospel to those who are often called "evangelists" but take up the work of spreading God's truth and the message of eternal life ourselves. It is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian to share in this work. The evangelist is doing that work, to be sure, but also helping to equip others to do their part by God's grace in the work of fishing for men.

I hope this short message was an encouragement to think more and then DO more about your desire to share the Gospel. Truly James was correct when he said the following:

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." ~James 1:22-25 ESV

May we all be doers of God's Word, not leaving the work for others to do, nor spending all our time talking about what we ought to do. Prayer is necessary in preparation for Gospel proclamation, and planning is needed when putting together a large outreach, yet the day to day interactions with your friends, neighbors, coworkers, fellow students, and family members are often the most fruitful times of evangelism. Be faithful to not only hear, but to obey God's Word. Great blessings are in store for those who love Him, and remember that Jesus said "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Thanks for listening, until next time, may the Lord bless your faithful service for His glory.
Mark Cowperthwaite

Updated pictures

It has been a while since we got the camera out, and Nathaniel did a great job at hiding from the camera today. Nevertheless, we got some pics of Hamuel, I mean, Samuel. Also the girls took some pics of things around the house and even snuck one of Daddy! Click the picture link below for more from today's shots around the house. Just a few days from Christmas, and just over a month before we head for Maine. 

December 19, 2011

Internet and the Cowperthwaite family

Many have asked us why we are involved in Facebook and other social media. We find that we have been able to use our blogs and Facebook pages for the last 5 years to share the Gospel, teach God's Word, and let people know how to get some great Christian resources for themselves. We also have a chance to offer ourselves for prayer, services such as Gospel material production, and much more due to our web presence. Our blogs (linked at the right) only average a couple hundred or so views per day right now, but we are happy we have the chance to reach out to folks at all. Thank you for opening your lives to our family in so many ways.

Our Facebook page has over 1,100 friends, and the passages of God's Word we post adorn the walls of folks from all over the world, in churches of various denominations and practices. We think this is a good use of our time so long as it does not take too much time. Our Facebook page is the primary source for getting updates on our family, and the blog is becoming a blend of updates and things we think our friends will appreciate learning about. We will do our best to let you know the good and the bad about what we have been reading and watching. Please share your input via the "Comment" section at the end of each post.

The latest addition is the affiliate programs from some of our favorite providers. We buy books, DVDs, and much more from sources like Christian Book Distributors and Vision Forum. We buy diapers and other supplies at a huge discount from Amazon and have our own astore. We recently started reviewing Christian books, Bibles, and homeschool curriculum for a company online. All these have brought new experiences and learning to our family and given us many opportunities for fellowship. As we get more involved in reviews and internet commerce, we don't want folks to lose track of our family.

Cowperthwaite family: Gospel literature for Maine

Considering our upcoming move to Maine, I thought I would share this post again. If you are interested in these postcard Gospel tracts or other custom Gospel materials, let me know and I will do my best to help. Printing is about 4 cents per card if you do 1,000. Quantity discounts are available. Contact me for suggestions for online printing companies. Click on the link in the next paragraph for the full article.

Cowperthwaite family: Gospel literature for Maine: It would seem that since we created Gospel literature for Key West, and that we come from Maine, that a Maine Gospel postcard would be the n...

To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

I wanted to share this message from my brother Avedis Bastajian. This brother grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and his life was spared miraculously a few times in his pre-teen years in the war ravaged country. When you consider the brevity of life on this earth, it is all the more imperative that we serve the Lord our God every day. This touching testimony reveals God's protection and watch care over us in the greatest of trials. I hope you enjoy this message.

Custom Gospel materials available

I was recently asked for a PDF of the tract we use (written by Justin Humes) for use by this year's Good News on the Move team. Jesharelah Pena was so helpful in the re-design work of this beautiful tract. This tract is available for PDF download Click here to download. You can have your own contact information added into the format, or use a stamp or sticker with your personal or church information.

We have checked prices a few times, and ended up using Uprinting.com most of the time. They have done a quality job and for larger orders have averaged less than 6 cents per copy, with orders of 10,000 or more being substantially less. With this type of printing, the difference between buying 10,000 and 25,000 is less than 40% more cost for 150% more product. You can directly upload this PDF copy to their site for printing if you do not need any alterations.

Please let us know if you do use this tract, as we may decide in the future to keep quantities in stock. No personalization would be possible this way, but it could bring down the cost for folks who are unable to afford large amounts or who just do not need larger quantities.

Other tracts are available that I have written in the past on our download page. I enjoy writing Gospel tracts, and can often find custom pictures and write custom tracts for specific areas or a targeted audience. I have found that postcard style Gospel tracts are often cheap to print (maybe 2-3 cents each) and look sharp when handing out in parades or other mass distribution settings. If we can help you get out the Gospel, we are happy to help any way we can. If we can't help, we would be happy to pray for you and hear what the Lord is doing among His people to make known the greatest news in the world's history, forgiveness of sin and eternal life through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark Cowperthwaite
cowperthwaitefamily@gmail.com
www.cowperthwaitefamily.com

180 video- might change your life and save the lives of many

Sermon July 31 Fort Lauderdale Bible Chapel

The message texts were Numbers 13 and 14, Haggai 1. God had spoken, He had promised the victory to the children of Israel so that they could go into the Promised Land. However, the disobedience and lack of faith in God prevented that generation from claiming that promise. What promises has God given us that we are too fearful or unbelieving to fulfill?