The House Church Book

The House Church Book - Cover

The House Church Book - Cover

I am happy to announce thatThe House Church Book : Non Emergent New Testament Prototype has been completed and is now available online as a PDF downloadable eBook. This book is a revised and updated version of my father’s original book “The House Church : A Model for Renewing the Church” published in 1988 by Herald Press. As many of you already know, my father, Del Birkey died unexpectedly on May 13, 2009 from a stroke (see Obituary).

My father died having not quite finished the final chapter of the revised edition of the book. So, my mother and several of my father’s scholarly associates completed the final chapter based upon his notes and their first hand conversations and knowledge of his passionate point of view. The book is now available as a PDF download on the website for $9.95 US. We are offering it through Google Checkout, a fast, easy and secure method of payment. Last night we received the first online order from a gentleman in Singapore, one day after announcing the book’s availability.

We have also created The House Church Book Facebook Page so that friends and family can share the availability of this book through their social networks. If you are on Facebook, we invite you to buy the book, read it, and become a fan!

Can a Real Church be found?

In a challenging and healthy discussion among friends this morning the topic of Larry Crabb’s most recent book came up. Real Church: Does it exist? Can I find it? is the title to Dr. Crabb’s most recent book. I find more and more people in my world feeling like there has to be more to church than what we typically experience. From what I heard this morning, it sounds like Dr. Larry Crabb has hit some nails on the head. Apparently this is a “must-read” for anyone suffering from disappointment and disillusionment with the state of the evangelical church in North America. I myself am planning and looking forward to reading the book next weekend as I am away on a personal retreat.

According to Larry, a Real Church:

  • Hungers for the Truth that sets addicts free
  • Respects the necessary ingredients in the remedy for addiction
  • Finds contentment in wanting what Jesus wants
  • Is mission energized

I found many of the ideas shared this morning resonating with my own experience, and the reading I’ve been doing in Dr. Terry Wardle’s books. Terry cites Dr. Crabb quite often in his books, so this observed connection was no surprise.

Should be interesting…

To the church in…

Every once in awhile I like to go to the back of the Bible and read the letters to the 7 churches found in the first few chapters of John’s Revelation. I like to insert my own town name in the place of the name of the original church names and see how it hits me. It is also interesting to me that the names of the churches were simply: “the church in cityname.”

Anyway, this letter in Chapter 3 seemed to jump out at me most recently:

“To the angel of the church in ______ write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in _______ who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”