A Tribute to Fathers

June 21, 2010

2010 Labor Day Conference

It is June 20^th, Father’s Day morning, and I am sitting in my study area reflecting on a song that I have just listened to by my brother. His song reflect the values that our Dad instilled in us right from the start. “Give to others, you will always have enough” reflects the life that I was brought up on. Now that I am a Granddad (7 times actually!), I am given pause to ask what values will my children and grandchildren live by?

Recently, while I was over in Europe, I was given a book to read that is a collaborative effort from 5 Swiss and German authors. The whole book is a cry for spiritual fathers and mothers. We live in a generation when so many have no real experience of the incredible influence of godly fathers and mothers in their lives. What a loss! The basic family unit that God created in the Garden is under such attach that less than half of all children born in this country will ever experience the stability and blessing of godly parenting.

We are currently working on another DVD to add to the H2H series on house church life and practice. The first two, Tidal Wave (view on-line in Spanish or English or buy DVD) and When You Come Together (view on-line or buy DVD), have been well received around the world. Number three is going to be on leadership within house churches and house church networks. I was working on this on Friday with my son, Tim, who has produced the first two in this series. As we listened to the initial cut of material that he has collected, again the dominant theme is that of Fatherhood. God is our Father, and he has planned church as family. If the primary metaphor to understand church is family, then the role of leadership in church is to be that of Mums and Dads, helping to equip and point the children towards a growing maturity. No wonder Paul speaks so tenderly in various places of his love and sense of responsibility for those that he was bringing to the Lord. We will be unveiling this new DVD at this year’s Labor Day National House Church Conference.

If you have never been to the National Conference, we would love you to consider coming with some others from the church that you are a part of. Wayne Jacobsen, this year’s main speaker, has been a challenge and inspiration to many of us on this journey. But this is just a part of the richness that will come across in this year’s conference. Thomas Wynn, part of the H2H Board, will be helping us think through some leadership issues. Dave Bilbrough, who many of you have met when he led us in praise and worship in some of the earlier years of the National Conference, and almost all of you will have sung some of his well known songs (such as Abba Father), is going to present to us on the Saturday evening the One Man Show, Tales of a Troubadour, that he has been performing all over the UK. Now add to that the friendships and networking that are the main stay of these conferences, and you have a time that will challenge and uplift all who get there!

Robert Fitts, Sr. is well known to many of us through his speaking and writing. He is like a grandfather to much that is happening in house church movements in the West. Recently I was sent this link to a song his son, Robert Fitts, Jr. has written. Sacrifice is a moving account of the story of Abraham and Isaac. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His son for us.”

So many opportunities come our way to give. Sometimes I am hesitant to mention these in this newsletter because I know many of you reading this have been hurt and at times manipulated by Christians into giving financially to things that God was not asking you to give to. But there is much in the New Testament of Paul alerting people to the opportunities that abound for giving into Kingdom work. I am currently aware of some great opportunities where people from India are going to be traveling to Africa to help with early stages of church planting movements. If you would like to be involved in this, why don’t you and your church contact Robin Corner (rcorner@quality-safety.co.nz) to find out how you can help.

My “key article” for this week comes from Next Wave E-Zine and is entitled Rethinking The Challenging Scriptures. Now, it helps that the article is by Felicity, but what is has to say is timely and needs to be said. Enjoy.

That’s more than enough for this week,

Tony and Felicity and the H2H team.

.
Recent Stories:

Each week H2H publishes a story/article about simple church and/or living out our life in the Kingdom. Recent stories include:

Quit Praying that Prayer because it Ain’t Gonna Happen by Steve Lyzenga
House Church Culture By John Fenn
Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola
Why I don’t Go to Church by Wayne Jacobsen

House2House is a donation supported ministry.

.
House2House Bookstore

An Army of Ordinary People We match Amazon’s Price!

by Felicity Dale

An Army of Ordinary People contains the key to explosive, transformational, 21st century evangelism. Renowned church planter Felicity Dale shares stories of how God has always used—and is still using—ordinary believers to carry out his work in simple ways throughout the world. Some of these stories are dramatic—people being led to the Lord by the friends who counseled them through drug addictions and criminal pasts. Some are everyday—a dad spending his Sunday teaching Bible lessons to his kids, or a couple inviting their neighbors over to dinner and a spiritual discussion. But in each of them, there is a light bulb moment, when someone just like you thinks I can do that! And as a result, the gospel is spreading . . . and lives are being changed.

The Rabbit and The Elephant We match Amazon’s Price!

By Tony & Felicity Dale and George Barna

Today’s Western culture is indifferent to church and Christians. Yet the early church existed in far harsher conditions—and it thrived. Much like a new litter of rabbits, the infant faith quickly grew and spread. And the result was a world transformed.

In The Rabbit and the Elephant, Tony and Felicity Dale (Simply Church) and George Barna (Revolution) say that the same thing is happening today. As Christians, we are the church – whether we meet in office buildings, college dorm rooms, coffee shops, factories, or homes – and the Holy Spirit uses us to expand that church to the far reaches of the globe. By practicing “simple church,” we’ll find that a small gathering of friends loving Jesus together and reaching out to the community around them can help us to be the church, the way God intended.

The rabbit and the elephant. Something small and something big. Find out what lessons they hold for you, for the body of Christ, and for the future of church as we know it.