A Blog for the Church

You don’t have to live in persecution to have a house church

Ken Eastburn — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:23:56 +0000

When I was first examining the idea of doing house church in 2004 I met with a good friend to ask his opinion. He was a pastor of a pretty sizeable and growing church. I remember his words vividly, “House church won’t work in America because we are not under persecution.” His theory was that house churches could only thrive in an area where the government was being oppressive and resources were scarce.

Why I Didn’t Go to Church on Easter

Ken Eastburn — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:25:41 +0000

As Easter was approaching I realized that for the first time that I could ever remember, I had no plans. We have a house church, but everyone except our family was going to be out of town. We had the option of going to other house churches in the area, but as our busy week full of appointments, phone calls and family events buzzed on, my wife and I never sat down to talk about Easter.

The night before Easter my wife said, “Why don’t we just go to church somewhere?” The idea struck me like a sharp pain in my brain. “Go to church?”….”Somewhere?” I had seen the Easter promotional banners all over town. Yorba Linda, my home city, has no shortage of “big churches” that had obviously put a lot of time and resources into getting people to come to their Easter Services. Take, for example this church that dropped 20,000 Easter eggs out of a helicopter onto a football field.

Even though I wasn’t crazy about the “go to church” suggestion by my wife, I must admit I did entertain the thought, I mean, it was Easter. But then I asked myself, “why?” After thinking about it I realized that I would have gone either out of guilt or because of tradition. Neither of these felt like things God was particularly interested in.

So we decided, on Easter morning no less, to just “hang” with the family. I took a quick run to the store and my wife made some incredible Eggs Benedict. During breakfast we read the Easter story and a few other verses about the meaning of the resurrection. Then we had a good discussion, all of it spontaneous.

Later my wife Ali whipped up something called Resurrection Rolls as a cool object lesson about Jesus. In the afternoon we played board games, did a quick Easter egg hunt and watched a movie. In the evening we ended up having an awesome talk with our middle son about forgiveness that turned into a blessing for him as well as us.

Easter is about freedom from the bondage of sin and death. It’s about what Jesus did on the cross and how he conquered death three days later. It’s not about having to go anywhere. It was a great Easter.

He is risen!

Step 1: put your church on the map http:

Ken Eastburn — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:10:22 +0000

Step 1: put your church on the map http://ow.ly/inyM1
Step 2: see who is around you and say Hi!

Wow! 68 of you have contributed to bring

Ken Eastburn — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:29:34 +0000

Wow! 68 of you have contributed to bring back the magazine. Thank you. With only 6 days to go, we really need the rest of you to help out if this is going to happen! Please consider going to http://ow.ly/hC6BK This will create 25,000 magazines to send throughout America and even to other parts of the world.

Doing More

Ken Eastburn — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:30:34 +0000

As most of you know, for the last year I have been the Director of an organization called House2House. House2House’s mission statement is to “serve the Body of Christ by equipping  those seeking a simple/more organic form of church.”

House church, sometimes called “organic” or “simple” church has been growing significantly over the past decade all over the world. In the US alone the number of people now attending a house church has grown by millions over the last 10 years.

H2H believes that we have a God given responsibility to help the house church community however we can. We have done this in the form of conferences, books, blogs, websites, etc. But initially, House2House started as a printed magazine. The magazine was discontinued in 2008 due to lack of funds and manpower. Since then, many people have been asking that we bring if back.

We believe that now is the time to bring back the magazine. Most of the time magazines are funded through selling advertising. We will be inviting ministries and friends to purchase ads in coming magazines, but for now we want to raise all of the funds for the first “new” edition of H2H through a website called Kickstarter.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1225433726/house2house-magazine-2013

Kickstarter can be a great way to raise funds fast but the downside is that we have to raise all of the funds during our campaign or we receive nothing!

We really need your help! This is more than a magazine. It is a tool to connect, inspire and educate. It is a piece of church history that illustrates one of many strategies of God during a time when many are disillusioned about the church. The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well and growing in record numbers around the world! Praise God that we are a part of it.

Please go to our Kickstarter page, watch the video, and pray about how you can participate in bringing back the magazine that helped to spark a movement.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1225433726/house2house-magazine-2013

Home at Last!

Ken Eastburn — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:36:32 +0000

In the evening of October 23^rd I went on a 2-mile jog. I was feeling pretty good in spite of my bad leg. I came home and went in the back yard to soak my leg in our pool. About ten minutes later my son Carson came out yelling, “Flood!” I ran in to see that our toilet in our downstairs bathroom had broken and water was gushing out of it. My wife had just turned off the water but by now our bathroom, family room and downstairs bedroom had been flooded.

So, we would have to replace the carpet. It was time anyway. After years of hosting house church in our family room the carpet was covered in stains. It was an expense I was not expecting but I told myself, it could have been a lot worse.

Then, it got worse. The next day our insurance company sent out water clean up people. The water was in our walls and cabinets and it took 3 days to dry. This was all happening during a Southern California heat wave and the temperature was in the 90’s. The 10 large dryers they brought in had to run all night, were extremely loud and kept tripping our breakers. Our power was constantly going out. Over the next couple of days they found asbestos in our walls and flooring. Not only did our carpet have to be removed but also our entire hard wood floor.

Three days later we found ourselves living in a hotel with our son, two Chinese students who have been living with us, and our dog Oscar.

I am happy to report that after 32 days in the hotel, 3 different hotel rooms, tons of fast food and breakfast buffets, and a month of dealing with the insurance company, contractors, plumbers, hardwoods floor installers, painters, not to mention about 107 trips to Home Depot, we are finally back home. Praise God!

I am amazed at what can happen in 30 days. Ali’s best friend’s daughter gave birth to a baby last week. Also, Lorri, a close friend of Ali’s sister and a member of one of our house churches tragically died last week. We were in the hotel for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the presidential election. I totally forgot to pay my Gardener and now I think he has quit on me. Our grass died and grew back while we were gone.

In the midst of our eating out and whining about living out of a suitcase, there were much bigger issues at hand all over the world. Life goes on and God takes care of his children. The Great Eastburn water crisis of 2012 was small in the big scheme of things and God taught me many lessons.

Thanks to all of you Well members who were patient with us over the last month. We had to cancel or switch up our meeting many times to accommodate our family. You have all been great and very flexible. But, that is what house church is all about isn’t it, even when your house is broken for a while.

When Good People Leave Your House Church

Ken Eastburn — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:43:31 +0000

Recently I have had conversations with people who are frustrated when solid Christians leave a house church for one reason or another. At the beginning of summer a couple visited our house church, we’ll call them Tom and Julie. They were wonderful people. They were seasoned, veteran Christians. They had been involved in a church planting movement in the 1980’s and later hosted a house church in their own home. They were lovely, caring people with a heart for our community. Immediately they embraced our church and we embraced them. I was sure that they would be a vital part of what God was doing with us. And they were, but only for a season.

A couple of days ago I got a call from Tom. It was short and to the point. “We are just too overwhelmed to really commit the time to the church. We have decided to move on so that we can continue to invest in the relationships we have made over the years.” That was it. No animosity, no hard feelings, just, “it’s time for us to leave.”

I assured Tom that we would be praying for them and that we would get together from time to time. But, honestly, after I hung up the phone I was disappointed. Too many times I have experienced the loss of good people. I blame them, and then myself, then someone else in the group. It feels a little like being dumped by a high school crush, I know I’ll get over it, but it stings for a while. “Why, God, did this have to happen?”

The “why” question can have a variety of answers. Sometimes people leave because they are easily offended. Sometimes their lifelong training in American consumerism causes them to be focused only on their own desires. Sometimes they just realize that this means work and sacrifice on their part. Sometimes they just don’t click with the group.

Sometime people leave just because it is time to leave. How is one to respond? You could feel hurt, bitter, sad or angry. Or you could be grateful for the amazing experiences that you shared together. You can add them to your prayer list, your Facebook list and your Christmas card list. You can resolve yourself to love them when thy need love and not write them off. You can look forward to spending eternity with them in heaven. Then you prepare yourself for the new people that God will ultimately bring your way. Then you start again and your ministry expands. You love these new people, listen to them, pray for them and the process starts over. That’s organic church.

Anticipation

Ken Eastburn — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:22:33 +0000

Anticipation is a way that we imagine or speculate about the future. Sometimes it involves pleasure or excitement, sometimes anxiety.

Recently The Well co-hosted an event with House2House called Momentum. It was a day and a half workshop featuring speakers and plenty of time for discussion and application.
It was an event that I had anticipated for a long time because it was sponsored by two ministries that I am deeply involved in, and also because I was a featured speaker.

The amazing thing about it was that God showed up, big-time. I felt his presence from the moment we started and throughout the event. Without God, it would have failed.

I get excited when I think about the coming months going into 2013. We are in the process of planning more of these Momentum events around the country. More anticipation.

As I think about how I am anticipating the future, I remember that 1 Peter 3 talks about how we should be ready for the coming “day of God.” Peter warns us that everything we know will be destroyed and that there will be a “new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

How are we to prepare for such an event? Peter tells us to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” I don’t often feel “blameless” until I remember that Jesus took the punishment for my sins. That’s how I can live with peace.

Think about what is coming next in your life. What big thing is in your future? Do you dread it, or look forward to it with excitement? If God is in control of it, you have nothing to fear.

Press On,
Ken

Press On!

Ken Eastburn — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:28:22 +0000

Press on church! I usually close my letters with that salutation but considering what I have been reading in our emails it seems a more appropriate beginning.

Sometimes we go along for a while with little drama. Life seems to flow and we almost get comfortable. Then, out of nowhere, something happens. Pain, heartache, doubt, attack. Why us? Why now? Where is God is all of this?

It seems as if spiritual warfare is looming around The Well on all sides these days. Not to be insensitive, but, this is a good thing. It drives us to our knees. It sobers and prunes us. If there is one thing I have learned about house church, or Christianity for that matter, it is difficult. We would like it to be safe and comfortable and fun but it’s not.

I wish I had more profound words to console those of you who are really dealing with pain and attack, but I don’t. All I can encourage you to do is…press on.

I am reminded of the 11th chapter of Hebrews, the “faith” chapter. It talks of many great women and men of faith but then at the end takes a turn. Please read it to the end:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:32-40 NIV).

It can be rather discouraging to read what happened to many of these faithful believers. It sounds like a bad horror movie. Then, at the end of the chapter there is a glimmer of hope, “God had planned something better for us.”

I can’t wait for the “better” part. It will be worth it.

What about worship?

Ken Eastburn — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 02:02:01 +0000

This is one of the questions that I have heard often in regards to house/organic church meetings. “What if none of us can play guitar?” “What if we don’t have any good singers in our group?” “I miss the worship team at our old church.”

I have to admit that this question has become a little frustrating over the years. It assumes that worship equals music. It seems that most people in our Christian culture think of “worship” as a designated time when a singer or band comes on a stage and performs, usually before or after a sermon. The participants are invited to sing via the lyrics projected on a large screen behind the stage. Many times the leader will instruct the participants in regards to sitting, standing, clapping, raising hands, etc. The performance is usually well rehearsed and planned.

We had our house church meeting at our home yesterday. We worshiped in several different ways. We worshiped in song, reading scripture, telling stories and even in eating a meal. We worshiped as we took communion together and as we laughed together. A couple of us cried as we heard a Scripture that was read. One of us asked a question that was prompted by the Holy Spirit after we sang. Another of the group responded as she spoke about her broken heart. It was all worship.

Yesterday we sang four songs. They were all well known and easy to play. Everyone knew the words except for one of our Chinese exchange students. I quickly did a search on my ipad and she was able to sing along (yeah technology). Except for my wife, no one in our group is a particularly good singer. But no one really cared. We were singing to God, not to each other.

House church, like most things of value in life is sometimes wonderful and sometimes difficult. At times we must sacrifice in order to gain the benefits we desire. I love music. I have played bass guitar in “worship” bands for most of my adult life. Sometimes I miss the band, the loud music, the sound of hundreds, even thousands of people all singing praises to God. But I don’t miss worship. I still worship all of the time.