Refuge is a call to church leaders to transform their churches into places where people can tell their secrets and experience emotional and spiritual healing from the hurts of life.  Refuge tells the story of how the Hospital Church came into existence.  It also reveals the core values, principles, and processes by which any church can become a place of Help, Hope, and Healing.

Refuge is being published by Kregel Press, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and should be available in bookstores in the late Spring of 2010. 

Even before Refuge has been published, James is having opportunity to carry the mission of the Hospital Church to places such as Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, Dallas, Texas, where Dr. Tony Evans is Senior Pastor.  James spoke at a conference at that church in 2009 along with Dr. Robert McGee, Dr. Frank Minirth of the famed Minirth-Meirer clinic in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Tony Evans. James has since had the privilege of consulting with that church and their Director of Counseling, Guy Earle, about implementing this kind of strategy into their ministry.

On October 24, 2009 at the Group Life Conference of the Willow Creek Association in Chicago, Illinois, an interview with James about Refuge and the Hospital Church ministry will be broadcast to satellite locations in America and around the globe. James has also had the privilege of consulting with senior staff of Willow Creek Community Church, where Bill Hybels is Senior Pastor, about the core values of Hospital Church ministry.

An article about the Hospital Church appeared in The Willow Creek Association magazine in 2009.  Also, Bill Donahue, PhD., who is the group life director for the Willow Creek Community Church, wrote an article about  the Hospital Church which appeared in Rev Magazine in the Nov/Dec issue of 2009.

Since Refuge has been finished, James has written another book titled, The ABCs of Life Change for Every Christian.  The ABCs is a biblically based 12-step workbook for every Christian who desires life change in any area and wants to be more conformed to the image of Christ.  After The ABCs was finished, James revised the workbook to apply the principles to marriage. Several chapters, questions, and applications were added that applied specifically to couples .  It is titled, The ABCs of Life Change for Couples.

The ABCs of Life Change for Couples was field tested at Celebration Fellowship during the summer of 2009 when 12 couples went through it.  The results that came out of that trial group were so amazing that in the Fall of 2009, Celebration Fellowship launched five new couples groups.  Also in the Fall of 2009, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship launched a Couples group using The ABCs of Life Change for Couples.  Other churches around the country are beginning to implement both The ABCs of Life Change and The ABCs of Life Change for Couples.

James feels that The ABCs of Life Change for Couples was really the reason that God launched him into a writing career, which he had never really considered before.  The opportunity to impact marriages in a positive way allows the Church to impact generations to follow.  In a culture where one-half of all marriages end in divorce, The ABCs of Life Change for Couples gives a church a biblical and practical strategy to have a ministry of restoration for broken marriages, as well as a ministry to keep strong marriages that are already doing well.

James is so committed to this strategy that he has committed to GO ANYWHERE, to ANY SIZE CHURCH, to consult, teach, and train churches in this strategy and to do so FREE OF CHARGE.  If you are interested in more information about this opportunity, go to James' website, www.jamesmreeves.com or email him directly here.

Update from James 2/10/2009

As of February, 2009, I have an offer from Kregel Press out of Grand Rapids, Michigan to

publish Refuge.  I have not signed the contract yet but I fully anticipate

doing so unless there are some major snags in it when my agent sends it to me.  They are

a good, conservative publishing house that has historically focused on scholarly theological

works.  In recent years, they have branched out into more general ministry types of books.

I have nearly completed a second book titled The ABC's of Life Change.  It is a workbook

built around the biblical basis of the 12 steps. It is not for addiction recovery but for any

Christian who desires life change in any area.  I am field testing the material with several

support groups right now and making revisions as they are needed.  Soon I will be putting together a proposal for Greg Johnson, my literary agent to get out to publishers.  I am more excited about this project than I was  Refuge.

Next month, (March 2009) I am speaking at a conference for Christian counselors at Oak

Cliff Bible Fellowship.  Also speaking will be Dr. Robert McGee (founder of Rapha Christian

counseling and author of Search for Significance) and Dr. Tony Evans, pastor and author.  My subject will be to tell the Hospital Church story and talk about making the church a safe place. 

More updates coming soon as things move forward.