Archive for March, 2011

Beverly Reformed Church brings out our Sunday Best!

Posted: March 30, 2011 by cletebontrager in Family, Friends, Uncategorized
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This past Saturday Mike and I drove our families to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  What a great day to drive.  Beautiful weather and vehicles that did not break down were two big blessings (for those who haven’t heard back in February Mike and I broke down on our way back to Detroit from Cincinnati and had to stay in the Dayton area overnight).

Mike was asked to preach at Beverly Reformed Church in Wyoming Michigan and then during the Sunday School hour inform the church about Restore Church.

We enjoyed an evening meal at Red Robin and laughed till we hurt.

We also had a nice time at Pet Smart (exciting time at the zoo) and Mike almost went home with a cat.  I almost went home with a snake, but Ruth would have none of it.  So we walked out with NOTHING.  Oh well, we still enjoyed the pets.

Thank you BRC for putting us up for Saturday night.  We had a nice time talking and enjoying each others company.  Needless to say we all were a little tired Sunday morning, but after a good breakfast we headed to BRC.  Mike preached on Acts 10 and 11 in a message titled The Walls Fall and Three are Converted.

After the service we played some ball in the gym and ate some hamburgers and hot dogs.  I also want to thank Chris Hall and his father in law for grilling some great chow.

Mike and Kevin had a little game and of course Mike could not let his son win. (OK, and I wasn’t about to let some 15 year old beat me either!) I do think Kevin walked away though not out of breathe.

The girls even got into Hula Hooping.

Susan Doing the Hula

Ruth and the Hula

All in all it was a very nice relaxing weekend.

Rob Bell, Thomas Jefferson & Me

Posted: March 24, 2011 by cletebontrager in Uncategorized
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After reading a  blog and an article about Rob Bell and Thomas Jefferson I had some thoughts on how similar these two guys are and how sometimes I am not much different.

You might say “what does Rob Bell  & Thomas Jefferson have in common?”  “And you Clete?”

As I read the blogs about what Rob Bell believes about God, I see him accepting parts of scripture and also deleting parts of scripture that do not meet his belief system.  Thomas Jefferson did this also in a very tangible way, he actually cut and pasted to create his own “bible”.

Some say that Rob Bell denies hell and believes that God’s love has the opportunity to win everyone over even after they die. (I have not read Love Wins, so I’m only commenting on what I’m hearing)  Where would Rob get these thoughts?  Not from God’s words.  We though see in Luke 16 that the “rich man” was in a place of torment.  Love was not winning him over to heaven. I do have a side question for Rob Bell, if the Bible is not talking about a real hell, then maybe there is no real heaven either.

Of course Rob Bell does exactly what Thomas Jefferson did when he cut up his Bible to make “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth“.  If one can separate Jesus’ ethics from his dogma you can compartmentalize your entire life.  Jesus did not leave room for a compartmentalized life when you were his disciple.

So we see two men cutting and pasting the Bible according to preference, but we know many of us do the same thing everyday.

The Bible is a narrative of God’s redemptive plan for a people.  Do we actually believe and accept what this narrative commands?   If the Spirit enlightens our understanding to its truths, how come more of us don’t follow Jesus’ teachings?

Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

I choose every day what to believe and how to respond to what I believe .  What really marks my life?  Is it the prevailing wisdom of the day?  Jesus says to us to “Come follow me.”  He invites us to be followers of his, but do we do that as he has asked us to?

Jesus says in Luke 14:33

those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Those are pretty stark words coming from Jesus.  To be his disciple I have to give up EVERYTHING?  Really?

We constantly think in terms of material possessions when it comes to giving up everything.  But, is that what Jesus is really after?

JESUS IS AFTER YOUR HEART

But, What does that mean?  Jesus says in Luke 12:31-34:

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.  “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is Jesus your deepest treasure?

Or like Rob Bell, Thomas Jefferson and many “christians” do you want to create a Jesus of your own making? If we do that he is not our greatest treasure, but our own creation is our treasure.  Remember to be Jesus’ disciple you must give up everything, but in return you get everything and that is Jesus, your greatest treasure.

Are you cutting up your bible by not obeying what it says?

what we do everyday when we don't obey

(And Michigan almost won too!)

Posted: March 21, 2011 by mikehanafee in Detroit Info, Family, Friends, Restore Church
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Yesterday was a great finish to our first run through the Story-formed Way in the 48202. Originally this 10 week overview of the Bible was intended simply to strengthen the Bontrager & Hanafee families in our first months on the ground in central Detroit. But God had other plans. By the end of this study some 30 adults and kids have been participating – from some young couples & singles considering moving into the 48202 who are passionate about serving the Lord, to some neighbors including a family who has been praying for us for 5 months since they learned about us via this blog, to several classmates of our kids, to a school mom, to neighbors, & others.

In yesterday’s session, Life in the End, we saw that what began in a garden will end in a city where a restored people will enjoy God forever. And right now we get to be part of God gathering a people for His name as we show & tell Jesus! This is our prayer:

Jesus, Lord of my salvation, Savior of my soul.
Send me out to the world to make You known.
Jesus, King of every nation, this world’s only hope.
Send me out to the world to make you known.
Send me out to the world.

I wanna be Your hands and feet.
I wanna be Your voice every time I speak.
I wanna run to the ones in need, in the name of Jesus.
I wanna give my life away, all for Your kingdom’s sake.
Shine a light in the darkest place, in the name of Jesus.
In the name of Jesus.

And because there is going to be a great feast at the end we had a preliminary one, just for a little practice;) We also celebrated the Lord’s Supper and preached the gospel to one another in it, reminding ourselves that Jesus is our Righteousness, Life, Identity, Strength, Hope, & Everything.

It was a great day!

Oh, yeah and Michigan came within one basket of upsetting Duke!

I wish I had thought to take some pictures of our Story-formed Way gatherings but here are a few. At least you’ll be able to see what we ate (from a few perspectives), Boston-Edison’s angels, & Emma’s sorrow after the basketball game.

everyday stuff for everyday people for everyday Jesus telling

Posted: March 17, 2011 by mikehanafee in Core Values, Restore Church
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We have held 3 low key Friday night vision gatherings covering Restore’s DNA – the gospel message, the gospel motivation, & the gospel methods. I was particularly pumped about our last meeting because I was able to sport a vintage Barry Sanders jersey I found that afternoon at Russell Bazaar for just $5;) The Big Idea of this 3rd session is that the way we evangelize our neighborhood is not through big fancy events but by tapping into the routine rhythms of life with gospel intentionality.

What we are talking about is the stuff of everyday life. We are not talking about adding on to your life (or creating a packed “church” schedule) but simply focusing and equipping you to do what you already do with Gospel intentionality.

Soma Communities has been a big time help in understanding these concepts.

Restore Church is Featured at Riverview

Posted: March 9, 2011 by cletebontrager in Uncategorized
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Restore Church has been blessed by Riverview Church in Lansing time and time again.  We have received a lot of positive feedback from the feature they did on us in February.   We thank God for each person praying for us.  There is a battle going on and we NEED the prayers of saints on our behalf.

Ephesians 6:18-19

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

Just a reminder also this Friday at 7:00 pm we will have our 3rd vision gathering.  This is going to be a fun and practical time giving some gospel rhythms that we want to embody at Restore.

Here is the feature Riverview did.  Also wanted to give a shout out to Melissa Kranzo for making sense out of ramblings.

TEB (Transitional Elder Board) Meeting

Posted: March 2, 2011 by cletebontrager in Restore Church, Uncategorized
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This past Tuesday we had our TEB  (Transitional Elder Board) meeting.  This was a great time of fellowship and accountability.

Noel Heikkinen is our third member of the TEB.  Let me say this guy has wisdom beyond his years.  We thank God for Noel being a part of Restore in this capacity.

Noel Heikkinen

So what happens at one of these “smoke filled room” elder board meetings?  Ok, no it was not a smoke filled room, but it is what I think of when I hear about a church meeting.

Smoke Filled Elder Board Meeting "NOT"

So let me recount some of the meeting.

  • We recounted evidences of grace seen in Detroit with relationships being built.
  • We talked about different networks that want to be a part of what we are doing in Detroit.
  • We spent time praying for Restore and the folks God has gathered.
  • We hashed out a budget for this first year.
  • We filled out the paperwork for our articles of incorporation.  (legal stuff)

I want to share some things God has done in our midst.

  • We started the Story of God Sunday’s for our families and God has seen fit to bring people in every week to hear God’s Story.  These have turned into some very cool edifying times for us.   We have had 30 people, not including our bus ministry ;-}
  • We are studying Gospel and Life by Tim Keller on Tuesday nights and this has been a great source of conviction and molding.
  • Prayer walks have been a great source of encouragement for Mike and myself as we seek to love our neighborhood more.

Financially God has been very generous to us.  We now have 3 churches that are giving significant amounts to Restore.  We also have many people that are giving a monthly gifts to Restore to help with ministry.  We do want to thank you for your support even of one time gifts.  Every penny makes a different in our context.  So thank you for what you have done financially and will continue to do.

We are very close to making our monthly budget.  We need only $2510.00 per month to make it.  We are so close.  We thank God for what he has done and we are continued to be blown away by his generosity and yours.

We love Detroit and want to see the gospel advanced on our backs and the backs of people in the neighborhood and you can be a part of it locally or from a distance.  Pray to God that he would give you a heart for Detroit’s Gospel Advance.  We want all people to be infected by the gospel in their own region and to share their faith where they live, but we also know many areas of our country are much more resourced than Detroit.  That is why we ask you to consider partnering with us.

You can send a check or money order to:
RESTORE CHURCH
1247 Chicago Blvd
Detroit Mi 48202

God is working in this city, what is God asking you to do for His kingdom advancement?