Uturn Coffee Fundraiser

Man I am pumped that we have finally secured the right company to partner with and press forward with our bigger dream of adding Fair-trade coffee to the Uturn food line up. Not only will we have Fair-trade coffee, we’ll feature some of the best organic blends as well. To make matters even better we will actually be able to label and market the coffee as “Uturn Coffee”. The packaging label has been proofed and is ready to go on the first batch of coffee.
Here’s how you can help.
Drop by the Uturn, get a Uturn-Coffee Fundraising sheet and ask your friends, family and co-workers to order a bag. Each bag is a 1 lb. bag of our first Uturn blends.

We’ll have three blends to choose from;
Fair-Trade Organic “Papua New Guinea Okapa Coop” - Medium Roast
Fair-Trade Organic “Minnesota Mudd Blend” - Dark Roast
Decaf Fair-Trade Organic “Mountain Water Processed Peru La Florida.

Can you smell the coffee?

The funds raised will help us pay off of New Espresso Machine that we are trying to get in Uturn ASAP. Your help can make all the difference. Adding the coffee will allow us to expand our hours into limited day-time hours. The mission of Uturn continues to grow. This Non-profit, all volunteer Coffeehouse and Event Center is making an impact in Rochester. Thanks for you on-going support.

R.I.P.

This week has been marked by death. Monday night I was at St. Mary’s Hospital to love and support a family as their father [step-dad] took his final breaths and went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus. What a honor to be there to share in the tears of hope and sadness. Then that same night I got word that a young man, whom I had ministered to over the past two year had died. Jason had a long battle with drugs and it finally cost him his life. Jason was a guy that desperately wanted to make up for lost time with God, friends and family. But he still struggled. Then the Chateau Theater closed up operations this week. The entertainment, movie industry has been hard these last several years. Hearing that the lights had gone out at the Chateau was sad, because as a church we have very fond memories of the place and it’s people. In the five years that Journey was there we held weddings on site, showed “Veggie-tale” movies, partnered with the theater with “Cruise for kids”, “Family fun night” and more.

Our relationship with the theater had been a really, really good one for the most part. Being known as the “Church at the movies” helped us reach our city for Christ. Now like these mens lives, that chapter of our life as a church is really dead and gone. All we have our memories of a greater place and good people.
Your family will miss you Don.
I will miss you Jason.
Our church and our city will miss you Chateau.
R.I.P - Rest in Peace and thank for the memories!

Super Sundays

Some days are more special then others. Most Sunday, I really am excited to get to Journey, reconnect with the larger church family and share what God has laid on my heart. Sunday’s are normally great days. Then there are some Sundays that seem to have an extra bit of power in them. We have been blessed to have several of them lately. This Sunday was a prime example.
From the moment I came it the Uturn coffeehouse, there was a sense of extra anticipation for what was in store for us today. As volunteers came to serve, it only added the feeling. Then both Sunday morning gatherings seemed very Spirit led and filled. Our large gathering with God was an extra special encounter. Part of the added bonus was the testimony and baptism of Sara. It never gets old, hearing and seeing how people are effected by a transformed life. That is a committed follower of Jesus making public statement of faith, total surrender through the act of baptism. When the crowd screams and celebrates another person added to the family of God...it’s overwhelming.
Then then are day rolled into opening up the Uturn coffeehouse and Event Center for the NFC championship game. We had a very excited and interactive crowd. Yeah it doesn’t hurt that the Packers won. That’s a extra bonus as well.

Honestly though you never know how long a wave will last of spiritual growth, newcomers, and clear transformation in peoples lives. Sometimes “it” just happens and you simply get to enjoy what God’s spirit is doing. I wish I could figure out the “it-factor” of days and weeks like this... but I can’t. That is where I must simply follow God, play my part and wake up each day wonder what God will do. I believe “expectation” does have something to do with “it-factor” of great days. So as I start this Monday, I expect something exciting, challenging or unforeseen to happen. I expect God to move in my life some how. I pray that I see, and enjoy it as much as i have enjoyed these last few weeks.

Planning Porn Sunday

Cyndi and I had dinner with Bob and Bunny Yanish tonight. We have hammered out the details for how we will have ages 3 years through 5th grade off site at CiCi's Pizza on Sunday, Feb. 6th. The kids will have some crafts, special activities and breakfast pizza, great cinamonn rolls and more. It's going to make our Porn Sunday extra special for everyone and allow both teens and adults to really hear, focus and hopefully allow God's Spirit to work.

Big yeah God for Bob and Bunny and their common vision for God.

Life Changes.... parents

You never really believe that you will ever reach that point where your parents health begins to fail and they really, really need you. Cyndi and I are both having to adjust to that hard reality. Last week Cyndi's mother was admitted to the hospital for some serious stuff. Now almost a week later it is clear her mothers life will not be the same. The family must begin to make plans and adjustments. My parents have loved living in the mountains of Colorado. Yet they both must mow sleep with the aid of Oxygen. That is not a good long term solution to two people that love to travel and be on the go.
So now they must sell the mountain home and move to lower lands.

It's a strange place to be our hearts and minds. We all know that we are fragile and human, yet the actual reality and walking through these adjustments is emotionally and spiritually draining. You never know when the phone may ring and things have gotten worse, or a parent may pass away.

Thank goodness all of our parents deeply love and follow Jesus Christ.
That is hope and joy each day. We have a confidence that our parents will meet their Savior and enjoy new life in a new way with Him. So yes it is strange to be where we are at, but it is also exciting to know where they are going.

We live as people of two worlds with mixed emotions.

Porn Sunday

Today I really began preparing for dangerous message on Sunday, Feb. 6th.... PORN SUNDAY.
Yup, we are going to address another one of those "elephants" in our lives and churches.
This is an event / message I have wanted to do for some time. But I also wanted the proper venue for follow-up. The Uturn coffeehouse and event center really allows us to hit hard topics such as this and do really good follow up.

XXXChurch has put together really solid material to help local churches such as Journey be well informed and practical. We will be putting a lot of promotional support behind this dangerous Sunday. My prayer is to really help people find freedom from this ugly, addictive and distructive material.

Please, join with us now!
Pray for us as we advance into dangerous territory.
Pray for freedom, practical steps and help.
Pray that many, many will be saved from our human efforts, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Surprises

The scriptures teach us that God goes before us, that He is preparing away for us. Often when troubled times hit it’s hard to see, believe or understand that. This last Tuesday (Jan. 11th) following our Freedom For Life recovery ministry two men in attendance asked if they could pray for me. The man that I barely knew said, “I came into the building tonight, and God impressed on me that I was to pray for you. God is telling me you have sometimes ahead, an attack is coming and we should pray for you.”
So Nate and Jose laid hands on me and prayed. What was unique about this was, Jose prayed in a spiritual language I could not understand (tongues it is called in the Bible), while Nate simply prayed in english. After several minutes I thanked the men, gave them each hugs and that was it. (By the I’ll take all the pray I can get!)

Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from my brother-in-law. Cyndi’s mother was back in the hospital with “congestive heart failure and kidney failure.” Wow... pretty serious stuff. Later that afternoon, Cyndi and called her brother back, got more details and began adjusting our plans for the weekend. Plans that were going to be exciting, fun, family times. Now we had to tell our kids about grandma, have Cyndi pack and leave for Iowa this morning (Friday, Jan. 14th).

I shared with Cyndi the story of how Nate and Jose had prayed for me on Tuesday, With tears in both of our eyes we knew that God used these two me to help emotionally and spiritually prepare us for this phone call and the unknown future for Cyndi’s mother.
There was a peace that only God can provide that came over Cyndi and I as we finalized our new weekend plans.

Once again, we can see that God is 100% true to his word. We may not like or enjoy what situations we face in life, but God is there with us. God is actually going before us, clearing away for us to make it through the highs and lows of live. “I will never leave you or forsake you”, Jesus said.

Thank you God for going before us always.

Goodbye 2010

There are few times in my life when I can honestly say, “ am glad that year is over.” 2010 is one of those years. Even as I say that, it really surprises me. 2010 was an exciting, dangerous and an amazing year in the life of our church and ministry. We experienced a lot changes, and God’s working in so many ways. It was a tough year of ministry, but that is not why I am happy to see the year pass.

Honestly was my home life that was the bigger struggle area. Oh yeah, we had major changes there as well, but some were changes that actually brought more conflict and pain into my life and that of the entire family. There were some off the chart great moments, like having our oldest daughter complete high school. (man do I feel old )
At times it really felt like our family could not take much more of the battle and drama.

But as we start 2011, it seems as if we have collectively all begun to come out the funk and darkness. I am not saying all is well at the Bontrager household, only that it feels really good to be where we are at. Before Cyndi and I stepped into full-time ministry and church planting we were told that this would take a lot out of us, “guard your family and marriage”, we were told time and time again. We tried, but man life, the enemy and our own sinful nature continues to mess things up daily. I am eternally grateful for the family I have, the experiences that we have shared.... it’s even sweeter to say that at the start of 2011.

White Balanced

As a broadcaster I learned that when you use a video camera it’s best to first point your camera to a white piece of paper. This technique has been used for years and years. They use the white paper as true standard by which to set the lens. The technique is called “WHITE BALANCE” The camera is focused on a white, pure image... before trying to adjust and focus on people, clothes, and the moving action.. like a football game. Without first setting the camera to a “White Balance” the images will be off-color, blurring, not a crisp and clear as they could be.

The scriptures remind us to “fix our eyes on Jesus”, He is our white balance.
The things he said, the way he lived, and the sacrifice that he made for each one of us. When I focus on Jesus Christ, the Bible.... the many timeless truths found in the Holy Scriptures... I get “WHITE BALANCED”. This has got to become a daily practice in my life or I don’t stand a chance against the influnces of this world or our enemy Satan.

The Apostle challenges us to be “white balance” as Jesus Followers.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

That’s a tough one to hear, especially when other places we are told to be, “In the world but not of this world.” God does not call us to retreat, from the world... yet he also does not want to be conformed to it either.

People we have to admit that the things of this world can have a strong influence and pull our lives. If we admit that, then we are able to attack the various areas in our lives that arer being compromised by buying into this world and it’s low standards. How do we do that?

We must once again return to the true standard of God. We must be daily “white balanced” by reading the scriptures, listening and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our steps. Once we remember the true standard, then we will be able to interpret everything else in light of the true standard instead of interpreting everything else according to everything else.

Are you tired of slowly being poisoned by this world? Are you wanting to remove the toxic influences in your life? Test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)