A Life To Remember

The following is the article that I wrote for this Friday's Church Page article for the Concordia Blade-Empire:

A Life To Remember

          Wednesday evening, I was going through my Twitter feed, to find items to share on Facebook via HootSuite (sounds like an exciting night, huh?) and I came across this great line:

“Commencement: Just as my speech will not be remembered, so your life will not be. Stop striving for significance and love God. He remembers.” ~ John Mark N Reynolds

          Reynolds quote is rather timely with graduations taking place all over the area during the month of May and Concordia’s big event is on Sunday. Special speakers will share from the platform along with deserving students about all of the past accomplishments and future great achievements.

          Silly String may get sprayed. Cake will be consumed in mass quantities. Hugs will be exchanged. Gifts will be opened. Cash will be pocketed. All of this along with promises that people will be “Friends Forever!”

          Then “life” kicks in. For some of the graduates, “life” will be postponed until they graduate from college. Others will enter “life” on Monday. Some have already been experiencing “life” now. All will wonder if “life” is really worth it.

          The Book of James tells us that “life” is a vapor that disappears quickly. That basically means it can end before we really begin living “life”.

          So how do we prepare to outlast the “vapor”? Romans 10:9-10 tells us, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; {10} for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (NASB)  In other words, take up God on His love for you and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. This works for today’s graduates and even for those already living “life”.

April 30th, 2012 Newsletter

Lisa took this picture right before the Gospel was shared at the April TFC Dodgeball Tournament in Concordia.

April 30th, 2012

Dear Friends,

          Four months of 2012 are now history and our heads our spinning. Are we the only ones who live life in the fast lane or do you notice time flying by as well? Anyhow, we hope this finds you doing well in the Lord as we are on the eve of the month of May.

          I (Kent) told a friend the other day that it was time for newsletters. She nodded and said that was nice. I then told her that this would be newsletter number 333 (I guessed a little lower, but I just did the math) and her eyes got big. There is a small handful reading this letter who have received all 333. Others have gone on home to be with the Lord. A few others have lost interest. Some of you are rather new when it comes down to learning the behind the scene details it takes to run a small, rural youth ministry.

          Over the years, the newsletter or prayer letter (the two titles intermingle at times) has contained a thoughtful little story or look into our lives, a stated overall need that we may have, and a thank you for support and prayers. You may have noticed a routine there. The style of the letters have evolved over the years with a desire to deliver a clean, crisp letter into your hands so you can know what we are up to and this month is rather the same.

          As I was thinking about what to write, I was looking at the copy of the Teens For Christ Update that has been included in this letter. What caught my eye were the 42 students mentioned in the Birthday List. That is a pretty average number when you get down to it, but a closer look will show that those 42 students are from 20 different towns in north central Kansas and south central Nebraska. After taking a closer look, that breakdown translates to 512 teenagers in 69 different communities. Which if we were to rest on our laurels is not too bad for a “Mom & Pop” operation, but there is room for improvement as we desire to point more young people to Jesus Christ.

          For a teenager to be on the mailing list of Teens For Christ, they have attended a TFC Bible Club, TFC Rally, or any of our other special events like our TFC Dodgeball Tournaments. If they have attended one of these programs, they have heard the Gospel explained as clear as possible. It would be great if all 512 have confessed Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Saviour, but that is not always the case. All we can do is brag on what Jesus has done for them and pray that they will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit moving in their lives.

          Basically, what Lisa and I get to do through Teens For Christ, with the help of some wonderful volunteers and like minded adults, is to lift up the name of Jesus Christ and live out Acts 1:8: ". . . but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (NASB) We may never go to anywhere that would qualify as “remote” but we may have some fingerprints on those who will.

          With all of that in mind, thank you for helping us impact teenagers with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We appreciate your during the month of April very much! Take care and we hope you have a very blessed May!

Yours For Youth!
Kent & Lisa Otott
Micah 6:8

Movie Reveiw: What If . . .

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, Teens For Christ hosted a viewing of “What If . . .” for the monthly TFC Rally. I thought I would share a couple of thoughts on the evening.

The film itself was very good. It was a project of Jerry Jenkins’ son and his name escapes me at the moment. The elder Jenkins co-wrote the “Left Behind” series.

From the production side of things, “What If . . .” was put together very well. Technically, I thought there were some sound and lighting issues that caught my attention but were not a total distraction. A couple of the scenes could have been shorter, but overall, it played well.

Kevin Sorbo of the “Hercules” franchise played the lead character well. He portrayed the self absorbed business type well. Watching him come to the understanding that there is more to this life than living and dying was played out properly.

John Ratzenburger who was the lovable know-it-all on “Cheers” was Michael the angel. The part fit him well and his dry humor and sucker punches gave the audience a comedic break.

Kristy Swanson, who played Buffy in the movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, did a good job as the dutiful, faithful ministry wife. After researching a bit about her past, it appears she has been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb in real life.

The two daughters did a good job. The eldest has been a part of the Disney franchise for several years. In the behind the scenes extras on the DVD, it appears that she has a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The youngest had some of the best scenes in the movie even with the death of her beloved goldfish.

One moment in the film that I noticed the most was when Sorbo’s character has to visit an elderly man dying in the hospital. Not only are there some incredible one-liners, there are some incredible moments as the Gospel is clearly presented.

I would highly recommend this film to anyone. The easiest way is to contact Rich at: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/default.php to schedule a showing in your community.

Other highlights of the evening were the turnout of 120 or more people. I like to be honest on the numbers and 120 seems to be the conservative count for the night. We had quite a few new faces and a bunch of faithful folks to. Two students responded to the invitation with one being for salvation.

Child of God

(The following article is one that I wrote for the Church Page of the Concordia Blade-Empire. It is scheduled to run on Friday, March 11, 2011.)

Every week, I find myself fielding questions of doubt - not raised by the world, but from other “religious” belief systems. Students and adults alike inquire if there is any other possible way to a right relationship with God than through Jesus Christ.

The beauty of following Jesus Christ comes from the simplicity of the Gospel message. Most people know (or have at least heard) the ever familiar John 3:16 which tells of God’s incredible love for us. Two chapters earlier, another incredible verse jumps off the page:

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," – John 1:12 (NASB)

By believing on the name of Jesus Christ, a person receives the full benefits offered up to a child of the God Almighty. By believing, we are changed from one who is lost, to one who is found. This belief leads to a life of repentance, a life that has been forgiven and a life that has purposeful hope. All of this and even more is available to us, because of Jesus Christ.

For many, doubt about these truths set in when they encounter other belief systems that whisper falsehoods wrapped in a shade of truth. Some say you need to be a part of “God’s organization here on earth”. Others teach that Jesus and Lucifer were siblings and that the Gospel was lost for centuries. Other religions deny that Jesus Christ died on the cross. There are even belief systems teaching that we pay for our sins over and over like a cruel version of Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” until we reach enlightenment. And, of course, there are those who say it is all just a fairy tale.

As we enter the 40 days counting down to the celebration of the very physical death and very physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us remember that He became the payment for your sin and my sin so that we can have the opportunity to be a child of God. If you are reading this and you realize that you are not a child of God, please call 1-888-NEED-HIM. You can also call me - my number is in the phone book. If you are a child of the God, reach out to those around you and tell them about Jesus.