Our September 29th, 2012 Prayer Letter

September 29, 2012
 

Dear Friends,

            We hope this finds you doing well. We have had another busy month with various ministry and family activities. In fact, we are scrambling to get our prayer letter done a day early so we can finish the month with a busy weekend! On Saturday, Kent will travel to and from Kansas City to attend a performance with a friend while Lisa spends the day in Salina with her father. Sunday will be a full day of ministry opportunities as Kent preaches at Living Hope Foursquare Church here in Concordia and then in the evening serves as the host for a Teens For Christ Family Film Night in Miltonvale.

Students having fun during the game at the September TFC Rally.

            Having mentioned Lisa’s dad, Harry Marty, let us give you a little background. He has just finished up week number two of radiation treatments for prostate cancer in Salina. He has seven more weeks to go. We have been blessed to find a good place for him to stay down there during this time and many other details seem to be coming together.  Still, we would very much appreciate prayers for Harry during his treatment time and recovery. (Harry would appreciate that as well.)

            A couple years ago, I (Kent) stood on Sixth Street here in Concordia after one of our Teens For Christ programs as a good friend listened patiently to me as I vented some frustrations to him. I was frustrated about the lack of participation we get from area churches. My friend, whom I respect very much, had this line to offer when I asked what his thoughts were. He replied, “The churches are afraid that you will get the credit.” When I stated that we weren’t chasing the “credit”, he assured me that he knew that and understood where our heart is on that issue.

Jossalin turned four on September 21st. While we were at El Puerto, she got the Birthday Whipped Cream Treatment. She declared loudly when it was done that it was “Rude!” We thought it was cute.

            Now fast forward to this past month. At the September Teens For Christ Rally, guest speaker Andrew Laughlin gave a good message to the students who were at the program. The response for the invitation was modest with one student and one adult responding for prayer. The student had her youth group pray with her along with several of her friends, while the adult found some quiet one-on-one time with a friend of ours. Overall, I was thinking to myself that this response was good considering the size of the crowd we had that night.

            On September 18th, Andrew shared this email that was sent to him by Gabe Hughes who served as our Praise & Worship leader at the September TFC Rally:

"Hey, just so you know, we had 4 re-dedications on Sunday morning, and one young man gave his life to Christ for the first time. I can't remember if the guy went to TFC, but three of the four girls did."

            I smiled when I read this and responded to Andrew with this simple phrase:

“Some plant, some water, some reap.”

            That simple phrase that I typed out in my reply is a very simplistic view of this passage of Scripture:

"For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." ~ First Corinthians 3:4-9 (NASB)

            The biggest impact we can have through Teens For Christ is to “plant” and “water” while God causes the “growth” as He takes the lead as Lord of the Harvest. Lisa and I, along with our sponsors, volunteers and support team (you!), together work the “fields” for the Lord. Sometimes it is just to “plant” and “water” with the thought that we may never see what the “harvest” is this side of Heaven.

            As we wrap this up, let us say, “Thank You!” for keeping us in the fields. It can be frustrating at times, but James reminded us that life is a “vapour”, so we will be faithful until He comes. As always, we are in need of financial and prayer support and send these letters out to share that need with you. If you can help, please use the enclosed envelope to send in the gift that the Lord has laid on your heart. Thank you once again for your time and your prayers. Take care and may you have a very blessed October.

Yours For Youth!
Kent & Lisa Otott
Romans 10:15

Our August 31st, 2012 Prayer Letter

August 31, 2012 

Dear Friend,

          Lisa and I hope this letter finds you doing well. It has been an interesting month for us and we are trying to figure out how August flew by so quickly. After completing the mileage log for our Park Avenue, we know time on the road contributed! Driving 3,800 miles in one month surely takes time, don’t you think?

          Many of these miles racked up during the two trips made to the Colorado Springs area in a space of two weeks. I wish I could say the two trips were for leisure, but they were business trips that formed around taking Duaine and Romy to Summit Ministries for a two week Christian Worldview Conference for high school seniors and college students. The boys sat in on 70 hours of classroom time while they were there and in between classes were able to take in some sights around the area.

          These two trips turned into overnight events that included visits with a number of friends I have ministered to and with over the years. During the first trip out to Manitou Springs, I stayed overnight in Pueblo and had supper with a friend who attended the TFC Rallies at the same time I did when I was in high school.

          Then on Monday morning, the 6th, I headed back into Kansas via a route through Garden City. While there, I had a meeting with a friend who is the director of that region’s juvenile detention facility. It was interesting to tour the facility and we even talked about how it would have been nice to build something like that in Beloit instead of closing that facility and moving the girls to Topeka.

          After my first meeting of the day, I had lunch with a girl who spent time at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex in Topeka. She lives in Garden City and wanted me to meet her friends. It was nice to have the opportunity to visit and see how well she was doing. If her plans have panned out, she has started college now.

          Leaving Garden City, my next stop was in Ellis which is west of Hays on I-70. There I visited a TFC alumnus who graduated high school in Clyde back in 1992. As I walked into his house, he shouted out that I looked the same now as I did twenty years ago. (I must have been a pretty rough looking 27 year old.) This visit was a tough one, as this young man lost a leg while serving in the United States Marine Corp fourteen years. To complicate things, he wound up having heart bypass surgery back in July. We spent about 90 minutes catching up and had a very good time of prayer together.

          As I left Ellis, I wondered when I would see Donny again. Then I received a call the weekend of the August TFC Rally, which was also the day I picked up Duaine and Romy from Colorado, that Donny had to be flown in an air ambulance to the K.U. Medical Center. He spent the next two weeks having invasive surgeries to remove diseased muscle tissue that could have killed him. The past two Tuesdays, I left for Topeka early so I could visit him in the hospital. By now, he should be back in the Wakeeney hospital for several months of physical therapy and recuperation.

          I don’t share these stories to pat myself on the back. I share them to say thank you for supporting our work with Teens For Christ. The visits I had on both trips to Colorado (some by phone) involved people from all stages of my career serving the Lord here in Concordia. There are other stories from the past two weeks which would make this an eight page prayer letter if I got into details. Instead, I will close with this verse:

"And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"" ~ Romans 10:15 (NKJV)

          You, my friend, give us the means to preach the gospel of peace as the Lord directs us in and out of the lives of so many different people. Some of the encounters might be brief, but the eternal results will be lasting. Just as in Donny’s case. Years ago, I prayed with him after a TFC Rally as he trusted Christ to be his Lord and Saviour. That brief moment will be what sustains him for the long months ahead!

          Thank you for your prayers during the month of August. Please keep us in your prayers as we enter into another school year of ministry. It will be interesting to see what all takes place. We will have many things to share, I’m sure!  Until then, take care and God Bless You!

Yours For Youth!
Kent & Lisa Otott
Romans 10:15

Our July 31st, 2012 Prayer Letter

July 31, 2012

Dear Friend,

        We hope this letter finds you staying cool and doing well in the Lord. For us, July has been a pretty typical month - which pretty much means anything but normal. Some activities, such as Duaine’s senior photos and his week at God’s Mountain, were scheduled events and enjoyable. Other activities were not scheduled and proved to be a bit testing.

Jossi and Lisa share a Frosty at the Wendy’s in Salina.

Duaine took a moment to pose with Kent before his week at God’s Mountain.

        Starting early in the month, a not so young Lisa took Jossalin to the pool. During a maneuver to keep Jossalin from going underwater too deep for her, Lisa managed to give herself some aches and pains.  A trip to the doctor resulted in a CAT scan and lab work to rule a number of things out. The initial diagnosis was a probable injury to her ribs and connective cartilage.  A few days later, she had a dizzy spell accompanied by a very high blood pressure reading. After a battery of tests at the hospital, we found out a few more things she didn’t have (stroke, heart attack), but no solid reason for the “episode” other than a possible reaction to the pain medication she took for the rib injury.

        After settling back down with the intent to ride out the rib injury with ibuprofen, we received a call that the chest x-ray they took during the “episode” showed a spot on her left lung. Yesterday, a follow up CAT Scan was done and a little after 5:00 p.m., the nurse called to tell us the spot on the x-ray wound up being nothing to worry about. Needless to say, as parents of a three year old, we are both grateful and thankful to the Lord for having the clear results.

        We share all this to illicit much needed prayer support! At 47 and 46 (Lisa had a birthday on July 17th), being the proud parents of a 17 year old who is embarking on his senior year sounds about right. Being the parents of a three year-old is another story. Our health and stamina are not always going to match our desire to keep up with the little one. We are excited though to find ourselves with new opportunities to encourage other parents of youngsters. We know God is going to open up whole new avenues of ministry for us as Jossalin gets older.

        In a few hours, I (Kent) will be heading off to Topeka to minister at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex. Lisa will have a Mom day that involves taking Jossalin to gymnastics and Duaine to his sports physical for the new school year. Duaine will be preparing for his meeting on Wednesday with his Air Force recruiter (a monthly event for him now). On Saturday, I will take Duaine out for his two weeks at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Romy Rohovit, who helps out with the TFC Rallies, will be going as well. They will get back in time for the August TFC Rally and the beginning of their senior year.

        We want to thank you for your prayers and for your support of our work with Teens For Christ. It is nice to know that people are praying for us and cheering us on as we seek to impact teenagers and families for Jesus Christ. Please pray for the funds to cover all of Lisa’s recent medical tests and praise Him with us that things all came back clear! Thank you once again for reading this and may you have a blessed August! Take care and God Bless!

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

Use A Real Example

It is July 30th; I should be working on newsletter items since the 31st is the end of the month plus an out of town ministry day in Topeka. I am putting off what I should be doing so I can vent for a moment.

My vent has nothing to do with the Chick-fil-A uproar, no mention of the 2012 Olympics, no thoughts on the 2012 Presidential Campaign or the movie theater shooting in Colorado. Not a thing on any pressing news item. My “eye rolling” vent today comes from a Facebook group that I am a part of and their silly example of church appropriate music.

One of the posters was whining about “we too often co-opt worldly music in order to bring people into church” and gave this as his example:

Really?

Really?

This man bemoans a Rap Song that is designed to be part of a commercial plug for “Back To Church Sunday” as his example of worldly in music in church. Grant it, the tune is miserable but it is a parody piece.

In response, I posted this:

Lecrae’s “Beautiful Feet” which tells the story of God’s saving power through Jesus Christ and how we are to go out into our world.

Now, I have been criticized for making fun of badly written and performed Christian music before. I will probably take some flak over this as well, but we need to be informed enough to make wise choices in the world where we Christians are called to represent Christ.

We need to know the difference between good Christian songs and poor Christian songs just as we need to have discernment over good theology or bad theology. This discernment is made possible by knowing the Word of God which takes time to read and study. This discernment is also made possible by having a group of people who understand different genres than you do. (If I have a question, I go to one of my Christian friends who are experienced in that area.)

So in closing, I will default to one of my favorite passages in the New Testament:

(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB)  "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; {22} abstain from every form of evil."

June 30, 2012 Newsletter

June 30, 2012

Dear Friend,

        We hope this finds you doing well as record setting temperatures are taking a toll on everyone in the area. All we can say is that everyone should drink plenty of water and that God’s mercies are new each and every morning.

        Yesterday (June 29th), I drove down to Kansas City to witness Duaine’s swearing in ceremony as he is entering the Delayed Entrance Program (DEP) with the United States Air Force. He rode a shuttle from Junction City the night before and went through the whole physical and job selection process before I arrived. Even though his top choice on the job list wasn’t available to him because of his glasses, Duaine has a long list of possibilities with the Air Force to think about during his senior year of high school. In July, he will spend a week at God’s Mountain followed by two weeks in August at Summit in Manitou Springs, Colorado. When he returns from Summit, his senior year will be underway.

        Earlier in June, I received a phone call from a graduate who wanted to know if he could write me when he goes to the Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego for his basic training. I told him that I would be honored to write him back if I was to hear from him. He has one of those odd family structures that plague so many young people today. I haven’t heard from him yet, but you can be sure that I will write him back if I do. Please pray for the wisdom needed to encourage this young man if he actually does contact me.

        Another moment of contact that Lisa and I had last weekend was with one of our former Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility girls. She had been in and out of the system for years and not doing well for a large part of that time. Even with her failures and relapses, we would hear from her and give her godly encouragement. She now has been free from drugs for over two years and is getting more and more established in the blended family of which she is now part. We had a great time as we took this family to the zoo in Wichita last Saturday. We continue to provide guidance and encourage her along in the Lord.

        I wanted to share our contact with these two young adults who have been affected by Teens For Christ over the past couple of years. It shows that we play a big part in the lives of teenagers as they move on into adulthood. Your involvement and support of our work with Teens For Christ has made some incredibly long lasting impacts on lives and for that we are very grateful. Thank you for sharing in the Kingdom of God with us as we continue to point students from the past, present and future towards Jesus Christ.

        With a very busy July ahead of us, please pray for the next Teens For Christ Rally on July 21st with illusionist David Lee Wolfe and organist Tyler Breneman. It will be a great night that will point students and families to Jesus Christ. Thank you for keeping us in our very unique mission field. Take care and have a very blessed month!

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

 

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

~ First Timothy 6:17-19 (NASB)

The Method to My Madness (and Posts)

                Every so often, someone will post that I am on Facebook quite a lot. That is both true and false. With that in mind, I thought I would jot down some quick thoughts how I view things, what makes the cut and what gets passed by.

                First of all, I glean a lot of the quotes I use off of Twitter. These 140 character snippets are clear and concise enough to get a good thought across. I strive to credit both the person being quoted and if I picked up the quote via a friend’s feed I will give them a shout out as well. (I think it is good to let the people on your Friend List know if you got something cool from them.)

                Since Twitter posters will use a massive amount of abbreviations in some of their posts, I will try to clean them up to read well on Facebook. Hash tags are normally removed. Abbreviated words are spelled out. If there are links, I will include them as well.

                I make use of a “cloud based” scheduling program called HootSuite to schedule my posts to Facebook. (You can also use this to post to Twitter.) This allows me to schedule 12 posts to my Facebook page each day at two hour intervals. (1:50 AM; 3:50 AM; 5:50 AM; 7:50 AM; 9:50 AM; 11:50 AM; and then the same intervals for the PM hours.)

1:50 AM is normally a funny post. (Darth Vader; The Batman; Jim Gaffigan; etc.)

                Why a funny post? Because I like to laugh, smile and sometimes be a little snarky. So pop music icons (or those experiencing 15 minutes of fame) will get mocked.

3:50 AM will either be a funny post or serious item. It all depends on what has my attention.

1:50 PM is becoming the regular slot for the Twitter feed of the Church Curmudgeon. I like him.

                The other time slots will usually be a Christian quote or challenge of some sort. You will usually find some parody slots like Tim Gandalf Keller mixed in the day as well. I do try to use only one quote per day by any one person. You can tell who my favorites are: C.S. Lewis; Charles Spurgeon; Tim Keller; John Piper; Tullian Tchivijian; Kevin DeYoung; A.W. Tozer; J.C. Ryle and some others.

                Once or twice a day, I will check 22 Words for something cute along with a demotivational poster generator plus Facebook. Normally, I will not link these through HootSuite, but rather place this on my Wall immediately by using +AddThis or by using the “Share” button on Facebook. Once again, if I use the “Share” button, I will normally try to give a shout out to whoever I got the item from. (I know I smile when I see that someone will credit me with something they think if proper enough to share.)

                That is a simple explanation for how I share items on Facebook. Take care and God Bless!

May 31, 2012 Newsletter

May 31, 2012

Dear Friends,

We hope this letter finds you doing well. The month of May has been quite a blur with all the activities and events that took place. June, July and August will go by just as fast as we begin preparations for the 2012-2013 school year. I’m sure some of the urgency we feel comes from knowing it will be Duaine’s “Senior Year”!

In spite of our desire to be prepared, we don’t always get the results we think we want to see. Case in point was my most recent trip to Topeka to minister at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex. The first time of Bible study was spent with the “Segregation Unit”, which is used for the girls who are just arriving at the facility or those who have been “naughty”. Of the eight girls in that unit, three were eligible to come. Of those three, two attended the study and the third opted not to attend. The other five girls were either on medical isolation (which is typical for the new arrivals) or on some other “segregation” status. Of those five girls, I was able to stand at the door to visit and pray with four. So far, pretty much the normal for this unit.

As the Bible study began in this unit, one of my girls told me that the other unit was going to have a “Movie & Popcorn” night. Oops! This was news to me – not so welcome news. I guess it never dawned on the staff that a person who drives two hours one way every Tuesday – and has done so since the girls were moved from Beloit to Topeka back in 2009 – might not want the “competition”. I went ahead and had a very good Bible study with the two girls I had at that moment then headed over to the other unit. As expected, I found most of the girls glued to their movie. I did visit with two girls who were restricted to their rooms in that unit, prayed with them and then headed to my car.

Was I a little frustrated? Of course, I won’t lie to you. Over four and a half hours on the road and a total of eleven hours away from home for a lukewarm turn out can be bit discouraging. The flip side is that the Word of God was shared very well with two young ladies and six others had someone express genuine care and pray with them. At my usual stop at a convenience store for Iced Tea, I even had the chance to pray with a store clerk who had received some bad medical news and gave another clerk some counter cult materials she had requested a week earlier before I left Topeka.

Saturday, June 16th – 7:00 p.m.
The Baptist Church – Concordia, KS

Consider this your Personal Invitation to a night that you won’t forget! Whether you are 6 or 96!

As I headed home earlier than normal, I started thinking about the same “Movie & Popcorn” nights we face in north central Kansas. Our two TFC Bible Clubs run into to the same type of conflicts. Our monthly TFC Rallies seem to be expendable to many people even when we bring in some awesome programming. Seems that many feel that if they miss this month, there will always be next month.

One person told me that if I would only bring in their favorite singer, they would come again. (That same singer is usually on an 18 month appearance rotation at the TFC Rallies). After our program on teenage sexuality back in March, one mother told me that it was unnecessary for her daughter to attend because she doesn’t do things like that. I wondered to myself about how many of her daughter’s friends could have benefited from the Closing The Gate event. Another parent told me that they could just rent the movie that we showed at one TFC Rally anytime to show their child. I was a good boy and didn’t ask if they had watched it yet.

Please, don’t think I am bitter at this point. (Just a little frustrated) I share this with you because this is one of the major battles we face as a ministry here in north central Kansas. I share this with you because I want to urge you to pray that we lift up the name of Jesus Christ effectively to teenagers and their families throughout the region. Please pray that we remember we are “Seed Distributors for Jesus”. (Check out Matthew 13:18-23.) We realize that Jesus is “The Lord of the Harvest” and the results are His. Finally, pray that we ALL not allow ourselves to get distracted from the things of God by “Movie and Popcorn” nights!

Thank you for the time you have spent reading this letter. As you pray for us during the month of June, we want you to know that you are a huge part in the sowing of God’s Word in the lives of teenagers! Thank You does not begin to express our gratitude! Take care and have a great month in the Lord!

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