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

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.