Otts On Mission
Reflections on ministry, mission, and the Church
Tag: Jesus
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God Is Good?
Is God Good? “May you always choose to believe that God is good and that he has good for you, no matter the circumstances.” So, part of my prayer every night over my boys, goes. These words are as much for my boys as they are for me. Some days it is quite difficult to…
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Faith For When We Can’t See
Looking For Light in The Darkness The past few years have been some of the most difficult years of our family’s lives. Since returning from Italy we’ve seemingly found ourselves wandering what’s felt like a never-ending wilderness. We search for a land that we thought God was preparing for us. We have prayed. God has…
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Plans For the Harvest
The Harvest Is Plentiful For years I’ve read Luke 10. I’ve studied it and gone over it too many times to count. In most of the ministry circles I’ve been in, it’s viewed as a central missiological passage. For many it is “the” missiological passage for both the need for workers and the model by…
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Watchful In The Dark
A Cloud of Evil Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 There is a strange cloud that seems to hang over the world. Everyone seems to feel it, though no one is able to clearly define it. It’s increasingly hard to see what is really…
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The Stories We Tell
We want the action! Every Friday night at our house is movie night. It is one of the most sacred nights of our week. If we miss a movie night for some unforeseen reason our kids will undoubtedly plead for a makeup night. We’ve watched a variety of different movies ranging from animated comedies to…
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To Guard Your Heart – Think About Your Thoughts
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 The Importance of Heart The “heart” within the western worldview most often refers to emotions and affections. The “heart” in Scripture and throughout the history of the Church however, referred to something much more. Throughout Church history the heart refers…
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Don’t Give Up.
“By standing firm, you will save yourself.” – Evagrius of Ponticus The hours pass slowly and painfully. The day as though it were 50 hours long. All the while a deep longing persists, crying out for something to make you feel alive. The thoughts arise, “I wish I was somewhere else, doing something else.” “My…
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Resting in Goodness
As I was praying today I was reminded of something I heard Dallas Willard say a while back: “none of the fruit of the Spirit are a feeling, they are a condition.” Over the past few years the consistent and pervasive lack of peace in the world around us has been on full display. Peace,…
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Finding Life In A World That’s Bracing
Brace For the Worst “Italy Must Brace For the 2nd Wave.” “Brace Yourself For A Long Winter.” “MLB Free Agents Brace For Long Free Agency Battles.” “The World Braces For US Election Results.” “Entire Workforce Is Bracing For More Bad News.” “Brace For A Long Fight.” Headlines for the better part of this year have…
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3 Years.
3 years of life here in Italy. 3 years of ministry in a country that is slowly becoming more “home” with each passing year. To be honest, it’s hard to believe we had to “celebrate” our 3 year anniversary here in total lockdown. That’s the reality of life and ministry, it’s always changing, always shifting,…