Otts On Mission
Reflections on ministry, mission, and the Church
Tag: Ministry
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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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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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Thoughts, Passions, and Sin
Sin as Sickness A kid was recently shot fairly close to where we live. In the middle of the woods, surrounded by other teens, he was shot and killed. Humanity is sick. We see the brokenness of our world just about everywhere these days. All of us feel it. We experience it in just about…
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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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Hopeful Crumbling
Crumbling Institutions The church as we’ve known it is dying. The institution is crumbling. The systems that we’ve held so dear for so long are falling apart, bit by bit. For many this is a terrifying reality we’d rather not look at. The world we’ve known for so long is disappearing before our very eyes.…
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Gluttony and The Spiritual Warfare of Our Minds
The Starting Point For Spiritual Warfare Throughout history the spiritual fathers and mothers wrote extensively on the topic of spiritual warfare and the battleground of the mind. It is the plane on which the spiritual battle takes place. The enemy dispatches a variety of carefully crafted and pointed attacks on our mind, attempting to change…
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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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Help In Suffering.
“Our world cries out for a theology of spiritual growth that has proven to work in the midst of the harsh realities of daily life.” – Richard Foster. “Help,” so the cries pour forth. A need, a desire; something is wrong. To some, help is for the weak. For others, help means there’s suffering. Who…
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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,…