Otts On Mission
Reflections on ministry, mission, and the Church
Category: Ministry
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The Birth of Something New
We’re thrilled to announce the “birth” of a new ministry. The culmination of 15+ years of ministry have led us to this point. Stand:Still Ministries A bit about the name: Stand: Paul tells the Ephesians in chapter 6 to put on the armor of God and “stand firm” in His strength and mighty power. Psalm…
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“Nascosto”
The other day I was praying and asking the Lord what he was doing with his people. With so many in transition, waiting for the next step, it can be hard to remain hopeful. So many find themselves in a strange and unsettling holding pattern as though on the verge of movement, but not quite…
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A Death That Leads to Life
The Way of the World The world consistently adheres to the values of power and subjugation with a tenacity that undermines its own humanity. Win at all costs. Dominate the competition. Consolidate the power and hold on to said power with every fiber of your being. Rinse and repeat. This is the history of mankind.…
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On the Hunt For Glory
Vainglory and Obsession With Fame “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” 1 Peter 1:24 Glory. Reputation. Prestige. Celebrity. Greatness. Much of our world today centers around the acquisition of titles such as these. One need to look no…
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How Do I Know That’s God’s Voice?
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27 For the people of God, discerning God’s voice has never been more important. Over the past few months we’ve seen God bring many of his people through intense seasons of discernment training. We have heard story after story of…
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Ministry and ROI
The Thrust of Business Recently I heard a former Major League Baseball president talk about how decisions are made in front offices with regard to renovations in stadiums. Ultimately, he said the money is ALWAYS put in to the areas in a ballpark that will recoup the money spent on renovations the fastest. More often…
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Pity Pushes Away. Compassion Enters In.
When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned… The life of a missionary is one that requires a great deal of flexibility and adaptability. The skills we’ve developed over time as missionaries have served us well in an ever changing world. The things is, even with those skills, objectively speaking, our lives have been anything but stable…
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God Will Provide, Won’t He?
Abundant sufficiency One of the things that my family and I have been learning these past few years is that you really need very little to live. Our culture tells us we need more, and we need it now. We’ve seen how our cultural drive for more actually undermines our ability to receive from God…
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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…