Kids are not the church of tomorrow...

I heard many times as a teenager that I was the next generation of the church; and to me then, that seemed far off. I tell my teenagers all the time; they are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today! Even children are used by God, read the Bible. God called and talked to Samuel at age 12! A boy gave his lunch of fish and loaves! David most likely a child when he killed a bear and a lion, maybe a young teenager by the time he went against Goliath!

I was listening to a pastor preach the other day and he talked about a 6 year old kid that heard about street kids in another country. The young kid had found out that these street kids many times didn't have food to eat and would go hungry. This kid had received a 100 dollar bill for Christmas; and decided that he wanted to give all of it to help street kids have food. Wow! He was only six and he wanted to help street kids that he will most likely never meet! God still uses kids today!

Guess what? Kids are not the church of tomorrow...THEY ARE PART OF THE CHURCH OF TODAY!

Daniel, boarding school, and teenager's owning their faith

I was reading about Daniel and how he was taken away from his home, given a new wardrobe, a new name and identity. It made me think back to when I was involved in boarding school for at-risk youth! They were taken away from home, no contact with friends or girlfriends, limited contact with family, a new wardrobe, lots of rules, and a new lifestyle. Everyone for the most part that came in, had a rough time and lashed out. (There were a few that desired to make a change and took it much better). But this interaction, gives me a whole new respect for Daniel! He had to have owned his faith and was not living off his parent's faith or his "youth pastor's" faith! Daniel is a great example of how God can use a teenager for His glory and how they can overcome trials where most of us would have faltered...

I, Mike Ott, have failed this church!

I have been watching this tv show called Arrow. The main character is a superhero that is attempting to rid the city of crime. When he encounters a crime boss or drug dealer, he openly announces to the individual "(their name), you have failed this city!"

The thought hit me today, I, Mike Ott, have failed this church.

When I read the Bible, I see how the church should be and how I should interact with the world. The questions start to flood my mind...How many times have I overlooked a need? How many times has the Spirit been leading and I have silenced Him? How many times have I went along with tradition and man's ways of doing things? How many times have I faltered because of fear and uncertainty? How many times have I failed my calling, my passion, my character, my mission, the church...

I have spent a lot of time in the community this week. Running into old friends and neighbors, and catching up with their lives. Spent an evening with Younglife and the Boys and Girls Club; interacting with staff and teenagers while eating wings and watching basketball. Observing people at Starbucks, McDonalds, and other places. Talking with people at the YMCA. My observations led to that our community is full of people that need Jesus! People that are hurting that need hope, they need healthy relationships from those in the church. They need food and shelter! They need God's love, YES, but they also need to see God's love pouring out of me as I interact with them! 

The great thing is that God's grace is so much bigger than my human attempts to be a good Christian. I can never even come close to what I should be doing, but because of God and His grace I can make an impact in this world! He takes my attempts and failures and uses them for His glory. He shows me how to look at people through His eyes, instead of my own eyes. He gives me a passion for people. He will help me overcome tradition, fear, insecurities, and my own limitations. He will turn the statement "I, Mike Ott, have failed this church" to "Mike Ott, I will use you to grow my church"

As always one of the events the teenagers love to be part of. We had a blast this year, and the lockin was so much better than last year. Equiped with 12 teenagers and 5 young adults, we played our hearts out. Who are these teens? Many are from our church, involved and plugged in. They in turn brought friends, something we as a church can learn from. Many churched and some unchurched teens were involved..,

What did some of the night look like? Nerf Wars! A combination of games; including Assassins, Capture the Flag, and Paintball style. Of course, probably two hours of Sardines in the dark. A pillow fight challenge, among other fun things throughout the ten hour period...

I say the night was a success, I made another great contact. A youth that came Wednesday night for youth group and then came back for our lockin. If connected in, the youth will be one of four youth connected into the church where a youth event was prominent; in 2014! The teenagers continued to build community within the group and got to know each other better. Plus they are getting great at inviting their friends, and their friends are becoming comfortable within our group of teens.