one mo blog

When I finished my undergraduate degree I swore I would never go back to school. The plan was to be a youth director for the rest of my life. I never really liked school, I didn’t feel like I was very good at it either. Of course it didn’t help that I really wanted to be a youth director so I put most of my time and energy into campus ministry instead of classes. So it came as quite a surprise to me that when I started my graduate program I really enjoyed it, and did fairly well too. At one point I even investigated transferring into the PhD program, but decided not to after looking at the $$$ to benefit analysis…especially considering we now have four kids at home (as opposed to the one we had when I started the program). Finishing the masters program and getting a job took priority.

All that to say, I’m going to miss school (I never thought I’d ever say that). I learned a lot from the classes, and even more from my classmates. It was a very interesting experience being in pastoral counseling classes with Jewish Rabbi’s, Buddhists, Catholics, Mainline Christian, Evangelical Christians…and a number of other faiths and denominations. I think my understanding of Christianity has especially grown and been challenged. I got to the chance to talk to a handful of Catholic priests from other areas of the world, and became pretty close with a couple of them. It was such a wonderful experience to hear how the spirit is moving in India, Nigeria and other countries.

I have to say though, I’m looking forward to being done.  I put so much energy into academics over the past couple years that I feel I need time to regroup.  I’ve learned so much about Psychology and Theology, but haven’t had the time or energy to figure out how what I have learned fits into my faith.  I realized this week as I was doing my quiet time that for the first time in a couple years I wasn’t looking at what I was reading intellectually (like I’ve been reading everything for the past two years) but was looking at how it applied to me, and how it affects my relationship with God.  I guess what I am saying is that being in the academic world has helped my intellectual knowledge of God grow, but not so much my intimate relationship with him.  I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with God over the next few weeks before I start working as a full time counselor, and attempt to rediscover my intimate relationship with Him, rather than my intellectual relationship with him.

As for academia: I have to take two more classes to get my state counseling liscense, so I’m not totally done with it.  After that who knows, I’m considering taking some online theology classes that might work toward an MDiv, or eventually going back to get the counseling PhD.  For now though, I’m going to enjoy my family, and my God.

Faith Grad School

I received a summons to serve on jury duty next month, about two weeks after I start the new job. I was able to change the date of my duty to be a week before I begin, so hopefully it won’t inconvenience me too much, but still, of all the times to get a summons it had to be now, in one of the busiest seasons of our lives.

Oh well, I feel pretty strong about fulfilling civic obligations.

Life

I left you hanging a couple weeks ago after talking about accepting a job offer.  I will be working at Vital Sources, a small private Christian counseling center in Frederick, Maryland.  I will be primarily working with adolescents and young adults providing counseling services.  In addition I will have/am hoping to have a number of other roles including assessment, and consulting for churches. 

I can’t say enough about how blessed I feel to have this job.  It is an incredible opportunity to start working full-time right away working with the client population I want to work with (adolescents).  Not to mention how wonderful my impression of the partners and other staff members has been, the encouragement that comes with working in a Christian clinic, and being able…no encouraged to work with churches in the area.  The whole process of applying and interviewing seemed to be a neon sign from God saying “this is the place for you and your family”.  

I start June 1st.  I wrapped up all my big papers last week, so for the next few weeks I get some much needed and earned down time with my family.  After that, if you know anyone who needs a counselor in the Frederick area give me a buzz.

Life Counseling

Mark your calendars. Yesterday was a big day in the life of the Otto family. I chose a job. I’ve had the offer on the table for a few days, but there was one more interview I wanted to take to see if it might be a better fit for me and the fam. It wasn’t. It’s exciting, because I really feel like this decision is the beginning of the transition of me and my family from my student-counseling time to my professional counseling career. It marks the decision not only for where I am going to work for the foreseeable future, but also where our family will settle and live…well, probably until Jenny and I retire!

Obviously this is a huge decision, but Jenny and I really feel like God is calling us to settle some place for the long haul for the health of our family. It means making some sacrifices, changing some things that we are not quite ready to change, but in the long run I think we will be able to take much better care of our children.

More is coming soon.

Family, Life Children, Counseling

Jenny and I watched Bill Cosby Himself over the weekend. It’s on-demand free on Comcast. I had a couple thoughts about it:

I’ve always thought this was a really funny stand-up routine, but it’s SOOOO much funnier when you have kids.

Kids really do have brain damage.

that’s all

Family Children, Funny

Cayla peed in the bathtub last night…at 1am. I’m just glad if she was going to pee in some random place because of a sleep induced stupor that she was kind enough to make it the tub; easy to clean. I’m also impressed she managed to climb into the tub without waking herself up.

The upcoming National Counselor Exam (NCE) is ruining my video game life. All the extra time I would have beyond studying for classes that used to go to video games (which isn’t much) is now going to cramming for the 200 question test that will determine my license status in Maryland. No pressure. I take the test on April 18th.

There has been some major movement on the job front this week, but I hesitate to post anything online until I have made a firm decision about what I’m doing (in other words signed a contract). Look for something in two to three weeks.  Big thanks to everyone has been praying for us.

Mia is doing great, but she likes to sleep all day and stay up all night.  Jenny and I  (and especially Jenny) are two tired puppies.

Thats all. Thanks for checking in. I probably won’t post much until after the 18th.  After that I’m hoping to get back into a more regular blogging routine, hopefully three times a week.

Life Add new tag, Children, Counseling, Grad School

Ministry is a call.  The same, I believe, can be said about any job.  What has God called you to do?  What has he called me to do?

The problem I’m facing right now is where to do it.  I’m called to be a counselor.  I’m good at it.  I enjoy it. Best of all, I’m serving others.  Specifically, I’m called to counsel adolescents.  Oddly (to me) it’s a demographic that few of my classmates, and fewer counselors (percentage-wise) work with, but I love it.

So I found a job doing just that with adolescents, in a Christian clinic that pays well.  It’s my dream job really.  They want me, I want to be there.  Seems perfect right?

Problem is, I’d have to move.  A couple years ago that wouldn’t have seemed like such a big deal.  Now, moving means relocating my entire family, moving further away from the community, family and friends we have called our home.  Oh, and not to mention the market conditions that are awful for selling a house right now.

Now, we wouldn’t be moving to the other side of the country, we’d be moving about 45 minutes away, but still, it seems big to us at this point.

Don’t get me wrong, the community we would be moving to is a wonderful place.  It’s a place I could see myself raising a family and spending the rest of my life…which is something I can not say about where we are living now.

The question remains am I…are we called there?

I wish I could give a good answer.  I wish that I could say we all have burning bush moments all the time.  Truth is it just doesn’t happen that way…but maybe this time it does.

I’m writing as I think here, so bear with me.

Most of my classmates are having a hard time finding a job for after they graduate.  I, on the other hand, have had this job, a full-time job at a private Christian clinic practically handed to me on a sliver platter…if the bush isn’t burning it’s at least smoldering…a lot.

So why am I having trouble?

For the first time in my post-college life Jenny and I are surrounded (and I mean surrounded, like across the street surrounded) by wonderful couples, friends and family, who love us, protect us and care for us.  You can’t buy that kind of support with all the money in the world.  Taking this job would mean leaving all that and trying to build it again in a new community.

And that’s what it comes down to:  Are we called to reproduce this sense of community in a new place?

When I think about it that way, it makes sense.  What higher calling is there then to share the love of Christ, as we have felt it while on Circle Drive, with other communities?

Maybe that bush really is burning.  Maybe I’m just being like Moses and making excuses…but, but, but…I can’t speak well…but, but, but…I like living so close to my best friends (you know for the past 3 years three of my five groomsmen have lived within a 3 mile radius of my house, two of them within 50 yards, how many guys can say that!).  Whatever the case, this is a pretty big decision staring down at Jenny and I right now.  If you have the chance please lift us up in prayer over the next couple weeks asking God to give us discernment.

Thanks.

Faith, Life stress

Hey folks,

It’s Sunday afternoon and the family and I are enjoying our first full day at home together. Mia and Mommy are upstairs sleeping and taking care of each other, and I’m downstairs with the other kids watching basketball and playing. It’s a nice, fun, chill day.

I just thought I’d check in to say thanks for your thoughts and prayers the past few days. We’re all doing very well and starting to get back to normal.

BTW: I have updated my flickr account with pics of Mia. They are bookmarked for friends and family only, so make sure you send a friend request if you want to see them.

Family Baby, Children

Jenny and I would like to introduce you all to Mia Elizabeth Otto. She was born yesterday (a St. Patrick’s Day baby) at 9:33 AM, and weighed in at 7lbs 13 oz.

Mommy and baby are both doing great. Jenny is recovering much better this time than the last two. Zach, Cayla and Emma are all elated, especially Cayla, who has been doting over her every minute they have been together.

Family Baby, Children

This past Tuesday I had a pretty big job interview. It was about a 45 minute drive to get there, and I tried to spend most of the drive in silence and prayer. It was interesting though, because I found that I had a really hard time focusing on God, instead I found my mind wandering to many of the failures and disappointments I have had in my life. During this time when I wanted to be focusing on God to give me strength I found I was focusing on my weaknesses. It was pretty amazing experience for me.

I am a fairly self-confident guy. Not overly so, but enough that big interviews don’t normally get me nervous. On this instance though I became very nervous. A couple things struck me. One is that if I, a confident guy, can get that nervous, how about all those people who lack that confidence. It helped me understand my clients more who are in situations where they need jobs or need to take tests for school, but are so afraid of failure that they do not take the steps they need to do those things.  I felt that experience gave me a greater sense of empathy for them, and a place to begin to understand them and pray for them.

The second thing that struck me was just how devious the devil is.  All these little things from my past started coming to mind.  Nothing major, I’ve never lost thousands of dollars or been arrested or anything.  But little things like relationships I had as a youth director that didn’t work out, old girlfriends when breakups didn’t go well.  In the end   these were all tiny things that really don’t mean much any more.  But, having all those past events flash back in my mind was distracting and made me very nervous.  That’s how the devil works.  He rarely hits us over the head with major issues, he more often tries to nickel and dime us into either a position where we are torn down, or to a position where we are so confident in ourselves that we are destined for a fall.

It was a good reminder about how the enemy works.  A good reminder that I need to build up my armor through scripture, prayer, mentorship and most importantly my relationship with God, so that these tiny things Satan throws at me don’t add up.

In the end, the interview went very, extremely, amazingly well.  I’ll write more about this opportunity as I find out more, but bottom line is: God was very good.  He took care of me, and I was reminded once more just how great His love  is.

Faith stress