Interview with Christian Music Artist Joshua Otte

 

Joshua Otte's Heart for God Sings Through His Music CD 'Already but Not Yet'

Joshua Otte is a Pastor, Worship Leader, Bible College Instructor, Christian Music Artist, husband and father of two young and energetic boys (just to name a few of his roles). He has a true heart for God and which was readily evident throughout our interview. Despite the fact that we've known each other for most of our lives, I found Joshua so interesting that the interview generated enough great information that you can look forward to a second article soon (focusing on his Christian testimony). 

As Joshua said, "Jesus is the king of the earth and of the universe. Because he is my King I want to follow him, I want to obey him. I love him because he first loved me. And that's why I sing about him." I hope you'll be inspired to grow closer to the Lord by learning more about Joshua and his music. His cd, " Already But Not Yet " is available in mp3 format at iTunes.com , Amazon.com and through other venues noted at the end of this interview.

Phyllis Wheeler (PW): Pretend we don't know each other and tell me about yourself.
Joshua Otte: I am a Pastor who loves music and I love what music can do. It connects the head and the heart. I love people to be moved by music with great thoughts. Especially great thoughts about our Great God.

PW: What is the goal of the CD?
Joshua Otte: My CD tells a story, actually God's story, and it picks up toward the end of Jesus' life. It's all about how Jesus has accomplished redemption but he hasn't completed it yet. It tells the story from the time of his death on the cross to his resurrection and up until he comes back again. So, between his first coming and his second coming. But in between that there's a lot of stuff happening. The middle songs in the album tell what's happening to us. Jesus is in heaven but we as his followers are living here on earth as exiles. We pray and live in light of his return with hope. Hope for what God can do in us and through us right here. For ourselves but also for our neighbors and even for the world. But the cd ends with a hope and a confidence that Jesus will return and bring about a new creation and then redemption will be completed.

PW: How did you select the songs for the CD?
Joshua Otte: I had the idea of the title "Already But Not Yet;" that irony and tension that Jesus has accomplished redemption but it's not completed yet. Telling the story of the Gospel, the good news that Jesus is accomplishing God's rescue plan. So, I took a lot of the songs that we sing in our church and a few old hymns that had been forgotten and put new melodies to those. Really all the songs are old hymns with new tunes or new hymns with old tunes.

PW: Were there songs you originally thought you would include but changed your mind?
Joshua Otte: (Laughter) Yeah, yeah. When I was doing the project most of it was before I decided on the title and the theme. One of my favorite hymns is "Be thou my vision" and that was one of the ones that I tried to fit in but, uh, I sing it to my kids every night so... there are a few other songs but they would have duplicated the theme instead of building the theme of the songs.

PW: Who is your target audience for the cd?
Joshua Otte: I hope that it encourages a variety of people but especially people who follow Jesus and are looking to sing songs that are theologically rich, gospel centered, with contemporary sound.

PW: Do you think your cd would appeal to non Christians?
Joshua Otte: I think people who don't yet know Jesus or follow him would be encouraged by this music. The lyrics are very poetic so they speak to the mind and the soul. I think they'd be very inviting to find out who Jesus is and the hope that he brings.

PW: How did you get started in music?
Joshua Otte: When I was around 12 my dad taught me how to play guitar and helped my buy my first guitar. And I used to sing in my church's choir and quartet. I played in a band after high school.

PW: How does your family feel about the CD?
Joshua Otte: They love it. Sometimes even play it (laughter). My youngest shouts my name "Daddy" a lot when he hears me on the CD player. It's pretty touching.

PW: How long did the process take from conception to publication?
Joshua Otte: Almost a year. Studio time it took between about 50 hours. But I'm unsure about all the planning and post production.

PW: Where is the CD available for purchase?
Joshua Otte: Here's a bunch of ways to access, listen, download and buy [the "Already But Not Yet" CD/mp3].

Fan Pages:
http://www.purevolume.com/JoshuaOtte
http://noisetrade.com/joshuaotte (Free download)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Otte/149388115072057

Where to buy:
iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/already-but-not-yet/id396690005
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Already-But-Not-Yet/dp/B00464TLD8/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311799525&sr=301-1

For mail orders please mail a check to Joshua Otte 973 River Rd, Windham, ME 04062. [CDs are] $7ea or 2 for $10. Just add $3 shipping (up to 4 CDs). Add $0.50 for additional CDs.

Chord Sheets
http://eucatastrophe101.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/already-but-not-yet-chord-sheets-2/

Disclosure/Note: The interviewer and interviewee are related and also great friends.

Originally published here.

Merry Christmas! And an Update

Merriest Christmas wishes from my home and heart to yours! I love celebrating the birth of our Savior, the greatest gift of all time! May the joy of knowing him fill your heart with love and peace!

You may have noticed that I've been on a long break from the actual blog but I'm still active on the blog's Facebook page if you'd like to catch up there. I also occasionally post to Instagram.

As we close out 2016, I'm prayerfully considering my path for 2017. There may be some big changes! Regardless of where God leads me, I hope and pray that you are happy, healthy and walking in peace with our Lord. May God bless you and those you love!

Note: Cat photos by me and are, clockwise from top: the Sandman, Braveheart and Baby Cat. Photo of my husband Ben and me by Joshua Otte. I designed the card on Shutterfly. This is not a sponsored or paid post. All opinions are my own.

Ben, My Wonderful Husband: Day 3 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

At Acadia National Park: Photo by Joshua Otte

 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Eph. 5:25

God certainly smiled on me when he gave me Ben Wheeler for a husband. He's brilliant, funny, hard working, kind and he loves me beyond measure. Right now he's getting the raw end of the "in sickness and in health" part of our wedding vows but he doesn't complain and he does all kinds of nice things to care for me. Just today, he showered me with affection, squeezed me fresh orange juice, ran errands, bought a new humidifier and he'll be making an allergy friendly dinner for me tonight. My brain's focused on breathing right now (because of asthma challenges) but my heart is full because I'm blessed with such a fabulous husband. I love you Ben!

Ten Terrific Goal-Boosting Books for 2013

Happy New Year everyone! I suppose this is about the last socially acceptable time to wish it for 2013. I promised myself I'd post my book goals for 2013 in January and since it's the last day I can't procrastinate any longer.

Every year I set a goal of reading 50 books and last year was the first year where I named specific books as part of my 50. It worked out so well I've decided to do it again, but this year with ten books. So, I'm publicly committing to read a total of 50 books, ten of which will be the books below. I've selected these particular books to help me in either my main goals for 2013 or my main lifetime goals. Still, I think there's something there for most people. If you're looking to get healthy, organized, happy, decluttered, godly or slim, there's something for you. The books have a decidedly Christian slant (not surprising, given that I love Jesus and am a born again Christian) but there are some secular books and I think two were written by Buddhists. I'm not listing the books in any particular order. If you have read or plan to read any of them, I'd love your opinion.

1. A Praying Life by Paul Miller. This book was recommended to me by my pastor brother and Christian musician, Joshua Otte, as the best book on prayer "ever." So of course I had to add it. It should help me with my goal of growing closer to God and, by being able to discuss it with my brother it should be a relationship builder (godliness and harmonious relationships are among my lifetime goals).
2. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. I love her columns in Good Housekeeping magazine so I thought I'd read her first book. I figure this will also contribute to harmonious relationships as my husband seems happier when I am happy.
3. SoulSpace: Creating a Home that is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty and Inspired by You by Xorin Balbes. I read a book review (maybe in Real Simple magazine?) that made me want to read this book and as getting clutter free is one of my main goals for 2013 I had to add it to my list.
4. ReFocus: Living a Life That Reflects God's Heart by Jim Daly. The desire of my heart is to be a woman after God's heart and I expect that this book will help me grow in that direction.
5. 8 Minute Organizer by Regina Leeds. I started reading this one last year but it was due back before I could finish it but I was intrigued and inspired by the little bit I'd started to read. I suspect the tasks will take me more than 8 minutes each but I like that they're broken down into manageable chunks.
6. Affordable Remodel: How to Get Custom Results on Any Budget by Fernando Pages Ruiz. Years ago I flipped through this book and decided that if I were ever to do a remodel I would want to read this first. Hopefully there is either a move or a remodel in my not so far future so I want to be sure to read this book this year, just in case.
7. Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst. I had planned to take this Bible Study last year but God had other plans and I ended up facilitating another one so this year I plan to read this book. It should help me with two goals (eating mindfully and loving God more). 
8. The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I love Dr. Fuhrman and am easing my way into following his eating plan so of course I want to read his latest book on healthy eating. Additionally, I have family members and friends with diabetes so being able to help them is a great bonus. 
9. The Heart of A Woman Who Prays: Drawing Near to the God Who Loves You by Elizabeth George. I love Elizabeth George and many of her books have greatly blessed me so when I found one I hadn't read yet I had to add it to my list.  
10. A Season for Tending: Amish Vines and Orchards, Book 1 by Cindy Woodsmall. My mother sent me this book after she read it and she raved about how great it was so, for the first time, a fiction book has made my list. Not only do I expect to be encouraged in my Christian walk, but the shared reading experience should be a relationship builder with my mom. 

So there's my list for 2013. What are you planning to read this year? May God bless you and keep you!

New Year's Prayer Haikus

Photograph by Phyllis W.

  

New Year Haiku I:

Please guide me, mold me

Help me please you more each day

Blessed Lord Jesus.

New Year Haiku II:

Grow Your love in me

Help me be what You desire

Savior of my soul.

It's New Year's Eve. Before bed last night, after prayer time and a bit of thought about the upcoming New Year, I wrote these short poems. I hope they encourage you. 

We don't have to wait for a new year, however, to have a fresh start. As Pastor Joshua Otte says, "Jesus guarantees a fresh start EVERYDAY of the year, not just the FIRST DAY of the year."
Put your trust in Jesus and you can know true peace and joy. More information available here. 

 Happiest New Year wishes to you and may God bless you today, throughout the New Year and always!

1st Blogiversary: Day 14 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Our old cat, Moose, celebrating my blogiversary
(scroll down for more funny cat and hat photos)

^"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Col 3:17 (NASB)

Today I'm thankful for my one year anniversary of my Love, Joy and Peas blog, and especially, for my dear readers. Thank you for joining me on my blogging adventures! I hope that you have enjoyed my posts and photographs and those of my guests. Special thanks to Brian Dering and Denise Arvaneh for allowing me to post their photos and artwork, to Joshua Otte for the candid interview and to Janet LeRoux for sharing her sacred (and super organized) crafting space with us.

As I reflect on the past year with Love, Joy and Peas, I realize that I've had some very successful experiments (I'm still doing smoothies with sneaky greens every morning and the only mornings I've missed in the past year are those for which I had no electricity), some that were not so successful (my attempt at minimalist spending) and some that are still in progress (my 2012 reading goal list). I've stumbled into some interesting events, such as the Eagle Festival, an Orchid Jubilee and a birthday party for some Andean bear cubs.

I'd sure love it if you would celebrate with me by following the blog publicly (even if as an anonymous user). Google shows only 21 "members" and I guess they only count public followers as more kind folks than that have told me they are following me. Also, if you haven't already, please check out my Facebook page.

Overall, it's been a great year. My deepest desire is to encourage, inspire and bring joy to people while honoring God in all I do. I fall far from the mark sometimes but God's still working on me. To God be all the glory! May God bless you and may you feel His loving presence in your life today.

Moose was far more interested in playing with the rock (I couldn't find a pom pom)
thank in wearing the birthday hat.

So once I got a decent shot (the first one in this blog post) I let her have the hat.

And she decided to snuggle up and go to sleep with it. So cute!