OASIS NEWS DESK

Summer Oasis: Wednesday Night Schedule

2011-07-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here's the Wednesday night schedule for the next few...

July 6: No Meeting
July 13: No Meeting
July 20: Summer Oasis @ MBC
July 27: Summer Oasis @ MBC
August 3: No Meeting - VBS WEEK
August 10: Water Wars

Genius is an overused word

2011-03-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

BUT in this case it applies:

DODGEBALL from Sam Pepke on Vimeo.

Review of Bell's "Love Wins"

2011-03-18T10:09:00.000-05:00

So, Rob Bell's book has now been released. I thought some of you might be interested in this review in light of our conversation a couple of weeks ago.

It's a bit lengthy but worth a read.

Rob Bell's Bridge Too Far

The controversial pastor raises crucial questions, but offers answers that may sabotage his goals.

Mark Galli

**************
I found this section interesting as we've discussed how God's Word impact our theology/world view.

But it's here that we run up against Bell's hermeneutic, that is, the principle by which he decides if a biblical teaching is relevant. Why, for example, is blood atonement a time-bound explanation of the Cross, but the divinity of Christ is a deep mystery we shouldn't shun? Why are Paul's statements about the universality of salvation taken literally, but his teaching on substitutionary atonement as mere creative writing?

If there is a criterion driving these distinctions, it seems to be based on what Bell thinks contemporary people can swallow. I couldn't see any other criteria at play.

Alaska Bound!

2011-03-05T09:47:00.000-06:00

Great news! Airfare has been purchased for the Oasis Mission in Alaska team! Not only is this a huge milestone for this endeavor, it also confirms the trip dates:

Departure from DFW: Monday, June 27th
Return to DFW: Monday, July 11th

Tabs, Tabs, Tabs

2011-03-05T09:17:00.000-06:00

Look up! There at the top of the page! We've added a couple of special event tabs with info & links for Mission in Alaska & Imact.

Feb 9, 2011: No Oasis

2011-02-09T12:24:00.000-06:00

The weather got us again.
All activites for Wednesday, Feb 9 @ MBC have been cancelled.

Would you sell your Super Bowl Ring?

2011-02-04T07:47:00.001-06:00

This is an old story but a good one:

For this former Patriot, charity has a (very) nice ring to it

By Vic Carucci
NFL.com
Senior Columnist

Je'Rod Cherry sat through the slide show transfixed by the haunting images on the screen.

One by one, the eyes of so much pain and sorrow from a world away seemed to peer right into his very soul. Through photographs and narration, he took in horrifying stories of a little boy, on his deathbed, with a vulture literally circling in the background; of families trying to survive on two dollars per month; of children forced into sexual slavery.

He knew he had to do something. The problem was abject poverty in places like Africa, Cambodia, and Thailand. The obvious solution was money.

Cherry's first instinct: write a check.

Then another idea came along.
"So," a teenage girl said to Cherry as they walked out of the auditorium of last June's youth conference in Cedarville, Ohio, "are you going to donate one of your Super Bowl rings?"

*****
Would you? Read the rest HERE>>>

Feb 2, 2011: DON'T GO TO CHURCH

2011-02-02T11:17:00.000-06:00

Seriously, don't go. Wednesday gatherings cancelled due to the weather.

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

2011-02-01T14:43:00.000-06:00

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

Read the rest @: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Winter Jam 2011

2011-02-01T14:37:00.000-06:00

Winter Jam
Feb 18 @ the AAC
$10

Planet Wisdom: A God You Can Know

2011-02-01T13:42:00.000-06:00

P-WIZ:
February 25-26, 2011

Epic. Awesome. Life-changing. PlanetWisdom from YouthWorks on Vimeo.

The Great Commission x5

2011-01-12T19:57:00.000-06:00

John 20.21 - Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Mark 16.15 - He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Matthew 28.18-20 - Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Luke 24.45-49 - Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 1.6-8 - Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

"QUOTE"

2011-01-12T19:48:00.000-06:00

As I’m so often reminded what a priceless gift my life is, I ache with everything in me to make it count, so that when I finally cross the finish line, I’ll hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

To me, there is no greater reward.

Of course, all of this weighs heavily on the spiritual scale, so allow me to be completely honest and say none of it is intended to be “crammed down the throat,” if you will. That is not my intention. This is what I wholeheartedly believe, and to that belief, I remain steadfast until He returns or calls me home. - Adam Young (Owl City)

D:Now 2011

2011-01-12T19:41:00.000-06:00

Friday, January 21st - Saturday, January 23rd

Expect Work?

2011-01-06T07:54:00.000-06:00

That was an interesting discussion on God & work last night.

We like to think that we were created for recreation but in reality we find purpose in work - not merely a job - work - good work.

I recently picked up "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens for a re-read & came across this quote before heading to Oasis last night:

In London, he had expected neither to walk on pavements of gold, or lie on beds of roses; if he had had any such exalted expectation, he would not have prospered. He had expected labour, and he found it, and did it, and made the best of it. In this, his prosperity consisted.

He expectd labour, and he found it...I love that part...makes good sense to me.

OASIS 2011

2011-01-01T17:01:00.000-06:00

Wednesday nights.
Sunday mornings.
D:Now.
$10 rock show.
Valentine's Banquet.
P-Wiz.
Grad Banquet.
Camp.
Alaska.

Oh the possibilities!

Three verses from Wednesday Oasis

2010-05-08T12:13:00.003-05:00

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13.34-35

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. - John 14.1

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14.6

Whiteboard

2010-01-03T20:12:00.002-06:00

Lessons learned from 2009...

Winter Jam/Feb 26/$10

2010-01-03T15:33:00.002-06:00

Carol of the Bells (With iphone APPS)

2009-12-23T13:34:00.001-06:00

Accountability: DO NOT READ!

2009-12-23T08:26:00.003-06:00

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. - I Chronicles 28.9

God knows the truth behind what you do & why you do it. Scary thought.

*****
I came across a blog post about accountability questions. It got me thinking about how even though we can't lie to God sometimes we sure give it a good try. Our attempts to lie to God tend to begin with lying to ourselves. How many times have you "talked" yourself into doing something you knew was wrong? I'd tell how often do that but I'd probably lie about it. Let's just say, I do it more than I'd care to admit.

That's the twisted genius of the accountability questions Ed Stetzer lists on his post, "Accountability Questions". If you ask yourself the questions, the answers will burn away in hint of self-deception.

However, I beg you, if you like the way your life is going now, DO NOT READ HIS POST! The questions will mess you up.

Danel 9.1-3: Brought To You By The Letter "F"

2009-11-09T20:59:00.003-06:00

Oasis Sunday Mornings, at their best, are a conversation rather than a lecture. A lecture has a predeterminded beginning, middle, & end. Who knows where a conversation will lead. This past Sunday was a great conversation.

I had intended to cover much more ground in Daniel 9 than just the first three verses but I thought our discussion on fasting & disciplines was worth while. Plus, now I have a great lesson, complete with an alliterative theme, I can teach sometime in the future!

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by decent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom - in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the Word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and plead with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

-Daniel 9.1-3

We saw a time earlier in the book when Daniel gathered his friends to pray over an urgent matter. This time he's praying alone. He learns a great truth from his study of Jeremiah & he responds in prayer - urgent prayer. He fasted, for greater focus, as he prayed. This suggests that this was a long term period of diligent prayer rather than an intense 15 bedside episode.

There are many things you could fast from as you focus on bringing an urgent matter before God. You could give up sweets or sodas. You could set down your music or walk away from movies for a short time. You could get up early to read & pray or you could crave out some time alone. (Remember, if you decide to go completely without food then talk with your parents first & make sure you don't do this for very long. And by all means, do not forsake fluids!)

Daniel 9 starts with a revelation for Jeremiah, moves to an amazing prayer, then ends with a spectacular prophecy. We've barely scratched the surface. Wait til you see what happens next!

A girls volleyball story...

2009-11-06T21:17:00.003-06:00

That's about more than volleyball. Check out this story & remember that a public faith has deep impact on others.

*****
Class acts: Competitive spirit gives way to caring after volleyball player's injury

12:03 PM CST on Friday, November 6, 2009
Column by KEVIN SHERRINGTON / The Dallas Morning News ksherrington@dallasnews.com

When Anna Fedell watched her daughter dive for the volleyball, as Morgan Ashbreck had done many times, Fedell thought nothing of it. Even when Morgan didn't get up, Fedell wasn't worried. Maybe she'd bloodied her nose, but really, what could happen at a volleyball game? And then the convulsions started.

By the time Fedell made it to her daughter's side in the East Texas Christian Academy gym, two men cradled Morgan's head. Blood pooled on the floor. As Fedell leaned into Morgan's face, she heard the panic in her daughter's voice.

"Am I dying?"

Read the rest @ dallasnews.com

Whiteboard

2009-11-04T07:17:00.000-06:00

"Quote"

2009-11-03T20:57:00.004-06:00

At the hospital at Vanderbilt, literally within an hour of knowing that my little girl was in heaven with Jesus, I found myself having to make a choice, when I would start to feel myself and everything in me being sucked into this place, this abyss. I would begin to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord. You give. You take away. But, God, I trust you. I trust you. You are faithful. You are good. I trust you. I trust you." And as I would say that, literally just choose to make that declaration in the midst of this, I would almost physically feel myself being pulled back from that place. And I'd start to breathe again.

-Steven Curtis Chapman; Rising from the Valley of Death
Interview by Mark Moring posted 11/02/2009

Is This The Revival Generation?

2009-10-10T11:22:00.002-05:00

The Dr. Johnny Derouen presentation that we watched last Wednesday @ Oasis:

A Woman with a shaky past & a not-so-bright future

2009-10-10T10:47:00.004-05:00

And she turned her town upside down!

I love the story of Jesus & the Samaritan Woman from John Ch. 4. It's inspiring to see how her unlikely encounter with Jesus not only changed her life but the life of so many others in such a short time.

It wasn't because of what she knew or what she didn't know. It wasn't because of what she did or didn't do. I was because of WHO she met. She met Jesus & told merely told the simple story of their meeting.

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

John 4.39-42

An unlikely spiritual revolution started by a woman with a shaky past & a not-so-bright future. I love this story because it a reminder that God can use even us in powerful unexpected ways.

Nebuchadezzar in need of a makeover

2009-10-04T19:09:00.005-05:00

Oasis-

Here's the image from Daniel 4 I was telling you about this morning.

*****

By William Blake

from the Tate Museum

Nebuchadnezzar 1795/circa 1805

Colour print finished in ink and watercolour on papersupport: 543 x 725 mm frame: 661 x 829 x 50 mmon paper, unique

Presented by W. Graham Robertson 1939N05059

This large colour print illustrates lines from the Book of Daniel. They describe how the glorious Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, became mad and 'did eat grass as oxen'.

The words below are 'One Law for the Lion and Ox is Oppression'. This illustrates Blake's rejection of the idea of universal laws for everyone. Here he shows man subjected to the Law of the Beast, reduced to an animal state and madness. (From the display caption August 2004)

Anger

2009-10-03T09:53:00.003-05:00

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. - Proverbs 16.32 (KJV)

This is a verse for Nebuchadnezzar, a mighty kind who conquered many cites yet had trouble controlling his own temper. Every time we see him in the first three chapters of Daniel he is blowing his top & making cruel decision in the heat of his anger.

DANIEL 1.10
but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."

DANIEL 2.12
This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.

DANIEL 3.13
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

DANIEL 3.19
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed.

Have you every been around someone with a volcanic temper? It's not much fun walking on eggshells, wondering when they will fly into a rage.

Neb seems to be contantly making regretful, rash decisions. It's sad really.

Have you ever made a bad decision in the heat of your anger?

Better to be able to control your passions than to take over cities.

Rifqa Bary in her own words

2009-10-03T09:22:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you recall the story of Rifqa Bary we discussed a couple of weeks ago. She's the girl from a Muslim family who converted to Christianity then, fearing her parents reaction, fled her Ohio home for Florida.

Here is her testimony.

"Quote"

2009-10-02T20:05:00.003-05:00

"You know boys," Alyosha said, "you needn't be afraid of life! Life is so good when you do something that is good and just"

- Fyodor Dostoevsky; THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV

I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

-Jesus: JOHN 10.10

"Quote"

2009-09-30T17:30:00.006-05:00

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."

-Winston Churchill
*****

Doesn't that sound like Nebuchadnezzar through the first three chapters of Daniel? He has seen God revealed in amazing ways. He acknowledges his amazement yet he picks himself up & moves along...

*****

Wait until you see what happen in Chapter 4.

Marcos

2009-09-13T19:08:00.002-05:00

Marcos Andres Gonnet
September 12, 1991 - September 8, 2009

The End Is Near Workshop: A Greater Hope

2009-08-23T21:26:00.003-05:00

Chris Abner's powerful message on Revelation 21. Check it:

The End Is Here

2009-08-23T21:24:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all of you who carved time out of your schedule to be a part of our End is Near workshop on Saturday. I know I was enlightened & encourages by Bulldog Bobby V's presentations so I hope you were too.

I'll post a couple of the videos we watched for those who weren't able to attend.

Labor Day @ Lake Texoma

2009-08-18T07:45:00.002-05:00

The details about the '09 Labor Day Campout have been released. Here's what you need to know:

2009 Oasis Labor Day Campout
Saturday, September 5 - Monday, September 7
Eisenhower State Park (Lake Texoma)

$30 – if paid in full by Sunday, August 30
$35 – if paid after Sunday, August 30

*****
Sunday, August 30
• turn in $30 trip fee
• turn in signed campout covenant
• turn in Medical Release Form & insurance info

Saturday, September 5th
• arrive at MBC at 9:00am for departure

Monday, September 1st
• pack up/clean up/return to MBC – approx 5pm

Why wait?

2009-08-16T20:37:00.001-05:00

The topic of marriage has been an interesting sidebar to our "God's Will" discussion. As promised, here is a link to the article I told you about this morning.

Read it then let's discuss.

The Case for Early Marriage
Amid our purity pledges and attempts to make chastity hip, we forgot to teach young Christians how to tie the knot.
by Mark Regnerus

"Quote"

2009-08-01T13:54:00.005-05:00

As far as inspiring people, the main thing today would be that society puts younger people, like 15 through 18, in kind of a box, no one’s really expected to do much. They kind of just tend to go to high school and play football and that’s pretty much it. There’s so much more potential that people can do with the right motivation and the right ambition in life. So my thingwould just be to get out there and do hard things. Go for it.

-Zac Sunderland; youngest person (17) to sail around the world
Read more about Zac at the Rebelution; Zac Sunderland Makes It Back

Tebow

2009-08-01T13:23:00.004-05:00

Tim Tebow:

Florida Gators Starting QB
All-American
Heisman Trophy Winner
National Champion
Home School Grad
Christ-Follower
Virgin

Tim Tebow has been making sports headlines as we move closer to the start of the college football season. Of course, there's to more to Tebow than meets the eye.

Check out Austin Murphy's SI cover story on Tebow:

"You Gotta Love Tim Tebow"
He's a Heisman Trophy winner and a two-time national champion, but the Florida quarterback will tell you he does his most important and rewarding work off the football field

******

He made a minor splash when a reporter recently asked the 21-year old QB if he was a virgin at a SEC media day press conference.

"Quote"

2009-07-24T20:36:00.002-05:00

Paul says He chooses weak people to show His strength, foolish people to show his wisdom. As David Roper says, "We are not great stuff. God surrounds Himself with incompetence. The people God uses have rarely been great people. Nietzsche looked for a 'strong kind of man, most highly gifted in intellect and will.' God looks for misfits and milquetoasts, schmucks and schlemiels. It's not that he has to make do with a bunch of fools, He choose them.

-Bruce Waltke; "Finding the Will Of God: A Pagan notion?"

Impact Blog

2009-06-20T15:18:00.001-05:00

I may have some limited access to the internet at camp so I've set up a blog @ http://impactsummer.blogspot.com/ . If I can connect I'll try to post some quick updates throughout the week so you can get a peek at what we do at Jan-Kay.

Pros & Cons of Youth from I Tim 4.12

2009-06-18T08:17:00.005-05:00

"Let no one look down on your youthfulness", Paul says to Timothy (I Tim 4.12). Even though Paul was talking to a guy who was probably closer to my age than to yours we know that there are plenty of adults who are quick to look down on Sr. High students.

We also know that there are students who give adults plenty of reasons to dismiss young people. While sometimes you are treated unfairly - written off by someone who hasn't even taken the time to really know you - you must admit that there are times when you've more than earned the negative response you receive from some.

Piper listed 7 attitudes that cause adults to look down on youth in the video we saw last night:

disrespect
rebellion
self-absorption
cliquishness
conformity to peer pressure
indifference to serious issues
a fixation on fun

So, here's your challenge as you consider this list...

Yes, it's true that it's easy to think of others who exemplify these attitudes much more than you do. It's even true that there are adults who look down on your while displaying these "youthful" attitudes themselves.

The challenge for you is to resist the temptation to use these truths to justify your own behavior. It's not ok to be rebellious just because you know someone more rebellious than you'll ever be. It's not ok to be disrespectful to those who disrespect you.

You are called to a higher standard because you have the opportunity to e an example, not only to those younger, but also to the adults around you. I say this because Paul said it first, "...but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."

You have no idea how much of an encouragement you can be to adults in your life when you live out your faith in the things you say & in the thing you don't say, in the things you do & don't do, in the way you handle yourself, & in the way you show Christ's love for others.

Consider this quote from Tim Schmoyer's "Life in Student Ministry" blog.

“Youth Ministry sets the path for the whole church to follow.”
It’s perhaps the most important ministry of your church. The old saying is somewhat true: “Teens are not the church of the future; they’re the church of today.” Yes, they are they church of today, but they are also the church of tomorrow. And as these teens grow into adults, their church will become the church of the future.

You really do have a bigger part to play in the church then you realized.

Unplugged for Camp

2009-06-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

How long can you go without checking email, facebook, texting before you feel disconnected?

******
Kids, Summer Camp and Tech Separation Anxiety
By Megan K. Scott
AP 05/17/09 4:00 AM PT

Teens that spend nearly every waking moment interfacing with a computer, a cellphone or an MP3 player often suffer a culture shock of sorts when it comes to summer camp. Most camps limit or forbid the presence of electronic gadgets, and a day without a Facebook hit can begin to feel like complete social invisibility. However, going unplugged for a week or two has its benefits.

Tim Chai keeps in touch with friends through Facebook , listens to music on his iPod and never goes anywhere without his BlackBerry.

So when the 17-year-old was looking for a summer camp, he ruled out a church camp with a no cellphone, no computer policy.

"I just thought it was too much for me to handle," said Tim, of Carmel, Ind. "I love my Internet. I love my phone. I'm not ashamed to say it."

For a generation used to texting, Facebook and YouTube , going away to sleepaway camp can be a bit unnerving. Many outdoor camps don't allow cellphones, laptops or iPods, and there is no computer lab for them to update their pages.

Many campers are "a little panicked" to part with their cellphones, said Tony Sparber, founder of New Image Camps, with locations in Florida and Pennsylvania. Some try to smuggle them in or bring more than one phone in case one is confiscated, he said.

Access Denied
Even parents who are used to having constant access to their kids can experience anxiety.

Kimberley Fink, 40, of Weston, Mass., is a little nervous about her 14-year-old daughter who is going away to camp for the first time. The camp lasts for two weeks and her daughter won't be able to call.

"It makes me slightly uneasy," said Fink. "I will probably be one of the mothers who calls the camp office after a couple of days to check in. Sometimes you just need that reassurance."

Dave Steinberg, owner and director of Canteen Roads Teen Travel Camp in Huntington, N.Y., said most parents ask about the no-cellphone policy out of concern for their children's safety.

To reassure them, he gives them his cellphone number and campers a prepaid calling card. He also uploads photos to a password-protected site that the parents can access.

Pull the Plug
Experts agree that unplugging is a great idea. However, it will be a "shock to the system" for those who are digitally dependent, says Anastasia Goodstein, author of "Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online."

Some, like Chai, may be reluctant to go to a camp for that reason, said Gary Rudman of GTR Consulting, author of the upcoming 2009 gTrend Report, which focuses on teens and technology.

Sean Hakim, 16, struggled to give up his gadgets for two weeks when he went to Antiochian Village Camp in Pennsylvania. The camp does not allow cells or iPods, and campers have no computer access.

"At first, it was scary," admits Sean, of River Vale, N.J., but "once you get there, you realize you don't really need it. You are always with people, doing something."

A Week of Invisibility
Plugged-in teens are under tremendous pressure to maintain "Brand Me" on Facebook and other social networking sites, said Rudman. Without a cellphone or online access, it's like they are invisible.

While teens will inevitably make friends at camp, 10 friends in your bunk is not the same as hundreds on Facebook, he said.

"The dilemma for camps is that if they do allow technology, the kids will likely plug in and tune out," said Rudman, adding that being off the grid may be the best thing for chill-challenged teens. "That would defeat the purpose of camp."

When camp starts, plugged-in children may feel a little disoriented, like a part of them is missing, said Michael Assel, associate professor of pediatric psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Those feelings should subside as children get involved in camp activities, he said.

Campers say that's what usually happens. They forget about their lost social connections much like they forget about television.

"They keep you so busy, you are having so much fun -- I forget about the computer. I forget about Facebook," said Max Truen, 15, of Dix Hills, N.Y., who goes to New Image Camp's Camp Pocono Trails each summer.

So what happens when camp is over? Do teens give up texting? Or Facebook?

Not a chance. They have more friends.

© 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
© 2009 ECT News Network. All rights reserved.

Sleep

2009-06-15T10:16:00.003-05:00

Oasis-

Here's the blogpost from "The Rebulution" that I read to you yesterday. Alex & Brett Harris, the two bros behind this blog, also wrote a book called "Do Hard Things". Ideas from their book will be a big player during the workships at camp this year.

*****

Study Links Teen Depression to Bedtimes

We have never wanted to post anything on our blog that teens would be tempted to hide from their parents. Unfortunately, we are breaking that rule today. A new study featured by USA Today links teen depression to bedtimes — yet another reason why your parents are right when they tell you to get off Facebook and go to bed.

Study links teen depression to bedtimes
USATODAY.com - Gregg Toppo - 06/08/09

Teens whose parents let them stay up after midnight on weeknights have a much higher chance of being depressed or suicidal than teens whose parents enforce an earlier bedtime, says research being presented today at a national sleep conference.

Read the rest at The Rebelution.

Church Vacations?

2009-06-07T15:40:00.014-05:00

Or rather vacations from church? As we discussed this morning, the big challenge for high school students is to develop a faith that stands on it's on. You really put yourself in a bind if you wait until the you are a high school senior to try to get your life together.

The best time for obedience is now.

*****

Here the advice I read this morning from Jon's Stuff Christian's Like blog:

#544. Taking the college years off.

When I started college, I never officially said to God, "Adios, I'll see you again when I'm in my mid 20s," but I should have, because that's what I did. I essentially took a Jon vacation from God during my college years.I put Him in a tiny box, labeled that box "Open when you’re married or after you have kids," and put the box under the bed. Then I proceeded to live for me with an embarrassing amount of gusto.

You didn't. Hopefully, upon reading those first few sentences your thought was, "What a loser. College was the period of my life when I grew close to God and learned about what it meant to be in a relationship with Christ." That happens a lot and I honestly think that is awesome.

I didn't have that experience though. My college years were a mess and although I can't change them, I can tell you and my little sister Molly, who heads to the University of North Carolina this fall, why I wish I had not taken the college years off from God.

Here are the four things I'd tell every graduate:

1. God is not trying to ruin your college experience.

Man oh man did I throw God under the fun bus. I thought that if I pursued a relationship with God during college I would miss out on all the "fun college experiences" you're supposed to have. Like drunken spring breaks, casual relationships, coming home with the sunrise parties etc. Wow, was I wrong. I realize now that God placed the deepest, most “light me on fire with fun and hope and life desires” within me and would have loved the opportunity to awaken those during college. He wants college, and every day after that for that matter, to be lived fully alive and is by no means trying to rain on your college parade. Like Missy Elliot, God can't stand the rain, but unlike Missy Elliot He's the one that created the sunrise and I promise that only He can show you the brightest ones in college.

2. Your parents' faith won't sustain you.

Neither will your high school youth minister's or your friend's or your pastor's back home. If you inherited some beliefs from people around you while you were growing up, expect to go through a period of redefining them and personalizing them. For instance, if the only reason you went to church every Sunday was because that's just what your family did, don't expect that habit to carry you through college. You've got an amazing opportunity to understand your faith and your one on one relationship with God during these years, don't miss it.

3. College is not forever.

I didn't realize it at the time, but by completely disregarding my faith and my God during college, I was building a really horrible foundation for my mid 20s. Even now, 11 years after graduating from Samford University, there are things that my wife experienced in college with God that she can lean on. I don't have those same things. And the damage I did to my heart and my mind during college made the first four years of marriage unnecessarily difficult. Sometimes during college you don't like to think about consequences or you get sucked into this idea that college is all there is. But it’s not. Be kind to the 25 year old you and don't gather the baggage I did.

4. Don't have sex.

In addition to all the health risks, the pregnancy risks, the Biblical pleading against premarital sex, let me throw one more reason not to have sex that all the "wisdom for graduates" books seem to be leaving out: College sex is strictly amateur hour. Seriously, the ROI (Return on Investment) is bogus. You'll give a part of you that is special and irreplaceable and beautiful and in return get something that is fumbling and awkward and shallow and selfish. Marriage sex, that has the benefit of a covenant relationship that allows people to be real and honest and adventurous, is better than college sex. I promise. Don't believe me? Ask your parents. And then go throw up. But it's still true.

There is very little chance I will ever be invited to give a high school graduation commencement speech at a Christian school, especially after point 4, but if I did, I would plead with the graduates not to take the college years off from God.How about you?

What would you tell graduates this year?

Endurance & Encouragement

2009-06-05T14:44:00.002-05:00

I love Paul's words at the beginning of Romans 15 as he begins to wrap up this book:

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15-4-6

Why endurance? Because life is difficult sometimes. All our problems & anxieties don't disappear overnight. We need endurance.

Why encouragement? Because life doesn't always work out the way we hoped it would. Sometimes that no big deal. We get over it & move on. Sometimes it's a very big deal & we can get very discouraged when we find our disappointments, failures, & heartbreaks are not easy to get over.

Do you ever need endurance & encouragement? I know I do. Paul knew his readers needed that too so he pointed them to two of his favorite sources: God's Word, & God Himself.

When you are worn out where do you turn?

Video Night: Does the God of Chritianity Exist & What Difference Does It Make?

2009-06-05T08:31:00.009-05:00

Ok y'all. I've set a date to show you the Christian/Atheist debate I was telling you about.

Friday, June 12, 2009

6 - 9pm

@ MBC

It's a pretty good panel featuring Christopher Hitchens v. William Lane Craig, Douglas Wilson, Lee Strobel, Jim Denison, and Stan Guthrie from the recent Christian Book Expo in Dallas.

The debate runs at just about 2 hours. We'll stop it periodically to discuss.

If you want to watch it ahead of time or if you can't make it check it on tangle.com or listen to the podcast on iTunes.

A Reputation, A Request, A Relationship

2009-06-03T08:38:00.004-05:00

I read a good post about evangelism from morethandodgeball.com. Check it then ponder...What is your reputation? Who do you have relationships with? Do you ever extend a request?

3 Consistent Themes in Stories of Life Change

Thinking on my walk tonight about students in our ministry who recently accepted Christ. What are the steps in someone’s spiritual journey? I’ve heard many stories this past year of life change, and while each of the stories are unique there are definitely some common themes.

Here’s what I feel I keep hearing in stories of life change:
A reputation - He is different from everyone else. She lives out what other just talk about at church. I’ve heard good things about your youth ministry. The reputation is critical to moving someone forward in their spiritual journey. If a non-believer feels someone’s reputation is inconsistent with their faith, it stands in their way. The reputation of your youth ministry as a whole is also in play - what your community thinks about your youth ministry can be a dealbreaker or a big win right from the start.

A request - Dude, come with me to church tonight - its not like what you think. Killball is awesome, you’ve got to be on my team. In every case there was some sort of invitation. An invitation to a service project. An invitation to the weekend or to a small group. An invitation to cross the threshold.

A relationship - We’re friends - you can tell me anything. Here’s my story. Friendship evangelism is how we reach out in our context, but the importance of friends sharing not just Christ but their lives with their friends is critically important in seeing someone step across the line of faith.

What are other common themes you’re seeing?

JG

How 'bout a little dodge?

2009-06-02T13:44:00.003-05:00

It's been a while. What do you say we crank up a little dodge after our our lesson this Wednesday?

I'm Just A Teenager...

2009-05-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

but I'm the Church.

We Are the Church from Southeast Student Ministry on Vimeo.

"Quote"

2009-05-18T12:53:00.003-05:00

[Fairy tale] does not deny the existence of...sorrow and failure; the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of the deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat...giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.

-J.R.R. Tolkien

Poems for Prizes

2009-05-05T15:55:00.004-05:00

Oasis-

Check this from Matlock & P-Wiz:

2009 Ten Minute Poem Week

It's back! The week where we create poems in 10 minutes or less.Not familiar? Here's the basic idea.God has made us to be creative but all too often we take our creativity too seriously and we don't create at all!Here is how it works: Forget your lack of poetic instincts and write a poem in 10 minutes or less.

*****

Surely, this is a call to greatness for one of you random, free-thinkers!

SEE THE DETAILS HERE>>>

"Quote"

2009-04-13T15:17:00.005-05:00

It takes you out of the bubble you think you’re in. Tomorrow could be my last day. What kind of impact am I making?

- Baseball player Dustin Mosely on the untimely death of 22 year old Angel rookie Nick Adenhart.

Did Jesus take 39 lashes?

2009-04-11T17:15:00.004-05:00

I said that was the case when we talked about His wounds. I think I confused my stories. I hate it when I do that.

Let's retrace:

1. The case for the forty lash limit comes from Deuteronomy 25.2-3:

Then, if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating, the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves. The judge may sentence him to forty blows, but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite with contempt.

Note that this is a Jewish limit. The Romans, I'm sure, could've cared less about this.

2. All four Gospel's refer to Jesus' flogging.

Matthew 27.26:

Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified

Mark 15.15:

Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Luke 23.22-25:

A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release him.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.

John 19.1:

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely.

Note that all of the accounts make note of his flogging but none mention the number of lashes specifically. He may have been flogged thirty-nine times. It may have been 100 times. Who knows? His floggers were the Romans rather than the Jews so they wouldn't have been necessarily been bound by the forty lash limit.

None of this takes away from the point that he was beaten severely.

3. Net.bible.org lists this note under John 19.1:

Three forms of corporal punishment were employed by the Romans, in increasing degree of severity:

(1) fustigatio (beating),
(2) flagellatio (flogging), and
(3) verberatio (severe flogging, scourging).

The first could be on occasion a punishment in itself, but the more severe forms were part of the capital sentence as a prelude to crucifixion. The most severe, verberatio, is what is indicated here by the Greek verb translated flogged severely (μαστιγόω, mastigow). People died on occasion while being flogged this way; frequently it was severe enough to rip a person’s body open or cut muscle and sinew to the bone. It was carried out with a whip that had fragments of bone or pieces of metal bound into the tips.

4. Paul received thirty-nine lashes.

It's likely I confused Paul's account with Jesus.
II Corinthians 11:24:

Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one

Can you imagine? Five times!

So, my apologies for stating a maybe as a fact in our discussion. However, none of this takes away from the brutality of the crucifixion scene. The accounts are all brief but they paint a vivid picture of our suffering Savior.

I am Barabbas

2009-04-11T16:07:00.001-05:00

Great post from Mark Batterson's evotional.com blog:

This thought keeps going through my mind today: I am Barabbas.

Imagine what that Friday must have been like for him. He was sitting in a jail cell awaiting his execution. He knew it was the last day of his life. It was the end. There was no hope. Then he hears the crowd chanting his name and the next thing he knows he's a free man. The charges are dropped. His life that was almost over starts over. And a sinless man named Jesus literally takes his place. He expected to die. He deserved to die. But his execution, in the sovereign plan of God, was scheduled on the same day Jesus was arrested.

If ever there was a picture of II Corinthians 5:21 this is it: "God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us."

I am Barabbas.

See Mark's original post @ http://evotional.com/2009/04/i-am-barabbas.html

Awakening by Seven Places

2009-04-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

The Roadshow Challenge

2009-03-28T10:08:00.001-05:00

Friday, April 3
Meet @ MBC @ 5:30

Undercover Christian

2009-03-27T16:12:00.003-05:00

There are some interesing posts about a new book by Kevin Roose called The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University . It seems that Kevin, a student at Brown University, decided to go undercover for a semester at Liberty University. The book is his story about what this admittedly liberal student experienced during his time at this very convservative evangelical school.

One of the surprises is how much he connected with the students at Liberty. We've talked recently about how there should be a difference in the way Christians treat others & how that difference should point people to Christ. It sounds like the students at Liberty really do love one another.

Quotes from Mr. Roose:

I never thoughtthat the world's largest evangelical university would feel like home … . But by experiencing your warmth, your vigorous generosity of spirit, and your deep complexity, I was ultimately convinced—not that you were right, necessarily, but that I was wrong.

The book is full of things I liked about Liberty: their emphasis on community, the sense that this is the body of Christ and they're all in this together. In the secular world and secular colleges we try to build up a spirit of individuality, and that's great, but there's something about the group experience. Emile Durkheim, who is a French philosopher, called it "collective effervescence"—a feeling you can only get when you're surrounded by other people and you're collectively striving toward the same goal.

You know it gets you thinking. If someone went undercover at Oasis & wrote a book what would they say about us?

Read More:

Surprised by Love; An outsider's view of Liberty University and the faith it embodies.
Reviewed by Karen Swallow Prior (prof at Liberty)

One of Jerry's Kids
Interview by Paige Winfield

'09 Journal - Prayer to echo from Deuteronomy

2009-03-26T11:20:00.004-05:00

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

-Deuteronomy 5.29

Grego v. Superman

2009-03-26T10:04:00.002-05:00

Some of my favorite times with my boys is chatting with them in the car. We get into some great & odd conversations sometimes. Last night we discussed the things I have in common with Superman & the way I'm different.

Highlights

Ways Grego & Supe are alike:

Sometimes we wear glasses. Sometimes we don't
We are both very powerful

Ways Grego & Supe are different:

I am not an alien
I do not wear my underwear on the outside of my pants

"Quote"

2009-03-16T09:45:00.009-05:00

We're in this era where people want to judge other People. And that's so sad. But it's like I always say, 'Come and test me [for steroids]. Come and do whatever you want.' Because you know what? There is something more important to me—my relationship with Jesus Christ and caring about others. More than this baseball. This baseball is nothing to me.

-Albert Pujols; The Power To Believe

"Quote"

2009-03-13T13:35:00.006-05:00

...if I come to say Christ was my rehab, it's not cool to say that. ... For me that's my rehab. That's what happened with me and it's an amazing and powerful thing.

-Korn bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu; Korn bassist is off of drugs and on to Christ

Repairing Burnt Bridges

2009-03-12T20:56:00.008-05:00

I've said it 1000x. You can't have a good relationship with God if you don't have good relationships with the people around you & you can't have good relationships with people if you don't have a good relationship with God.

One of the most important relationships is the one we have with our parents. No one loves us more. No one knows how to frustrate us more. If you don't have that relationship in order than every other relationship will suffer.

Unfortunately, it's also true that we save our worst behavior for those who love us most. So what do you do if you've burned bridges with your parents & want to make things right. Even after you've apologized there's still damage that needs to be undone - trust that needs to be regained.

Dennis Beckner offers some practical advice on volunteeryouthministry.com:

Counseling: Helping Families Through Conflict

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Dennis Beckner

I’ve been working with a student who has lost his parents’ trust. He’s working hard to get back on the right path, but still has to work through the lingering consequences of his past choices and occasional slip-ups. Here are some ways I’m partnering with the family to work through their issues:

How I’ve counseled him:

1. Write a contract with your parents. Often we think of asking parents to write a contract to keep their kids in line. However, a student who is serious about repairing a relationship would do well to write a contract outlining specific benchmarks they can reach. This will show he is making a genuine effort to improve.

2. Stop pushing their buttons. This is a big issue in many relationships. I’ve helped families through conflict where they intentionally hurt each using hot-button issues as a weapon of choice. This may seem like a no-brainer to tell them to stop pushing each others’ buttons. However, unless somebody points out the pattern, they may not realize it’s happening. This is not an easy habit to break. I frequently challenge students to be the one to break this cycle of eye-for-an-eye relational combat. Relationships won’t have peace until they stop destructive patterns.

3. Accept your parents’ authority. I’ve told several students over the years that even when your parents are wrong, they’re right. They could be legitimately wrong or they could know something the student doesn’t. If they’re wrong and you fight against them, prideful defense mechanisms go up so they have more trouble making things right when the truth is revealed. If parents know something students don’t, they’ll be protected from what parents are trying to prevent.

Accepting parental authority goes even deeper than that, though. The Bible commands that children obey their parents and allows parents to kill their children if they don’t. I don’t bring that last part up because that’s one seed I don’t want to plant.

As students learn to submit to authority in the family relationships will be restored, disagreements will be less frequent, and understanding will happen more easily. I explain to students that when there’s not a struggle to get their way, they’ll get more of what they’re looking for or realize the wisdom behind why they don’t.

MORE>>>>

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

2009-03-12T18:10:00.002-05:00

Worldview with Sean McDowell from Planet Wisdom.com

Last week I asked my students to write down the most difficult question they could imagine about God. While there were some great questions about evil, other religions, and reincarnation, the question that most caught my attention was about the historical Jesus. "In our age of science," one girl asked, "Can we really believe that Jesus died 2,000 years ago, was buried for three days, and then came back to life? And if so, what does it matter?" I told her that if she is an open-minded person who wants to follow the evidence, then she would likely find the evidence both compelling and hopeful.

The Possibility of Miracles
Some people discount the possibility of the resurrection because it is a miracle. After all, isn't the world a closed system of cause and effect? Obviously, if miracles are impossible then the resurrection must have a natural explanation (e. g. Jesus had a twin who died in his place, or the story is just a legend). But why begin with the assumption that miracles are impossible? How can we know-without some prior evidence for the non-existence of God-that miracles cannot happen? After all, if God created the world simply by speaking it into existence, then it should be easy for him to raise someone from the dead. The question of the resurrection of Jesus can only be determined by examining the evidence. Deciding ahead of time that miracles are impossible only begs the question against the resurrection. Let's allow the evidence to speak for itself.

Here are three quick facts that support the claim that Jesus rose from the dead.

FACT 1: Jesus died on the cross. The evidence for Jesus' death by crucifixion is overwhelming. First, there is the fact that all four gospels report Jesus' death. Second, the nature of the crucifixion virtually guaranteed death. Crucifixion was scientifically honed by the Romans to utterly torture victims. Third, the spear in the side reported by John (ch. 19), in which water and blood recede, is medical evidence that Jesus was dead. Fourth, there is extra-biblical evidence (Tacitus and Josephus) who report that Jesus died by crucifixion.

FACT 2: The tomb of Jesus was found empty on the third day. While there are multiple arguments for the empty tomb, let's consider one of my favorites. Amazingly, the tomb was discovered by women. In Palestine around the time of Christ women were not educated or considered reliable sources of information. In fact, Josephus reports that women could not even testify in a court of law. Thus, if the disciples simply fabricated the story of the resurrection they never would have chosen women to be the first eyewitnesses. This embarrassing account by the disciples is convincing proof that, when they wrote about the empty tomb of Jesus, they were recording truth.

FACT 3: Jesus appeared to people after his death. One of the best evidences for the appearances of Jesus is in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Paul recites a creed that can be traced back to within 3-5 years of the death of Jesus. Historically speaking, this is an incredibly early account. Paul records that Jesus appeared to the disciples and also to 500 people. Some claim that Jesus only appeared to his followers. But this is not true. Jesus appeared to James, who did not believe in him during his life (John 7:5). Jesus also appeared to Paul, who was persecuting Christians (Galatians 1). Some have tried to explain the appearances away as hallucinations, but hallucinations don't appear to groups (anymore than groups of people can share the same dream). The disciples were also not ripe candidates for hallucinations.

There is so much more that could be said about why the resurrection of Jesus is credible. The question we have to ask is, What explanation best accounts for all the facts? When all the facts are taken into consideration, the biblical account stands far above the rest. If you are interested in studying the topic further, you may want to check out my recent book Evidence for the Resurrection (co-written with my father, Josh McDowell).

But why does the resurrection matter? For one thing, Paul says that if Jesus did not resurrect then our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17). But the resurrection also shows that God can be trusted. The disciples were utterly scared and confused at the arrest of Jesus. All of their hopes and dreams were shattered. They thought that God had abandoned them. But God never let go of the steering wheel, even when everything seemed hopeless! In fact, God was completely in charge the entire time. And the same is true for us. The resurrection tells us that God is good, God can be trusted, and that the pain and evil in the world will ultimately be redeemed for good.

Dutton's tribute DFW

2009-03-12T17:41:00.003-05:00

A bit of silliness from Dutton filmed including some P-wiz footage. Are you in this?:

A personal invite from Jenny

2009-03-12T16:09:00.001-05:00

Spring Break Youth Rally: March 21

2009-03-10T12:34:00.002-05:00

Don't you love an unexpected invite to a party?

Bethany Baptist Church has extended an invite to their Spring Break Youth Rally on Saturday, March 21st. Some of you will remember their youth pastor, Albert Ruiz, from his time at Pueblo de Dios & as part of the STAR program.
Spring Break
Youth Rally

Come Join Us for Fellowship
On Saturday March 21st, 2009
6:30 P.M.
At Bethany Baptist Church
7300 Bruton Rd. Dallas Tx 75217

Speaker: Daniel “Tiny” Dominguez

We will have Praise and Worship, a Step Team Performance, A Christian Rap Group, And Door Prizes

We Won't Take No For An Answer

2009-03-10T09:36:00.005-05:00

As the days passed, I realized that I'd been holding so tightly onto Jody's life. I hadn't been praying for God's will. I'd prayed for a specific answer. I wasn't trusting in God. I was trusting in what I wanted God to do. Realizing that helped me grow in faith. I can honestly say now I trust God more than ever. It's funny how that works.

-Melissa Greene, member of Avalon

That's a profound statement from M. Greene in a recent Christianity Today article. Do we have the faith to boldly pray for the unbelievable to occur? Do we have the faith to trust in God when we don't understand what's going on?

"I wasn't trusting God. I was trusting in what I wanted God to do."

*****
'We Won't Take No for an Answer!'
By Melissa Greene with her sister Tiffany Baird
posted 03/10/09

As I laid my newborn son into bed, I watched as tears fell from my eyes onto his fuzzy sheets. Uncontrollable sobs came out of the deepest part of me. I couldn't hold it inside anymore. Just hours before, my sister's husband, Jody, had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Sadness gripped every part of me. As I left my son's room, I silently closed the door, and tearfully moved through the house to find comfort with my husband.

As I walked down the stairs, I found Ben passionately crying and saying over and over, "God, we won't take no for an answer!" I sat next to him. Together, we prayed fervently, knowing God would heal Jody.

Before Jody got sick in 2006, everything in our lives seemed to be going right. My sister, Tiffany, Jody, and their 2-year-old son moved to Nashville to be near the rest of our family. We were together for the first time in a long time. I had just signed a record deal to make a solo album. New doors in ministry were opening for me. And I had a beautiful newborn son. Our family had a lot to be thankful for.

But within a few months of the move, Jody got sick. After several doctor visits, a CT scan revealed that his left lung had collapsed to the size of a raisin. Fluid had surrounded the area. After tests to find out what was happening, doctors found cancerous cells. Shock and disbelief settled on my family.

Within a few days, the aggressive chemotherapy began. At first, the cancer responded to the treatment. But just months later, it was having no effect. Jody was sent to a research center and put on a trial drug. It was our last hope, medically speaking. Still, we had complete faith in the miracle God would perform.

In the months after starting the trial drug, Jody's health started going downhill quickly. He developed a blood clot in his left leg and had to be hospitalized after falling down a flight of stairs. He was requiring weekly blood transfusions. His face was sullen and his body was frail. I remember one day at lunch that he was so weak that couldn't even hold his sandwich.

The stress and worry was taking its toll on all of us—especially my sister. One day, my phone rang. She'd been crying. She said, "I think it would be better if I didn't wake up tomorrow. I can't take this anymore." My sister was only 32; why did she have to bear this pain? We all knew God was in control, but why would he let this happen to such a young couple? Why Jody? We were constantly saying the words "Why, God?" over and over.

Ironically, Jody was the strongest of us all. His faith didn't seem to waver. He would always say to my sister, "Tiff, God has a plan. God allowed this to happen and I am going to tell everyone we know how God is working in our lives."
Eventually, Jody was confined to the Intensive Care Unit in Nashville. He was on the brink of death. By the time that life support was discussed, we were at the end of our ropes. We cried with Jody's doctor. Tiffany and I slept on the hospital floor for three nights in a row waiting for something to happen, for God to intervene, and wake us from this nightmare. We knew God could, so why wouldn't he? We knew what we wanted God to do and had faith he could. We were not ready to accept any other option.

That Wednesday night, we decided to take a break from the hospital. We were at my house trying to find ways to laugh with friends and enjoy life. The phone rang. We didn't know specifics, but that we were to come back to the hospital right away. This was it. We knew it. Jody was dying. Not a single word was uttered during that ten-minute drive, a drive we all wished would've been longer just so we could avoid the reality of the moment and the inevitable that awaited us at the hospital. On September 6th, 2007, my family, some of our closest friends, and I watched Jody in his last minutes of life on Earth. Just before he took his last breath, he opened his eyes and looked right at my sister as if to say goodbye, and then he was gone. After all our prayers for months and months and months, we finally received our answer from God. Our answer was no.

My 32-year-old sister became a widow and their three-year-old son was fatherless. The tears came freely as the reality of what had just occurred settled in on us. First there were tears of joy, knowing that an eleven-month battle with cancer was over and Jody was no longer suffering. We could imagine him smiling as he opened his eyes finally to the reality of eternal life. Then there were tears of overwhelming sadness for the same reason: his life here was now over. What I wouldn't have given to spend just one more night sleeping on the hospital floor.

In the days and weeks after Jody's passing, we began to hear God answer our prayers for comfort and for proof of his hand at work. We realized he was still in control. Zephaniah 3:17—"He will quiet you with his love"—kept cropping up again and again as we continually and literally cried out for answers. We leaned upon grace and sufficient love. Our concerns were eventually quieted by a calm strength to get up and take the next step of life—somehow stronger and more full of God.

We had to let go of Jody and to learn to relinquish control. That was a huge deal. As the days passed, I realized that I'd been holding so tightly onto Jody's life. I hadn't been praying for God's will. I'd prayed for a specific answer. I wasn't trusting in God. I was trusting in what I wanted God to do. Realizing that helped me grow in faith. I can honestly say now I trust God more than ever. It's funny how that works.

I wrote the songs "To Trust You (Jody's Song)", "Too Far" and "Next Step" from what I learned in this experience. My solo record is of course a new step in my ministry to others, but it has so much more to do with the next steps of my life and the lives of my family. After the pain subsided and the tears were gone, we still had God, and somehow we had enough.

Melissa Greene is an accomplished solo artist and a member of Avalon.

Copyright © 2009 Melissa Greene and Tiffany Baird subject to licensing agreement with Christian Music Today. Click for reprint information.

So you wanna be a youth leader?

2009-03-04T11:52:00.001-06:00

Yeah...what could be better?

Rock & Worship Road Show

2009-03-02T09:38:00.003-06:00

5 bands. $10. That's only $2 a band.

Well...are you in?

The Best P-Wiz Band of 2008

2009-03-01T18:28:00.003-06:00

Addison Road has been nominated for a Dove Award for best new artist.

Part of the award is determined by fan voting.

Place your vote here:

http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/dovesvoting

P-Wiz is here

2009-02-27T13:27:00.002-06:00

Tonight is the night.

Meet @ MBC - 5:15pm
Bring: Lunch money
Bible & Pen
Change of clothesBedroll/sleeping bag
Toothbrush
Bath towel
DO for your BO

We'll stay at host homes on Friday night. Your parents can pick you up @ MBC on Saturday at 5:30

SCHEDULE:

Friday Evening
6:30pm - Doors Open for seating
7:00pm - Youth Leader's Prayer Gathering & Orientation
7:30pm - Session One: The Heroes Journey
8:45pm - Session Two: Accepting the Call
10:30pm - Close for night

Saturday
8:30am - Doors Open
9:00am - Session 3: Forces That Guide: Part 1
10:30pm - Session 4: Forces That Guide: Part 2
12:30 - Lunch (on your own)
1:45pm - Session 5: Living the Journey
4:30pm - Conference ends

What does this all mean?

2009-02-19T15:58:00.002-06:00

The stock market took another beating today as the Dow Ends at Lowest Level in More Than 6 Years.

The market's inability to rally also signals that investors see no immediate end for the recession, which is already 14 months old and one of the most severe in decades.

Oasis, there's a increasing likelihood that your generation is going to face some hardships that you did not expect. Paying for college maybe more difficult than you imagined. Good jobs may be harder to come by. You may make less money than the generations before you & the money you make will be not have the buying power it used to. You may have to help out your parents as they get older. Who knows?

I think it may be a bumpy decade. We think this is going to be
the longest and deepest recession in postwar history. - David
Wyss, the chief economist of Standard & Poor's

If you have a problem with the love of money you're in trouble because now money is going to play hard to get.

P-Wis 1: The Rescuers

2009-02-19T14:23:00.003-06:00

Enough of amateur hour - I though it was great to have a pro teacher leading us last night as we gear up for P-Wis 2009.

Thanks Princess! Our little Oasis is better because of your willingness to share in all the ways you do.

As P.E. covered the heroic stories of Moses, Abraham, & David six qualities defined their heroic herocity:

A) Heroes take action even when they don’t have to.
B) Heroes take action even when the odds are against them.
C) Heroes defend the innocent.
D) Heroes risk their own personal safety and sometimes suffer for helping others.
E) God’s heroes defend God’s character.
F) God’s heroes rely on God for victory.

You are never too old...

2009-02-18T15:26:00.002-06:00

to have your bicycle stolen:

Armstrong’s time-trial bike stolen in California

I picture some 5th grade bully riding it to school the next day.

Work Day: Sat, Feb 21

2009-02-17T13:34:00.002-06:00

Oasis Work Day

Saturday, Feb 21

9am - noonish

Come help us execute a partial make over of our little youth room. Major goals include moving the white board & screen as well as rewiring the projector, sound board & computer.

Ok, Who's Been Praying for Korn?

2009-02-17T08:49:00.002-06:00

First Brian "Head" Welch turned to Christ now apparently Fieldy has as well!

You can read a bit more about this at the Harper Collins website.

Whoever's been praying for these boys - keep it up!

'09 Journal: Gleaning from Leviticus

2009-02-16T14:33:00.002-06:00

I've been struggling through Leviticus. Long gone are the gripping narratives of Genesis & Exodus. Descriptions of bloody sacrifices, gross skin ailments & extended discourses on various sexual immoralities have left me exhausted.

How does a guy living in 21st century America make sense of all this? I can't wait to get to Numbers!

That's what makes chapter 19 stand out all the more for me. This chapter is basically a list of various "do not" statements including some of the classics like "do not steal" & "do not lie".

My favorites are the verses sprinkled throughout 19 which show God's concern for the poor & the foreigner.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 19.9-10

I love this passage! I love the challenge of leaving behind what you've worked for in order to care for the poor. I love how this provides for those in need without just giving a handout.

It makes me wonder what my "harvest" is?

Other good verses:

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. - Leviticus 9.15

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 9.33-34

How Starbucks Saved My Life

2009-02-16T14:18:00.003-06:00

What if the best thing that every happened to you was losing everything you had - everything you that made you what you are?

Check out the story of Michael Gill:

"When you say Starbucks saved your life, you're not kidding."
"This is the literal truth, not a metaphor or poetic exaggeration," Gill said. "It's literally true - my life for me was over. I'm so much happier serving than I ever was being served."

How Starbucks Saved My Life

"Quote"

2009-02-13T13:39:00.002-06:00

It's hard to make sense of it today, but God hasn't left us

-New York Gov. David Paterson commenting on the fatal crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Buffalo

Grego eats lunch at Big Star Burger

2009-02-12T09:55:00.002-06:00

I don't think I'm a celebrity obsessed star watcher but I still know more than I should about Jessica's weight gain , & Micheal Phelps party life & so much more.

The same thought comes to my mind at every new revelation: "I'm sure glad that my every move doesn't make the news!"

Can you imagine? I once stood just a few feet away from Jessica Simpson as she was leaving a LA restaurant. The paparazzi were there in force unleashing an unending volley of blinding flashes as they snapped pic after pic of Jessica walking out of the door, getting into her Land Rover & driving off. It was insane! I don't know how she was able to see to drive after that.

I'd go crazy if my every move was potentially newsworthy. Grego eats lunch at Big Star Burger: see the exclusive pix! UGH!

I don't really want most people I know to be up to date on my every move.

Even worse would be if my every mistake made front page news. Could you handle to pressure of getting dressed for church if you knew that your wardrobe would be the topic of the nations conversation on Monday? Multiply that pressure by a million for serious mis-steps.

It's no wonder some of these stars crack up. There whole lives are lived out in front of a cold audience.

Nope, that'd be too much for me to handle for sure!

I think that's why I've been feeling convicted when I join in with the mob in ripping & dismissing these folks when they fall. Yes, Michael Phelps goofed up. Yes, he should have know better. Yes, his behavior shouldn't be excused. However, it seems like my first response to be to pray for him rather than to be offended & to work up my own personal moral outrage.

My first response SHOULD be to pray.

Giving people the easy stuff.

2009-02-11T08:59:00.003-06:00

This post from "Stuff Christians Like" was like an arrow straight to my heart - not one of those cute, cuddly cupidy arrows either. This one hurt:

One of the places we give to is an orphanage my Uncle helped start in Kenya. They have over 300 students, many of which were orphaned by the AIDS epidemic or who themselves suffer with the disease. It's an amazing place and I am genuinely happy that we are able to sponsor six different kids right now. But I realized during a conversation in my small group the other night that I'm giving all those kids something that doesn’t really matter to me. I'm not sacrificing to give them anything. I'm not really even changing my life all that much to create room for them in my heart. I'm giving them a check my wife writes, with an asset I don’t think about that often, money.
The asset I care most about, the one that is my most precious resource right now, the one I covet most desperately? That one I am hoarding for myself. That one I don't even give them a scrap of. That one is just for me.
That one is time.

MORE>>>

"Quote"

2009-02-11T08:53:00.002-06:00

I was rejected in school because I didn't look like the big-breasted, beautiful girls. I was awkward and sad. My mother always said, 'Be original!' but I didn't understand until I changed to be like everyone else. Once I fit in, I was like, 'What have I done?' I realized that my friends before were much cooler, with a great sense of humor and a way of looking at the world that was more fun. But if I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't have been driven to make my oddities cool. It's what made me have a sense of humor and thick skin.

-Sandra Bullock

Now I've Seen Everything

2009-02-06T13:22:00.001-06:00

Creating a buzz with a memorable object lesson

2009-02-06T13:13:00.003-06:00

I love object lessons. They add punch to any presentation however take a peek at what Bill Gates recently did. Now THAT is an object lesson.

Bill Gates Releases Mosquitoes on Audience

One Another Recap

2009-02-06T11:19:00.003-06:00

There is something different about the way a healthy Christ-seeking youth group treats one another. They way they love one another points people to Christ.

A community of believers that love one another will:

Greet One Another
Accept One Another
Forgive One Another
Encourage One Another
Serve One Another

What do you need to start doing, stop doing, & continue doing in the way to treat one another?

Mobile Newsdesk!

2009-02-05T11:52:00.004-06:00

Now, thanks to a tip from Doug & Foothold, you don't have to be by the computer to enjoy the lastest in late-breaking Oasis news.

Check out the O-Newsdesk on your mobile!

http://oasisnewsdesk.mofuse.mobi/

Keep up with Foothold too:

http://foothold.mofuse.mobi/

The Faith Christian Trilogy

2009-02-05T09:21:00.004-06:00

Oasis- Here are the links to the Faith Christian story we briefly discussed last night. They first hit the news for they way the served & encouraged the kids from Gainsville State. See Post "Faith In Action".

*****
It turns out that this was not a one-time display of extraordinary love. The community of believers at Faith Christian are walking the walk. They extraordinary has become the ordinary way of doing things for them.

"At the beginning, I was really surprised because I feel like it shouldn’t be that big of a deal that Christians take action and do things like this," [Faith Christian Athletic director and football coach Kris Hogan said. " I just don’t think it should be that big of a deal."

Read about the rest of their story from the Star-Telegram: "Faith Christian receives national attention for supporting Gainesville State"

*****
We've been saying that the way we treat each other is important. Our love for one another should be noticable. The way we treat each other should point others toward Christ.

What Faith Christian did for Gainsville seems like a nice jesture at a little high school football game but it was really much more than that.

"The boys, a lot of them, just hadn’t had anybody care about them," said [teacher Chris] Styles, who has taught at the school for five years."When they saw that, they brought that back. And then their peers heard that these people cared about them — really cared about them, not just throwing money at them or throwing a bag of stuff at them. "They actually cared about them, and they showed it through their actions."
[Superintendent Gwan ]Hawthorne saw an immediate change, not only in the attitudes of the students in the maximum-securitycorrectional facility but also in staff members
.

Read more about the Gainsville side of the story at: Gainesville State gets a big boost from November game against Grapevine Faith

"Quote"

2009-02-05T08:13:00.004-06:00

When darkness occurs, that is when the church can shine.

-Dave Gibbons

*****

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

-John 8.12

A Surefire Investment

2009-02-05T08:02:00.002-06:00

A time of crisis presents a good opportunity to identify the foundation on which I construct my life. If I place my ultimate trust in financial security or in the government's ability to solve my problems, I will surely watch the basement flood and the walls crumble.

A friend from Chicago, Bill Leslie, used to say that the Bible asks three main questions about money: (1) How did you get it? (Legally and justly or exploitatively?); (2) What are you doing with it? (Indulging in luxuries or helping the needy?); and (3) What is it doing to you? Some of Jesus' mosttrenchant parables and sayings go straight to the heart of that last question.

-Philip Yancey; A Surefire Investment; How to pray in the midst of financial catastrophe

Prone to Wander - Paul's Heart Revealed

2009-02-02T20:08:00.003-06:00

Paul the apostle, writer of most of the new testament, martyr for the cause of Christ unleashes a blistering case proclaiming how we have all fallen short of the glory of God in Romans Chs 1-6. In chapter 7, the great Paul reveals his heart & the fact that he too is not immune to the deceptions of sin.

He just lays it out there -

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

I do not understand what I do. I'm right there with you Paulie! I feel your tension when you write about how you love God's word & yet there is still a battle raging in your mind. I nod in empathy when you exclaim your wretchedness.

I was going to write about how I couldn't have said it better but truth be told, I'm not likely to reveal myself like that at all. At least I wasn't likely until reading Romans chapter 7.

*****

Right after teaching this passage in Discovery Hour I skipped "big church" to head to FBC-Garland to witness a baptism. Micheal, my old buddy from back in the 80's, had invited friends & family to join them for his son Daniel's baptism.

One of the first things I noticed when we sat down in the sanctuary of FBC-Garland was their huge organ. Even better than seeing it was hearing it. We were treated to a beautiful rendition of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" played on the organ & sung by their choir.

It was the perfect storm. A great song, beautifully song, accompanied by that stellar organ, just after witnessing Daniel's baptism, with Paul's heart cry from Romans 7 still ringing in my brain. The refrain caught me:

Prone to wander,
Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love

The hymnist, Robert Robinson, reveals his heart much like Paul did in Romans. There's just something in us that pulls us off track. I can't deny it. Like the hymnist, Lord, I feel it!

5 Ways to Make Visitors Uncomfortable

2009-01-30T14:47:00.003-06:00

There's a post on Josh Griffin's "More Than Dodgeball" blog that is pretty timely for us as we consider how we greet & treat one another at our little Oasis. Granted, some of his point are geared toward a ministry that operates in a larger context than ours however, I think the principles are still valid & worth considering.

The Italian prophet comment in #4 brought out a nervous giggle in me.

Check it:

5 Ways to Make Visitors Uncomfortable
Jan 29th, 2009 by Josh

Here are 5 ways to make visitors feel uncomfortable in your ministry this weekend:

1) Have greeters ignore people they should greet - make a heckle tunnel of sorts that greets people on the way in. Have insiders crowd the entrance to the room so new people have to weave their way inside. Have regulars sit on the end of the rows so you have to struggle over people to get to the open seats.

2) Draw attention to the visitors in the crowd - single them out, or better yet make them stand up. Give them a sticker to affix to their suit jacket so over-eager-church-kids can pounce on them the second the service lets out.

3) Have the worship leader say something like, “you guys know this one.” - because at least part of your crowd at an entry-level program won’t. ”Everyone” doesn’t know this one, and they probably don’t know John 3:16 either.

4) Tell Bible jokes - nothing is funnier than the Italian prophet Malachi. Or that Second Corinthains is easy to find because it comes after First Corinthians. Bible jokes are (arguably, even then) funny to people who know the Bible. Visitors might not even own one.

5) Keep insider stuff insider - don’t make the next step clear. Have visitors play a game to try to understand how to join the group. Hide information from outsiders.

Hmmm … noticed I have a sharper tone than usual today. Oh well.

What if we tried:

warm, casual greeters smiling and happy to meet everyone.

letting visitors be anonymous if they want to be. When they’re ready, make sure they can easily and intuitively find community if they want it.

keeping worship songs clear and easy to sing to. Assume nothing.
making sure the message was understandable. Offer to give people who don’t have a Bible one for free.

making the next step after this service crystal clear. Point out where the restrooms are. Have sign-up sheets handy. Don’t be so surprised when someone accepts Christ and wants to get baptized.

JG

"Quote"

2009-01-27T09:44:00.003-06:00

I say to you as my son who is here today, my 14-year-old son - he probably would not quote scripture. He probably would use Star Trek instead, and so I say, 'May the force be with you.

-Bishop T.D. Jakes @ Barack Obama's Inauguration Day Prayer Service

Imagine

2009-01-23T18:14:00.002-06:00

Creative video from catholicvote.com. Can you imagine seeing this during the Super Bowl?

"Quote"

2009-01-22T16:25:00.005-06:00

The truth is that sometimes I drop Jesus into someone’s lap like I’m sending a random friend suggestion on facebook. I don’t really tell them much about Him. I don’t really invest in the life of the person I’m talking too. I don’t even really listen to their story. I’ve just rushed to the end of my agenda and essentially said, “Yeah, yeah, regardless of what’s going on with you and your whole situation, I’d like to send you this friend suggestion to connect withJesus. Here you go, vaya con dios stranger.”

-"Prodigal Jon" - Stuff Christians Like Blog

Hello, Everybody

2009-01-22T15:53:00.003-06:00

We take greetings for granted. It's such a little thing yet it can mean so much . So...here's the article I was telling you all about last night (p. 108 from the Dec 2008 edition).

*****

What If You Said Hello to Everyone In Your Path for a Month?
11 things you can learn from one small change.
By Joe Kita

Hello. It's one of the first words we learn as babies, yet it's one of the last ones we think to use as adults. In our never-ending rush to get something or somewhere, it seems we don't have time anymore for this most basic of gestures. And that's unfortunate, because saying hello is more than just saying hello. It is an acknowledgment of existence. It is a pause, however brief, to affirm another's worth (and have yours affirmed in return). How might the world change-how might we change—if we mastered this word? To find out, I spent one month saying hello to every person I met. That meant strangers on the street, people in cyberspace, and even myself in the mirror every morning. Here's what I learned:

1. It's not as easy as you think. Age gives us a crust, like the film on refrigerated pudding. Even though we may still be soft deep down, that's not what others see.....MORE>>>

"Quote"

2009-01-21T16:20:00.002-06:00

We're supposed to be a partisan country. That's the way the founding fathers intended for us to move forward. People have strong views on both sides of an issue. Argue it out. Fight it out, just like they did in that summer of 1787 when they were writing the Constitution -- and then ultimately both sides make compromises in order to achieve consensus, and then you move the country forward.

-Colin Powell

'09 Journal: The Place To Be

2009-01-21T13:58:00.004-06:00

...but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
-Exodus 2.15

I see a theme developing in Genesis & Exodus. If you are an old testament guy looking for a mate then head to the local watering hole. It worked for Moses, Isaac, & Jacob.

"Quote"

2009-01-20T16:15:00.002-06:00

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand -- true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.

-Civil rights leader Joseph E. Lowery's closing prayer at the inauguration- quoting the final stanza of James Weldon Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

See full transcipt & video HERE>>>

Inauguration Day & Kids For Christ

2009-01-20T16:06:00.002-06:00

As I take in the inauguration of Barack Obama I'm thinking of the dear ones that Uncle Joe & some of you serve so faithfully every Tuesday.

What a day! They now have every encouragement to dream big.