May 15, 2012

Don’t forget about the make-up retreats for Learning to Love the Master. Men, your retreat is June 8 – 10. Women, your retreat is June 29 – July 1. The cost is $225, but the Oasis will pay half, so your cost is only $112.

The SUN home church is still collecting diapers, wipes and empty plastic shopping bags to benefit the Crisis Pregnancy Center. SUN will accept donations THIS Sunday only. The goal is to fill the Oasis trailer, so look for it in the parking lot when you bring your items. Thanks for serving moms!

On Sunday, we continued our four-week series, Building a Healthy Home. If you missed the first message on God’s Plan for Marriage, or this week’s message on God’s Plan for Parenting, you can hear them by clicking here.

When I see young children misbehave, I remember that the problem with most kids is their parents! We let our kid’s behavior define us, which leads to manipulation. Some of us tend to be controlling, and others tend to be permissive. Either way, our kids pay for our unwillingness to hold them accountable for their own actions.

So, how do we let our kids become responsible for their own choices and prepare them for life?

1. Model a godly life. Far more is caught than taught, so choose to love your spouse and be consistent. Apologize when you fail.

2. Spend time with your kids. Make memories and have fun together!

3. Offer real encouragement. Call out your child’s beauty and strength. Tell them you love them.

4. Prepare them for life. You are your child’s spiritual leader and life trainer. Teach them what they need to know in order to succeed in life.

3. Provide consequences for disobedience. Give them a dose of reality when they rebel. Let them taste the pain of the real world in a safe place.

April 26, 2012

Don’t forget about the upcoming Learning to Love the Master retreats. Men, if you missed the first one, the make-up retreat is June 8 – 10. The cost is $225, but the Oasis will pay half, so your cost is only $112. Please register ASAP, but no later than April 29^th.  Women, your retreat is coming up May 4 – 6. The cost is $75/home church members ($150/non-members). The deadline for women to sign up is Sunday, April 22. So, sign up now!

The SUN home church is collecting diapers, wipes and empty plastic shopping bags to benefit the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Tucson. This ministry counsels pregnant mothers and provides job training and assistance to new mothers. They have a great program that gives mothers free access to diapers, wipes, clothes, etc. along with training and classes that are crucial for establishing a nurturing home for their child. SUN will accept donations before and after church on April 29, May 6 and May 13. Their goal is to fill the Oasis trailer, so look for it in the parking lot when you bring your items. Thanks for serving moms!

On Sunday, we continued our 14-week series, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes by tackling Ecclesiastes 11.9 – 12.8 (Real Happiness). If you missed the message, you can hear it by clicking here.

The teacher challenged us to consider the fact that death is certain and all of us will one day stand before God. Therefore, as St. Augustine said, “love God and do what you like!”

Here are four ways we can do this: 1) Enjoy God’s gifts. Everything in this world is a temporary gift. Enjoy it while it lasts. 2) Find work you love. Life’s too short to live for 5.00pm or the weekend. Do something you enjoy doing. 3) Treasure people. Value people more than anything on this planet by making the most of the time you have. 4) Honor God’s boundaries. If you don’t live within God’s boundaries, you don’t really love him. You’re just fooling yourself. Love always requires obedience. Always.

April 2, 2012

Don’t forget about the upcoming Learning to Love the Master retreats. Men, if you missed the first one, the make-up retreat is June 8 – 10 (with John Cepin). The cost is $225, but the Oasis will pay half, so your cost is only $112. Please register ASAP, but no later than April 29^th.  Women, your retreat is coming up May 4 – 6. The cost is $75/home church members ($150/non-members). The deadline for women to sign up is Sunday, April 22. So, sign up now!

On Sunday, we took a break from our 14-week series, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes to celebrate Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Tory shared with us the power of Christ’s death. If you missed the message, you can hear it by clicking here.

Tory shared the powerful idea that life (ironically) comes only through death. First, Jesus had to die in order for us to know real life. Second, we have to die in order to live. We have to give up finding life apart from God if we want to live the life Jesus offers us, rather than the counterfeit life we make without Him.

So, accept the path that Jesus walks – a path of pain, loss and death. Recognize that joy comes only through walking into pain with your heart wide open, in order for God to heal your broken heart. All other paths offer less pain now, but there is no joy at the end. Joy – and real life – require confession, repentance and healing. But it’s well worth it!

This Sunday is the most important Sunday of the church year. Easter Sunday is also one of the two times in the church year when friends and family are most open to joining you for worship. So, don’t come alone! Pray right now that God will reveal someone you can invite to worship with you this weekend, particularly someone who needs to know that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection offer hope – hope that we can be forgiven, we can change, and we can live forever!

March 19, 2012

Last weekend, twelve Oasis men attended a Learning to Love the Master retreat in Hereford. It was a powerful experience for each of us, as we took time to write our God story and learn to recognized God’s presence and voice in our personal stories (the discipline of remembering). As Tory remarked, I’ve never seen grown men cry so much. And love it. Men, if you missed this retreat, stay tuned for a makeup retreat tentatively scheduled for late May. Women, your retreat is coming up May 4 – 6. The cost is $75/home church members ($150/non-members). The deadline to sign up is Sunday, April 22. So, sign up now!

On Sunday, we continued our 14-week series, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes. We covered Ecclesiastes 7:13-29. If you missed the message, you can hear it soon by clicking here.

The Teacher reminds us that neither God nor His world can be manipulated to suit us. Therefore, we must learn to completely abandon ourselves and our future to God alone. We can learn to do this when we: 1) Recognize anger for what it is: evidence of a blocked goal (unless it’s righteous anger). Ask yourself, what illegitimate goal did someone just block? 2) Take your longings to God in prayer and ask him to either give you what you desire or change your heart. 3) Refuse to take shortcuts. If God says, “no,” learn to wait. Trust Him. Don’t take matters into your own hands. If you do, you just may get what you want and pay the price of God’s discipline!

Sunday is our fifteenth anniversary as a church! Hope and I arrived here on March 21, 1997.  Since then, we’ve watched God grow the Oasis and change lives in the process. At times, it’s been difficult and discouraging work, but we’ve also had the opportunity to watch God do amazing things in your lives. That makes it worth all the pain, sweat and effort! So, join us this Sunday as we celebrate this important milestone with a birthday cake and our annual servant of the year award.

March 5, 2012

On Saturday, eighteen people attended Creating Healthy Home Churches! That’s the best attendance we’ve ever had for the final part of our mentoring path. We covered the mission, agenda and purposes of our home churches. We discussed how to make home churches healthy and how to keep them healthy. If you haven’t been through this one-day seminar yet, make plans to attend the next one in November. Our longing is for every home church member to complete all four parts of our mentoring path.

Right now, our home churches are focusing on part two of our mentoring path: Learning to Love the Master (or Experiencing God). This Friday evening through Sunday (noon) retreat equips you to practice the spiritual discipline of remembering. The men’s retreat is this weekend (March 9 – 11) and the women’s retreat is May 4 – 6. The cost is $75/home church members ($150/non-members). The deadline for men to sign up has passed, but if you contact us immediately, we can still make room for one or two guys. Women, you’ll hear more about your retreat next week…

On Sunday, we continued our 14-week series, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes. Tory covered Ecclesiastes 7:13-29. If you missed the message, you can hear it by clicking here.

Tory reminded us that God made us for Himself, but we prefer to dig our own wells. Our hearts are deceitful, and – apart from God – hopeless. But the good news is that in Christ, we have been given new hearts that desire to please God and have the capacity to please God. But we must recognize that we are new creations and exercise the new hearts God has given us. Here’s how:    1) Engage in meaningful spiritual community. Are you in a home church? Are you sharing your story with your home church and inviting them into it?  2) Make time for silence every day. Turn off the radio or go for a walk. Get away from the noise and listen to God. Invite him to give you the strength you need to live from your new heart.

February 24, 2012

I’ve enjoyed our current message series, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes. Over the last few weeks we’ve talked about sharing our lives with one another (including kids in crisis), developing a sincere desire to please God and refusing to let the love of stuff rob our joy. Those who wanted more information on Arms of Love Foster Care can go here or here. You can listen to any of these messages by clicking here.

On Sunday, I challenged you not to let materialism steal your heart from God, the only one who can satisfy your deepest longings. Here are four practical steps to contentment: 1) Enjoy what you have. Too often, we don’t take time to enjoy what we already have with the people we love. So, stop and smell the flowers. 2) Share with others. We possess many things, but God owns everything. And he wants us to share what we have with others. 3) Pray before buying stuff. Avoid impulse purchases. Wait, pray, and talk about it with others first. 4) Give generously. Begin with 10% of your gross income. Then give to other good causes. And if you save another 10% of your income, you’ll need to learn how to live on 70% (or less) of your net income. That’s where you’ll find true contentment. So, how are you doing so far?

We have a couple of important activities coming up in the next few weeks. Creating Healthy Home Churches, part four of our mentoring path, is March 3 from 9am to 3pm (at the Oasis office). Lunch and materials are provided at no charge. This seminar will show you how to make and keep your home church healthy. Sign up on your communication card this Sunday or contact the church office at 207-6635.

The second big event is the men’s Learning to Love the Master retreat (part two of our mentoring path) March 9 – 11 (the women’s retreat will be May 4 – 6). The cost is $75/home church members ($150/non-members), but additional scholarships are available. Men, please RSVP as soon as possible. Don’t miss this life-changing weekend!

January 13, 2012

I hope each of you had a special Christmas & New Year. My parents were in town the week after Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. Since we may not return to Alabama in 2012, we savored every moment with the grandparents. One of the highlights for me was introducing my dad to a home basketball game at McKale Center. Fortunately, the Wildcats whipped the Sun Devils and put on quite a show. If you come across free basketball tickets, always keep your pastor and his wife in mind : )

I’m excited about our fourteen-week series that begins Sunday, The Key to Happiness: A Journey through Ecclesiastes. As I prepare for this series, I’m already challenged to make changes in my life, so that I may give myself to what truly matters (like people) rather than the tyranny of the urgent. More on this Sunday…

On Sunday, I gave our annual state of the church address. I reminded us that our mission is to turn unchurched people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ by developing spiritual leaders through our home churches and Sunday gathering. I challenged you to: 1) Join a home church this month. If you’re already in one, sign the membership agreement. If you’re not, find one that fits you; 2) Go through parts 2 through 4 of the mentoring path this year. Pay attention to the dates this spring (TBA) for LLM (Learning to Love the Master), a weekend retreat designed to help you recognize God’s presence in your life; 3) Pray for us as we look for land. Stay tuned for more information about property; and 4) Support the Oasis through your generosity. We need your financial support to fulfill our mission.

Two quick reminders: 1) I need your nominations for servant of the year. Please send me an email (dgainey@juno.com) with your nominee and why you think he or she deserves the honor this year. 2) The deadline for high school youth to register for Fuge (July 9 – 13, 2012) is Sunday, January 29. To register, we need a $50 deposit ASAP.

December 14, 2011

I had a blast last week at our annual Christmas Party. Forty-six adults turned out to eat, exchange gifts and enjoy one another’s company. The food was delicious and the gag gifts were hilarious; but the highlight was spending time with my spiritual family. Like fine wine, the Oasis continues to get richer and more satisfying over time. God is good.

Our annual business meeting took place this past Sunday morning. We elected new directors for 2012 (Elliott George, Lara Bands, Mitch D’Amour, Jill Cooper, Tom Weneck and Melissa Lazzeroni) and passed our 2012 budget. I’d like to thank Tory Ruark for his three years of service as a director. His input has made a huge difference. Normally, I would say that we’ll miss his presence, but he plans to attend the director meetings next year in his new role as assistant pastor.

I hope our six-week series on the Basic Habits (Spiritual Disciplines) of the Christian Life has challenged you to work on your spiritual life. We’ve covered silence, solitude, prayer, Bible reading, meditation (on Scripture), fasting, generosity, and simplicity. For more on the last two, see Tory’s article on page three.

On Sunday, I challenged you to practice two more disciplines – community and submission. God expects us to follow Christ’s example and voluntarily submit to each other. Here are four ways to live them out this week: 1) Put the needs of others before your own; 2) Choose to let others have their way; 3) Seek counsel from your home church; and 4) Pray for your home church.

I hope you plan to bring friends and/or family with you to our Christmas Eve Service at 7.00pm. This will be our last service for two weeks (we won’t meet on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day). I will present the good news, we’ll celebrate communion and sing Christmas carols by candlelight. Don’t miss it!

November 28, 2011

I hope each of you had a special Thanksgiving weekend. As I paused to express gratitude to God last week, my mind immediately turned to you – my spiritual family. You gave my family a generous bonus last week and my family is deeply grateful. As I shared on Sunday, we love each of you and thank God for the love you have shown us the last 14 years. You are too kind!

I hope you’re enjoying our six-week series on the Basic Habits (Spiritual Disciplines) of the Christian Life. Each of us is responsible for our own spiritual growth, and we have two distinct opportunities to grow: 1) Personal crises, which are out of our control but critical to our spiritual development; and 2) the spiritual disciplines, which are completely within our control if we choose to exercise them.

So far, we’ve covered silence, solitude, prayer, Bible reading, meditation (on Scripture) and fasting. In the weeks to come, we’ll cover simplicity, generosity, community, submission and Sabbath. On Sunday, I invited you to consider fasting and prayer in order to: 1) sharpen your prayers so that you can pray and listen more intently; 2) grieve (over death or sin); and 3) train your heart to hunger for God as your body craves food. I suggested that you begin with a partial, 24-hour fast.

A 24-hour fast means that you skip two meals. For instance, you would eat lunch and then avoid eating again until lunch the next day. Because it’s a partial fast, you consume fruit juices (rather than water) in the evening and morning rather than food. At the end of your partial fast, eat a simple meal of fruits and vegetables. This is a great way to get started.

The important thing to keep in mind is to use the time you would ordinarily spend eating in prayer and/or meditation on Scripture. Denying your body the food it craves can be uncomfortable, but the attention you give to your soul will pay huge dividends later.