Launch

Proverbs 22:6 encourages us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

So far I’ve focused most of my parenting attention on the first half of the sentence. Now, with the launch of my second child to college (738 miles away), I am trusting on the second part.

Early in my life, I understood “train up a child” to mean, “teach them how to live.” Later, I understood “in the way he (or she) should go” to mean, “guide their personal discovery of their gifts.”

I trust that both have occurred, and will continue to occur as my children grow. I am now learning new ways to trust God when my direct influence on my sons is restricted by distance. God is never restricted. Trusting God never stops.

My largest challenge is trusting God when it appears that my children are departing from the path he set before them. The space between my understanding of God’s plan for my children’s lives, and his actual plan for their lives can be deep and wide.

I don’t want them to suffer in anyway, ever. But I have learned that suffering often leads to a closer relationship with God, and ultimately, a return to God’s path.

So, I will continue to pray for the success of my children, both at home, and away. I will trust God’s protection over them always. I am forever thankful for a wonderful loving Father.

Kevin Bibo

Authentic Worship

I beg You to come into my heart, for by inspiring it to long for You, You make it ready to receive You. –St. Augustine

Several Bible passages tell us that the fear of God is where wisdom begins (Proverbs 9:10, for example).  If we are to be truly wise, we must understand who He is.  All of creation was based on His character.  His heart is written into the fabric of every part of the universe, even if sin obscures it.

Those who find understanding will be those who can recognize the imprint of God in the depths and design of creation.  They will be fervent observers of the way He deals with humanity.  They will take their cues from Him.

Proverbs 15:8 tells us something profound about our Creator.  He desires the essence of worship more than its demonstration.  In Old Testament times, the sacrifice would have most often been an animal or a grain offering.  Today, it comes from our finances at one level and out time and talents at others.  In any case, it is not the gift that matters most.  God already owns everything.  What really matters is the heart of the giver.  Why?  Because things do not honor God nearly as much as a devoted, living being.

Why does God hate the sacrifice of the wicked?  Because it is superficial.  It is an attempt to brush Him off and get on with the self-life.  It bears the appearance of devotion, but there is nothing of relationship in it – no love, no honor, no passion.

This tells us volumes about the One who made us.  He is no distant force, a cosmic “first cause” who observes us from afar.  He is deeply, intensely personal.

Have we really considered the implications of this?  It means that when we think He is far off, He isn’t.  It means that those deep longings in our hearts – you know, the ones that leave agonizing, gaping holes when unfulfilled – are longings He wants to satisfy in the right way at the right time.

It means that your soul is a place of warm communion, not cold solitude.  It means that what you thought was too good to be true – His unconditional love and His enjoyment of your personality – is real.

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.  –Proverbs 15:8

With love to Oasis Church,

A loyal Oasis member

A Community of Grace

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues. – John Stott

Wisdom is always lived in community.  The popular image of the guru hidden in a  mountain monastery or of the sage out in the wilderness is intriguing, but it is not the Biblical pattern.

God has gifted His people with interdependent gifts.  They can only be exercised in the body of believers.

What does this body look like?  It’s the body of Christ, His physical presence in this world, so it should look like Him.  The picture Paul paints in Colossians 3:16 is ideal:  A fellowship that is rich in the Word, sharpening each other’s understanding, singing with joy and gratitude – not just when the leader directs, but out of the overflow of the heart – is the kind of fellowship that reflects the peace and perfection of Jesus.

But is it real?  Don’t we question the validity of such a spectacle and accuse it of superficiality?  Don’t we just know there are deeper issues that the community is suppressing?

That is the beauty of the body of Christ.  If it is real, there is no suppression.  It is a more realistic danger for Christians to suppress the joy of faith in order to fit better with this world than to suppress the ways of the world in order to express joy.  And gratitude, singing, and mutual admonition do not imply that there are no problems in life.  In fact, they depend on the problems. 

God has entered the context of this broken planet to show mercy, love, and peace.  The fellowship that really believes is one that lets Him show those things within it.

Let us continue to cultivate this kind of community at Oasis.  It simply must begin with individuals, and we might as well be those individuals.  Has God been gracious?  Be gracious.  Has God forgiven?  Forgive.  Has God healed? Then heal.  The church is to mirror the Savior – the Bible calls it a reflection of His glory.

The result is a community of grace.  It lives grace, breathes grace, speaks grace.  And it begins when someone decided, as Paul say, to “let it.”

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16

Love to you all,

From a loyal Oasis member

The Latest and Greatest

With each passing generation, one thing always stands out: Progress.

We see this in almost every aspect of our lives and culture.

There are ever changing advancements and improvements in the world around us. Science, medicine, technology, you-name-it, we are a society of  “The Latest and Greatest.”

While this never ending quest to create cutting edge (fill in the blank) is no doubt beneficial and in many cases necessary, the by-product of this continuum has programmed us into somewhat of a disposal mentality.

Your cell phone is over two years old? Upgrade.

Your DVD player is not BluRay? Buy one that is. 

Out with the old and in with the new, right?

What happens when this way of thinking spills over into our relationships? 

Your friend lets you down?  See ya.

Your spouse is not meeting your needs?  Someone else will.

The people at your work are annoying? Find a new job.

What is even more disheartening is when this disposal mentality reaches the church. The Bible calls the church the body of Christ.  Each member of the body plays a vital role in the health and growth of the body.  

However, if we’re constantly looking for the latest and greatest instead of investing our lives in one another and in the work that God calls us to, His church will suffer.

Let’s get back to basics on this.

God’s Word is God’s Word: no improvement necessary.

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.”   Jeremiah 6:16

Dina Pugh