oasisCHURCH

I have secret admirers Apparently

I have secret admirers

Apparently my blog has quickly become the subject of the wrath of angry, embittered religious people who have no names or contact information. When people write nasty, unwarranted things, and make bogus accusations about you it is difficult to not want to take jabs right back. In fact, my first instinct is to go Fight Club on them (oh, if you were to read all of the posts I had typed but decided to delete). But I chose not to post my initial instinctive reactions, not because I'm trying to show how great of a person I am, but because the Holy Spirit beat me to the punch. Before I could hit the "enter" button on my keyboard I knew I would not be showing a Christ-like spirit, who... "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23). I have already retaliated a little, or at least defended myself. It's difficult not to. I confess that weakness in me. But I am reminded by the Holy Spirit and by the Word He inspired (the scriptures) that when you live an above reproach life no defense is necessary. The comments of my closest friends have proven that. I thank you for your kind words. Of course, don't be surprised if you are not the next target of attack... sayng that "you are blinded by my slippery-ness and ingenious trickery, etc." If so, just smile, pray for the accuser, and let it be (what a great song).

+ + Lord, give me the strength to completely ignore any and all anonymous posts from this point forward. Help me to live my life, operate, and respond to only that which I know, not according to that which I speculate. This is the pathway to Truth. I want to operate in Truth and Truth only. Keep me from being distracted from the ministry I have with people who actually do have names, faces, and voices... and take away my instinct to respond to anyone who does not. I love you Jesus. I meditate on Your Word...

For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
"He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. + +

By the way, I have uploaded a few family gathering photos from Thanksgiving.

Memory Lane… Last night at

Memory Lane…

Last night at dinner we took some time to go around and ask one another what we were thankful for, and then Brock prayed an incredible prayer. He began the “thanks” by saying that he was thankful for everything that happens at Thanksgiving, from going to the Mawmaw and Pawpaws’ houses, to the turkey, to the football. Kaylee said she was thankful for Brock (it was so precious), and puppy. April said she was thankful for having such a wonderful family who are healthy love each other. I said that I am thankful for all the little ways God steps in and makes our lives so special, and went on to recall a few stories from the past week… just little things that happened around the house, or things the kids said. Then Brock prayed, he sounded so grown up.

But today as I sit and ponder the holiday that we are now enjoying, my mind is going in a different direction. I am thinking about THE most important thing in all the world to me; that one thing for which I am MOST thankful… knowing Jesus Christ. In order for me to be thankful for that relationship I must pause and say “thank you” to everyone along the journey of my life who helped me get to that relationship.

It began with my parents. They were both raised in a home that revered and worshipped Jesus, so the background of Christianity was already there before I was ever conceived. Thank you to my grandparents and great-grandparents. My parents cared about my spiritual well-being, and so they became involved in a fellowship of believers, a church, who helped us grow in our knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is. That church was the Middleport Church of Christ. I am thankful for all the wonderful people who helped my parents lead me to a relationship with Jesus. These were the people who told me the gospel over and over and over again. Them, combined with me seeing the Gospel modeled at home as well as talked about, is what eventually led me, at age 12, to surrender my will to the will of God and make Jesus my Lord and Savior. My dad baptized me… with tears. I can still remember the moment like it was yesterday. Before I graduated high school I knew that God had placed a calling on my life… to preach the Gospel. I decided as a teenage boy to become like my youth pastor, Richard. My first years in youth ministry (while I was in Bible college at Kentucky Christian College) I did everything just like Richard did. I knew that God had anointed him to do good works, because he had done a good one in me. Thank you God, for the godly men and women who led me to service in your kingdom.

From the time adulthood began for me God was molding and shaping my journey in so many different ways… and he continues to do that to this day. Thank you to the people who taught me how to study His Word… who taught me how to give my all in worship… who taught me to dream big dreams… who taught me to seek the impossible in faith that God will do just that… who taught me to love the unlovable… who taught me to love mercy… to seek wisdom… to act justly… and to walk humbly with God. I could never be where I am today, doing the things that I love the most, among the people whom I love the most, if it weren’t for all of the faithful followers of Christ who helped me along the way. I could never name them all. But I will try to name a few who come to mind…

Mom and Dad; all my grandparents; Jared; Dorothy; Big Bob and Debbie; Al and Donna; Richard and Shelly; my entire childhood church family; Dr. Ford; Louie; Dr. Hampton; my entire KCC family; Larry; Susan; Don (the King); my entire Waverly family; Charles and Ruth; Dave and Ann; Dennis and Jodi; Steve and Beth; Jamie and Wendy; Keith and Kelly; Scott and Lori; John and Carolyn; Pat and Angie; my entire St. Louis family; Louie and Robyn; Vic and Shelly; Brian and Sarah; Matt and Danita; my entire Wauseon family; and now my journey has led me back, close to where I first began, and the molding continues… some with the some, and some with different people.

But to all who have helped me get to where I am today. Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We just sang “Oh la

We just sang “Oh la la la la la la la la”

I was on the floor in Kaylee’s room, Brock was sitting across from me, Kaylee in her bed. With my guitar I had played all the songs that are normally requested by my kids at bedtime… Open The Eyes of My Heart, The Happy Song, and Your Everlasting Love. After those I usually try to play a few songs that are less familiar to them, thinking that they will get bored and fall asleep. But Brock stayed with me. I kept playing and singing, he just sang “la la la la la la la la.” Before long I found myself in an intimate state of worship, with the Holy Spirit of God very present in the room with us. I just played, and played… then looked over at Brock and said, “Just keep singing whatever you want, even if it isn’t real words. Just sing whatever feels good to sing.” And together, “we just sang Oh la la la la la la la la.”

Kind of reminds me of a song (one of the pastors of Oasis had to introduce the song to me, because it is of the “country” genre, to which I never listen). But the words go like this:

And the band played
Songs that we had never heard
But we danced anyway
We never understood the words
We just sang
Oh la la la la la la la la
And we danced anyway

I don’t know the author of that song, but I wonder if they know they’ve created a simple theology on the gift of tongues. The apostle Paul describes the gift of tongues as a “self-edifying” gift… one which makes no known common sense to the mind… but “feels good” in your spirit. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit… He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself… If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:2,4,14-15 NIV).

“Sing with my spirit.” Kind of like “oh la la la la la la la.” The gift of tongues is such a hot topic in most small groups in the church. Whenever things seem dull and dry in the group, all you need is someone to pop up and say, “So what do you think about the gift of tongues?” Wheeew boy! Some circles of fellowship avoid the question. Some flat out ignore it. But ultimately, what is the reason for dancing around the “tongues” question? I think it is uncertainty. It is one of those issues in scripture that most of the church seems a bit uncertain about how to take it… maybe not so much as how to interpret it as how to apply it. I mean… if a church decides “We don’t believe in the gift of tongues for today,” then the question they must face is, “Well, how did you interpret that? The scripture seems to clearly state not to forbid such a gift, and in fact, encourages the church to enjoy it on and individual basis.” But if a church decides, “Yes, we believe the gift of tongues is an available gift for today,” then the question that church must face is, “Well, how are you teaching it and utilizing it in your fellowship?” Either way, the questions are difficult to answer, and sometimes it just becomes easier to ignore the issue altogether.

“Ignore.” The word itself implies “ignorance.” So I try not to ignore too many things anymore. Therefore I will answer some straight forward questions. These are personal questions I have often been asked about the gift of tongues:

Do you sing or pray in tongues? If so, how often?

Yes. Not as often as I probably should. But every time I do I come away from the experience with an amazing clarity and uplifted spirit. If I was in a foul mood, I am encouraged. If was confused or worried, I have peace. Just like Paul said, it edifies me.

How did you first discover the gift of tongues? What happened?

The first step in “discovering” the gift was believing… believing that it was real, and that God wanted me to enjoy it as a gift He gave me to experience intimate times of prayer and worship with Him. The next step was just trying it. I was in a worship service where the music was being played very loudly (that was important… for I didn’t want anyone to hear me… which I happen to believe is a correct way to view the gift, as mostly a private one to be used between you and God). Anyway, I was standing there with my hands up in the air. I had been praying that God would help me to experience the gift of tongues. I didn’t fully understand it, but I knew I didn’t have to fully understand it in order to experience it (thank God for that, otherwise we would never experience anything… not even salvation… I know I don’t understand it!). In that moment of worship I wanted so badly to give God more. I wanted to say more, but words could not express how I felt at that moment. So I just uttered sounds from the pit of my stomach (or the bottom of my heart). These sounds, like Paul said, made no sense to my mind, but my spirit knew exactly what I was doing. I was giving God more than any words could express to Him. And only He and I heard it.

How do you know if you are doing it right?

This is a question I have heard often. I even struggled with this a little the next morning after I had first worshipped in tongues. I was sitting there going through in my mind the words (or syllables) I had uttered in worship, and thinking to myself, “That’s just gibberish. Anyone can do that.” EXACTLY! Anyone, and everyone can do it. When the gift of tongues is discussed in scripture there is mention of a right time, place, and use for the gift… but no mention of the right way to do it. What are the words? What is “real” tongues? My guess is, the reason there is no mention of “how to” do it the right way is because there is no right words or wrong words. Think about it… if there were, then we would understand them… with our minds. And Paul says our minds are unfruitful when the gift of tongues is being used. It has nothing to do with your mind. That’s hard for us, because we want to analyze everything, break it down and exegete it so that it makes good sense before we adopt it. The reason this gift has caused so much unrest is probably because it is a gift that does not involve the mind. That’s hard for a Western, American, modernized Christian to accept.

But what about those verses about needing an interpreter? Shouldn’t someone be able to interpret what is being said?

If you read the complete instruction Paul is giving to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 14), he is rebuking them for speaking in tongues in a corporate manner… everyone together, or separately, out loud in a worship setting. Basically he is saying, “Don’t do that.” But then he says, “I’m not saying ‘don’t speak in tongues,’ in fact I’d like for all of you to. I’m just saying ‘don’t do it in this way’.” Apparently what was happening was that many people in the Corinthian church were enjoying the gift of tongues, but it was no longer a private, intimate experience between them and the Lord. They had made it a regular public worship experience. Imagine walking into a church gathering where everyone was shouting and singing gibberish! I know it wouldn’t take me long to turn around and walk back out the door! Paul’s entire instruction in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 is regarding those mysterious gifts such as tongues and prophecy, and how to use them so that the church is edified, not made to look like a circus. He explains that if the gift of tongues happens to be spoken publicly, it must be connected with the gift of prophecy… meaning, someone must be there to interpret in such a way that edifies the church. Left otherwise, it is nothing but gibberish and does not edify the church, and should therefore be kept to yourself.

What if you’re wrong?

Just like any interpretation issue, I do my best to seek truth in reading the scripture in context, studying the history and the original language, and digging into reference works and commentaries for additional scholarly opinions, but I realize I still could be wrong. So what if I am. I’d rather be wrong about this than be wrong about the resurrection of Jesus. This is not a salvation issue. I do not believe that you aren’t saved until you speak in tongues. It, like most other gifts God offers to the church, is available for us to receive. The fact is we will only receive the gifts we really want. God doesn’t force Himself onto us. He offers. We can choose to accept or deny. It really is that simple. You’re body will not be overtaken and go into some state of hypnosis when you accept this gift. Just like all others, it is subject to your control. It is a “spiritual” gift… however, our minds still choose whether or not we are going to use even a spiritual gift.

Whether you choose to worship and/or pray in tongues really makes no difference to me. I will not be changed, encouraged, strengthened, comforted, either way you choose. The gift of tongues for you is just that… for you. When words come to an end, but you still desire to communicate with God, your Father, Who is over and above all languages… then go for it. Step out there. Give it a try. It won’t hurt anyone. The fact is there really is someone who can understand your worship and prayer in tongues. God does. He knows how to interpret your “Oh la la la la la la la.” He knows what you are trying to say. And He often will come to you in those moments and whisper, “I hear you. I know.”

I do not want to miss any more of those opportunities in my life with God. That is why I choose to sing in the spirit. That is why I encourage my children to do the same. And I encourage you…

When the band plays
Even a song you’ve never heard
Dance anyway
Even if you don’t understand the words
Just sing
Oh la la la la la la la la
And dance anyway

More "kid" stories In the

More "kid" stories

In the "comments" below people will often post their own stories when they are reminded of one after reading my blog. Des posted one that reminded me of another story that has happened recently. You can read it in the comments below Monday's blog.

In Des' story he mentioned that one of his boys probably "overheard" Joni and him discussing the cost of a new car, and how true that is. I know Brock and Kaylee "overhear" April and me praying about things (mostly because we make it a point to do it with them or in front of them). But anyway... every now and then we will have a tight week financially, where there might be two or three bills up in the air, and an uncertainty of whether or not we will make it to the end of the week. In those times we recognize there is little we can do, so rather than fight or worry about it, we've decided to just ask God to give us money... in whatever way He would choose to do it. Whether it be a tax refund check, or an odd job that one of us can fulfill, we just say, "any way You can." Well, one day we were praying this prayer on our way to drop Brock off at preschool, he heard it... and when I picked him up after preschool he had a gift for me. He had created a $1000 bill with my name on it, and presented it to me. He said, "God told me to give this to you." Of course, I bawled.

Actually, tha tvery same day we went to our mailbox to find an insurance refund check (how often do those come?!). I was sure to show Brock the "extra" money God had provided... while the $1000 bill is still taped to my mirror beside my bed.

Last night when we got

Last night when we got home from our full day of activity... the Oasis worship gathering; purchasing more turkey dinnners; delivering turkey dinners; going to final The Music Man performance; and then to the cast and crew party at the Wild Horse Restaurant... finally we arrived home and were carrying things inside when I noticed this little cup with Brock's name on it and a few dollars inside. I asked April what it was for, and here is the story. She almost couldn't get through it she was laughing so hard.

Brock said that the cup was his "tip cup." He was using it to make money for his drums (he's been saving for quite a while to buy his own drum set). Well, this was his idea yesterday. He made a "tip cup" by writing his name on a piece of paper and taping it onto the cup, then he placed it right next to the Oasis offering bucket on the communion table. When April saw it she asked him what he was doing. He replied, "I'm trying to make money for my drums, so I'm putting my tip cup right here next to the offering bucket." She said, "Well, honey, you can't do that. You have to earn your money." To which he replied, "Well, I am Mom. I'm earning my money just like Jesus does."

Wheeeew boy!!!

Here's a few photos from the events of the day.

And a new Oasis Newsletter.

Had a great time of

Had a great time of fellowship this evening with Louie, Vic, Brian, and Jerry from Wauseon... and Mark Murray from Waverly. We gathered at our house to introduce Mark to the boys from Wauseon Oasis and to talk about the "brother relationships" our churches share.

Here are some photos from the evening.

Very busy week There is

Very busy week

There is a good chance I will not be able to blog much this week, but I will try when I can. I am the sound tech for the production of "The Music Man" in Middleport this weekend. They are having dress rehearsals every night this week. We (the Oasis family) have our Thanksgiving outreach this Sunday, and so we’re making last minute preparations for that this week. But I will still post my thoughts as they come. Such as below… maybe these thoughts will generate enough discussion for the entire week.

Mercy Ministry

Is it institutional? Or is it personal? Can it be both? Which would endure longer in the body of Christ? These are all questions I have considered this week as I have done much pondering on the area of mercy ministry. I’ve seen it happen both ways. I’ve experienced it both ways. I’ve given money in an offering bucket knowing that a certain percentage of my gift was going to be used to help those in need. I have written checks for good causes, knowing my money will bless someone in some way. I have given clothes to the coordinator of a clothing ministry. I have given cans of food to a group who was organizing to deliver them to people in need. I’ve done that. But I have also… reached into my pocket as God leads and have given all of my cash to someone personally. I have taken clothes directly to a person’s home and handed them to them and prayed with them. I have delivered canned food and meals to people who need a special blessing. I have given my possessions to people to use if they were in need of it. I have opened my home for people who needed an affordable place to live for long periods of time. Which scenarios of mercy ministry do you think have had a longer lasting impression… relationally? It’s easy for me to answer. And if you’ve ever done any of those things it is probably easy for you to answer as well. Personal mercy ministry always has a deeper, longer lasting, effect than institutionalized mercy ministry.

I am not suggesting that institutional mercy ministry is wrong, or something we ought to just forget about. It obviously does much good as well. But I think to rely on it as our primary involvement in mercy ministry is a little superficial… and I doubt we would ever know the abundance of life in "doing for the least of these." Doing for the least of these just isn’t the same when you never actually interact with the "least of these." The institution acts as a "middle man" in mercy ministry. And it robs us of the full joy we could experience if we just did it ourselves. Personally helping those God places in our path will never break down… whereas institutional ways of helping people in need have a way of breaking down.

It’s just something to think about. Don’t mistake my thinking out loud as dissatisfaction for an institutionalized mercy ministry. The only time I would be dissatisfied with such would be if it stood alone in a fellowship of believers as the sole way members of God’s family were giving to those in need. When it comes to weekly offerings in the church, I would almost rather encourage people to set aside a percentage amount of their offering and use it to personally help someone in need that week… rather than relying on "the church" as an institution to take their percentage and do something with it. Maybe putting the money back into the members' hands and saying, "Go find someone to bless this week," maybe that's the way to do it. An interesting thought. Maybe, rather than having one centralized food pantry for the church, maybe everyone should set up a personal food pantry in their own home… and look for ways to bless those in their surrounding neighborhood that week. Hmmm…

What do you think?

Another Encouraging Sunday Gathering Today

Another Encouraging Sunday Gathering

Today we wrapped up our "Celebrate Kids" series with April teaching on praying for our children. You can download it here. If you are interested in the entire series you can download all five teachings fromthe column on the right. We are also going to make CDs of the series available to purchase.

I also uploaded a few photos from this morning's gathering.

Flash floods in southeast Ohio

Flash floods in southeast Ohio wouldn't allow my mother-in-law to make it to Athens to be with Brock and Kaylee today, so it turned my normal "office day" into another "kid day," which is fine with me. We stuck with the plan... went to Donkey and sat down for a cappuccino, then walked around uptown and prayed and took some pictures. You can see them on my foto blog.

Dora the Explorer is teaching

Dora the Explorer is teaching my kids crude language

I was sitting in the kitchen this morning as Brock and Kaylee were watching one of Kaylee's favorite shows, "Dora the Explorer"... a very interactive show where Dora encourages the kids to yell back spanish words to her while she is on her mission. Well, it's always funny to be in the other room and to hear the kids shouting spanish words at the television anyway... but today one word in particular caught my attention. Apparently, during today's show Dora and Boots (her pet monkey) were up on a mountain and needed to get down, so they wanted everyone to shout the spanish word for down... "abajo." Well, the pronunciation of "abajo" is what caught my attention... or at least the way my kids heard it. As they were watching Dora with anticipation, and just wanting to be faithful to shout the word she gave them so they could make it down off of the mountain... all of a sudden I hear from my living room, Brock and Kaylee shouting... " A butthole! A butthole!"

I jumped up and said... "What did Dora want you to say?" Brock, as serious as could be, shrugged his shoulders and said, "A butthole dad. That's what she said."

I had to go into the other room, I was laughing so hard.