I don’t see it as a “job” or a burden, I see it as a privilege. Also, I don’t get it right all the time, and sometimes I absolutely blow it.Every year (usually in the beginning of each new year) I ask the people of Oasis for PERMISSION to be their pastor. I truly consider …
Hey friends, YES, our culture and country is literally spiraling downward. It’s obvious. You can see it in your feed, you can see it all over the news, and if you cannot see it, it’s because you aren’t looking. But if any of you think that you have the right to look down your nose …
Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Bill, and I am a slave to Jesus Christ. Yes I said slave. What I mean is, I’ve devoted my entire life to Him and I am on a specific assignment from him. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to …
Lots of different people call themselves “christian,” but they don’t always see eye to eye on social issues. Just because someone doesn’t see things the way you do, doesn’t mean you should unfriend them or alienate them in some way. You should still welcome conversation with them and find ways to be unified. Perhaps some …
I read these 3 over the last 2 years, and they were great the first time around, but I’ve decided to read them again this fall. Something in me resonates deeply with the passion of these authors and their desire to move forward in spite of difficulty or obstacles. #1 – Andy Stanley’s “Irresistible” – …
#1 – I believe the potential for Oasis Church to do good and make an impact in our community is greater than it has ever been. #HereForGood #2 – I believe that the FOUNDATION of this desire to do good and make an impact in our community has to be the GOSPEL…any other foundation is …
The book of Revelation describes Jesus as the “ruler of the Kings of the world” This means He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He rules over every aspect of society: He is Lord over theThe Whitehouse, Congress, The Supreme Court… even our local Town Hall. He is King over CNN, …
I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Mr Dean Strickland. Just the other day I was telling Oasis about a few different men who were “like a dad” to me when I was living at the Falcon Childrens Home. Dean’s name was on that list. I’ll never forget the little moments with …
Hey Church!! Happy Friday! Here are a thousand thoughts, or as I usually call it, a brain dump! 😉 -My wife and I are celebrating her 29th birthday today, pray for us because I keep getting older while she stays the same age. -I’m preaching LIVE this Sunday! I’ve been prerecording everything this summer, but …
When I was a child my dad and his friends would drink beer, smoke joints, and play Axis & Allies (a board game that involves strategy and conquering the world). The smell of beer and weed permeated our tiny apartment in the ghetto of Oak Cliff, just south of downtown Dallas. My Dad is dead …
When COVID first hit, I starting focusing on the potentially negative outcomes for the church. I was concerned about the community, concerned about our small business owners, concerned about the money, concerned about Sunday morning, concerned about our future, etc. Not having a building of our own during this time has been very scary for …
Final Thought on battling discouragement… Have you ever been discouraged about the future? Maybe you’ve been asking the question, “what if?” What if I fail. What if they walk away. What if it breaks. What if… …I heard someone say “what i.f.” stands for WHAT. I. FEAR. One of the reasons people get so discouraged …
Following up on yesterdays post… Yesterday I started writing about discouragement. Near the end of that post, I wrote an entire list of the “types of people” who make me want to jump off a bridge… The person who thinks it is their gifting to point out every problem when an idea is discussed. The …
Discouragement / dis·cour·age·ment / disˈkərijmənt/ At some point, all of us face it… For me, there are plenty of days when I’m not hitting on all cylinders…especially lately. At times, COVID-19 has had me wondering if what I’m doing is actually making a difference. Back in March, I went from being a pastor to a …
There was a big push for churches to reach “millennials.” Every leadership conference I attended had at least one breakout session that was supposed to teach us the secrets about how to reach this entire generation of desperately lost snowflakes. One session at a conference in North Raleigh felt more like a discovery channel commentary …
Because of this, Oasis became a place where people truly belonged before they believed, and they were accepted even if they weren’t “behaving” like a Christian. Like you, I have seen plenty of churches advertise something like “belong before you believe” or something similar, but for me this phrase was so much more than a …
Our church services were getting better and better. I was proud to invite my friends to church on Sundays. Joel and Matt were doing an incredible job building their ministry teams to accommodate the growth we were experiencing. There was one girl on the worship team named Kate who had been a contestant on the …
Im sorry y’all My recent string of blog posts might be confusing, let me clarify. I’m not writing this to teach you anything or to motivate you in some way. In fact, you probably won’t learn anything except how inept and unqualified I am as a leader/pastor. My intention with these posts is to present …
The next week I was sitting across from Todd on our home office couch, deliberating in my head whether or not I should go get a counseling degree or complete some kind of training. I recalled the countless other scenarios from when I was a youth pastor that should have clued me in on the …
One day, after 3 back to back coffee meetings with a couple of staff members and a new family in our church, I noticed that my phone had about thirty unread text messages. A twenty-something year old married guy who I actually considered a friend was relentlessly texting me. He requested that I call him …