My phone has over 1200 “notes” in it, most of which are to do lists…but often it’s just stuff I write when I can’t sleep or when I’m up early drinking coffee in the mornings. Here are 5 notes I wrote in my phone that I can’t stop re-visiting…if we don’t embrace these 5 things, we will have a hard time gaining momentum this fall.
#1 – We Must Clarify And Unite Around Our Vision – If people don’t know where we are going, or who we are becoming…then the people will attempt to go a hundred different directions and actually end up nowhere. Almost 4 years ago, our staff began a very long process of truly defining our vision and prayerfully considering our mission, vision, and values. Over the past 3 years we have re-written and re-communicated our vision. You can learn more about that at the bottom of the page at the following link. www.oasis.church/about
#2 – We Cannot Please Everyone – There is NOT a single church or church leader in the world who will make everyone happy week in and week out…besides…that isn’t really supposed to be our mission anyway. Too many times we become so concerned with offending people that we actually offend Jesus. The last person I want to offend is Jesus.
#3 – Our Leadership MUST reignite our passion – The staff doesn’t serve for a paycheck, the council doesn’t serve for a position or title, and the weekly volunteer team doesn’t do it for accolades. We do it because we are PASSIONATE about Jesus and His church, we love ministering to people, we believe God might use our effort to save someone’s soul. This is why we are committed and passionate.
#4 – We cannot neglect prayer – I cannot tell you how often I’ve worked on a sermon, or a video, or a blog post, or an idea, or something else creative, and did not pray before, during or through it. How in the world can we ever assume that there is no need for the supernatural power of God to be involved in EVERYTHING we do?! Prayer is not a thing we reserve for desperate situations or failing organs…but rather it should be our daily desperation for God to do the unexpected through us.
#5 – We Will Take Risks Again – Some of us have been playing it safe. We’ve been holding tightly to what “used to be” instead of letting go and pursuing all that God has for our future. We need to reclaim that risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit that is willing to do whatever it takes to reach people far from God. We’ve GOT TO start walking with more AUDACITY and more BOLDNESS.
I have to admit that I was not participating in services after a few months of Co-vid. I was burnt out as a teacher being virtual. I am not saying that I was not praying everyday. I continued to give myself to be the best teacher and person that I could be through the tough circumstances. I did not simply recognize people that were suffering- I reacted and volunteered to those in need and made anonymous gifts and supported as best as I could. I do admit that in May I was asking for prayer when I had the dog bite and was in the hospital. I should not have been disconnected with attending services virtually. I do know that Oasis is my home and I am so happy that I met Libby at Wal-Mart on the day back in 2019, simply looking at flowers. Conversation: I asked her what she was doing for Easter. She told me about Oasis. I responded that I wanted to find a church. She invited me and I attended and never looked back. I felt welcomed, but hesitated about the baptism. I was already baptized as an infant. After attending and becoming a member of Oasis, I realized how close I became with Jesus and my fellow peers at church. I was baptized on June 16, 2019. I am so blessed in so many ways. I had the strength to overcome many sins and to be able to be a part of an amazing church. I am blessed to have the people who are always there to lead me. Thank you for believing in me.
Those are some admirable goals. There’s nothing that can change the way you view and interact with the world as much as a good church can. You’ll change a lot of people’s lives for the better if you stick to these.