Deacon David's update

The Oasis Renewal Center has been open a year now and we are amazed at the blessings God has given us, and we are so grateful for all of the help we have received along the way.  Thank You!

Susan and I are now living in Sonoita full time and making the adjustment to a simpler, more focused life.  We were without internet service for several days in July - seems the satellite system does not work in the rain and the Monsoons have started.  There have been lots of other challenges along the way.  Yet we know we are called to serve and we have never been so happy together.  We have made the Oasis our calling and our mission and we have been richly blessed.

Here are some of the highlights from the last year:

• ·        In 2013 we had more than 25 guests come stay with us and grow closer to the Lord;

• ·       This year we have had several larger groups, including 9 pastors one weekend and a church group of 8 adults, 5 kids (and a dog!) on another;

• ·        In April we held a Men’s Retreat which was spectacular and transformative. All of the men who attended came away feeling closer to God and with a clearer understanding of His call in their lives;

• ·        We had several individual and small group retreats through the spring; so far we’ve had more guests in the first half of this year than we had all last year!

• ·        Roxy and Zorro proven their worth time and again as therapy dogs; providing unconditional love to everyone they meet.

We continue to work at making the Oasis a quiet, relaxing and safe retreat for those who want to get closer to God.  We finished the process of drilling the new well even after the drill rig almost sank into the mud! 

We have also been working on the walking paths and gardens around the property. The Oasis is located on 16 rolling acres, covered in Oak and Juniper – teeming with wildlife. Our walking paths provide the opportunity to pray and reflect in solitude or with others.  We now have more than a mile of walking paths.  This fall we will be planting raised garden beds, and installing irrigation and drains.  Next spring we will plant a variety of fruits and vegetables that will feed us and our guests. 

We have been blessed with so much support and are very grateful to all of those who have helped.  Our goal is to continue to improve the property and the amenities to create a restful and worshipful place for everyone who wants to be closer to God.  We received more than $30,000 in donations in the past year from a number of generous donors.  This year we are hoping to fund several new projects and every donation helps, no matter how small. 

If you can’t make a monetary donation, please consider volunteering some of your time to help us at the Oasis.  We will provide lodging and great meals in exchange for some help around the property.  There is plenty to do no matter what your skill level.  And up here in the mountains the weather is fantastic and cool, unlike the Valley of the Sun (or the “Surface of the Sun,” as it is fondly referred to during the summer).  Come visit! www.oasisrenew.com

Change

Ben Franklin once said something along the lines of "the only things that are constant in life are death and taxes." I would like to add another constant: Change.

While it is true that we all die will eventually, and that taxes are inevitable, those two constants can be planned for, in some ways. We all know that tax day is April 15^th. We have all lost loved ones – whether it was a grandparent, a friend or a dog – so we know that death happens to everyone.

Change, however, often blindsides us, and occurs much more frequently. Actually when you think about it, change occurs daily, unless you are Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

When David and I were called to open The Oasis Renewal Center we knew that our life would change. We were called to open a non-profit ministry, to open up our home and provide a peaceful, spiritual place where people could connect with God and connect with others. Sounds so simple!

And for the past year, it was...well, not simple; but at least manageable. We renovated the house in Sonoita; opened it up for retreats, hosted individuals and groups who needed the time and space to really connect and pray, all the while commuting from Scottsdale. Yes, it’s a 3-hour drive, but it’s a fairly easy drive. We expected to continue this pattern for the next few years at least.

Somehow, I thought that I wouldn’t have to change again. For some reason, I expected that the initial change brought on by opening The Oasis would be the last one! Or, if something had to change, it would occur much later, or be easier, or not completely disrupt my life. We humans are so naïve. We get comfortable, and expect everything to stay that way. Ha!

So, all that to say, David and I will be moving to Sonoita in the next month to live and work full-time at The Oasis. That's a huge change for us, but we know that's where God wants us to be. After all, both of us are called by God to this ministry. It’s a joint endeavor; and we are a team, which makes both of us feel much more settled about the whole thing.

However, it still is not an easy transition. We have lived in our house in Scottsdale for almost 11 years. We literally got married in this house! Our children grew up in this house.  And while it is just a house, it is also a container of memories, and has been a welcoming haven for our family, friends and others who crossed our path. It’s difficult to let go of that.

This move also means we have to down-size. Considerably. It’s amazing how much stuff you can amass in a mere 11 years.  For me at least, this down-sizing is very difficult emotionally. What do I take to the new house, and what do I give away or put in storage?

For instance, yesterday I sat in front of the kitchen cabinet looking at all of the china we have. No one needs three sets of china. But, I can’t bear to part with my grandmother’s china, or my great-aunt’s china, or even my own china!  On the other hand, I don’t see myself using any china in the near future! OK. So the china goes in storage.

One problem down, nine hundred and eighteen to go!

How do you deal with change? Do you go with the flow, accepting change as part of life? Or do you stubbornly dig in, hoping everything stays as it is, and complain when it doesn't? Do you let yourself grieve over changes that result in loss? Do you talk with God how you feel about changes in your life?

Breathing Underwater and the Abundant Life

During my first Scuba diving lesson, my mind flew into a panic.

I had put on the mask, was fitted with a regulator, and attached it to the tank of air. I had practiced this thoroughly. All systems were a go, and I gave the OK sign to the instructor. Then I lowered myself into the pool, and allowed myself to slip under the water. And that's when my mind panicked.

The instructor had told me to take a deep breath, via the regulator. Breathe in, breathe out. Simple, right? But my mind was screaming, "NO! You are under water! You CANNOT breath underwater!"

Everything about Scuba is counter-intuitive. Breathing underwater. Forcing your body to relax, when all your muscles want to tense up. Allowing yourself to slowly sink into "neutral buoyancy" while fighting the urge to kick. Calmly blowing bubbles when your lungs are screaming "we have no air in here!" Not wildly pointing at the barracuda that's right behind your scuba buddy. (Apparently that's bad form. They bite.) Did I mention breathing? Underwater!?

However, once I relaxed and ignored my mind's sense of panic, scuba diving was the most incredible experience! Diving a coral wall 50' under the turquoise Caribbean off the shore of Honduras, I saw thousands of fish, decked out in every imaginable color! There were towering coral in shades of pink, purple, orange and red; a 5' sting ray that was "hiding" under the sand, tiny yellow tangs that swam up to my mask to see what this giant creature might be; a variety of sea snails and nudibranchs, and yes, barracuda. The sheer variety and color of the creatures blew me away!

It occurred to me that God is the consummate artist.

It also occurred to me that the spiritual life is very much like scuba diving. It's counter-intuitive. Giving complete control of my life over to God was probably one of the scariest things I've ever done! Every fiber of my (very human) being was screaming, "No! You are supposed to control your own life!" yet my soul calmly surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus pointed out repeatedly to his followers that the spiritual life is counter-intuitive. It just doesn't make sense to a person who isn't spiritual! Jesus said,  "The last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matt. 20:16)  and  "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25) 

And yet, just like the reward of scuba diving, the reward of a life surrendered to God is incredibly vibrant, surprising and very colorful!  

Jesus reminds us, " I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)

Confessions

They say that confession is good for the soul. (I have no idea who "they" are, but they are probably correct in this case.) And, of course, James the brother of Jesus, said "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other."

What I am about to confess is not really sinful. Or, at least I haven't found a prohibitive verse in the Bible, specifically referring to my own situation. So here goes:

I AM AN ENIGMA!

There. I said it. Whew, I feel better already!

You may be thinking, "OK...so?"

Well, this enigmatic thing has bothered me for some time. You see, I was an English Literature major in college. I went on to earn a Master's degree and I am a Pastor in the RCA. There are, shall we say, certain expectations and assumptions about people like me. And I don't think I live up to those expectations.

And so, I hereby confess that:


I read Stephen King novels.

• I have never read Moby Dick. Or Tristram Shandy. Or Robinson Crusoe.
• I detest Charles Dickens. Describing a mud puddle with just two run-on sentences that go on for three pages is not good writing, it's showing off.
• I found Jane Austen's books to be silly. I didn't like the characters. Not even Mr. Darcy.
• Don't even get me started on the Left Behind series...
• For the record, I loved the Harry Potter series. All seven books. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

I watch The Walking Dead, Doctor Who and The Following.

• I couldn't sit through 5 minutes of The Bible mini-series. The book is far better.
• I don't like musicals. I have never watched Glee.
• I don't understand the appeal of most sit-coms or reality shows.

I listen to Rammstein, and other Industrial-type rock. Sometimes I listen to other genres, but:

• I have no idea who the latest Christian artists or rappers are.
• I have never heard a song by Ke$ha, One Direction, or Wiz Khalifa that I'm aware of.
• I don't listen to the radio in the car (or anywhere else) so I don't know which station is K-LOVE.

I love Ice Hockey! Even the on-ice fights.

• Baseball bores me to tears.
• I don't understand American football.

I have a warped sense of humor.

• My favorite movies are Dodgeball, Shaun of the Dead, and anything by Monty Python.
• I think Eddie Izzard is brilliant.

I realize that putting all of this out there is just asking for backlash. I mean, a Pastor who admits enjoying violent TV shows and sports? An English major who reads horror novels? What's with her obsession with loud music, and the Un-Dead? What do you mean baseball is boring?? What on earth is she thinking?

I simply want to admit being an enigma; a puzzle; a complicated being who cannot be stereo-typed. I am an enigma, and I'm proud! I think that secretly, we all are.

I'm right and you're $#*%)#!

I had a very interesting discussion yesterday with Junior, our housemate. He's only 21, but I think he has "an old soul."

Junior was lamenting the lack of civility and common decency displayed by his generation. (Yes, he actually referred to people his own age as "this generation.") He decided that just because we can put everything out there on Facebook or Twitter, doesn't mean we ought to. And just because we can comment or make [disparaging] remarks about someone's posts or photos or status updates, doesn't mean it's the smartest thing to do. Whatever happened to conversation? Whatever happened to kindness? This was refreshing to hear from a 21-year-old.

At first we thought it might be the internet that gives us this feeling of anonymity; it's a way to put our opinions out there without the responsibility of actually having a face-to-face conversation.

"I've said my piece, I don't have to listen to, or read, yours and that's the end of it. Ha! So there!"

But it isn't just the internet that gives people the idea that they have license to say whatever they want - there is this idea roaming around that words, beliefs and thoughts have no consequences. 

"After all, I have the right to free speech, right? I have the right to believe whatever I want, right? And if my beliefs have no consequences, then my beliefs are correct, and therefore my beliefs are THE TRUTH. And if my beliefs are THE TRUTH, then everyone in the world should agree with me and abide by my truth." 

It's a twisted logic, and it's dangerous.

At the dangerous end of the spectrum are the people who want to tell everyone else what to do, how to think, and how to live. They think their belief - their "truth" - is the only truth, and somehow God has given them the task of enforcing it. We all know who they are...the folks that picket funerals, the guys that shoot girls in the head because they dare to want an education, people that flip you off on the highway, or guys who want to make sure we all carry our birth certificates in order to use the proper restroom. It doesn't seem to occur to them that they might be wrong.

At the other end of the spectrum are those of us who shake our heads in disbelief and wonder, What on earth are they thinking?

So here's an idea: Let's have a civil conversation. With both parties actually listening to the other side. We don't have to agree on everything. In fact, we might just agree to disagree. We might learn something, or see an issue from a new angle. And we can even respect one another as people! Now there's an idea with consequences!

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." 

Romans 12:18

She said WHAT?!

Ever have one of those days, where everything is going just peachy and you're feeling fine, and then you read something that just sets your hair on end and sends you hurtling into a bad mood in 1.2 seconds? I had one of those days today.

Normally I don't let the little things bother me. I live by the adage that I should never take things personally. I think that whatever someone says to me reveals more about them than it does about me. I firmly believe that I don't know what your life is really like, therefore I am not permitted to comment on it, and vice-versa. I respect people's decisions, and I expect the same in return. I was raised to believe that we should say nice things to one another. You know, Be Kind. Maybe that's where I've been mistaken.

I received a very rude message today from someone who felt the need to comment disparagingly on my parenting skills, my values, my faith and my lifestyle. It was a very personal attack. And I was stunned.

This is someone who doesn't know me well. We were very good friends at one time, but haven't been close for years. There has been no consistent communication between us in a very long time. So I was baffled - by the venom, by the rudeness - but mostly I was baffled as to why I was chosen as a target.

It's a very sad commentary on society in general, and this person's life in particular. I am saddened by the fact that common decency is no longer common. I am saddened that someone would lash out so viciously  without provocation. I am saddened that this person must be dealing with something that is too big for them to bear. And I am saddened that I let it hurt my feelings.

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." ~ His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

"Deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments." ~The Talmud