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Ben?s Blog and more?
2007-05-30 23:30:00
Several years ago, I was having a conversation with our youth minister, Matt Wilson. We were discussing plans for an upcoming youth retreat we were co-directing. He knew of my son?s artistic talents and asked if I thought he would be willing ?paint something?. I learned long ago not to volunteer my family members for ...
More About: Blogroll , Parenting , Children , Blog

Meaningful Memorials
2007-05-26 05:01:00
Last year I told you that as a young person I distinctly remember attending only a few funerals. My most vivid memory is that of attending a memorial service for my eighteen year old cousin, Gail Lynn Strickland. He was killed when his helicopter was shot down in Viet Nam on August 12, 1971. Each year, ...
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Three Hardest Things To Do
2007-05-25 01:56:00
Journalist Sydney J. Harris is credited with the following quote: The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, “I was wrong”. (Source) You wouldn?t get any argument from me about these three practices presenting us with ...
More About: Life , Things , Three , Thing , To Do

How God Turns Tragedy to Triumph, Bringing Hope from Despair
2007-05-24 05:01:00
A Look at Truly Tragic Times — The Psalm says it all? 1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ?Sing us one of the songs of ...
More About: Blogroll , Tragedy , Hope , Triumph , Pair

An Anchor for the Soul
2007-05-23 03:07:00
13When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the ...
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Encouraging One Another Daily
2007-05-22 02:34:00
I love to visit big cities, but I am a country boy at heart. So, it probably won?t surprise you that one of my earliest musical memories is that of hearing Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in concert. After Roy Rogers made a spectacular entrance astride Trigger, these two put on a show that I ...
More About: Personal , Life , Daily , Blogroll , Aging

Warm Me With the Son
2007-05-21 04:33:00
One of my best friends, who is also one of the most Christ-focused men I know, penned the following a few years ago. Looking at it from time-to-time, helps me to keep my heart in tune. Hope it will be a blessing to you, as well… Warm Me With the Son I don?t know when it started, ...

Learning to Dream Again
2007-05-19 17:48:00
When you look at this old house, what comes to mind? Do you wonder what happened to the people who once lived here? Do you wonder why they abandoned their home? When we reflect a bit longer on this dilapidated building, it occurs to us that it may well represent something more. At the very ...
More About: Life , Blogroll , Dream , Learning , Learn

God Uses Broken Things
2007-05-15 21:32:00
We sat at the kitchen table discussing what no parent wants to discuss?the death of a child. They were elderly. They had lived long and storied lives. Still, this was no easy conversation. Faces were long. Tears flowed. Their beloved child had not always lived the life they had taught her to live. Reflecting brought ...
More About: Blogroll , Children , Things , Thing , Broken

Happy Mother?s Day!
2007-05-13 06:25:00
Mother’s Day. This is a special day for most of us. A day for honoring the precious women who birthed us, nurtured us, disciplined us and loved us enough to eventually nudge us out of the nest so that we could take flight on our own. This Sunday I will speak about the gifts mothers ...
More About: Family , Blogroll , Children , Happy , Mother

Concerning Graduates Who Walk Away from God
2007-05-12 06:08:00
Do you know anybody who grew up in a religious environment, maybe even a Christian one, and walked away from faith/church/God when they turned eighteen and went away to college? These are the words of Rob Bell. This is how he opens the discussion of LOGOS in Movement Three of his penetrating book Velvet Elvis. He ...
More About: Family , Life , Blogroll , Parenting , Children

So, We?re Not Giving Up!
2007-05-11 06:36:00
Have you ever… ?done what you thought was a good deed, only to discover that what you did was considered offensive and resented by the recipient? ?said something that you truly believed was kindly-stated only to be shocked to learn that many people considered it insensitive and inflammatory? ?gone the extra mile in order to help a friend ...
More About: Life , Blogroll , Giving , Ving

High School Graduates Deciding to Follow Jesus?
2007-05-07 06:03:00
The annual tsunami of high school graduations is just around the corner. Passing this milestone is one of the most momentous events in most people?s lives. At the very least, it is one of life?s most anticipated achievements. There is so much potential wrapped up in the lives of these young people that are making ...
More About: Jesus , Family , Life , Blogroll , Parenting

Wonder Words 003
2007-05-06 04:28:00
Just for the fun of it, here’s a list of “wonder words”. These are all taken from the same book, a novel that is universally recognized as a classic. After taking a look at the list, let us know the title of the selection from which you believe they are taken. — Balalaika — Bilious — Casuistry — Concertina — ...
More About: Blogroll , Reading , Words , Wonder

Thank You for Being a Friend
2007-05-03 05:04:00
First, special thanks goes out to all the friends both new and old who have taken the time to inquire as to my whereabouts. Your kind thoughts through comments and emails have been a blessing and encouragement to me. Second, please accept my apology for the de facto abandonment of this blog. Hope no one has ...
More About: Personal , Blogroll , Friend , Thank You , Bein

Three Things that Matter Most
2007-04-16 18:52:00
This post grows out of a continuing series of lessons that I am preaching. It is based on Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad?s ?A Passionate Life ? series, which develops the LIFEshapes approach to teaching discipleship. If you would like to hear this lesson preached click HERE. The format for this lesson is somewhat different from ...
More About: Christianity , Hat , Matter , Matt

When Silence Isn?t Golden
2007-04-10 08:14:00
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ? Proverbs 25:11 (NIV) Have you ever said, ?Silence is golden?? Most of us have. It is true in many ways. For example: When the little ones are finally settled in bed at night, don?t most parents bask in the peaceful golden glow of ...
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Until He Comes
2007-04-09 15:59:00
This message was spoken during the morning worship gathering at the Cedars Church on Easter Sunday. You can listen to it by clicking here: Until He Come s. These thoughts regarding the resurrection preceded the communion service. Key passages were: Acts 1:1-11; John 14:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Following the Lord?s Supper, one of our worship leaders ...

The Baptism Question
2007-04-01 01:32:00
In spiritual conversations with friends and family members one question has been asked of me more than any other. Being aware that discussions of baptism have occasionally led to fractured friendships and falling-outs with family members, I?ve tried to steer clear of conflict when discussing this topic. Still, there is little doubt in my mind ...
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Brief Sabbatical
2007-03-27 19:45:00
Thank you so much for dropping by the Spiritual Oasis. If you are a regular visitor, you may have noticed that I’ve not been posting regularly of late. Lord willing, I’ll be back to full steam within a week, or so. For now, I’m planning to spend a few more days drinking deeply from the ...
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Battling BUSYNESS: Choosing What it is Better
2007-03-19 19:47:00
Here’s the link to my message for Sunday, March 18, 2007: Battling BUSYNESS: Choosing What it is Better In this message we explore some of the challenges we have when it comes to living for Jesus in a world where BUSYNESS rules. Our key reference is Luke 9:23-25. We will also discuss Ephesians 5:15-17. For three suggestions ...
More About: Hat , Sing , Ness

Announcing the SPIRITUAL OASIS Podcast
2007-03-16 19:19:00
Well, after spending a brief amount of time becoming familiar with the world of Pod casting, I?m ?soft-launching? the SPIRITUAL OASIS Podcast . Since there are some experienced Podcasters who frequent this domain, I would really like to hear from you. Don?t hesitate to let me know what works and what doesn?t. I?m really interested in reading ...
More About: Spiritual , Ritual , Cast

In Tribute to A Life Well Lived
2007-03-16 02:04:00
Francis Louis ?Junior? Montandon lived 85 years on this earth. He was married to my wife?s aunt for nearly 63 of those years. He was a loving father of three sons and one daughter. He was a hard-working farmer and successful businessman. He was an active member of his community and served as a spiritual ...
More About: Life , Live , Bute , Tribute , Tribu

Amazing Grace, the movie?
2007-03-14 21:40:00
Last Sunday afternoon a small group from my home church went to see the movie, Amazing Grace . While a couple of the young people thought it was a bit ?slow moving?, it was, in my estimation, utterly captivating. If you have not yet seen this movie based on the story of William Wilberforce, I highly ...
More About: Movie , The Movie , Amazing Grace

Spiritual Warfare
2007-03-13 05:10:00
Paul usually wrote without equivocation regarding the call of God on the lives of those who wish to follow Jesus. Ephesians 5:8-11 is no exception. Here we read: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, ...
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Learning to Live for Jesus AND to Podcast
2007-03-10 19:00:00
The past couple of weeks have been incredibly busy, with a few fabulous opportunities for Christian service and a number of unique challenges. Many friends who frequent the Spiritual Oasis have noticed that I have been a bit scarce here in cyberspace. I appreciate all of you who have checked on me via email. Your ...
More About: Jesus , Pod , Podcast , Earn , Live

Wandering Sheep
2007-03-03 19:44:01
She had that wild-eyed look about her as she rushed around the corner. She declared for the world to hear, ?Ashley is missing!? The response from somebody standing nearby was, ?What?? ?Ashley is missing!? was this frantic mother?s reply as she rushed to speak with a park official standing nearby. This jolting exchange occurred about 20 years ago. I?m pleased to report that Ashley was quickly found without incident. She is now a young woman and doing well. However, on this day, when our church group was visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo, we had a real scare. The thought of this precious child being missing sent everyone in our group scrambling in response to what we believed was a developing disaster. We were all grateful that she was found quickly. No one more so than her mother, though. As I reflect on this episode, I?m reminded of just how much God cares for His children. In fact, I believe that Jesus once told a story, which the Holy Spirit reports to us in the context of God?s in...
More About: Ring , Wandering , Wand , Sheep , Shee

Wonder Words 002
2007-02-28 07:41:01
While researching a couple of the ?wonder words? that recently showed up on my radar screen, I came across the following: Next time, in promulgating your esoteric cogitations, or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable, philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity. Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a compacted comprehensibleness, coalescent consistency, and a concatenated cogency. Eschew all conglomerations of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement, and asinine affectations. The unknown author went on to conclude: In other words, talk plainly, briefly, naturally, sensibly, truthfully, purely. Keep from slang; don’t put on airs; say what you mean; mean what you say. And, don’t use big words! This is probably sound advice, isn?t it? Still, multi-syllabic combinations of morphemes have a way of catching our eye and making us wonder, don?t they? A few that have caught my eye of late...
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Criticism: An Ever-Present Temptation
2007-02-26 19:40:01
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. –James 3:9-10 A few years ago a sister in Christ approached me and asked, “Do you have any information on criticism?” I began to discuss some resources with which I was familiar. She responded with a look of bewilderment. Then she stated, “I don’t need help dealing with critics. I’m too critical. I need help dealing with me.” Our discussion then turned in a different direction. I told her that, in my estimation, her acknowledgment of the problem put her well down the road to spiritual growth in this area. Hopefully, she is not traveling this road alone. Doesn't experience teach us that she is not the only person wrestling with both the tendency and temptation to be overly critical? Before me is a thoughtful article that has been in my files ...
More About: Present , Ever , Criticism , Crit , Temptation

Winterfest 2007 - Wrap Up
2007-02-22 07:36:01
Well, the trip to Gatlinburg is now history. Our group even arrived in Delaware approximately 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Some highlights of the last day were: — The Prize - P314, This year?s theme was based on Philippians 3:14, ?I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.? (Already; Not Yet!) — Jeff Walling did an exceptionally good job connecting the various parts of the program so that the drama, the special music, the worship times, and preaching flowed seamlessly. Few people I know are more capable of ?connecting? to such a broad range of people so effectively. During our return trip one of our teenagers said, ?That Jeff guy sure is funny!? For a middle-aged, balding guy, this is quite an accomplishment. I know this to be true from firsthand experience. — Unbound ? As usual, Oklahoma Christian University?s acting group did an extraordinary job with the dramatization of the message. Unless it is well d...
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