2009 - It is a New Year!

It's a New Year! 2008 has come and gone and a 2009 is here!

Caryl & I wish you a very Happy New Year and pray that you will have prosperity in all areas of your life in 2009.

Just a few random thoughts before I head to bed:

• This year was historic in so many ways, a new president, an economic downturn and so much more
• We learned at Oasis over and over that it is not about us and all about Him!
• We learned that there is power in community.
• We said good-bye to Kathy Brun & Dave Lickwar - both very difficult but both leaving this world in peace.
• Our first anniversary was a blast and it is hard to believe that in 7 weeks we'll be 2 years old as a church.
• Easter saw attendance of over 400 in 3 services - what will 2009 bring?
• We learned that sometimes responding to God means we have to get out of our seats! - the response stations have been really powerful in our services throughout the year.
• High gas prices mean higher church attendance in Maricopa - people were less likely to drive 20+ miles when gas was over $4/ gal.
• Video teaching can work - as we learned in "One Prayer" So - we are going to do it again in 2009.
• There are great life lessons that can be learned from Kid's movies.

Finally - Caryl & I love Oasis more and more each passing month. We pray to serve God and Oasis all the days of our life!

So - if we could learn something in 2009, what would you like it to be?

Don't Miss Hydrate, The Band as the Youth of Oasis Lead Us in Worship Tomorrow

Don't miss the youth of Oasis as they lead us in worship tomorrow morning at both the 8:30 & 10:30 AM services!

Under the direction of Sean Kelly & Josh Grubbs - we'll be lead in to the presence of God Almighty!

We believe the next generation will do even greater things! We believe we must embrace and release the next generation now to become all that God has for them!

See you there!

"12-Days" Pictures

Pictures from our second annual family variety show entitled "12-Days". This event took place on Saturday Dec 13 with2 performances at 4:30 & 6 PM. Tons of sugar & coffee were consumed between shows!

My Prayer - Call Us Back Everlasting Father!

Dear Father (In Heaven),
It is nearly mid-night and tomorrow morning will be "Christmas" services for churches all over America. As my twitter pastor friends are seeking you and praying for miracles tomorrow - I seek you as well. We feel avgreat weight and yet we know that you are the one who is drawing all men to yourself.

I pray that as we come into your presence tomorrow - we would have an encounter that would change us. For those who have already chosen to follow you, may they see you like never before. I pray they hear your voice. For those who have rejected you because of the image they have of their earthly father - give them a lens of you thru scripture - open their spiritual ears to hear you as you really are.

You are not angry with us.
You are satisfied with us and love us.
You care for us.
You have great plans for us - to prosper our lives.
You have a desire to give us hope.
You have an incredible future for us.
You believe in us and you're cheering us on.
You see us as righteous because of the relationship we have with your Son, Jesus.

Everlasting Father - I love you and thank you for the new revelation of who you are. Thank you that you are calling your children to return to you. Thank you that you are revealing yourself anew so that we can have a fresh start. Thank you for allowing us to break the bonds of the generations before us.

I've been changed because I've been in your presence. I'll never be the same. May the world never be the same because of what you've begun in me and so many others who are returning to the Father.

I love you and can't wait to get back on your lap again tomorrow.
Your son - Scott

"Elf-Scott & A 12-Days Wish for All"

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Twittering Away - FB - Tokbox and more!

Twittering away! So do you twitter? Do you FB (Facebook) or even Tokbox?

How do we keep up with all this new technology? As a pastor, I'm checking all this out to see how it can be effective in reaching out, staying in touch, encouraging, training and connecting with unreached generations by the church. But - I have to admit that it is kind of crazy trying to keep up and not let these new tools consume too much time. How to learn effectiveness without losing balance and focus?

Here's an overview of what I'm trying. I'd love to connect with you in these places as well.

Twitter - a mini-blogging tool that answers the question - what are you doing? Check it out at http://www.twitter.com/ and you can subscribe to follow me on Twitter at oasislifeScott . Twitter can be viewed on your computer and on many phone applications. Updates can be sent and received via text as well. I use it to update my Facebook status as well.

Facebook - single handedly the best tool online to connect with friends, family, business associates, church members and just about anyone. I've been able to make connections with people that I've not talked to in over 2 decades. I've connected with pastors, authors, musicians, actors and most importantly lots of people at Oasis Life Church. While it can be an addictive past time, I think it might just be the front line in the modern world of encouragement. Connect with me on Facebook at Scott Helsel

Tokbox - this is a new tool that I just discovered as a result of a tweet (a twitter update) by Geoff Surratt of Seacoast Church in SC. This is a new videoconferencing tool that can be used free of charge and without downloading any software. Just sign up and connect with others by inviting them to join you online. If you don't have a camera connected to your computer - you can do just audio. I've not really used it too much yet but hope to start using this for training and mentoring connections with other pastors around the country. I can also see some great small group or discipleship applications coming. How about outreach sessions to answer questions that provoke conversation? I think we are going to see this explode and be a huge par of our future! Connect with me on Tokbox at http://www.tokbox.com/Scott754

And - we now use Constant Contact to be more effective in our newsletter and communication with the church and community. The more - well, I know that there will be more and more technologies that I'll be checking out. Let me know what technology you use everyday and let's stay in touch! - Blessings - Pastor Scott

Ok - This One is Kind of Like Cheating

It is 10:45 PM on the last day of my blogging week! My commitment was to make 3 or more entries per week. So far -only 2 this week.

So - not much to say but here is number 3 for the week! Help me to do better next week! Keep me accountable - make comments and let me know what you'd like to hear about!

That's all for this one!
Good night!

Awesome "12-Days" - More Info Coming!

Just a few hours ago we finished our 2 annual performance of "12-Days" This was an idea that we got while we attended our mother church, Desert Springs Church. This is a fun family outreach with 12 variety-style acts.

This year we welcomed "Broken Rhodes" for the second time and we were treated to some awesome music. The kids always steal the show and this year was no exception. And - my son didn't pick his nose on stage this year! We are making progress.

Other highlights was a story, "The Birds" as told by Sharyn Ketcham. We had dances by the Hydrate dance group and the 3-5 grade dance group. Other musical performances came via "Hydrate, The Band", The Vsssssss, and more! We'll have video and pictures coming soon!

Each year we end with the story of the legend of the "12-Days of Christmas". If you've not heard it - you'll have to make plan to attend next year. Sean Kelly can even tell you if I can do the whole song in the same key!

Christmas is not about the 12-days of shopping at Macy's (sorry Macy's), not about the food, the friends, the presents or even our family. Rather it is about the fact that a Jesus was born, a Savior came to earth - knowing he would die. Because of this we celebrate that we have salvation and the hope of eternal life!

Merry Christmas!

Thinking About a New Year

Tonight was our final night of community groups for 2008. We'll actually have a Christmas party next week, but tonight was the final night to gather and discuss content.

Tonight we took some quiet time during our group. It is amazing how long 10 minutes can seem when there is silence and 13 people are seeking after God - to hear from the Holy Spirit. We asked Him what needed to change in us and what a first step would be to make that happen. So - what would happen in the 52 weeks of 2009 if we allowed God to speak to us about a small change each week? Would we be more transformed? Would we be more like Jesus? Would our families be better? Would our churches be more alive? Would we serve our family, friends, church and community more?

Something to start thinking about - fasting in the first 21 days of 2009. The last two years we fasted the 21 days leading up to the anniversary of our church - but this time we will fast at the beginning of the year. This is a great opportunity for our community of faith to come together, to seek the face of God and seek direction and clarity as we move forward.

So - are you thinking about 2009? What will you do different than this year?

Generous? How Can I Give to My Community this Christmas?

So - last night I told you about what was going on at Oasis this Christmas Season. Today - let's talk about how we can give back to our community.





1. F.O.R. Maricopa (Food, Opportunity, Resources for Maricopa) - Oasis gave 51 complete dry food boxes to F.O.R. Maricopa during the Thanksgiving holiday. We have the opportunity to give as many "boxes" of food for Christmas as well. This time we'll just have a list of items to put in a box and not the actual box. So - let's make a goal to give another 50 complete sets of the dry goods to make up a Christmas box. You can get the list on Sunday - Dec 7th or email Emily Grubbs via info@oasislifechurch.org

2. Stuff a Stocking - Each year Oasis Life Church comes together to help make Christmas an enjoyable time for families who would not be able to do so on their own. A majority of these families attend Oasis, but a few come from the community as well. This year we are providing "Oasis Christmas Stockings" that include gift cards for the identified families. If you would like to participate, please purchase gift cards in denominations of $50 or less from the following stores: Fry's/Fry's Marketplace, Basha's, Target, Walmart or Ace Hardware. All gift card donations should be received by Wednesday December 17th so that we can distribute them approximately 1 week prior to Christmas. You can donate more than one card or if you'd like to adopt a complete family - let us know. For more details contact Emily at info@oasislifechurch.org The more cards we get - the more families we can bless!

3. Community Giving Tree - again this event is sponsored by F.O.R. Maricopa . Stop by the lobby of Amtrust Bank (beside McDonald's) and pick a name of a child that needs a present this Christmas. All gifts are to be returned to the bank by Friday December 12th, unwrapped. There will also be the opportunity to be a part of the wrapping party. We'll get you details about helping in this fashion as we have information.

4. Finally - each year at Oasis we work to pay down our debt that is still outstanding from our initial build-out. Should God lay it on your heart to donate toward this purpose, you can direct your giving to Oasis Life Church and mark your check/envelope as a donation toward the 150/250 fund (150 gifts of $250 will completely pay off our debt). We still need 104 gifts of $250 to completely pay off our build out debt.

You guys are awesome and together we are learning to be extremely generous on all occasions and we pray that through your generosity, thanksgiving to God will result! (II Cor 9:11)

Should you have any questions - please do not hesitate to contact us!

Sincerely - Pastor Scott

Christmas Events at Oasis Life Church

It's the Christmas season! Seems like just a few months ago we started the year as we talked about becoming a "Dangerous Church". Now we are just 4 Sundays from entering into 2009! And - since I come from the corporate world I still lapse into saying it's the "Holiday Season". However - I now am free to say Merry Christmas.

So what's happening at the Oasis this Christmas season?

This Saturday - Dec 6th - Flavor Women's ministry is hosting their second annual Christmas tea. I hear it's an awesome time for women to come and play with their grown-up tea sets, eat some awesome food and enjoy a Christmas program. This will include a talk by Nolita Squires and a dance performance by Alyssa Coles. Don't miss it!

Saturday - Dec 13th is the second annual presentation of "12-Days of Christmas". This variety show is in 12 acts. This year "Broken Rhodes" returns by popular demand and you'll hear from "Hydrate, the Band" and "Saturate Worship Band". Other acts include dance, drama and several children's presentations. In Oasis fashion we'll have a FREE dessert & coffee bar between the shows. Show times are 4:30 PM and 6 PM. Come early to get a seat as both shows filled up very fast last year!

Dec 17th - Our community groups will all come together a the home of Sean & Cheryl Kelly for a Christmas party. It's a celebration with a "white elephant" exchange!

December 24 - Candlelight Christmas Eve service. Join us for a family service with music, communion and a short message all set in a beautiful candlelight setting. Service time is 6 PM and childcare is provided for infants through age 5.

We'll also have a lot of opportunities to give back to our community. More on that tomorrow!

December Blogging Challenge

Well - a few months ago I blogged that I wanted to blog like Perry Noble. To do that I'd have to be consistent and I'd have to put it on my schedule. If you follow my blog at all - you can see that once again I've had a huge blog gap.

So - tonight we sent our weekly newsletter out via Constant Contact. In this newsletter I asked for individuals to come to this blog and to sign up. I'm taking a blog challenge to blog at least 3-times a week in December. So - I decided that I better get one in to get this thing underway.

It seems there is so much to say - to report - to discuss. It just takes time and effort to be sure that it comes out on the blog. So - here goes - my December blog challenge.

Sign up to follow my blog and help keep me accountable. You just never know what crazy things may seep from my brain this month. I look forward to having you along for the ride!

Blessings - Pastor Scott